On April 24, two members of the Georgian Bay Coyotes Track Club attended the final indoor track and field meet of the 2022 season at the Toronto Track and Field Centre; the Athletics Ontario Rising Stars U14 and U12 Provincial Indoor Championships.
The Coyotes Track club has already begun training for their outdoor season so this was a bit of a bonus race for these two young athletes to see how they could stand up against the best in the Province at slightly longer race distances than they are accustomed.
The first Coyote to step on the track was Emmett Leary in the boys under 14 2000m (2km) race. This was the first time that Emmett has raced the 2000m and he had high expectations for himself going into the race. He certainly did not disappoint. When the starter fired the gun Emmett took his usual place at the back of the pack in order to gauge the speed of the other runners. With an overall slow start to the race Emmett then proceeded to pass each of the other runners on the very first of the ten lap race and never looked back. With each lap his lead grew larger and when crossing the finish line, he stopped the clock in an amazing 6:36.87, beating his closest competitor by more than 22 seconds and setting a new Provincial Indoor record for U14 boys; breaking the old mark set in 2014 by more than 6 seconds.
Officials reviewed the timing of the race and signed off on the paperwork to officially recognize Emmett’s time in the Athletics Ontario Record book. The result will now be reviewed by AO officials and hopefully ratified at an upcoming meeting.
The second Coyote to step on the track was Nathan Leary in the boys U12 1000m race. There were some familiar faces at the starting line as Nathan has raced against a few of these boys in prior races. Nathan started the race strong and continued to set a great pace throughout the entire race and demonstrated a strong finishing kick. Nathan finished 5th overall with a time of 3:51.45, setting a new personal best time for himself in the process.
“It was a fun day of racing but now the focus shifts back to training for the outdoor season which culminates with the Provincial championships in late July,” said team organizers.
The Coyotes currently have more than 35 amazing young athletes ages 7-16 who train at the old GBCS track in Meaford. For more information on the team, or to become a member please visit their website at www.georgianbaycoyotes.com.
