The Northeast Track and Field Club (NEAT) ended its season in style by earning 29 podium results at the Sherwood Park Track Classic, which was held on July 25 and 26 at Strathcona Athletic Park.
“Our team did really great,” said NEAT head coach Reg Green. “This past weekend was an awesome experience.”
Twenty-two of the club’s members were able to come out to participate in this final outdoor event of the club’s 2015 season. Some male club members in the 40 to 49 age group had an opportunity to make their competitive debut.
“Rob Hurtubise competed in his first track meet since high school that weekend,” said Green. “Dave Henry competed in his first event since January, and Tom Starosielski has been dealing with injuries on and off throughout the season, so it was nice to see him compete as well.”
All three men performed very well.
Starosielski won two golds in masters’ 35 to 49 events. He won for the 400m sprint and the triple jump. He also earned silver in the high jump competition.
Henry was also credited with two golds, one for high jump and one for the long jump.
Hurtubise earned a medal of every colour. His gold medal came in the 100m sprint, his silver came in the long jump and his bronze was earned in the 200m sprint.
Hurtubise actually outjumped Henry in the long jump competition. Hurtubise’s best jump was 5.12m, compared to 4.85m. However in the masters’ category, an athlete’s age is a determining factor into what grade they receive for their jumping. Henry’s 4.85m jump as a 45-year-old is deemed more of an accomplishment than Hurtubise’s 5.12m jump as a 41-year-old.
Green said he is not a fan of this scoring formula.
“As far as our club is concerned, it was Mr. Hurtubise that won the long jump.”
Eric Hurtubise also had a standout performance at this meet. He won a whopping eight bronze medals in the peewee boys category. The events he won for are as follows: 60m sprint, 100m sprint, 150m sprint, 600m sprint, high jump, long jump, discus and shot put.
“He is a really good kid, and a really good athlete,” said Green.
Another group of individuals that impressed Green were the boys competing in the bantam age category. He said that group “had an absolutely outstanding weekend.”
The proof of that is found in the statistics. For each one of the eight competitive events designated for bantam boys, at least one of the NEAT boys earned a podium finish. Four out of the eight saw two NEAT boys earn a medal.
Leading the way was Gideon Adebayo with two gold and two silver medals. He earned top-podium placement for his performance in the long jump and shot put contests. He earned runner-up status in the 80m and 150m races and the discus throw.
Matthew Hurtubise, 13, also earned five medals - two of them were silver and three were bronze. He earned silver for the 150m sprint and the 600m run. He netted bronze in the 80m hurdles, high jump and discus throw.
Hurtubise’s 600m race was a standout moment for Green. With a time of 1:35.67, he narrowly lost to Jaxon Hume of Edmonton, who completed the race in 1:35.60.
“It was a really great race,” remarked Green. “Matthew was leading for almost the whole race but the other boy just out-leaned him at the end to get the win.”
Green adds that if you did a conversion of his time in this race to determine in what time he would finish the 800m race it would be just over two minutes and 12 seconds. He said “that is a phenomenal time for someone his age.”
The other NEAT members that earned bantam boys medals were Timi Akindele and Harsajan Pannu. Akindele earned silver in the high jump; Pannu took bronze for shot put.
Another Pannu that earned a podium finish was Harsanj in the peewee girls category. She picked up a silver medal in discus.
Also leaving Sherwood Park with a medal was Joshua Foote with a bronze in the midget boys javelin throw, and Haley Lucas with a bronze in the senior girls long jump.
Indoor season and track events
The next track event that NEAT members will compete in, which is open for participation from the general public too, is the annual St. Paul Rodeo Mile, taking place on Sept. 5.
“This is really a great event for all ages that we always have fun doing,” said Green.
The one-mile race, or quarter-mile for kids that are nine and under, take place on main street and finishes just before the rodeo parade starts at 10 a.m. Registrations are open up to one hour before race time. Athletes can register on the day of the race or the night prior at the Super 8 Motel. Green says a registration session will be held from 5 to 8 p.m.
This registration session also provides an opportunity to register into the NEAT club, which will hold its first practice on Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. to prepare for the indoor season.
Members of the NEAT coaching staff will also be at the town’s Community Awareness night on Sept. 17. Anyone interested in learning more about the club can call Green at (780)-645-5401 for information.
