Valley Royals Track & Field Club

Mike Mason

Mike Mason jumped a season best of 2.30m to win the Millrose Games, and achieve the standard for the World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland in March of this year.

Richmond Olympic Oval, Saturday, February 1–Kate Sokolowski had just enough left in her tank to win a closely fought midget girls’ 1200-meter event Saturday at the Harry Jerome Indoor Meet.

Sokolowski took the lead at the gun, opened a 40-meter gap and then had to hold off a serious challenge from Leigh Kirsh (Thunderbirds) to eke out the victory. Both girls had finishing times of 4:00.02 but the photo finish camera showed that Sokolowski was just a whisker in front of the Thunderbird runner. “Did I lose?,” gasped a very tired Sokolowski as she flopped to the ground immediately following the race. Happy when she learned she had won the race the revived 15-year old regained her feet and bounded off to do her warm down.

Spencer Spenst, the all round athlete who particularly likes the jumping events, won the Youth boys high jump with a leap of 1.75 meters.

Tanner Geary may have been a bit hesitant at the start of his Youth boys’ 1500- meter run and that caused him to fall well off the pace. But Geary gained strength as the event progressed and produced a sustained drive over the last 250 meters that secured him second place and a personal best time of 4:35.13.

Full results can be found at: www.harryjerome.com/2014/02/02/6756/

In just his second meet of the season, Olympian Mike Mason won the high jump event Saturday at the Dempsey Indoor facility. Mason cleared a height of 2.22 meters to easily secure the victory against competition from as far afield as California. Mason attempted 2.26 meters and had some good attempts at that height.

Also in Seattle Travis Vugteveen won his section of the 800 meters with a solid time of 1:54.56 while Jessica Smith, in her first race since recovering from a broken foot that kept her idle for a number of months, placed 11th in the mile (4:49.81) while Helen Crofts was fifth in the 800 meters (2:06.71).

Just a reminder that the Valley Royals Awards Banquet will take place at the Legacy Centre (adjacent Rotary Stadium) on Wednesday evening February 12. This gala evening will feature a buffet dinner that precedes awards that are presented to every athlete in attendance. The Awards banquet has always been a quick paced, fun filled evening that gives the athletes a chance to dress up and celebrate last year’s performances.

If you have not yet done so, please let your coach know that you and your family and friends will be attending.

Next Saturday (Feb. 1) a number of Valley Royal athletes will compete at the Jerome Indoor competition that takes place at Richmond’s Olympic Oval. Only in its second year of operation, the 2014 Jerome Indoor has attracted a huge field of competitors. Leading the way for the Royals will be Hailey Gibson in the women’s 60-meters and Peter Mitchell who will run the men’s 1,000 meters.

Received world that coach Tom Dickson in addition to his duties as an outstanding coach is still performing well as an athlete. Last Saturday at the Husky Indoor meet in Seattle, Tom broke Harold Morioka’s 10 year old M60 Canadian record of 7.80 in the 60m. Tom covered the distance in 7.73 seconds, .03 sec faster then his opening performance last year.