The West Kootenay Royal Canadian Legion Track Meet is set to run again this Saturday at Haley Park.
Last year’s annual track and field meet saw almost 150 athletes compete, a record number for the event.
Trail Track and Field head coach and Meet Director Dan Horan expects a similar number to compete this year, and says teams from Sparwood, Kimberley, Creston, and Slocan, as well as athletes from Warfield and St. Michaels School have already registered.
Trail Track and Field Club trains in the Willi Krause Fieldhouse during the winter months, and at Haley Park three times per week during the summer.
The 2018 meet not only set a record number of athletes, 146, but the Trail Track and Field Club (TTFC) posted a record-setting pace by smashing 13 meet records.
TTFC’s Gabby Paterson broke five records in the 11-year-old female category setting new marks in the 60-m hurdles, the 60 and 100-m sprints and in the high-jump and long-jump. Katie Rose Clarke set a new standard for the age-11 girls 600-m run and Thane Joyce set the benchmark in the 10-year-old male high jump.
TTFC’s Zoe Giles broke the 300-m hurdles record with at time of 54.7 seconds in middle-school female and Sadie Joyce added to her total by setting records in the 200-m sprint and the high jump. She now holds records in 11 different events.
Jendaya Shields also broke the record in javelin with a toss of 27.51 m, Maddy Lakevold set the new standard in triple-jump, and Kylie Lakevold also set the new senior-female javelin throw record.
The meet is sponsored by the West Kootenay Zone of the Royal Canadian Legion as well as local Legion Branches 11 (Trail), 14 (Rossland), 170 (Castlegar) and 276 (Slocan Valley). The meet is sanctioned by BC Athletics and celebrates its 18th consecutive year hosting the event.
The meet goes Saturday at Haley Park with the opening ceremony set for 10 a.m.
The deadline for entries is May, 2. Athletes age nine and up are eligible to participate and can still register. Go online for complete schedule of events and/or to register at trailtrackclub.ca.