On the weekend of July 5-7, five athletes from the Georgian Bay Coyotes took part in the 12th annual Flying Angels International Championships held at the Toronto Track and Field Centre at York University. This was a unique opportunity to compete with athletes from different countries, including the US, Bermuda, and Denmark.
The weekend got started on Friday night with the longer races, the 2000m and the 3000m. Fortunately the air cooled slightly before these races and a light drizzle settled in. Atom girl Mila Dolan raced the 2000m for the first time and rose to the challenge. She took third place and finished her five laps in under eight minutes. Senior Boy Nathan Leary laced up for his first attempt at the 3000m race. Due to the length of the race, officials placed the U15, U18, U20 and master’s categories on the line all at once. This was intimidating, but Nathan found his pace and held steady throughout, finishing in fifth place. The meet had awards for racers to eighth place, so Nathan was pleased to receive a fifth-place medal.
Saturday morning began with Tyke girl Iris Herman racing the 1200m. She and eleven other girls stepped to the line for the three-lap race. Her pace was a little slower than usual in the middle of the race, but she showed great determination in her finish, kicking hard and crossing the line in eighth. She was rewarded for her perseverance as she received the eighth-place medal.
Mila Stepanovic was next to race in the Tyke girls 400m category. This was Mila’s debut with the Coyotes, and she seemed thrilled with the excitement of racing. She took off hard and started to fade a touch by the 300m mark but found herself neck and neck with some competitors. She dug deep and crossed the line taking second in her heat. Overall, she placed a well earned sixth, and received a medal for her strong performance.
Following this, Mila Dolan raced in the Atom girls 400m category. This particular age group had 56 girls organized to race, a very large group of competitors. Mila went in hoping to set a new personal best and match the time set by her teammate Mila Stepanovic. She was spot on in her goal setting. She raced hard and managed to knock over four seconds off her previous best time.
After the lunch break, athletes Mila Dolan and Nathan Leary laced up once more, ready to race the 1500m. Mila went out strong, keeping with a very fast group of girls. She made some beautiful passes and showed incredible determination as she fought hard to the end, crossing the line with a seven-second personal best. Nathan Leary found a steady pace over his three- and three-quarter laps, and he made a nice pass close to the end of the race but could not quite outsprint his competitor in the end.
Much later in the day, 14-year-old Coyote Isabel Spence finished off Saturday’s racing, taking part in the U15 girls 1500m race. Isabel’s diligence in training left her wanting someone to chase in this race, but the other competitors were not able to maintain the lap splits set by Isabel. She raced hard and earned herself a walk to the podium, taking first place.
To finish off the meet, Tyke girl Iris Herman returned to the Toronto Track and Field Centre on Sunday to race in the U11 800m category. She faced some very fine racers in this young age group and fared very well. She ran near her personal best and placed tenth.
This meet was an excellent opportunity for the Coyotes to hone their racing skills before the Legion Provincials next weekend and the Minor Track Provincial Championships on July 20 and 21. Coaches and parents look forward to seeing their continued determination and success.
For more information about the team, please check out their website at: www.georgianbaycoyotes.com
