Dozens of high-school athletes represented Rocky View County at the 2019 Alberta Schools Athletic Association’s (ASAA) provincial track-and-field championships, held June 7 and 8 in Calgary.
Cochrane High School was the most represented local school, with 29 athletes competing in 26 events. With 232.5 points, Cochrane ended the meet as the second-highest-ranked 3A school in the province, just 6.5 points behind the first-place team.
Though the Cobras didn’t retain its 2018 3A provincial championship, head coach Esther Sieben said the weekend capped off a fine 2019 season for Cochrane High’s athletes.
“We had a stellar year, and the reason we had a stellar year is because we have amazing kids,” Sieben said. “The Cochrane High School community raises these kids, and we’re lucky to be in this community.”
The school’s results are even more impressive, Sieben added, considering only the top two athletes from each of Alberta’s eight zones qualified for each event. With 85 athletes on the Cobras’ track team this year, more than one third managed to qualify for provincials.
“We had 26 events, but we scored as many points as some teams did that had 35 or 36 events,” she said. “It gives you an idea of the strength and quality of our athletes.”
Sieben, who has coached track at Cochrane High for 16 years, said her athletes take the track-and-field season seriously – they start preparing in March, with early-morning training sessions.
One of the Cobras’ star performers was senior Dawson Laye, who earned silver in the open men’s pentathlon. Despite taking it up just this year, Sieben said, Laye’s natural athleticism propelled him onto the podium in the multi-discipline event.
“He’s just one of those all-around athletes,” she said. “He can run, jump and throw, so he was a nice fit for the pentathlon.”
Other top-six finishes for the Cobras included junior pole vaulters Logan MacHale and Tyson Steel, 400-metre (m) runner Jared Wunder and sprinter Lauren Denton in the junior women’s 100-m final.
Cochrane’s various relay teams also performed admirably, according to Sieben – the junior women’s 4x400-m team came sixth, and both the intermediate men’s and junior women’s 4x100-m teams made the final.
“You have to remember, we’re a 3A school, so we’re competing against the big schools – Notre Dame, E.P. Scarlet, Will Aberhart and Strathcona in Edmonton,” Sieben said. “I’m very proud of our small school’s run at the relays.”
Just two athletes competed at the ASAA championships from Chestermere High School – sprinter Tori Brown raced in the intermediate women’s 200-m and 100-m, finishing ninth and seventh, respectively, while Shaelyn Doughty finished eighth in the senior women’s one-kilogram discus event with a top throw of 26.80 m.
Both Doughty and Brown are multi-sport athletes, according to Corey Farrell, head coach of Chestermere High’s track and field team. He said Doughty competed in seven sports for the Lakers this year, while Brown participated in four.
“They’re both phenomenal kids,” Farrel said. “They work hard in both their academics and their sports. They push themselves as much as they can to be successful, and it’s great to watch them grow throughout a season.
“We’re proud of them as a school, just given how successful they’ve been. To be in the top 10 in track in the province is pretty cool.”
Among Springbank Community High School’s cohort of athletes at the provincial championships, the top performer was Grade-11 middle-distance runner Rachel McFadyen, who competed in the 400-m, 800-m and 4x100-m relay races.
The team fielded eight athletes in total, and the school finished 29th among 3A schools.
“We didn’t do as well this year, to be honest,” said Katie Fauts, Phoenix track and field coach. “A lot of the kids here are multi-sports athletes, so our numbers for track and field were down.”
Fauts added poor weather on the first day made it difficult for some of the athletes to shine, including senior throws athlete Justin Clements. He came into the meet ranked second, but ended up fifth in the finals.
“He threw 15-m shorter than what he can throw,” Fauts said. “It was pouring rain and freezing cold, and I was surprised kids could even throw in that.
“I feel he could have done better if the weather was better, but everyone was in the same situation.”
