Morning Star Staff
Officially, Ian Cameron was coaching the Pleasant Valley Saints at the B.C. Subway High School Track and Field Championships in Nanaimo.
Unofficially, Cameron was also offering advice and encouragement for seven other area schools and he helped many of them medal over three days at the Rotary Bowl stadium.
“Lots of kids had some great results,” said Cameron. “Josie (Sexsmith, of Charles Bloom Timberwolves), Jacob (Williams, of PVSS) and Morgan (Mills, of Len Wood Middle) all qualifed for the B.C. Summer Games. I was running all over the place, but I’ve done that before and it’s always a lot of fun.”
The Games go July 21-24 in Abbotsford.
Athletes finishing top-three in the Valley finals in Kamloops advanced to the provincials last weekend. Grade 8 athletes had to apply and finish top-24 in the Valleys.
Trinity Hansma of PVSS pocketed a bronze medal in the senior girls high jump at 1.60 metres.
Mills garnered a silver medal in the Grade 8 girls high jump with a leap of 1.55 metres “which is pretty darn high” according to Cameron. Eniko Sara of Lord Tweedsmuir Panthers in Surrey struck gold at 1.65. Mills was 12th in the long jump (4.40 metres)
Williams earned a spot in the Summer Games by placing fifth in the junior boys pole vault with a 45.04-metre jump. He was ninth in the discus with a throw of 29.69 metres.
“Jacob has a rocket for an arm and he’s just a little gaffer,” smiled Cameron.
Sexsmith is off to Abbotsford thanks to a fifth in the junior girls shot put by throwing 10.86 metres which Cameron called “a nice toss.”
Sarah Hohman of PVSS placed fourth in the junior girls high jump at 1.50m, while Megan Loland of Seaton Sonics took fifth in the junior girls 400 in 1:01.41 on a windy day. She clocked a 1:01.18 in heats. Loland placed seventh in the 300 hurdles in 49.18 and 12th in the high jump.
Nick Saxon of PVSS was fifth in the junior boys long jump at 6.04 metres, a leap which would have been seventh in senior boys. Saxon was 13th in the 100 in 11.62.
“His jump was pretty impressive,” said Cameron.
Kendel Rogers of the VSS Panthers finished fifth in the junior women’s pole vault with a kiss-the-sky leap of 2.50 metres, while Chris Loland of Kal took sixth in the senior boys high jump (1.85m). Loland was 13th in the javelin.
Jared Sexsmith of Bloom ended up ninth in the senior boys triple jump (11.86m) in a field of 34, while Landon Matties of the Vernon Christian School Royals was 12th (11.76m). Sexsmith finished eighth in the high jump.
Matties ranked 13th out of 33 with a distance of 5.51m in the long jump.
Grade 11 senior student Jacob Molitwenik of the Royals posted a personal best and ninth placing in the high jump with a leap of 1.80.
The Vernon Christian senior boys relay team also had a personal best in the 4x100m as Ethan Jameson came out of the starting blocks strong and had a solid pass to Molitwenik. Third Aaron Botterill rounded the corner passing a couple runners and then anchor Matties finished the competition to the line with a 47.73.
Matties earlier this season collected gold medals in long jump and triple jump at the inaugural Dylan Armstrong Classic in Kamloops.
Jackie Kolotylo of A.L. Fortune Falcons in Enderby was eighth in the senior girls javelin (28.18), while Jordan Campagnolo of Fortune was eighth in the senior boys shot put (11.82).
The Vernon AAA Club had 14 Junior Development athletes (ages 9-13) earn 37 medals at the Dylan Armstrong meet.
Three male athletes won four medals each (Carter Leahy, 1st in 800, 1,200 and 2nd in high jump and long jump; Mitchell Bond, 1st in 600 and 1,000, 2nd in high jump and 3rd in long jump; Zach Loland 1st in javelin, 2nd in 1,200m, high jump, and shot put.
A $100 cash prize went to the winner of the 100m in each age group and three AAA females won big: Paige Leahy, nine, Brynn Fixsen, 10, and Tyra Gilbert, 20.
Three club coaches won Masters events (Hedley Larsen in shot put and discus, John Machuga in 1,500m and Darlene Loland in high jump).
Other B.C. high school results: Jaedea Ostoforoff, PVSS, 13th junior girls 100, 13th 200, 14th 80m hurdles; Hannah Mehain, Seaton, 13th senior girls 3,000, 17th 1,500; Melanie Lemaire, PVSS, 14th junior girls discus; Liam McGrath, Seaton, 16th senior boys 2,000m steeplechase; Desiree Gosselin, Seaton, 18th senior girls 800.