My heartiest congratulations to the JD athletes who competed in the Spring Challenge Meet and Combined Events Championships this past weekend – Brent, Andrew, Nathan, Patrick, Sahad, Max, Lyle, Harry, Ben, Matt, Jeremey Schalm, Quinn, Janessa, Delainy, Dana, Jill, Anna, Madelaine, Meghan, Nikki, Kirsten, Reagan, Emma, Kate, Rhea, Mia, Anise, Marissa, Heather, Kiannah, Hawaa, Caitlin, Grace, Cam, Hanna and Lauren Yardley. Despite the cold temperatures and gale force winds, these thirty-six athletes produced some outstanding results.
Congratulations to the ten CALTAF midget (1996/1997) and youth (1994/1995) athletes, whose combined point total from the results of their events earned CALTAF the Midget/Youth Club Championship for the 5th year in a row. CALTAF’s top ten midgets and youths accumulated a total of 285.5 pts, well ahead of the second place Edmonton Harriers (193 pts) and third place Calgary Spartans (163pts).
1. Provincial Development (PD) athlete Austin Ost (39pts)
2. PD athlete Siri Svensson (36pts)
2. National Development (ND) athlete Melissa Hazen (36pts)
4. Junior Development (JD) athlete Madelaine Yee (34.5pts)
5. ND athlete Emily Wilson-Bodnar (33pts)
6. PD athlete Maria Jacso (28pts)
7. PD athlete Jessica Kalmakoff (23pts)
8. JD athlete Quinn Rausch (19pts)
8. PD athlete Lauren Fridman (19pts)
10. JD athlete Dana Gerlitz (18pts)
10. JD athlete Nathan Kalmakoff (18pts)
Well done Club Champions! I have your championship T-shirts, and will bring them to the track tomorrow/Thursday.
Other top point earners from the JD Group in the midget/youth age category were: Sahad(17pts), Max (13pts), Brent (12pts), Andrew (10pts), Meghan (9pts) and Lyle (8pts).
Congratulations to CALTAF’s top ten peewee (2000 and later) and bantam (1998/1999) athletes, whose combined point total from the results in their events earned CALTAF third place in the Pee/Bantam Club Championship. CALTAF’s top peewees and bantams accumulated 175 points, placing them third behind the Edmonton Harriers (212pts) and St. Albert Track and Field (190pts).
1. JD athlete Emma Chong (27pts)
2. Cheetah athlete Austin Galey (21pts)
2. Cheetah athlete Adeem Vasanji (21pts)
4. JD athlete Mia Hull (20pts)
5. JD athlete Harry Matsuoka (19pts)
6. JD athlete Anise Parker (18pts)
7. JD athlete Grace Hilton (15pts)
8. JD athlete Ben Meister (13pts)
9. JD athlete Marissa Stirling (11pts)
10. JD athlete Lauren Yardley (10pts)
Well done peewees and bantams! Other top point earners were: Caitlin (5pts), Cam (5pts) andMatt (5pts).
I would also like to offer my heartiest congratulation to Quinn, who captured the bronze medal in the midget pentathlon and won JD’s only provincial medal. The Spring Challenge was the Provincial Championships for the combined events, so Quinn was awarded the provincial bronze medal, as opposed to a Calgary Meet Organizing Committee (CMOC) medal, which were given out for all other (non-championship) events. Quinn and Lyle were the only two JD athletes to enter the championship combined events, and both competed extremely well in the five events that make up the pentathlon, accumulating an impressive number of points. Quinn finished 3rd of five athletes with 2131 points, while Lyle placed 5th with 1261 pts. Despite being only a first-year midget, Lyle was willing to take on challenge of the pentathlon and kept up very well with the older athletes. Well done Quinn and Lyle!
JD athletes captured 4 gold, 8 silver and 9 bronze CMOC medals in the non-championship events. Congratulations to: 1st year midget Madelaine (gold in discus, gold in hammer throw, silver in shot put), bantam Harry (gold in the shot put, bronze in the high jump), 1st year midgetSahad (gold in the 2000m), bantam Emma (silver in the 80m hurdles, bronze in the 80m, bronze in the high jump), bantam Mia (silver in the 80m, bronze in the discus, bronze in the shot put), bantam Marissa (silver in the 1200m), 1st year bantam Grace (silver in the 800m), 1st year midget Nathan (silver in the high jump), midget Brent (silver in the 200m hurdles), bantam Ben(silver in the 80m hurdles), midget Quinn (bronze in the high jump), 1st year midget Meghan(bronze in the 100m), bantam Anise (bronze in the long jump) and 1st year bantam LaurenYardley (bronze in the 800m). Well done athletes!
Despite gale force winds that produced wind readings of -4 to -8, there were 36 personal best performances recorded by JD athletes. Given the challenging conditions, I had not expected many PBs. Quinn and Dana led the way, with each recording an impressive four personal best performances. Madelaine achieved personal bests in three events, while Nathan, Sahad, Max,Anna, Emma and Lauren each recorded two personal bests. Brent, Andrew, Lyle, Jeremey, Delainy, Rhea, Mia, Anise, Marissa, Kiannah, Caitlin, Grace and Cam each contributed to the tally by achieving a personal best in one of their events. Well done athletes! An impressive achievement at any time, but especially given the conditions!
For four JD athletes, this was there first competition, and I was most impressed with their results. Congratulations to Nikki, Kirsten, Reagan, and Hanna. For such new athletes, I thought you looked remarkably composed out on the track and at the field events. Well done! Welcome to CALTAF!
The gutsiest performance of the meet came in the 200m hurdles from bantam Kiannah who, despite a nasty fall over the 2nd hurdle, which left her with some nasty scrapes, picked herself up and finished the race. Not one to shy away from a challenge, Kiannah has already signed herself up for the 200m hurdles at the New Balance meet this Saturday Coach Lou will be impressed! In that same race, bantam Hawaa finished 8th in 42.87s. Well done Kiannah andHawaa!
There were many highlights during the meet. Here are some of my favourites:
One of the most exciting races of the meet was the bantam girls’ 800m, where JD athletes captured two medals and three of the top four places. First-year bantam Grace captured the silver medal, finishing 2nd of thirteen athletes in 2:40.09s, a PB of 1.19s. Lauren, who is also a first year bantam, captured the bronze medal, finishing 3rd in 2:41.83s, a PB of 4.19s. Caitlintook an impressive 6.68s off her PB to finish 4th in 2:42.74s. Given that the wind was howling during the race, those are very impressive times. Well done Grace, Lauren and Caitlin!
First-year midget Madelaine enjoyed another outstanding meet, capturing two gold medals, a silver medal, achieving personal best performances in three events, and accumulating 34.5 points through a hectic eight events, enough to assure herself a place on CALTAF’s Midget and Youth Club Championship team. In the hammer, Madelaine’s throw of 28.20m earned her the gold medal while, in the discus, her throw of 23.12m placed her 1st of eight athletes and earnedMadelaine another gold medal. In the shot put, Madelaine’s throw of 8.64m placed her 2nd of nine athletes and earned her the silver medal. In the javelin, Madelaine just missed the medals, finishing 4th of nine athletes with a throw of 19.63m, a personal best of just under two metres.Madelaine also ran a personal best in the 200m. Two gold and one silver medal, 3 PBs and membership on the club championship team! Well done Madelaine! A remarkable achievement for a first-year midget!
First-year midget Dana also had an outstanding weekend, competing in six events and achieving personal bests in four of them, helping CALTAF’s midget and youth team win the club championship. In the shot put, Dana just missed the medals, finishing 4th of nine athletes with a throw of 7.95m, a personal best of over one metre. In the javelin, Dana added another 1.38m to her PB, finishing 5th of nine athletes with a throw of 17.29m. In the long jump, Dana added another 32cm to her PB to finish 7th while, in the 200m, Dana was one of only two first-year midgets to qualify for the final, where she finished an impressive 6th. Dana accumulated 18 points with the results from her six events, earning herself a spot on CALTAF’s Midget and Youth Club Championship team. Well done Dana! Very impressive results for a first-year midget!
In addition to winning the provincial bronze medal in the midget pentathlon, Quinn captured the CMOC bronze medal in the high jump, where she finished 3rd of twelve athletes, clearing 1.37m, a personal best of 2cm. The following day, in the pentathlon, Quinn added another 6cm to her PB, clearing 1.43m to win the pentathlon high jump. Quinn also won the pentathlon long jump, where she cleared 3.89m, a personal best of 4cm. Great jumping Quinn! Despite a wind reading of
2.6, Quinn also managed to run a PB in the pentathlon 100m, where she finished 2nd in 14.12s. Throughout her busy weekend, Quinn accumulated 19 points, earning herself a place on the Midget and Youth Club Championships team. Well done Quinn! An outstanding weekend!
It was a great meet for JD’s first-year midgets. JD’s fourth and final member of CALTAF’s Midget and Youth Club Championship team is first-year midget Nathan, whose results over the weekend earned him a silver medal, two personal bests, and a spot on the Championship team. In the high jump, Nathan cleared 1.40m, matching his PB and winning the silver medal. In the discus,Nathan placed 5th with a throw of 25.33m, a very impressive PB of almost 4 metres. Nathanalso ran a PB in the 100m. Nathan competed in seven events, and his results from those events earned him 18 points and a place on CALTAF’s Midget and Youth Club Championship team. Well done Nathan! An impressive weekend!
Bantam Harry had an outstanding meet, winning medals in two of his three events and finishing 6th of fourteen athletes in the third. In the shot put, Harry captured the gold medal, finishing 1st of thirteen athletes with a throw of 6.94m. In the high jump, Harry cleared 1.20m, equaling his PB and finishing 3rd of eight athletes to win the bronze medal. In the 150m, Harry just missed his PB, finishing 6th of fourteen athletes in 23.94s. Well done Harry!
Although first-year midget Sahad was the only competitor in the midget men’s 2000m, Sahadearned his gold medal by finishing in 7:06.83s, an impressive personal best by 13.56s. In the 1200m, Sahad just missed the medals, finishing 4th of seven athletes in 4:04.45s, another personal best of 2.45s. Two races and two PBs – well done Sahad!
Bantam and JD captain Emma also had another outstanding meet, winning a silver and two bronze medals and achieving a personal best in the shot put. In the 80m hurdles, Emmacaptured the silver medal, finishing 2nd of sixteen athletes in 15.89s. In the 80m, Emma won the bronze medal, finishing 3rd of twenty-six athletes in a personal best time of 11.97s. Emma also captured the bronze medal in the high jump, where she finished 3rd of sixteen athletes. In the shot put, Emma added another 12cm to her PB, while in the 150m, Emma finished 6th of twenty-four athletes. Well done Emma!
Bantam Mia also enjoyed an outstanding meet, capturing a silver and two bronze medals and achieving a personal best in the shot put. In the 80m, Mia finished 2nd of twenty-six athletes in 11.97s to win the silver medal. In her first discus competition, Mia won the bronze medal, finishing 3rd of twenty athletes with a throw of 18.28m. In the shot put, Mia finished 3rd of sixteen athletes with a throw of 7.36m, a PB of 34cm. Mia was also 8th of sixteen in the high jump, and 10th of twenty-four athletes in the 150m. Well done Mia!
Four of the eight places in the midget women’s 200m final were taken by CALTAF athletes, so it was an impressive sea of CALTAF singlets that raced towards the finish line in the final. Congratulations to PD athletes Emily Wilson-Bodnar and Siri Svensson, JD athlete DanaGerlitz and PD athlete Kendall Chong, who finished 3rd, 4th, 6th and 8th respectively in the final. Well done ladies!
In the midget women’s 100m, three JD athletes qualified for the final from a field of nineteen athletes. First-year midget Meghan captured the bronze medal, while Quinn finished 6th andJanessa was 8th. Well done ladies!
Marissa captured the silver medal in the bantam women’s 1200m, finishing 2nd of eight athletes in 4:35.34s, an impressive personal best of 8.18s. In that same race, first-year bantam Cam, one of JD’s youngest athletes, finished 4th in 5:03.64s. Well done Marissa and Cam! Great results under difficult conditions!
Despite running into a headwind of -4.3, midget Brent managed to run a personal best 31.51s in the 200m/intermediate hurdles to finish 2nd and capture the silver medal. Brent also qualified for both the 100m and 200m finals, where he finished 8th and 6th respectively. Well done Brent!
After experiencing success in the hurdles at his school meet, bantam Ben entered the bantam 80m hurdles for the first time and walked away with the silver medal, finishing 2nd of five athletes in 15.97s. Well done Ben!
In only her second meet, bantam Anise added another 2cm to her PB in the long jump, clearing 3.62m to finish 3rd of thirty-one athletes and capture the bronze medal. In her first attempt at the shot put, Anise just missed the medals, finishing 4th of sixteen athletes with a throw of 6.58m.Anise was also 5th of twenty-four athletes in the 150m in 23.14s, and 5th of sixteen athletes in the high jump, where she cleared 1.20m. Well done Anise!
First-year midget Max jumped well on the weekend, finishing 4th in both the midget high jump and long jump. In the long jump, Max added another 4cm to his PB, clearing 4.21m while, in the high jump, Max cleared 1.30m. Max also ran a PB in the 800m, where he finished in 2:43.09s. Well done Max!
First-year bantam Jeremey added an impressive 72cm to his PB in the discus with a throw of 12.33m. Jeremey also finished 8th in the shot put with a throw of 5.82m. Well done Jeremey!
First-year midget Andrew, who likes to run the distance races, surprised the throwers by finishing 6th in the discus with a 19.44m throw, an impressive personal best of 2.53m. Well doneAndrew!
First-year midget Delainy was one of the few athletes who managed to run a personal best in the 200m, where the wind reading for her heat was -3.2. Well done Delainy!
First-year midget Anna did not let a wind reading of -4.2 deter her in the 200m, where she finished in 31.82s, a personal best of 1.32s – remarkable given the wind. Anna also ran a personal best in the 800m, where she finished in just over 3 minutes. Well done Anna!
Bantam Rhea added almost half a metre to her PB in the shot put, with a throw of 4.66m. Well done Rhea!
First-year bantam Hanna was competing in her first meet and produced some outstanding results. In the shot put, Hanna finished 7th of sixteen athletes with a throw of 6.24m, while in the long jump, Hanna cleared 3.40m to finish 9th of thirty-one athletes. Well done Hanna!
In the bantam girls’ 80m, JD athletes took three of the top five places, with Emma finishing 2nd,Grace 4th and Lauren 5th. Well done ladies!
In the midget women’s 80m hurdles, CALTAF athletes Emily Wilson-Bodnar was 1st, Kendall Chong was 5th and first-year midget Meghan was 6th. Well done ladies!
CALTAF did very well in the midget women’s shot put, where PD athlete Siri Svensson won the gold medal, JD athlete Madelaine won the silver medal and JD athlete Dana finished just out of the medals in 4th place. Our midget throwers also did very well in the javelin, with PD athleteLauren Fridman capturing the silver medal, and JD athletes Madelaine and Dana finishing 4thand 5th respectively. Finally, in the discus, Madelaine won the gold medal, Siri captured the silver medal and Dana was 5th. Well done midget women throwers!
In the bantam girls’ shot put, Mia was 3rd, Anise was 4th and Hanna was 7th. Well done bantam throwers!
Some very impressive results! Well done all athletes. I look forward to watching you compete at the New Balance meet this Saturday and the Hershey meet the following Sunday.
I will see you tomorrow/Thursday at Glenmore. Robin
