The Good Spirit School Division (GSSD) hosted it showcase elementary school track and field meet at the Gallagher Centre Flexihall Saturday, featuring the top athletes from the standards meets held the previous week. Meet coordinator Jason Trost says with the high school students officiating at the event, all 28 GSSD schools were represented at the meet. The showcase meet saw the top six boys and top six girls in each grade and in each event from the standards meet return to battle it out for top honors, Trost points out.
The 490 young athletes competed in field events including high jump, long jump and shot put. Track events included the 50m and 600m footraces. This year Grades 7 and 8 students were added. They competed in the 50m hurdles, triple jump, shot put and 1,500m races. There was also a quadathlon for the Grades 7 and 8 athletes which took the results of all for events for an award. Trost notes. "It's a good event for GSSD. It's a good event for kids," Trost sums up.
The meet, initially started to expose youngsters to track and field sports, has become an integral part of the GSSD physical education program, Trost explains. "It's mandatory that every school attend and that youngsters do their best at this event," he adds.
Trost thanks all 12 committee members from around the school division who worked to put the event together. While it happens in Yorkton, without those committee members from across the division, the meet wouldn't happen, Trost insists.
He uses an agricultural analogy in thanking former local educator Dave Baron for initiating the event four years ago. "We had a raw piece of land with trees on it and ravines and Dave cleaned off the land. He drained all the sloughs and planted that first crop. Now every year we just keep planting the crop which keeps growing bigger and better every year," Trost closes.
