Under sunny skies and with cheers echoing across the field, students, teachers, and parents gathered for the much anticipated and annual city track meet. The event brought together schools from across the division to compete in many different track events. Each school bringing the top two athletes in boys' and girls' events from their respective school track days to compete for the titles in cities.
Mitch Nelissen, one of the phys. ed. teachers from La Verendrye school, shared the upbeat tone of the day.
"Yeah, it's been a really good day. We got some nice weather, and the kids are having fun," he said. While no records were officially broken, Nelissen noted a few close calls and a strong effort from all competitors.
"They look like they're having a lot of fun. It's definitely up there in my top five days of the year."
Organizing a multi-school track event is no small task. Nelissen was quick to credit his colleagues for their support, especially Jayla Calder.
"We're lucky that we have Jayla Calder. She does a lot of the plotting for this, but we all plan our own meets as well. So, it's definitely a lot of work put into it."
When asked about his La Verendrye's track and field day, Nelissen recalled a moment of pride.
"We had a record tied from 2004, which was pretty impressive, and that was in high jump."
Helping manage the day's events was Colin Talbot, a teacher from Ecole Arthur Meighen.
"This is an awesome time. It's nice to see the parents and the kids around cheering everybody on," Talbot said. "You definitely get a sense of community when you're out here."
Talbot praised the seamless execution of the event.
"They've done an excellent job. Everything is always on time and well organized. It takes a lot of hands to get this day going, and so far, so good."
From personal bests to community bonding, city track day proved once again to be more than a competition, it was a celebration of effort, teamwork, and joy.
