The local track club won’t be competing in any track meets for close to a month, but there will be no major hiatus for its members.
“We will be working hard at practices each week in order to gear up for the Sherwood Park Track Classic (July 25 to 26),” said Reg Green, the head coach of the Northeast Athletic Track Club (NEAT).
The members of the club will undoubtedly feel a desire to push themselves hard over the next weeks to add to an already impressive outdoor track season for NEAT.
The team’s latest success came at the Caltaf Track Classic, which was hosted June 19 to 21. Due to a lot of the club’s members having to focus on studying for final exams, NEAT was only able to send a contingent of 12 athletes to the Calgary meet.
Seven of those members earned at least one podium finish. NEAT earned a total of 13 medals – including three gold.
“I am really proud of what our team did,” said Green. “We were very competitive.”
Leading the way for NEAT was Bantam Boys competitor Gideon Adebayo. He earned gold in discus throw and long jump, silver in 80 meter hurdles and shot put, and bronze in the 80 meter dash.
“This has been our first year working with Gideon,” said Green. “He really is a big strong kid that is able to do well in all different types of events.”
Earning the other gold medal for NEAT was Nicole Kitt in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. Kitt, who has been attending university in Grande Prairie, represented that city’s track club during the winter, but she has returned home to represent NEAT during the summer months.
Matthew Hurtubise — a Bantam boys athlete that has earned at least one medal in each of NEAT’s outdoor competitions to date — earned a silver medal and two bronze medals. He earned silver in the 80 Mmeter dash, and the bronze medals came in high jump and the 800-meter run.
Jacques Saayman’s silver medal in the 16 to 20 men’s 1,500 meter run allowed for a partnership between an athlete and a club to end on a high.
“This was the last meet that we had Jacques representing us,” says Green. “He will be moving to Calgary and he will be representing the track team there.”
Saayman wasn’t only running the race to earn a medal. The run was a qualifying event for the Western Canada Summer Games, which are taking place in Wood Buffalo in August. Team Alberta has yet to be named.
Rounding out the four athletes that collected a silver medal for NEAT was Joshua Foote, who earned it competing in the midget boys javelin throw.
Quinry Ferreira, who Green jokingly referred to as “his 30-year-old rookie,” earned a bronze medal in men’s 20 to 34-javelin throw. Green added that Ferreira has been working hard in practice to specialize as a javelin thrower.
Courtney Hebert — who recently captured a gold medal in long jump at the high school track and field provincials — came away with a bronze medal in the same event in the 16 to 17 youth girls’ category.
