By Andy Pfeiffer, RSS Track coach
Revelstoke Secondary School's track and field team won the grade eight, junior, and senior Boys’ pennants at the Okanagan Valley Track and Field Championship last Wednesday in Kamloops. On the girls’ side, RSS came in second place for Junior and Senior Girls.
More than 50 athletes traveled to Kamloops and competed in all three grade categories.
Of the many highlights, Kate Granstrom’s 3,000 metre race early on in the meet helped set the stage for the team’s success.
“Her 1,500 metre split time during that race was faster than her actual 1,500 metre race time!” exclaimed distance coach Rob Brown right after the race. Kate punched her ticket to the provincial championships by finishing in first place with a final time of 11:12.94, dropping more rgab 30 seconds off her best time.
Not to be outdone, Erin Behncke bagged two golds and a silver in her three individual events. In her favourite event, hammer throw, Behncke smashed the four kilogram hammer 31.50 meters into the field to take the win. She followed that up with another win in the junior girls discus and a second-place in javelin.
Throws coach Jeff Colvin had more hammer success when Cam McKenzie stepped into the throwing circle and won the junior boy’s hammer.
“Everything came together for Cam on that throw,” said Colvin about Cam’s 30.05m toss.
Like Behncke, Mckenzie competed in the 2014 BC Summer Games in discus. And also like Behncke, McKenzie is beginning to find as much, or more, success in wielding the five kilogram hammer.
Back on the track, Spencer Spannier was an athlete gunning to break a long-standing RSS record -- Jason Malin’s 1,500 metre Steeplechase record. With the race well in hand, Spannier finished first but, without the aid of someone pushing him, his 4:55.95 was five seconds off Malin’s 2001 record. “I’m hoping to break it in Nanaimo,” said Spannier of his steeplechase goal this year.
On the grade 8 side, Matthew Arnold in shotput and Shea Bibby in javelin lead the way; both were valley champions in their respective events.
Up next for the RSS track team is a trip to Nanaimo June 1–5 for the provincial championships. It’s the first time the BC High School Track & Field provincials will be on Vancouver Island and, as a result, the trip will be a challenge in terms of time away from school, driving, and, of course, finances. But with a little luck and some support, the RSS track team will finish off the season with some personal bests on the track and in the field.