Many thanks to the athletes and parents who sent me some fabulous photos from the weekend – Sarah Choate, Ward Rosin, Vaide Hasani, Kellie Gray, Mariann Sharp and Katerina Ocaskova. I have used some in this email and will include the rest in the PowerPoint presentation that will be shown at the 2013-2014 CALTAF Awards Gala on Friday 3rd October – please mark your calendars (~5 to 9pm– details will follow).
Thank you also to the parents, grandparents, and siblings, who braved the miserable weather to volunteer at the meet and/or cheer for the team. Your continued support is very much appreciated by the athletes and coaches. A special thanks to the parents who provided the lunches for coaches, officials and volunteers. I have never eaten so well at a track meet.
Despite the wet and/or windy conditions for most of the weekend, the JD athletes (all forty of them!) who competed in the CALTAF Classic – Levi, Cole, Dylan, Liam, Alex Oglinzanu, Evan, Paul, Thibaut, Yohan, Andrew, Scott, Adeem, Max, Ryan, Kells, Matthew, Rebecca, Grace, Vienna, Savanna, Paige, Anna, Hanna Svensson, Erika, Denise, Adrienne, Shaniah, Annika, Arba, Molly, Skylar, Eden, Jasper, Katy, Rajpreet, Allie, Maddie, Alex Matsuoka, Penny and Hanna Nyssen – managed to produce some excellent results.
Given the strong head winds and the wet, slippery track, it was not a weekend where the coaches were expecting many personal best performances. Seems we underestimated the group! Many athletes rose to the occasion and produced some outstanding personal bests. The team was led by Rebecca (800m, 1500m, 3000m), Hanna S (200m, discus, hammer throw), Annika (300m, 800m, 1200m), Eden (80m, long jump, discus), Katy (600m, 800m, discus) and Adeem (javelin, discus, hammer), who each achieved a personal best in three of their events – an outstanding achievement at any meet, but especially given the challenging conditions. Grace (200m heat, then 200m final), Vienna (200m, long jump), Savanna (300m, 1200m), Paige (200m, discus), Alex M (600m, 800m), Cole (1200m, javelin), Thibaut (200m, discus), Scott (shot put, discus) and Matthew (80m, discus) also rose to the challenge and recorded two personal bests. Other athletes who managed to accomplish a personal best were: Anna (2000m), Erika (300m), Skylar (high jump), Jasper (high jump), Allie (800m), Maddie (600m), Dylan (100m), Liam (1200m), Alex O (1200m), Evan (300m), Max (800m) and Ryan (high jump). If my math serves me correctly, I believe that is a total of 48 personal best performances. Well done athletes!
Among those 48 personal bests, there were some stand-outs:
Pity I did not have the opportunity to swing past the discus cage to witness the carnage to the personal bests that went on all weekend. There are a long list of remarkable personal bests in the discus. Katy led the way, adding an impressive 3.60m to her previous best. Eden added 3.38m to her personal best, Thibaut added 2.59m, Paige added just shy of one metre, Hanna 1.13 metres, Scott just shy of a metre, Adeem 1.77m and Matthew 36cm. Phew! Well done throwers! Perhaps you were taking advantage of what little sunshine we enjoyed all weekend? Hanna’s throw of 28.61m earned her the gold medal for midget women, and qualified her to compete as a member of Team Alberta at the Western Canadian Midget and Youth Championships in Saskatoon and at the Alberta Summer Games.
JD captain Cole added an impressive 2.96m to his PB in the javelin. Cole’s throw of 38.08m earned him the bronze medal and met the qualifying standard for both the Western Canadian Midget and Youth Championships and the Alberta Summer Games.
Despite strong head winds and puddles on the track, JD captain Grace ran personal bests in both the 200m heat (27.58) and 200m final (27.53) to finish 1st of the JD girls and place 9th overall in a very competitive field of forty-one midget athletes. Grace met the standard required to compete at the Alberta Summer Games in all of her events – the 100m, 200m and long jump.
Rebecca took an impressive 10.54s off her PB in the 3000m, and almost 2s off her PBs in both the 800m and 1500m. Each time she stepped on the track at the meet, Rebecca ran a personal best. Rebecca ran the standard to compete at the Alberta Summer Games in both the 800m and 1500m.
Hanna added 3.33m to her PB in the hammer throw, winning the gold medal with a personal best 44.43m throw. Hanna’s throw qualifies her for the teams which will represent Alberta at Legion Nationals in Langley in August and the Western Canadian Midget and Youth Championships in Saskatoon in July. Hanna is now ranked 1st in the province in the hammer throw, 2nd in the discus and 5th in the shot put.
First-year midget Erika ran a personal best 42.95s in the 300m, capturing the bronze medal and meeting the standards required to compete as a member of Team Alberta at the Western Canadian Midget and Youth Championships in Saskatoon, and as a member of Team Calgary at the Alberta Summer Games. Erika’s time also met the standard needed to compete as a CALTAF athlete at Legion Nationals in Langley in August. Erika is now ranked 5th in the province in the 300m, 2nd of the first-year midgets.
First-year midget Annika enjoyed an outstanding weekend. Annika took an impressive 10.92s off her personal best in the 1200m, finishing 5th of sixteen athletes in 4:00.13s and qualifying to compete at the Alberta Summer Games. In the 800m, Annika ran another personal best, finishing 5th of sixteen athletes in 2:30.42s, a 7.25s personal best, and again qualifying to compete at the Alberta Summer Games. Annika also qualified to compete at the Alberta Summer Games in the 300m, where she finished in a 1.70s personal best 44.59. Finally, Annika just missed the medals in the 2000m, finishing 4th and again qualifying to compete at the Alberta Summer Games. What great results and what a fantastic way to end your year! Have a wonderful time in Germany, Annika! We’ll look forward to seeing you in September. Go well!
Savanna also enjoyed an outstanding weekend, running personal bests in both the 300m and 1200m, and qualifying for the Alberta Summer Games in both events. In the 1200m, Savanna took 4.11s off her PB, finishing 6th of sixteen athletes in 4:00.86, while in the 300m, Savanna took 2.1s off her PB, finishing 7th of eighteen athletes in 43.85s.
Despite being under the weather, Anna slashed an amazing 17.87s off her PB in the 2000m. Anna ran the standard required to compete in the Alberta Summer Games in both the 1200m and 2000m.
Bantam Jasper added another 2cm to her PB in the high jump, clearing 1.42m to finish 3rd of twenty-five athletes. Jasper’s 1.42m jump is just 3cm shy of the standard required for older midget athletes to compete at Legion Nationals. Impressive jumping Jasper! Jasper is now ranked 3rd in the province in the high jump. Jasper was JD’s top finisher in the overall bantam competition on Sunday, placing 7th of thirty-nine athletes with 13 points. In addition to placing 3rd in the high jump, Jasper was 2nd of thirty-five athletes in the long jump competition, where she cleared an impressive 4.14m. Jasper is currently ranked 1st in the province in the long jump. Jasper also demonstrated her speed by placing 5th of thirty-seven athletes in the 80m.
First-year midget Skylar added another 20cm to her PB in the high jump, clearing 1.40m to finish 3rd of twelve athletes and capture the bronze medal. Skylar qualified to compete in the Alberta Summer Games in an impressive four events – the 80m hurdles, 200m, javelin throw and the high jump.
Bantam Allie ran a very strong 800m, finishing 5th of thirty athletes in 2:30.88s – a personal best of 6.3s. Allie’s time ranks her 5th in the province in the 800m.
Bantam Maddie ran an excellent 600m, taking 6.41s off her personal best to finish in 1:57.48s.
First-year bantam Alex took 6.08s off her PB in the 800m and finished in 2:42.25s, while in the 600m, Alex took 5.38s off her PB and finished in 1:57.52s. Two big PBs in two challenging events!
In addition to her >3 metre PB in the discus, bantam Katy demonstrated how much stronger she is becoming in the distance events by taking 8.24s off her PB in the 600m and 5.85s off her PB in the 800m.
Dylan ran an impressive personal best 14.97s in the 100m hurdles, which qualified Dylan to compete as a CALTAF athlete at Legion Nationals and as a member of Team Calgary at the Alberta Summer Games.
First-year midget Scott was impressive in the throws over the weekend. In addition to his 89cm PB in the discus, Scott also added another 15cm to his PB in the shot put.
Liam led the JD boys in the 1200m, finishing in a 2.59s personal best of 3:35.31s, which qualified Liam to compete at the Alberta Summer Games. In that same race, Alex finished just behind Liam in 3:35.93s, an impressive 7.3s personal best. Cole ran a 1.14s personal best in this event, finishing in 3:37.49s. Alex and Cole also qualified to compete at the Alberta Summer Games in the 1200m.
In addition to his 1.77m PB in the discus, Adeem also added another 80cm to his PB in the javelin, where he finished fifth.
Bantam Max looked impressive in the 800m, going out hard and maintaining the lead for much of his heat, and taking 3.34s off his PB to finish 11th of thirty athletes in 2:39.24s. Max also finished 5th of thirty-two athletes in the discus, and 10th of twenty-nine athletes in the shot put. Just to prove what a strong all-round athlete he is, Max also finished 16th in both the high jump and long jump.
In addition to the personal best performances, there were other highlights at the meet:
The 1500m steeplechase on Friday evening was great fun to watch. Although midget athletes run the steeplechase without the water hazard, there were plenty of water hazards on the track in the form of large puddles. Both the men and women’s races were run in a steady rain and cool temperatures, presenting plenty of challenges for the competitors. All of the JD athletes – Shaniah, Liam, Alex and Evan– competed very well, with all four athletes meeting the standard required to compete at the Alberta Summer Games, and with Liam, Evan and first-year midget Shaniah also meeting the standard required to compete for CALTAF at Legion Nationals in Langley in August. Shaniah captured the gold medal for midget women.
Several midget athletes claimed medals over the weekend. Hanna was a double gold medal winner, claiming the gold in the discus and hammer throw. First-year midget Shaniah claimed the gold in the 1500m steeplechase and the bronze in the 2000m. First-year midget Erika claimed the bronze medal in both the 300m and 200m hurdles. First-year midget Skylar claimed the bronze medal in the high jump. Cole claimed the bronze medal in the javelin.
At this meet, several midget and youth athletes met the standard to compete at the Alberta Summer Games (ASG), the Western Canadian Midget and Youth Championships (WCC), and/or Legion Nationals as a member of Team Alberta or as a CALTAF athlete. Athletes who had qualified previously during the outdoor season are not included on this list.
Met a standard to compete at the ASG as a member of Team Calgary:
Rebecca 800m, 1500m; Grace 100m, 200m, LJ; Vienna 200m; Savanna 300m, 1200m; Anna 1200m, 2000; Hanna 100m, SP, DT; Erika 100m, 200m, 300m 200mH; Adrienne 1200m; Shaniah 800m, 1200m, 2000m; Annika 300m, 800m, 1200m, 2000m; Molly 100m, 200m 300m; Skylar 200m, 80mH, JT, HJ; Cole 300m, 800m, 1200m, JT; Dylan 100m, 100mH; Liam 800m, 1200m; Alex 300m, 1200m; Evan 300m, 800m and Adeem DT.
Met a Legion entry standard to compete at Legion Nationals in Langley in August as a CALTAF athlete:
Hanna HT; Erika 300m, 200mH; Shaniah 2000m, 1500mSC; Dylan 100mH; Liam 1500m SC and Evan 1500mSC.
Met a standard to compete as a member of Team Alberta at the WCC in Saskatoon in July:
Hanna DT HT, Erika 300m, Cole JT, Dylan 100m hurdles
Met a standard to compete as a member of Team Alberta at Legion Nationals in Langley in August:
Hanna HT
Top 8 finishes for the midget (1999/2000) and youth (1998) athletes included: Evan just missed the medals in the 1500m SC, finishing 4th, was 7th in the TJ and 9th in the 800m; first-year midget Adeem was 4th in the hammer, 5th in the javelin, 6th in the discus and 7th in the 200m hurdles; first-year midget Shaniah finished just out of the medals in 4th place in the 1200m and was 6th in the 800m; first-year midget Annika was 4th in the 2000m and 5th in both the 800m and 1200m; Hanna was 5th in the shot put; first-year midget Skylar was 5th in the javelin; Cole was 5th in the 800m; Dylan was 5th in the 100m hurdles; Savanna was 6th in the 1200m and 7th in the 300m; Anna was 6th in the 200m; Liam was 7th in the 800m, 7th in the 1500mSC and 8th in the 1200m; first-year midget Yohan was 7th in the high jump; first-year midget Scott was 7th in the shot put; first-year youth Rebecca was 8th in the 800m and 8th in the 1500m;first-year midget Molly was 8th in the 300m; Alex was 8th in the 1500m SC; and first-year midget Thibaut was 8th in the high jump.
A lesson on how to intimidate a new athlete: allow them to attend one training session, then throw them in the challenging 100m in the most competitive meet of the season, where he/she is the youngest athlete amongst a field of very competitive athletes, and see how it goes. That is precisely what I did to poor Levi. Clearly not one to be intimidated, Levi rose to the challenge and finished in 12.06s, finishing 2nd of the 1998 athletes and 13th overall. Well done Levi!
In his first meet, new athlete Paul entered the 100m, 100m hurdles, discus and high jump, and demonstrated his versatility by competing well in all of the events.
JD’s youngest competitor, peewee Hanna had an outstanding weekend, winning the overall gold medal and placing 1st of thirty athletes on Saturday with 25 points. Hanna won the 60m in 9.21s, placed 1st in the ball throw with a throw of 28.84m, and finished 4th in the standing long jump, where she cleared 1.59m. The points accumulated for those three results earned Hanna the gold medal. Well done Hanna!
I was especially pleased with the bantam (2001/2002) athletes this weekend, who competed in many of the events offered to their age class and often for the first time. Eden, Allie, Maddie and Alex led the team, competing in all eight of the events offered to the bantams. For adventuresome Allie, six of the events – 80m hurdles, high jump, discus, the 80m, shot put and the 600m – were all new to her; Alex tried the high jump, discus, long jump, 80m and 80m hurdles for the first time; Eden was new to 80m hurdles, the 800m and 600m; and Maddie had not competed in the 800m previously. Katy, who has demonstrated her willingness to try new events throughout the outdoor season, competed in all but the high jump, while Matthew competed in all but the 80m hurdles.
Despite a hectic competition schedule, the bantams competed extremely well:
In her first shot put competition, Allie threw the shot 6.53m, and finished an impressive 6th of thirty-four athletes. Allie was also 6th (of twenty-five athletes) in her first high jump competition, where she cleared 1.30m. As she has all season, Allie demonstrated her strength in the distance events, finishing 5th of thirty bantam athletes in the 800m in a personal best 2:30.88s, and 8th of thirty-four athletes in the 600m in 1:50.66s. In the overall bantam competition, Allie was JD’s top finisher on Saturday, placing 7th of thirty-four athletes.
One of my favourite races of the meet was Maddie’s 800m. In her first attempt at the event, Maddie went out fast and held the lead for the entire race, finishing 1st in her heat and 9th of thirty bantam athletes overall in 2:41.55s. Maddie also ran a very strong 600m, taking 6.41s off her personal best. I see distance in your future! J Just to demonstrate what a talented all-round athlete she is, Maddie also placed 6th of twenty-eight athletes in the 80m hurdles, and 9th of thirty-five athletes in the long jump.
Although only able to compete on Sunday, first-year bantam Penny took full advantage and placed 8th of thirty-nine bantam girls overall with 12 points, 1st of the 2002 athletes. Penny earned those points by placing 3rd of thirty-seven in the 80m, 6th of thirty-five in the long jump, and 13th of thirty-four in the 600m. In the 80m, Penny finished in 11.50s, an impressive time for a first-year bantam. Penny was the only 2002 athlete to finish in the top ten in the 80m.
Eden enjoyed her best meet of the year, looking especially impressive in the discus, 80m and long jump, where she recorded personal bests. However, what really got the coaches excited was Eden’s performance in the 80m hurdles, where she looked very strong, especially given that it was her first attempt at the sprint hurdles. I see hurdles in your future!
First-year bantam Alex looked equally strong on both Saturday and Sunday, finishing 4th overall of the 2002 bantams on Saturday and 4th again on Sunday. Alex looked especially strong in the discus, where she placed 6th of thirty-two bantams, and the long jump, where she placed 7th of thirty-five athletes. Alex also ran personal bests in both the 600m and 800m.
Katy enjoyed a great weekend, adding more than 3 metres to her PB in the discus and running impressive PBs in both the 600m (-8.24s) and 800m (-5.85s). I see distance in your future!
In her first meet, new athlete Rajpreet competed very well, placing 19th of thirty-nine athletes in the overall bantam competition on Sunday. Rajpreet was particularly impressive in the shot put, where she threw the shot 5.24m.
As he did at the New Balance meet in the 100m, bantam Kells once again demonstrated his speed on the track, running a very impressive 80m, and finishing 6th of thirty athletes in 11.30s. That time should rank Kells in the top ten in the province in this event. Well done Kells!
In addition to his PB in the discus, Matthew’s best event of the weekend was the 80m, where he finished in a personal best 12.38s. Matthew also ran well in the 600m and 800m, placing 13th and 12th of thirty athletes respectively in those events.
Despite feeling decidedly under the weather and eventually withdrawing from the meet, Ryan did manage to add 5cm to his PB in the high jump, where he cleared 1.20m.
And finally…..not to be outdone by their children, the parents also ran very well in the Father’s Day Race. Now we know where the talent comes from!
Congratulations to all athletes! Well done! Those are some very impressive results.
