Track and Field

Thursday was the North Island Track and Field Meet in Powell River. We left Gold River at 7am to drive through dark mountains to Courtney and cross the foggy Salish Sea to the Sunshine Coast. The ferry was full of kids from all over Nanaimo, Courtney, Comox, Campbell River, Port Alberni and more. It was exciting to be on a boat so brimming with anticipation.

When we arrived at the misty track I was quickly pulled into recording scores for triple jump. I had never even heard of this event before. Despite my ignorance, I was soon found myself managing the entire event for the rest of the day: organizing the line-up, measuring and calling their distances, and tallying scores. It was nonstop in the brilliant sunshine from 12-6 and I could not have been happier.

With the meet finished, our Gold River team walked from the track back along a beautiful road to the centre of Powell River. Nat and I sat on the pier and watched eagles play in the sunset as we waited for the ferry.

This was my first experience supporting students in athletics. With all senior students taking six tries at triple jump, it was easy to watch them develop their skills as the event took place. I understand why teachers love to coach. Although I have to admit that at the moment I don't really know any sport well enough to properly coach it, if the opportunity came up and I had the time to learn beforehand, I can easily see myself coaching an extracurricular. At the end of the day it's all the same as drama: team building, supporting individual performance, and providing a venue for students to experience progress and success.