When the 2010 version of the East Central Districts track and field meet was held here recently, it brought out crowds of kids looking to stamp their ticket to Moose Jaw for this weekend's provincials.
Terry Zack, commissioner of the track meet suggests that the numbers of competitors isn't necessarily going up, but the calibre of some of them definitely seems to be.
"There are higher quality athletes," he told Yorkton This Week while handling some tasks in the GX 94 radio trailer during the meet.
Zack also said that the older the students get, the higher their performance is going to be, pointing out that those in the bigger centres are also into winter training, which helps.
"Most of these kids are training very seriously. It's raw talent."
One of those students he was definitely talking about but did not name any names was a multi-sport athlete who's made the newspaper pages several times in this school year.
A worn down Cale Brown, a Gr. 12 distance runner from the Yorkton Regional High School (YRHS) who broke a record at districts in the senior boys' 200-metre sprint, said a day after the meet: "It's you're last test before you get to showcase your skills for the rest of the province."
Brown was admittedly quite sore following the two days of racing that he, as well as students from across the two school boards, went through.
He said he's planning on staying away from the track for a few days to rest some energy for what he and so many others have been waiting for-the provincials.
The EC Districts were the one chance they have of succeeding, Brown said, adding that if you don't put forth 100 per cent, it all feels like a waste.
"If you don't do the best you can, you feel like it was all a waste. Most of the pressure comes from yourself."
He also said it's a sign that track and field finishes are going up each year, meaning the skill level in a lot of them is rising faster than the temperature in July.
Local athletes aren't just winning races, they're breaking records.
"If you look at this meet," he begins, talking about other districts record-breakers Avery Westberg, Preston Liebrecht, Matthijs Wenning and Matt Johnson, "they're all breaking records".
They broke records, however, nobody is ready to kick back and drink on the beach just yet.
Their jobs are far from over, says Brown.
All of them know they've come far, but none of them gets cocky even for a split second when the topic of the provincials comes up.
"It's just the creme of the crop," he said of what awaits them from the next step they'll be taking when they jump in the van and drive down the highway to Moose Jaw to take part in the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association (SHSAA) Provincial track meet.
Mr. Brown is not taking any of this lightly. Neither is anybody else.
"You (have to) deserve to be there," he said of the provincials like he was trying to convince a journalist that he does deserve to be there.
Brown has been a track runner and a punt returner on the YRHS Raiders football team this year so his conditioning level is where he needs it to be.
"Everybody is going to want it as bad as you (me)," he says of the anticipated competition.
"I am going to do the best I can, relax, and be ready."
Liebrecht has a similar view of what's going to take place next weekend.
"It's one shot," he says. "Provincials is bigger and it's more intense."
At districts, each athlete may be entered into a maximum of four events all in the same age classification and may be entered into the open 4x100-metre relay. The meet couldn't have gone ahead for close to two full days without the workers behind the scenes. They include: Zack, meet director, Curtis Spelay, field marshall, Duane Miller, Withman Jaigobin, Zion Nowosad, Mike Hackcwcicz, Laura Dean, track timer, Shawn Redmond, track judging, Don Coleman, Rick Heise, results, Don Pfeifer, PA announcer, Bob Edwards, awards distribution.
