The Estevan Comprehensive School (ECS) Elecs track and field team is competing at the South East District Athletic Association (SEDAA) regional championships at the Carnduff Education Complex today with a goal of their complete roster advancing to the SEDAA district meet next Wednesday.
“From what I’ve seen over our last few weeks of practice and a couple competitions we’ve been at already, I think ECS has a very high chance of success,” said Elecs track and field coach Caitlin Giesbrecht. “I think we’ll see many if not all of our athletes continue on to districts and we’ll even have a very strong group going into provincials. Last year we brought 16 members to provincials and we’ll probably match that or even with some of the results I’ve seen so far have even a larger team going to provincials this year.”
Forty-two athletes are competing on the Elecs track and field team this spring in events such as hurdles, 100 and 200-metre sprints, 400, 800, 1,500 and 3,000-m races, long, triple and high jump, shot put, discus, javelin and quadrathlon, which is a points based challenge involving long jump, shot put, the 100-m sprint and the 800-m race. Depending on their date of birth, these kids will participate in either the midget (grades 9 and 10), junior (grades 10 and 11) or senior (grades 11 and 12) events.
Giesbrecht said the team began practising at the school's new Panteluk Athletic Field and Chamney Family Running Track facility a few weeks earlier than normal this year due to the warmer weather, but whenever it did rain, snow or the thermometer dipped over the past month and a half the kids still came out to put the work in. She said the first series of practices involved a lot of running, stretching and working on different muscles as a way to get the kids in shape before the athletes broke off into different groups to participate in workouts tailored to their specific events.
The team got their first chance to compete against kids from other schools on May 7 at Moose Jaw Peacock Collegiate’s Gutheridge Field. ECS brought 22 athletes to the meet and out of 38 participating schools finished sixth overall, with senior athlete Jenna Kreklewich setting the record for the meet in the quadrathlon.
A strong showing at the Carnduff Education Complex would allow the athletes on the ever-growing ECS track and field team a chance to compete at the SEDAA district championships at Weyburn Comprehensive School on May 25, which is the qualifying meet for the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association (SHSAA) provincial finals at the Canada Games Athletic Complex at Douglas Park in Regina June 2-3.
“I think seeing the construction (of the new athletic facility) and really understanding all that is going in to improving track and field here at the school is drawing interest,” said Giesbrecht, noting the 16 ECS athletes who competed at provincials last year is more than they had on their entire roster five years ago. “Each year once the team grows a little bit they spread the word. We have a lot of siblings, brothers and sisters, passing on down the line bringing more and more up. Everyone is starting to convince their friends to come out and join as well, so the excitement of possibly getting to compete right here at home is drawing a few out.”
