Gibsons Elementary School is wrapping up another successful track season. The team has produced some of the top athletes in the province and has the medals and trophies to back it up. A group of more than 30 diehard athletes from grades 2 to 7 began their training in September with coaches Eric Sullivan and Cheryl Topping.
They ran three times a week prior to school and entered the Fall Tune-Up Relay and then the B.C. Cross Country Championships in October.
Alex Nightingale, Farren McDonald and Cody Wiseman set personal bests in the provincials and Jason Talbot brought home gold passing the high school student running as the "rabbit" through the trails. "They then worked on conditioning until spring when they began individualized event training," said Sullivan. "Every day there was an event to be worked on."
Susan Budgell, Doug Detwiller, Larry Nightingale and Colleen Hourigan joined the coaching team, offering their expertise in various events. Sullivan focused on sprints and hurdles and still continued runs with Topping in the mornings.
Athletes attended many meets this year, including Vancouver Olympic Club, Chatelech School District No. 46 meet, Powell River, B.C. Elementary School Championship, Jesse Bent Memorial Meet in Coquitlam and Langley Pacific International Meet.
Gibsons' athletes received medals in every meet they attended and won aggregate awards based on overall performance.
"At the provincials only six athletes attended, yet still helped to rank Gibsons as one of the top schools because each athlete won ribbons or medals in each of the four events they entered," added Sullivan. "The strength of the Gibsons team was their determination, drive and commitment. It took a great group of supportive parents, new equipment supplied by the PAC, dedicated coaches and, most of all, kids with big hearts to get to where we are now. At Gibsons, the heroes of our school are not Ben Wallace, Michael Jordan or Sammy Sosa, but rather the young athletes of our school."
Whether it's Grade 6 athlete Farren McDonald running 13:58 in the 100 m, Grade 3 athlete Dryden Ostrosky winning gold in the 200 m or Grade 3 athlete Hayden Bush beating the best in the Pacific Division to win silver in sprint hurdles, the whole school feels that sense of pride and accomplishment, added Sullivan.
"I want to mention everyone who set new personal bests or won awards, but they are too many to mention," said Sullivan. "These are the memories that stay with me. I can still remember relatively unknown Grade 7 Shane Morrissey lapping athletes in the 1,500 m in Powell River as he sprinted almost four laps around the track setting a new record. Marlice Josephson won the aggregate award that same year. Even as a coach and teacher I am motivated by these role models of our community. In an age where all the media points to the lethargy of today's kids, the students of Gibsons Elementary offer an alternative view."
Jason Talbot will now head to the B.C. Pentathlon Championship in Richmond. He received medals in four out of five individual events earlier this year at the B.C. track championship.
