Grade 4-8 Track and Field

A grade 8 girl in position to run the 300 meter race

 

This year’s grade 4-8 track and field meet was held on Tuesday, May 9th at Sisler High School. IHMS has been holding its track and field events  here for years because Sisler has a huge field for throwing events (like shot put, discus, and ball throw), a sand pit for long jump, and a large asphalt track for running events.

 

Students relaxing shortly after arriving at Sisler High School

 

Unfortunately, because it takes place on an open field, there’s very little shelter from the sun and wind, so sunburn and windburn are common complaints the next day. Also, tripping and falling on the asphalt track can be dangerous and painful, and although washrooms are available, they’re located a few minutes away in a nearby community centre on the other side of the field.

 

As can be seen from the above three aerial photos, the open field at Sisler High School has very little shelter from the elements. Click here to view in larger format.

 

 

Washrooms were located at the other side of the field at the Northwood Community Centre

 

 

Since all the events take place outdoors, cancellations due to unfavourable weather are always a possibility. If the weather is bad, track is postponed to the rain date, which is usually a week later. Cancellations are advertised on the school’s website and on the radio station CJOB. Fortunately, the possibility of rain wasn’t in the forecast for May 9, so after opening exercises the grade 4-8 students left for Sisler High School on two chartered buses. Students were told in advance to check the forecast and dress appropriately for the weather. As it turned out, many students didn’t dress warmly enough for the weather.

 

The students were transported to Sisler High School via two chartered school buses

 

The weather for this year’s track and field was cooler than usual (most teachers would prefer to describe the weather as “freezing”). It was a bit chilly in the morning and warmed up to only 15 degrees Celsius in the afternoon. But the worst part of the weather was the strong wind that blew across the open field.

 

Students and teachers reacting to the cold weather and the strong winds at Sisler

 

Track and field is an exciting adventure for all students, but it’s especially exciting for the grade 4 class because it’s their first real track meet. Since the grade 4-6 students are learning what kind of events they may excel in or enjoy, they have fewer options than the junior-high students in selecting the events they want to enter. In fact, they were required to take part in all track and field events. These events include:

 

Ball throw Shot put Long Jump 60 m race 200 m race 800 m race

The junior high students, on the other hand, were able to sign up for whatever they wanted, as long as they chose a minimum of three running events out of five. However, everyone had to participate in shot put, discus, and long jump. The grade 7 and 8 events were:

 

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Shot put Discus Long Jump 100 m race 200 m race 400 m race 800 m race 1500 m race

 

Mr. Dedio, the school’s Phys. Ed teacher, overlooked all of the events as the track & field convenor but spent most of his time working at the races. Each event was supervised by a teacher and parent volunteer or an educational assistant:

 

Mrs. Stanowych and Mrs. McGinn were in charge of long jump

 

 

Mrs. Cambly and Mr. Szutiak were in charge of discus

 

 

Mrs. Tycholis and Mr. Arndt were in charge of shot put

 

 

Mrs. Zulyniak and Mrs. Nowosad were in charge of ball throw

 

 

Mr. Dedio, Mrs. Wittevrongel, Ms. Rowe, Mrs. Hutsulak, Mrs. DePiero, Mrs. Copp, Mrs. Argo, Mr. Swinton, and Mr. Shymko ran the races and recorded each racer’s time

 

 

High jump is the only field event that is usually done at IHMS because the large foam mattress, the poles, and the stands are too large and bulky to transport to Sisler High School. Mr. Dedio does high jump in the school gym during regularly scheduled Phys. Ed. classes.

 

 

For lunch, the students were given pizza (either one or two slices of either cheese or pepperoni) by parent volunteers and Mr. Picklyk. They were also given an orange, a bag of chips, and something to drink. This made it very convenient for the students because they didn’t have to bring a lunch to the track meet.

 

 

The kids seemed to enjoy the day, and around 2:15 p.m. the chartered buses returned to Sisler to transport the exhausted students back to IHMS. The winners for the different events will move on to represent our school at the “Knights of Columbus Track and Field Meet” at the beginning of June.