On Saturday, May 17, 11 Georgian Bay Coyotes travelled to Nelson High School in Burlington to compete in the 33rd annual Gord Rusby Memorial Track and Field Meet.
Athletes were thrilled to step out onto the six-lane, 400-meter rubberized track to warm up for their first outdoor competition of the season.
The day got started with Tyke girl Madeline Armstrong racing the 1200m. This was Madeline’s first race in some time, and the team was thrilled to see the spring in her step and the determination in her eyes as she completed the three-lap race. Madeline patiently set out near the back of the pack and gradually worked her way forward, crossing the line with a new personal best and snatching fifth place.
Next, the five Atom girls prepared for the 1500m run. Mila Dolan and Madelyn Moores were grouped in the first heat, along with the faster seeded racers. Mila kept a strong pace throughout her race and sprinted to finish in sixth place overall while knocking seven seconds off her previous personal best. Runners Iris Herman, Avery McPhatter, and Eleanor Cox were lined up with the second heat of racers. Avery went out hungry for a new personal best and ended up crushing her previous time by an incredible 15 seconds. Eleanor Cox raced for the first time with MTA and was a delight to watch as she smiled throughout the entire run. She also came home with a personal best.
The Seniors were next to race the 1500m. Addison Cox was excited to meet and race in the same category as World Record Holder Sawyer Nicholson, who holds the record for the fastest 5km in her age category. Addison worked hard to knock ten seconds off her previous best time, finishing with a strong sprint. Coyotes James Yaromich and Coby Robertson were next to compete in their first outdoor MTA meet. While they were a bit surprised at the level of competition, both raced very well and came home with new best times. James managed to knock 12 seconds off the time he ran at his school meet just this week.
After a lengthy wait, Ella and Caleb Cleland warmed up to run the 400m race. Eight-year-old Ella raced in the Mite girls category against eight other racers. She took off with a look of determination on her face, ready to chase down her brother’s personal best time from when he was her age. Amazingly, she ended up crossing the line in 1:20.02 and achieved her goal. She also took first place in the Mite girls race. Caleb ran a very strong 400m race in the Atom boys category, knocking over five seconds off his previous best and taking seventh overall.
To end the day, nine Coyotes prepared for the 800m race. Unfortunately, the weather took a significant turn for the worse during this part of the day, seeing wind gusts of nearly 40km/h. Racers were a bit disappointed that they struggled to match their best times, but all had exceptional races.
Madelyn Armstrong took fifth place in the Tyke girls race while teammate Mila Dolan worked very hard to stay in the mix of the Atom girls race and crossed in fourth, just a second behind the third place finisher. Atom girls Iris Herman, Madelyn Moores, Avery McPhatter, and Eleanor Cox all worked hard to face the incredible headwind on the last 300m of their race. Madelyn and Avery duked it out in the last 50 meters with a little team rivalry to end their run. Avery bested her previous time by over six seconds with her performance.
Caleb Cleland toed the line in a large group of sixteen boys. He took off like a shot and got ahead of the crowd. He was joined gradually by three other runners who all finished hard, working to edge each other out. In the end, Caleb and his rival Edward Scratch crossed the line in a photo finish. With electronic timing, it was determined that Edward crossed in third place, six milliseconds ahead of Caleb who took fourth. It was a thrilling race.
Seniors Addison Cox and James Yaromich raced in the Senior division of the 800m. Addison was ahead of her lap splits throughout but was slowed by another incredible headwind at the 300m mark. Coaches set a goal of breaking the three-minute mark for James. He took off hard and showed a strong drive to stay in the core group of racers in his heat. He pushed hard through the finish line and was almost eight seconds faster than hoped for.
Overall, it was a very successful first meet for the outdoor season, which saw five top-six performances and ten new personal bests.
To find out more about the team, please visit their website at: www.georgianbaycoyotes.com.
