Prince Rupert Middle School track and field athletes continue to push their limits at final meet

Prince Rupert Middle School (PRMS) and Annunciation held their final track meet of the year on Thursday, June 20, where the athletes kept pushing themselves to the limits.

“We’ve had very impressive records set in the seventies, eighties, and nineties. It has been difficult in past few years, but this year particularly we had some exceptional athletes that have gone beyond our expectations and their own,” said Danny Dawson, track meet organizer.

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This is a yearly event, for which the Prince Rupert district has now kept 40 years of records under their belts, said Dawson who has been a teacher at the middle school since its inception.

Grade 8, Logan Hughes, beat his long jump personal best record springing into the air and landing at 5.14- metres. He also beat his high jump record at 1.60- metres. Earlier in June, at the provincial track and field competition in Kelowna, Hughes tied for ninth in high jump at 1.55- metres on the first day and placed 10 out of 22 in long jump, earning PRMS two of its top 10 placements.

At the PRMS track meet, Grade 8 Ben Visser soared into the record books earlier this month, breaking a 36-year-old regional high jump record for the Northwest Zone, leaping at 1.65 metres. On Thursday, he broke that record again with a jump of 1.68- metres. He also beat his long jump record, coming in at a staggering height of 5.52- metres.

Ben Visser set his own personal best record at the last track and field meet for PRMS on Thursday, June 20, for high jump with a record of 1.68- metres. (Denise Wilson)

“Our athletes were really excited to see if they can push it a little,” Dawson said.

The Grade 6, 7 and 8 students competed for ribbons in the high jump, long jump and relays from 100- to 1500- metres. Shot put was put on for the Grade 7 and 8 students and ball throw for the Grade 6.

“Thanks to the volunteers who helped coordinate and time the events. I couldn’t get it done without their good effort,” said Dawson.

The Grade 8 athletes will be saying goodbye to PRMS in the next few days and moving on to high school to join the Grade 9 team to compete with other high schools.

“This is one of the strongest set of athletes that I have ever seen and I know they are going to do exceptionally well if they stick to it,” said Dawson.

Jenna Cocullo | Journalist

Jenna Cocullo