33 years later and Revelstoke has a gold medal from the B.C. Track & Field Championships. Junior boy Matt Arnold had a banner weekend, taking home top spot in the hammer throw event with a bomb of 51.27 metres, just a metre shy of the provincial record.
Molly Harrison was the last gold medallist from Revelstoke when she won the javelin in 1984.
Senior boy Mitch Kovacs, who had a personal best and placed sixth in hammer himself, has nothing but good things to say about Arnold. “I always love to see my teammates succeed, but the way Matt dominated the competition was something special. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him. “
Arnold’s throw was seven metres further than the runner up.
The throws certainly weren’t the only discipline to get awards as several athletes excelled on the track as well. Liz Elliot and Alana Brittin made finals, placing seventh and eighth respectively in the senior girls 800 metre race.
Distance coach Rob Brown described the feat as “incredible.”
Having two athletes qualify for the finals in an event may occur for AAA powerhouse schools like Oak Bay or Vancouver College, but having two from a small school like RSS is unheard of.
His program is really dialled in and he had every single one of his athletes PB (personal best) at provincials this year, except one. If Hayden (Mallet) hadn’t been rubbed out in the 3000m, they all would have had PBs.
Those personal bests meant solid results for grade eight Emily MacLeod (1500m) and seniors Beth and Kate Granstrom (1500m steeple and 1500m), who all narrowly missed finals by one spot.
It is also reassuring to see that the hurdles program continues to strive despite losing hurdles specialist and head coach Andy Pfeiffer last year.
Rookie coach Jeremy Weddell, a hurdler and provincial medallist under Pfeiffer in the early 2000s, has built on the legacy Pfeiffer left behind. A sixth place finish for grade eight Lane Bull in the 100m hurdles, and a seventh
place in the 400m hurdles for Spencer Spannier lead the way for the squad.
With 27 athletes competing, it was the largest group to represent Revelstoke in the history of the championships. Several times throughout the weekend, other coaches and parents commented on the sportsmanship and spirit displayed by Revelstoke athletes. The city should be very proud of these young people and the way they have represented us all.
