On Saturday, May 18, thirteen members of the Georgian Bay Coyotes travelled to Burlington to participate in the 32nd annual Gordon Rusby Memorial track and field meet. The meet was held at Nelson High School, which boasted a six-lane rubberized track, turf infield, and jump pits. It was a comfortable day for racing and a great chance to test our training.
The day began with the 1200m races, and two of the club’s newer racers, Sophia Miller and Iris Herman, toed the line. Iris was racing for the first time and held back a little, though she finished strong, placing sixth overall. Caleb Cleland also ran the 1200m race, leading the pack of boys for almost the entire race. He knocked ten seconds off his personal best time and claimed the gold medal.
Next, the large group of six Coyote Atom girls dominated the start line of the 1500m race. All of the girls ran strong races and five of them walked away with new personal best times. McKenna Marshall fought hard to out-sprint a competitor to the finish line and managed to claim sixth place while smashing her personal best time by eleven seconds. Senior girl Kate Earle also ran the 1500m race and finished with strong determination as she fought some nagging injuries and fatigue. The Senior boys capped off the morning of races on a positive note as Bryson Cleland knocked eight seconds off his previous best time in the 1500m race.
In the afternoon, the Coyotes warmed up for the 800m races. All of the Coyotes who finished the 800m race came away with new personal best times and a lot to smile about. Caleb Cleland dominated the Tyke boys race, taking first place, and Easton Parrish had a superb race and placed third in the same division. Senior Bryson Cleland also finished near the front of the pack, taking the sixth-place ribbon.
“Overall, our young Coyotes had an excellent first meet of the outdoor season. We came away with three medals, four sixth-place ribbons, and more importantly, twenty new personal bests. Our team of four boys managed to score enough points to place ninth out of the thirty teams at the competition. Our elementary school-aged athletes will now resume their regular training while our high school runners, Emmett Leary, Isabel Spence, River Jones, and Luke Jack, prepare to compete at CWOSSA in Brantford this coming week,” said the team.
For more information about the team, please visit their website: www.georgianbaycoyotes.com
