The Campbell River Comets track and field club has had a stellar season.
Their ranks have swelled with new registrants, many as newcomers to the sport of track and field, and Personal Bests have been crushed. On the heels of the CCCP Solstice Meet last weekend, co-hosted by the Comets and Comox Valley Cougars, the selections for the upcoming B.C. Summer Games are official. The Comets will be sending six of their athletes to the games, which will be held July 19-22 in the Cowichan Valley.
To be selected to the Summer Games is no small feat. There are only 36 members selected to the Zone 6 (Vancouver Island Region), 18 male and 18 female. They must be 14-15 years of age (Midget division) and also qualify in the top of their selected discipline at a specific track meet. Many are ranked top in multiple disciplines (runs, jumps, throws) which makes being selected that much more difficult. Having 6 participants selected from one club, of the ten on the island, is testament to the excellent training our local Comets club provides.
The athletes that have qualified are:
Diego Christiansen-Barker – 1200m, 2000m and Javelin
Trent Perras – Hammer Throw and Discus
Luke Dirom – Javelin, Shot Put and Discus
(Both Perras and Dirom also have Personal Best distances in some of their events which are at national levels. They are trying to qualify for the Canadian Track and Field competition held this August in Brandon, Manitoba.)
Faith Barton – 80m Hurdles and Shot Put
Anna Chatterton – Javelin and 1200m
Tyza Skuse – 300m Hurdles and Pole Vault
Skuse is the first Comet to ever compete in the Pole Vault. She has only started training for this event this season, and has to travel out of town to do so.
In addition to these exceptional competitors, the Comets have also had Vince Sequeira, John Akehurst and Mark Freeland selected to attend the games as officials. These three men are highly trained and extremely dedicated to the sport, both as officials and coaches.
