Track and field season is in full swing and one of the coaches, Al Wirth, says many have been performing well of late with some big events on the horizon.
"Track and field is the fundamental movement sport in the world," Wirth explains proudly. "Everything is timed, everything is measured, who's the fastest guy over 100 meters, who can throw the steel ball the furthest, everything is measured. There is no politics to it, no one likes your uniform better, no you don't get to play today because you're on the bench, there's nothing like that, track to me is the ultimate school sport."
Wirth says the popularity speaks volumes about the sports. "In Morden, we have 82 kids on the track team," he says proudly. "I challenge any other sport to do that. On top of that, everyone gets to play every week. So, every time we got to a meet, they're competing. It's not like they're sitting on the bench or they don't get to play this week, nothing like that. You're always competing. It's personal improvement, that's the main goal of everything. I tell our kids, you go to a meet, you get a mark, next meet, try and better it. That's the measure of success."
In Wirth's belief, having different options in track and field also keeps kids engaged while allowing them to find their fit. "There's kids that like to sprint, there are kids that like long distance, kids that like jumping, they're really quick and can jump, the basketball players and volleyball players. Then we have the throwers, the throwers combine all that stuff, they have to be fast and powerful. Obviously, the better athletes will rise to the top because they are faster, higher and stronger than everyone, but everyone has a place, that's what I love about track and field."
Two recent events, one in Brandon and one in Selkirk, allowed a number of local kids to really shine. "I can't really talk about the running events," Wirth details, "but, I know we had some really great performances in the field events. Avery Roberts of Northlands Parkway won the discus at both meets, Brandon and Selkirk. Kemi Omoleye of Morden won both the shot put and the discus at both events. They are both provincials bound. Lincoln Cantlon won the shot put in both events. There's some really good performances. I know there were some top five finishes in other events."
It's not just the fact they showed well but Wirth says it was important because of the event. "The Selkirk meet is a really big meet because all the Winnipeg schools go there, as well. So, if you can do well there, it's a good indicator of how well you're going to do at provincials. If you finish top five, you're in there, for sure."
There are a couple of upcoming events that Wirth is focused on. "The Zone meet is the highlight event of the year for track and field in our area. All the schools get together, all the conditions are the same, so everybody is competing on a level playing field. It's a wonderful opportunity to get out, meet old friends who you haven't seen in a while and just compete against everybody. That's the nice thing, you're competing against yourself but you're going up against your friends. In other sports, there is no friends on the ice in hockey or baseball, you're competing against them, here, you're competing against yourself. You do your best and you see where you stand at the end.
Of course, there is a big prize that the athletes are looking at capturing. "The big thing with the Zone meet is the bragging rights for schools with the banners," Wirth says with a smile. "There are four banners in each of the categories, the junior varsity girls and boys, then varsity boys and girls. Then, there's an overall champion, which is a combined aggregate, so schools want those bragging rights, they want those honours. That's a big motivator. Then there are the top three kids in every event from our zone go to provincials, plus anyone who's made the provincial standard, that represents a fifth or six place finish over the last ten years at provincials. If you make standard, you're going to be competitive against anyone in the province. That's what we're looking forward to, see how we do."
Through it all, Wirth says the real reward is seeing the joy in the athletes who do better then they ever thought they could. "It's a wonderful feeling for a coach," Wirth says proudly. "You've seen it in them, it's just like a teacher at school who says to a kid, 'I know you can do better' and the kid knows they can do better, they know you have faith in them and then they do it. It's a wonderful feeling as an athlete and as a coach. It's really the goal of everything and that's what we want."