On Wednesday May 22, and Thursday May 23, four high school aged Coyote runners travelled to Brantford to compete in the CWOSSA Track & Field Championship, which was held at Pauline Johnson CVI. The facility included an eight-lane rubberized track, jump pits, a planting box for pole vault, a high jump pit, a shot-put circle, discus cage and a designated throwing area for javelin. Present at this meet, were the top athletes from ten different districts across Central Western Ontario.
River Jones, representing Saint Mary’s High school in Owen Sound, partook in the high jump, the 200m and the 800m races. He jumped a height of 1.50m and placed well. In the 800m race, River trusted his pacing, going out at a reasonable speed and holding strong throughout. He finished with a burst, passing several competitors and earning himself a new personal best.
Luke Jack, a grade eleven student from GBCS in Meaford, participated in the Senior boys long jump event. With only three weeks of training for this particular event, he did his best, though he found the competition to be quite challenging. His outlook was positive, with a resolve to practice a few more drills and begin training earlier for next year’s meet.
Emmett Leary, a grade nine student also from Meaford’ school, competed in the Novice boys 1500m and 3000m events. He ran comfortably near the front of the pack in the 1500m race, staying with another competitor from Bluewater, Perry Smith. In the last 100m, a runner from Resurrection High school sprinted to the finish and Emmett placed second while Perry took third. Emmett faced the Resurrection High school student again in the 3000m race but took command of the race by the 200m mark and finished in first place, well in front of the other competitors.
Isabel Spence, another grade nine student from our local Meaford high school, competed in the Novice girls 1500m and 800m races. The Novice girls had a dramatic start to their 1500m race as they got through the first 200m before officials realized that the timing device had not started properly. They were called back to the start line and then the order of events was altered in order to allow them to reset and recover. When the race began in earnest, Isabel paced herself carefully, sticking with the leader until the last 400m and then the leader pulled ahead. Isabel placed second and saved enough energy to face the higher paced 800m race. In the 800m race, Isabel felt a bit fatigued, but she ran confidently and kept with the front runners, crossing in third place.
From CWOSSA, the top five finishers in each event progress to OFSAA Regionals, so the journey continues for runners Emmett Leary and Isabel Spence. They will both be heading to Windsor next week to compete at Alumni Stadium at Windsor University.
For more information about the team, please check out their website at: www.georgianbaycoyotes.com
