Track and Field

The track and field season is in full swing and some provincial seasons have already come to a close. Read on for what exciting things are happening in high school track and field. We also caught up with Tamara Jewett, a past OFSAA track and field champion, as well as her high school coaches, to gain some insight into what it takes to become a provincial champion.

What’s Been Happening:

Ontario

In Brockville at the Thousand Islands Secondary School (TISS), the 25th Annual Kinsmen-Hungerford Track and Field Classic took place on May 6th. Over 40 schools from the Toronto, Port Hope and Renfrew districts participated in the exciting two-day meet.

The home crowd certainly helped athletes from TISS, as they benefited from the extra motivation to come out on top of the team standings with a point total of 504. The Colts from Bill Crothers Secondary School in Unionville and the Sydenham Eagles from Sydenham came in second and third, respectively, with 304 points and 278 points.

The TISS Pirates team is loaded with talented athletes, however it was the performances of the junior athletes that stood out in particular. In the Midget events, TISS’ Courtney Serson won the 3000m run with an impressive time of only 11:38.72, a full 8 seconds ahead of runner-up Chelsea Ferguson, also from TISS. Eric Cowan and Jesse Kennedy also placed first in their events, competing in pole vault and long jump respectively. In the Junior events, TISS swept the 300m hurdles, with Rachel Bennett and Ryan Harper both taking first place, while Erica Bulanda claimed the Triple Jump title and Ryan Harper was the fastest in the 100m dash.

With one impressive performance on a big stage under their belt, TISS was ready for the Eastern Ontario Secondary School Athletic Association’s (EOSSAA) Championship that took place on May 19-20. Again, the junior athletes performed to the best of their abilities and were led by double gold medalist Rachel Bennett who took home gold in the Junior 300m hurdles and 400m race. Courtney Serson also followed up her first place performance in Brockville with another victory in the midget 3000m finals. As for the boys, Eric Cowan and Jesse Kennedy displayed their championship level form again en route to clinching the pole vault and long jump championships, respectively. In addition to these young stars, many other TISS athletes enjoyed a successful meet as the school boasted a total of 20 champions, well ahead of second place SHS Sydenham who won 12 events.

British Columbia

In B.C., the Battle of the Border Invitational Track and Field Meet was a two-day event held in Kamloops from April 30th to May 1st. Hillside Stadium played host to the high school athletes from the Prairie Provinces that were invited to compete in 175 different events. At the end of the weekend, it was Dr. EP Scarlett School from Calgary that came out on top as the team winner, placing first in 16 events. Revelstoke Secondary School placed second winning 11 events, and the Salmon Arm School finished third winning 9 events.

With many athletes competing in the same events, budding rivalries were bound to develop. One such rivalry was between Kelowna Secondary School’s Cody Hutton and Dr. EP Scarlett’s Spencer Hunter. The stage was set in both the 100m and 200m finals, with Hutton coming out on top in both races. Hutton beat Hunter in the 100m with a time of 11.88 to 12.62 and in the 200m with a time of 24.61 to 26.06. In similar fashion, Amy Gagnon from Revelstoke Secondary School faced off against Hailey Macleod from Glenrose Middle School in both the 100m and 200m finals, with Gagnon narrowly edging Macleod with times of 13.88s to 14.11s and 28.54s to 29.25s in the 100m and 200m finals, respectively. Gagnon completed a hat trick of championships, as she was also the fastest in the 80m hurdles final.

Manitoba

The Prairie Pride Meet in Manitoba also took place this month on May 12, despite a rocky start to the meet. Originally planned to take place at Portage la Prairie, the meet had to be moved to Selkirk at the last minute due to the poor conditions at the Portage track. Despite the minor set back, athletes from Portage Collegiate, Stonewall Collegiate, Warren Collegiate, Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School, Steinbach Christian High School and Sisler High School were excited to compete. Even after moving the event to Selkirk, Mother Nature did not want to cooperate, as the event went on in spite of harsh winds and frigid temperatures.

The students from Selkirk Secondary in particular proved to be both physically and mentally tough and excelled under conditions that were not ideal to say the very least. In fact, several athletes said the wind helped them, including Kaitlin McDiarmid, who placed first in long jump with 4.64 m, as well as Ryan Croy, who claimed the 110 m hurdles title. In addition, Austin Favell won the high jump competition with a score of 1.7m and Jordyn Tucker placed first in long jump with a jump of 4.67m.

Interview with a Past OFSAA Champion

Tamara competing in the 1500m race at the 2008 OFSAA Championships

With over 2,400 students representing 840 high schools, the competition in Sudbury during the OFSAA track and field Championships will be fierce. Proud sponsors like Nike Canada are just as excited about the event as the athletes. SSC interviewed Tamara Jewett, former track and field OFSAA Champion, to gain insights on the emotions of a track and field athlete.

Tamara participated in the OFSAA Championships from 2005-2008, and in her graduating year won a silver in the 1500m race, and a gold medal in the 3000m race. The 3000m race put an exclamation point on a successful high school career, as Tamara set a new personal best with a time of 9:37.99, beating the runner up by 40 seconds. Just a few years removed from OFSAA glory, Tamara sat down with us to help inspire future track and field champions.

Q: What was it like competing in OFSAA track and field?

A: Competing in OFSAA was one of the highlights of my high-school experience. In track and field, OFSAA was one of the most competitive meets available while I was in high school and certainly the most well attended. Among many varsity track and field athletes and coaches, the joke is that the hierarchy of track meets is Olympics-world championships-OFSAA-nationals. OFSAA was extremely intimidating and exciting the first time that I participated in grade 9, but by grade 12 I felt well prepared and confident enough to go after some medals. I was still nervous of course – a good result at OFSAA means a lot in the Canadian track community.

Q: What kind of preparation did you do for OFSAA?

A: Throughout high school I was a member of the University of Toronto Track Club Junior Development program (my grade seven cross-country coach and physics teacher Ms. Shaver recommended the program to me). We had practices on the track two to three times a week throughout the year. My main training was with UTTC geared to peaking at OFSAA as well as non-school-related Ontario and national club championships. Three times a week I did long runs on my own. Often I would do my long runs at my high-school track practices, which took place two mornings a week before school. My high school coaches were very supportive and I really appreciated that each group of coaches were accommodating of the other.

Tamara competing in the 1500m race at the 2008 OFSAA Championships

Q: What advice would you give to those entering into OFSAA track and field Championships?

A: I would advise them soak in the atmosphere and really enjoy it – I have never been to another meet except for the Junior World Championships with so many enthusiastic spectators. As an OFSAA athlete I really felt like a star. Qualifying for OFSAA is a significant accomplishment for any high school track and field athlete and a good result at OFSAA is icing on the cake.

With a strong track record of breeding champions, Mark Will and Jennifer Gravel from St. Clement’s School in Toronto certainly have a lot of wisdom to offer aspiring high school track and field athletes. We sat down with them and gained some advice for those participating in track and field provincials next month.

Will states, “One of the most meaningful expressions I have come across is ‘leave it all out there.’ One of the greatest regrets an athlete can have is to look back on a performance and be able to say ‘I could have tried harder.’ Win or lose… as trite as it may sound… the measure of success should not be the time on the clock, the height of the bar or the distance on the tape, but satisfaction of knowing you executed your best performance.

Gravel also adds, “It takes a lot of work and commitment to make it to provincials and you are one of the best in your event in the province. Make sure you give it your all on the day of competition, and no matter what the result, be proud of your accomplishments.”

Coaches Interviews:

Jennifer Gravel

Q: What is it like having a student make it to the OFSAA track and field finals?

A: As a coach, you feel proud and excited for the athlete to be competing against the best in the province but also a little nervous – you must remain calm and help the athlete stay relaxed and calm at OFSAA. The official marshalling of OFSAA (the names of the runners are announced in each heat, they are walked on to the field before their race, they are marshalled early and wait with other athletes away from coaches and parents) can be quite unnerving for first time OFSAA athletes. As a coach who has been there, letting athletes know of the process before hand has helped calm nerves before arriving on competition day. By qualifying for OFSAA, the athlete has proven they are capable (as long as injuries do not occur). As a coach, you must help them stay calm and focused on the event so they can perform to the best of their ability on the day of competition.

Q: What advice did you give to Tamara to help her train for track and field? Did you have specific drills or practices routines?

A: Run every race for yourself. Don’t worry about other athletes and run each race using your own strategies.

Q: What advice would you give to high school kids going into OFSAA track and field championships?

A: It takes a lot of work and commitment to make it to OFSAA and you are one of the best in your event in the province. Make sure you give it your all on the day of competition, and no matter what the result, be proud of your accomplishment in qualifying for OFSAA.

Mark Will

Q: What advice would you give to high school kids going into OFSAA track and field championships?

A: One of the most meaningful expressions I have come across is “leave it all out there.” One of the greatest regrets an athlete can have is to look back on a performance and be able to say ‘I could have tried harder.’ Win or lose…as trite as it may sound…the measure of success should not be the time on the clock, the height of the bar or the distance on the tape, but satisfaction of knowing you executed your best performance.