After a lengthy absence of the sport of track and field, this past spring saw the reintroduction of this time-honoured activity to Nelson.
With the support of the L.V Rogers athletic director and local volunteer coaching, a small but dedicated group of high school athletes brought life back to the sport in the Queen City.
Enthusiasm continued after the high school season ended and a new club, the Kootenay Chaos Track and Field Club was formed. With the addition of Hume Elementary superstar Matti Erickson, the club set its sites on several summer track meets.
This past weekend marked the club’s inaugural competition at Kelowna’s Jack Brow Meet. Future meets this summer include the Track City Classic in Eugene, Oregon and the BC Provincial Championships in Kamloops.
The club is off to a good start with the outstanding performances of Erickson this past weekend. Smashing the existing BC provincial record in the 60m sprint for 10-year-old boys, Erickson also won the 100m, 600m, 1000m and discus.
Naomi Perkins had a strong second place finish in her section of the 15-year-old girls 300m. The team was up against stiff competition with many teams from across BC, Alberta and the Yukon.
Although Nelson has no track and field facility, Kootenay Chaos practices at Lakeside Park Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and Tuesday and Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
New members are welcome. For more information about Kootenay Chaos contact club coach Alex Ulaszonek at gold.au@shaw.ca.