By Barry Stewart
Three hundred student athletes gathered at Kent Elementary last Friday for the annual grade 4-7 track and field meet. The event drew students from Boston Bar, Silver Creek, Coquihalla, Harrison, Kent, Agassiz Elementary-Secondary and the Agassiz Christian School.
Organizer Donna Gallamore said the meet had been planned for Thursday but wet weather forced a one-day postponement. Forty-six Coquihalla students made the trip, along with 31 from Silver Creek.
Students had gone through an elimination process at their schools and were allowed in as many as three events at the Kent meet. Those with good results on Friday had a chance at winning aggregate honours in their age category.
Coquihalla’s Emma Miller won all three of her grade four events, the 50 and 100-metre dashes and the high jump, where she cleared 1.05 metres.
Rebecca Neufeld of Agassiz Christian posted a time of 14.15 seconds in the 100-metre race and also won the 400-metre, to earn the grade 5 girls’ aggregate. Kent’s Shea-Marie Laudenbauch was close behind, with a win in the 50-metre and seconds in the 100-metre and ball throw.
First-place finishes in the 50 and 100-metre races and a second in the ball throw secured the grade 6 girls’ aggregate for Harrison’s Trinity Dunster, while Mackenzie Laverrier of AESS edged out Shelby Trotta-Desjardins of AESS for the grade 7 girls. Laverrier had a first in 100 and 400-metre events.
In the boys’ events, Eli Tiessen of Coquihalla won the grade 4 aggregate. He finished second in the 100-metre race and first in the 400-metre and high jump, where he matched Miller with a 1.05 metre leap.
Sage Brunner of Harrison cleared 1.10 metres in the grade 5 boys’ high jump and also finished first in the two sprints to take top honours in his age group. Harrison’s Randolph McInroy posted a blazing 1:09.57 in the 400-metre race and cleaned up in the sprints as well, to take the grade 6 boys’ aggregate.
Sawyer Collie of Agassiz Christian posted the quickest 100-metre time of the day, at 13.45 seconds. He also won the 50-metre and the long jump, to earn the grade 7 boys’ aggregate.
Gallamore wanted to give special mention to Cody Carscadden of Harrison, who exemplified good sportsmanship.
“He was mistakenly placed as second — but he came to the score table and told them he came last in his event,” said the organizer. “We really appreciated his honesty.”
