MIKE MASON QUALIFIES FOR OLYMPIC HIGH JUMP FINAL AS WELL AS TEAMMATE DEREK DROUIN

Sunday August 5, 2012
Mike Mason and fellow Canadian Derek Drouin both were successful in today’s Olympic Games qualifying round of the high jump in London. England and have advanced along with 12 others for the final that takes place Tuesday morning at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight saving time.
Mason cleared 2.26 meters in Group B while Drouin cleared 2.29 meters in Group A.  On advancing to the final Mason had the following to say…”It was a bit of a tough day technically.  It took me a while to get going and find my mark.  Getting my third attempt at 2.26m secured my spot in the final.  I’m relieved and looking forward to it.”.
Drouin had the following to say about his qualifying performance, “It was stressful, I’m not one to have a lot of misses like that.  I usually like to clear on my first attempt.  I wasn’t that nervous coming in here, I’m not sure what was going on.  I’m relieved to get through and excited for the final.”.

Former Valley Royal Athletes Taking Their Enterprise Public

Wednesday August 1, 2012

A few years ago Joel Primus was a BC High School Champion and one of the best young distance runners in Canada. Now, he and his partner Alex MacAuley, another outstanding high school middle distance runner from the past, are entrepreneurs as founders of a company named Naked. They produce high end quality priced underwear for men and the company has gained considerable attention. Joel made two appearances on Dragon’s Den and his company has caught the attention of some financial backers who are willing to take the company public. Naked Boxer already has contracts to sell their line of under garments to Holt Renfrew and Nordstrom with more stores expected to carry the brand in the near future. We will keep you posted on how Joel, Alex and Naked is doing.

GONDARA, WAKELYN & MACGREGOR LEAD ROYALS AT JD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Richmond, BC—July 27, 28, 29: Many young Valley Royals members wrapped up the 2012 track season in great style this past weekend at the BC JD Championships in Richmond. The weather was more than cooperative and the sun shone persistently throughout the weekend as our athletes achieved some excellent results
Vikramajit Gondara running the 200m
One of the Royal’s most impressive performances came from Vikramajit Gondara who earned himself three gold medals. Gondara dominated the 13-year-old boys throwing events with his winning performance in the hammer throw (33.14) was nearly 10m further than the second place finisher. Vik’s best throw in discus measured 33.43m and in shot put his best was 9.81m. Both performances were narrowly in front of teammate Joel Choboter who placed second in both events.
Parker and Maguire Wakelyn once again found themselves on the podium more than once over the three days of competition. Nine year-old Maguire earned gold medals in the 100m and long jump and bronze medals in high jump, shot put and the 60m dash. Parker easily won the 11-year old boys long jump with a best mark of 4.45m and placed second in the 60m hurdles. Along with his gold and silver medals, Parker also accumulated a total of 5 third place finishes. Gabrielle MacGregor demonstrated her versatility this past weekend by finishing in the top 10 in seven different events. Most notable was her 4:07 clocking in the 1200m that earned her the gold medal. In addition, Gabrielle had a 2nd place finish in the 800m and a 6th place finish in shot put. Gabe had a stressful start to the meet as traffic delays in the Masse tunnel almost caused her to miss the 60m hurdle race. But the Kajak meet management upon hearing of the problem delayed the start of the race to accommodate Gabe and in spite of her stressful arrival and next to no warm-up time she still won her heat and placed 5th overall. Gabrielle also had a 2nd place finish in the 800m and a 6th place finish in shot put. Other noteworthy performances include Joel Choboter’s 2nd place finish in shot put, Jensen Bako with sixth 6th in the 2000m, Jaskarn Rai’s 6th in shot put and Parker Janzen’s 2nd place finish in the 800m racewalk.
Full Results can be seen at http://www.kajaks.org
In other news, the BC Summer Games were held July 19-22 in Surrey and there were a few Valley Royal athletes in attendance. Spencer Spenst won pole vault, Jeewan Grewal placed third in hammer, and Hanna Konrad came 4th in the 800m. All three athletes did a great job in their events and represented both the Valley Royals and Zone 3 very well.

JESSICA SMITH PLACES SECOND AT TORONTO INTERNATIONAL

Friday July 13, 2012
Fully recovered from the illness that affected her 10-days ago at the Canadian Championships, Jessica Smith took part in the 800-meters Wednesday evening at the Toronto International.
Although she got off to a poor start in the field of 12 runners and found herself in last place at the cut-in point after the first 100 meters, Smith made an excellent recovery. She charged down the final straight and picked off a number of runners and when she crossed the finish line Smith was in second place.
The race was won by fellow Olympian Melissa Bishop of Toronto in 2:01.68 with Smith just an eyelash behind with a clocking of 2:01.83. Third place went to Canadian Champion Lemlen Bereket (2:02.25) who now trains out of the Victoria High Performance Centre.
Smith has one more race when she runs the 1500-meters this Saturday at the BC Athletics Jamboree that takes place at the Towne Centre track in Coquitlam. Following that she will travel to Germany for a training camp where she will be joined by high jumper and fellow Valley Royal Olympian Mike Mason.

Welcome to the Valley Royals Track and Field Club

The Valley Royals focus on promoting participation in track and field as a sport suited to the individual’s mental, physical, and emotional development. Founded in 1989, the Royals work to foster programs for the development of athletes and offer opportunities for club members to compete at the local, regional, national, and international levels. New athletes are welcome to join any practice group. For further information contact Jason Swan, Club Manager, at [email protected].  

NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Valley Royals would like to thank the Sponsors that have contributed to the success of the Valley Royals and of the events hosted by the Valley Royals. Please visit this pageto view our sponsors, or follow the links below:
RESULTS for the 2012 Lafarge Abbotsford Intenational are now available at this link. Congratulations to all participants and we will hopefully see all of you next year.
RESULTS for the 2012 Valley Royals Invitational are now available at this link. Congratulations to all participants and we will hopefully see all of you next year.
The 2012 Lafarge Abbotsford International Track Classic The Meet Information and Entry Package for the June 6th Lafarge Abbotsford International Track Classic can be found at the website, international.valleyroyals.org
VALLEY ROYALS CLOTHING available for purchase on this page
2012 Membership Forms for the Valley Royals – click here to download.
VALLEY ROYALS PRACTICE TIMES
Ziggy Szelagowicz’s Power/Speed Group Mon-Fri Rotary 4pm Sat Rotary 10am Pole Vault w/ Graham Danziger: Thurs AgRec 5:30pm-7pm Sun AgRec 3pm-5pmSue Northey’s Middle Distance group Tues, Thurs Rotary4pm Sat Rotary 10am Larry Neilson & James Meehan’s Junior Development Group Starting March 26 at Swan Track – Rotary. Monday, Wednesday 4pm-5:30pm Saturday 10am-12:00noonHarold Willers Throwing Group Abbotsford Ag-Rec Thursdays 5:30pm Chilliwack Secondary Sundays 11am
New athletes are welcome to join any practice group. For further information contact Jason Swan, Club Manager, at[email protected]
Wednesday June 20, 2012
MULTIPLE MEDALS FOR VALLEY ROYAL ATHLETES IN LANGLEY
Those competing Saturday in Langley were challenged by more than rivals as rain poured relentlessly throughout the afternoon. Our athletes were undeterred by the unfavourable weather conditions and their performances shone in spite of being soaked to the bone.
Oliver Jorgensen kicked off the meet on Friday evening with a second place finish in the 2000m steeple chase and then returned Sunday for a second place personal best 4:17.56 in the youth 1500 meters.
Nine year old Olivia McAuley began the Junior development competition with a strong second place finish in the 60m hurdles. Her success was followed by multiple top five finishes for the Wakelyn brothers Maguire and Parker. Mcguire won the 9 year old 100m and long jump and had top six finishes in four other events he took part in. Parker secured nine more top five finishes that included silver medals in the 600m, long jump, and high jump.
The Royals had some great performances in the 800 meter run. Gabrielle MacGregor had no problem winning the 13 year old 800m with her 2:28.74 clocking nearly three seconds faster than the second place runner. Four Royals athletes placed in the top 10 of the 18&19 year old 800m. Alex Siemens was second (2:17.51) with teammates Kayla Lennea, Francesca Jackman, and Janelle Hay following close behind. Lorenzo Smith placed third in the junior men?s 800m.
Sunday saw MacGregor achieve podium finishes in the 80m hurdles and shot put while Siemens won the 1500m. Francesca Jackman and Kayla Lennea each earned silver medals with second places in the 400m hurdles and 400m respectively.
Aisha Klippenstein was first and and Jordyn Visser placed fourth in the junior women?s 100m hurdles. Later in the afternoon Visser went on to place third in both the 400m and 400m hurdles.
High jumper Thomas Laurie cleared a height of 1.75m for first place in the youth division. Zach Choboter placed third in long jump (5.55m) and won the 100m dash with a time of 12.00 seconds. Spencer Spenst was first in pole vault and high jump for the 14-15 year old boys.
Jesse and Adam Lambert both had success in their throwing events. Adam placed third in discus and shot put and was fourth in hammer while brother Jesse came third in discus, first in shot put and second in hammer. Manpreet Grewal had a second place finish in the youth division hammer.
Wednesday June 13, 2012
PARKER WAKELYN PACES ROYALS AT CHEETAH MEET
The Jesse Bent Memorial Track Meet brought athletes of all ages together to compete this past weekend in Coquitlam. Many of our young athletes did especially well and earned themselves top finishes in spite of the steep competition.
Standout JD athlete Parker Wakelyn accumulated a total of nine podium finishes during the weekend including wins in the 200m, 60m hurdles, long jump, and high jump. Nine-year-old Maguire Wakelyn had an extremely successful meet as well achieving top ten finishes in all seven events he tackled. Mac Roy focused his efforts on the running events and earned a second place finish in the 1200m as well as an 8th place finishes in the 800m and 200m events.
Josephine Calverley led the way for the JD girls winning the twelve-year-old 1200m in a time of 4:12.51. Hannah Konrad and Gabriel MacGregor competed in a variety of different events and each produced some impressive results. MacGregor placed 7th in the 80m hurdles, 8th in the 200m hurdles, 2nd in shot put and 5th in high jump. Konrad placed 5th in the 80m hurdles, 7th in the 200m hurdles, 6th in high jump and 4th in triple jump.
Our throwers did extremely well and were led by Vikramajit Gondara who won both discus and hammer. Thirteen year-old Joel Choboter placed 2nd in shot put while siblings Manpreet and Jeewan Grewal had some great throws and achieved multiple top five finishes.
There were a handful of older competitors who had some noteworthy performances as well; Natasha Friedman finished 2nd in the 16-17 year old women’s 100m, Chantel Desch won the 400m with a time of 54.17 and middle distance runner Sarya Ross took 2nd in the 1500m. Spencer Spenst won the pole vault and came 2nd in high jump, while Zach Choboter finished 5th in the 200m, 4th in the 100m, and 2nd in long jump with a jump of 5.93. Thomas Laurie place 3rd in high jump and Aisha Klippenstein won her 100m hurdle race.
Monday June 11, 2012
SMITH’S 800M WIN AT HARRY JEROME MAKES HER ELIGIBLE FOR SELECTION TO CANADA’S OLYMPIC TEAM
The Harry Jerome International Track Classic never fails to generate excitement and this year was no exception. World-class athletes competed in pursuit of a chance to perform at the upcoming Olympic games.
For Jessica Smith the 800-meter race at the Jerome provided her an opportunity to move one step closer to competing for Canada in London and she did just that by surpassing the Olympic “A” standard in the most exciting race of the meet.
It was a dramatic race that saw Smith put on a final stretch drive to pass three other runners including Toronto’s Melissa Bishop who herself had achieved the Olympic standard two weeks ago in Eugene. Smith won the event with a personal best 1:59.86 to squeeze under the Canadian Olympic standard of 1:59.00. Second place went to America’s Alice Schmidt, the early pace setter, in 1:59.93 with Bishop third (2:00.45).
Jessica wasn’t the only Royal at the Jerome with their eyes set towards London. High jumper Mike Mason had achieved the Olympic “A” standard a few weeks ago and won his specialty on Sunday with a leap of 2.28m. Heptathlete Ruky Abdulai has been recovering from an injury but appears ready to compete at the Olympic level once again. She won the long jump with a best mark of 6.27m and placed 6th in Javelin with a throw of 40.85m. To assure herself a spot on the Canadian team, Abdulai needs to achieve the Olympic “B” standard and place in the top three at the Canadian Championships.
All three Valley Royal athletes will wind up their pre Canadian Championship preparation by competing Wednesday at the Victoria International.
Wednesday June 6, 2012
Valley Royals at the BC High School Championships…
The BC high school Championships were held last weekend at Swangard stadium. A number of Valley Royal’s athletes qualified for the meet and delivered some excellent performances including some podium finishes. A number of club members earned top ten finishes. It proved to be a successful meet and our athletes did well for themselves and their respective high schools.
Leading the way for the girls was Chantel Desch with two 3rd place finishes. She ran the 200m in 25.74 seconds and the 400m in 57.55 seconds, earning her two podium finishes.
Hailey Gibson came 5th in the 100m with a time of 12.67s, an impressive finish for the 16 year old. Kayla Lennea finished fifth in the women’s 800m (2:19.23). In the field events 14-year-old Rachel Choboter came 8th overall in pole vault and Manpreet Grewal placed 5th in the women’s discus and 10th in hammer.
Alex Siemens placed 5th in the 1500m and had a sixth place in the 3000m. Siemens ran in the 4×400 relay with fellow Royals Francesca Jackman. Hailey Gibson and Sarya Ross to place 6th overall. Jordyn Visser was a member of the Abby Christian team that placed fifth in the 4×400 meter relay.
Jesse and Adam Lambert took part in the men’s throwing events and had three top eight finishes including a silver medal. Jesse placed 5th in discus, 4th in hammer, and 2nd in shot put (14.50 meters). Adam placed 8th in shot put and hammer, and 6th in discus.
Other top ten finishes include Spencer Spenst’s 6th place finish in the pole vault, Lorenzo Smith’s 7th place finish in the men’s 800m, Zach Choboter’s 10th place finish in the long jump and Oliver Jorgenson’s 8th place finish in the 2,000m steeplechase.
Other Royals performances: Natasha Friedman — 18th in the 200m, 15th in the 100m Sarya Ross —16th in the 3000, 15th in the 1500 Thomas Laurie — 12th in the high jump Conner Harrison — 23rd in the 400m Spencer Spenst —12th place in the high jump Zach Choboter – 18th in 100m, 11th in decathlon Oliver Jorgenson — 14th in the 3000m.Highlights from the grade 8 and 9 invitational: Aidan Bingert — 7th in 800m, 12th in 1500 Jeewan Grewal — 7th in the discus Hanna Konrad — 7th in the 400m, 6th in the 800m, 5th in high jump Jennifer Kell — 13th in the 800m, 11th in the 1500m Callum Pilgrim — 5th in the 800m, 4th in the 1500m
Sunday June 3, 2012
SMITH OBTAINS OLYMPIC B STANDARD: LOVETT QUALIFIES FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Valley Royal athlete Jessica Smith traveled to Eugene, Oregon on Friday to take part in the women’s 800-meters at the Prefontaine Classic. Smith made the best of the experience as she recorded a life time best and achieved the Olympic B standard with a fifth place clocking of 2:00.61. Smith’s time ranks her second in Canada behind Ottawa’s Melissa Bishop who was third in Friday’s race recording a personal best and Olympic A standard of 1:59.82.
Smith still has four weeks of meets in which to obtain an A standard including this Sunday’s Harry Jerome Classic at Swangard Stadium.
Meanwhile at the West Regional NCAA qualifying meet in Austin, Texas, Django Lovett came up with a 2.17-meter high jump performance a height that qualified him for the NCAA finals that will take place in two weeks time in Des Moines, Iowa. In addition, Django now has a mark that makes him eligible for the NACAC Championships scheduled for July.
Tuesday May 29, 2012
Valley Royals Results for BC Elementary School Championships in Richmond
The 44th annual BC Elementary School Championships were held in Richmond last weekend and provided some talented young Valley Royals athletes with an opportunity for some great performances.
Gabrielle MacGregor and Josephine Calverley both had an especially successful meet with multiple top ten finishes. MacGregor placed second in the 13 year old girls 800m with a time of 2:31.75 and third in the shot put with a best throw of 8.73m. She also won her preliminary heat of the 13 year old girls 80m hurdles and placed fifth overall in the finals. Calverley placed second in the 12 year old girls 800m with a time of 2:42.85 and fourth in the 1200m.
Vikramjit Gondara won the 13 year old boys discus by a landslide with his throw of 28.20m, over a meter and a half further than the second place throw of 26.57m. Gondara also competed in the 200m and placed 32nd.
Other Royals competing at the BC Elementary School Championships were Anoop Takhar, who placed 9th in the 9 year old girls 60m dash, and Alexis Honeywell, who placed 13th in the 13 year old girls 100m dash.
Sunday May 20, 2012
NUMEROUS ROYALS QUALIFY FOR BC HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS AND A NUMBER OF MIDGETS IN CONTENTION FOR SELECTION TO THE BC SUMMER GAMES
Thursday night results for Valley Royal athletes that took part in the Fraser Valley High School Championships: athletes competed for their respective schools at this meet and that makes it difficult to name every Valley Royal that had good success at the meet and qualified for the provincial championships. The ones we found are listed below.
Girls: Alexandria Siemens—1st 3,000m (10:23) Chantel Desch—200m (26.10) Manpreet Grewal—4th hammer (37.87m) Janelle Hay—9th 800m (2:23.23), 7th 1500m (5:03.62) Jordyn Visser—6th 400m hurdles (69.76), 6th TJ (9.16m) Hailey Gibson—2nd 100m (12.86) Francesca Jackman— 7th 800m (2:20.57) Sarya Ross—3rd 3,000m (11:09) Kayla Lennea—6th 800m (2:18.18)Boys: Oliver Jorgensen—3rd 2,000, SC (6:32.21), 7th 3,000m (9:23.92) Lorenzo Smith—3rd 800m (2:03.01)
The grade 8, 9 competition was used to select athletes for the Zone 3 team that will take part in the BC Summer Games and saw a number of Royals in contention for selection. Due to the strength of the zone, there will be a number of athletes selected that placed further back than the automatic two places awarded. Following are top contenders for selection from the ranks of the Valley Royals.
Boys: Aiden Bingert—3rd 1200m (3:28.35), 5th 800m (2:12.80) Spencer Spenst—1st high jump (1.70m) Jeewan Grewal—2nd discus (38.49m), 1st hammer (41.30m)Girls: Callum Pilgrim—3rd 1200m (3:48.06), 3rd 2,000m (6:55.28), 5th 800m (2:28) Hannah Konrad—2nd 800m (2:24.31), 4th high jump (1.50m), 2nd TJ (9.70m) Jennifer Kell—5th 1200m (3:54.92), 3rd 800m (2:25.53)
Wednesday May 16, 2012
FIRST NIGHT OF FRASER VALLEY CHAMPIONSHIPS PRODUCES SOME GOOD PERFORMANCES FOR VALLEY ROYAL ATHLETES
High school track overcame the teacher’s labor dispute with the BC Government on Tuesday to stage the first of a two day Fraser Valley Championship at Langley.
A huge contingent of athletes turned out for the meet that featured events in a grade 8/9 division used as a selection vehicle for the Zone 3 team that will take part in the BC Games, and a grade 10 to 12 division to select athletes to participate in the BC High School Championships. In both segments of the competition Valley Royal athletes had some good performances.
Grade 8, 9 BC Games Selection Meet: Spencer Spenst led the way in this competition and won both the high jump (1.70m) and pole vault (3.20m). As a two-event winner, Spencer virtually assured himself of selection to the Zone 3 team that will compete in Surrey. Aidan Bingert and Callum Pilgrim had third place finishes in the female and male 1200-meter events respectively. Bingert completed the distance with a time of 3:28.35 while Callum had a clocking of 3:40.06 in the girls’ race. Jennifer Kell won the second section of the 1200 meters posting a time of 3:54.92.
Senior Fraser Valley Championship: Darkness closed in on this section of the meet and that meant that Hailey Gibson, who won her heat of the 100-meters in a personal best 12.21, will have to wait until tomorrow evening to run the final. Francesca Jackman ran a personal best 67.78 to place second in the 400-meter hurdles and assured herself of a spot at the provincial meet. There were several other Royals that had top three performances that included Alex Siemens in the 1500-meters (4:43.48), Chantel Desch in the 400 meters (58.13) and Catherine Taekema in the pole vault (2.40m). Oliver Jorgensen rose from his sick bed and placed third in the boys’ 2,000m SC (6:37) and seventh in the 1500 meters (4:19).
Other qualifiers for the provincial championships included: Sarya Ross—6th in the girls 1500 meters (5:00) Janelle Hay—7th in the girls 1500 meters (5:03) Lorenzo Smith—8th in the boys 1500 meters (4:19) Kayla Lennea—7th in the girls 400 meters (1:00.07)
Wednesday May 16, 2012
COACH HAROLD WILLERS RECOVERING FROM AN UNCOOPERATIVE PANCREAS
Just over a week ago coach Harold Willers was driving his wife from the ferry terminal after her return from a trip to the Island. Enroute home to Chilliwack they stopped for a meal and that’s when it happened: Harold felt extreme pain and his wife had to rush him to the hospital where diagnosis determined he was suffering from an attack of acute pancreatitis that, in Harold’s words, “is a very painful problem.” After approximately a week in hospital Harold was released and is now resting comfortably at home under the watchful eyes of his good wife.
Have a quick recovery please Harold, as we want to see you back doing your thing with the throwers.
Monday May 14, 2012
JESSICA SMITH PLACES THIRD IN PUERTO RICO
Valley Royal athlete Jessica Smith came within one tenth of a second from her personal best in placing third in the Ponce Grand Prix held Saturday in Puerto Rico. Maggie Vessey won the race (2:00.78) in a close finish with Ottawa’s Melissa Bishop who came second (2:00.19). Smith took third place with a season best 2:01.55, just 1/10th of a second off her all time personal best.
This coming weekend Smith will get another chance to achieve the Olympic B standard of 2:01.30 seconds when she travels to Los Angeles and the following week she will be in St. Louis, Missouri for another international meet.
Monday May 14, 2012
A NUMBER OF MEDALS WON BY JD ATHLETES AT MAPLE RIDGE
Approximately a dozen Valley Royal athletes traveled to Maple Ridge on Saturday to take part in the Golden Ears meet.
Gabrielle MacGregor led the way for the Royals by winning three medals in the 13-year old girl’s division. MacGregor came first in the shot put (9.04m) and had bronze medals in both the 80-meter hurdles (14.18) and the 800m (2:33.46). MacGregor completed her busy day with a fourth place finish in the 60 meters.
Lockhart MacGregor, Gabrielle’s eight-year old brother, got his competitive track and field career underway by placing second in both the 600 and 1,000m runs. The 600m had an exciting finish as Lockhart battled it out with Xavier Kristen (St. Georges) with the Vancouver athlete winning in a time of 2:03.47 to Lockhart’s 2:03.87.
Josephine Calverley (12-years old) had second place finishes in the 800m (2:39) and 1200 meters. Other second places were posted by Rachel Choboter in the pole vault (2.00m) and Joel Choboter in the 13-year old shot put (9.13m).
Jensen Bako was third in the 13-year old boy’s high jump (1.30m) while McKenzie Roy (12-years) had a fourth place finish in the 800m (2:36.48) and was fifth in the 1200m (2:36.48).
Full results of the meet can be found at: golden-ears.org/EagleClassicMeet.htm
Sunday May 13, 2012
Olympics: Derek Drouin and Mike Mason products of LTAD?
Derek Drouin of Corunna, ON has joined Mike Mason of Nanoose Bay, BC on Canada’s Olympic team nomination for London in the high jump. Today he won the Big Ten Conference title with a 4 cm outdoor improvement, clearing 2.31m achieving the Olympic A+ standard. Derek, a student at Indiana University and Mike Mason must now finish in the top 3 at the Olympic trials in Calgary on June 30th to confirm their ticket….
Please visit the Harry Jerome International Track Classic blog at this link to read the remainder of this story…
Wednesday May 9, 2012
The Valley Royals are hiring a summer student….
Please see the job posting description here: Job Posting, and submit your application to [email protected]
Sunday May 6, 2012
NUMEROUS MEDALS FOR VALLEY ROYAL ATHLETES ON SATURDAY
Valley Royal runners, jumpers and throwers won numerous medals Saturday at the Valley Royal Invitational held at Rotary Stadium.
Alexandria Siemens led the way for the Royals by recording easy victories in winning both the Youth women 1500 meters (4:49.37) and 800 meters (2:22.02). Using the meet as a training day, Siemens won both her events by placing more than 50 meters in front of her nearest competitors.
Other gold medals won by Royals included Chantel Desch in the junior women’s 400m (59.71) and Zach Choboter in the midget boy’s long jump (6.03m). Oliver Jorgensen had no trouble winning the youth men’s 1500 meters (4:22.27) and is primed for a good time for the BC High School Championships. Jeewan Grewal won the midget men’s hammer (39.64) and came second in the discus (36.03m). Spencer Spenst won the midget men’s pole vault (2.80m) and was second in the high jump (1.60m) and Janelle Hay was first in the junior women’s 1500m (5:11.26) and came fifth in the 800m (2:24.20)
First year Royal and all round athlete Callum Pilgrim got her career as a club runner off to an excellent start by placing second in the midget women’s 800 meters (2:23.62) and third in the 1200 meters (3:59.74). Teammate Hannah Konrad was right behind Pilgrim in the 800m (2:24.03) and then showed her diversity by rushing over to the high jump area for a third place in that event (1.50 meters). Adam Bingert has shaken off an early season injury and won two medals on Saturday with a second place finish in the midget boys 800m (2:2:11.19) and a third in the 1200m (3:40.15).
Midget woman sprinter Hailey Gibson ran a solid race in the 100-meters and produced a second place finish (12.88). Kayla Lennea turned in a competitive performance to place second to Desch in the 400 (61.20) and third in the 800m (2:21.94). Francesca Jackman was second in the junior women’s 400m hurdles (71.02) with Jordyn Visser just behind her (72.02). The Lambert brothers, Adam and Jesse, won six medals between them in the throwing events. Adam was second in the Youth men’s shot put (12.00m) and discus (41.20) and came third in the hammer (36.60) while brother Jesse had second place finishes in both the junior men’s shot put (13.10m) discus (43.03) and was third in the hammer (43.03m).
Other medal performances for Royal athletes included: Thomas Laurie—3rd Youth men’s nigh jump (1.65m) Sarya Ross—3rd in Youth women’s 1500m (6:13) Manpreet Grewal—3rd in Youth women’s hammer (35.41; 4th discus (30.10m)
Saturday May 5, 2012
RESULTS FOR THE 2012 VALLEY ROYALS INVITATIONAL
have now been posted here: 2012 Valley Royals Invitational Results
Friday May 4, 2012
START LISTS HAVE NOW BEEN POSTED for the Valley Royals Invitational
Please follow the link further above in the page to see the start lists for tomorrow and please let us know if you see any issues or errors.
Thursday May 3, 2012
Changes to Valley Royals Invitational Schedule….
The start times for several field events in the Valley Royals Invitational have changed – please see the revised schedule in the meet package at this link.
Wednesday May 2, 2012
Entry List for May 5th Valley Royals Invitational has been posted…
It can be seen at this link: Entry List.
Please check your entries and let us know of any errors or omissions.
Tuesday May 1, 2012
WIN IN GUADELOUPE QUALIFIES MASON FOR THE LONDON OLYMPICS
Mike Mason, who now lives and trains in Abbotsford under the guidance of coach Ziggy Szelagowicz, qualified for selection to the London Olympics by winning the high jump Monday evening in Guadeloupe. Mason leaped a personal best 2.31 meters, a height that meets the Canadian Olympic A+ qualifying standard. Last month Mason twice cleared the “B” standard of 2.27 meters during meets at Mt. Sac and UBC.
All Mason has to do now is place amongst the top three at the Canadian Championships scheduled for Edmonton June 27 to 30.
Mason’s next major competitions will be the Lafarge International scheduled for Abbotsford on Wednesday, June 6th and the Harry Jerome meet that takes place at Swangard Stadium on Sunday, June 10.
Sunday April 22, 2012
MASON’S WIN AT MT. SAC MAKES HIM ELIGIBLE FOR OLYMPIC GAMES
Walnut, CA, April 21—Mike Mason won the high jump Saturday at the prestigious Mt. Sac Relays held in Walnut, California. Mason cleared 2.28 meters (7’5”) to place in front of an excellent field of jumpers that included second place finisher Edgar Rivera-Morales of Arizona (2.25m) and Ed Wright, a US international who came third (2.25m).
More importantly Mason’s performance was the second time in three weeks that he has cleared the Canadian Olympic “B” standard and makes him eligible for selection to the Canadian team that will compete at this summer’s Olympic Games.
In 10 days time Mason will travel to Guadeloupe for an international meet featuring a number of world ranked jumpers. This meet will give Mason a another opportunity to achieve the world “A” standard of 2.31 meters.
Jessica Smith placed fifth in the elite women’s 800-meter run at Mt. Sac and recorded a Canadian leading time of 2:02.10. Smith, who is contesting selection to the Olympic team under the “young hopeful” category, placed in front of Lemlem Ogbasilassie (QU) the second ranked Canadian in the 800m.
Ruky Abdulai, who is preparing for the heptathlon event at the Olympics, limited herself to the javelin throw at Mt. Sac and produced a career personal best of 44.76 meters.
Django Lovett, competing for University of New Mexico, entered his first meet since being hit by a car while bicycling two months ago. Lovett took part in the university high jump competition and placed fifth with a leap of 2.13 meters.
Other Valley Royal performances in California: Helen Crofts—Women’s 800 meters (2:05) Jessica Smith—Women’s 1500 meters (4:21.17) Brianna Kane—Women’s 800 meters (2:08.98) Travis Vugteveen—Men’s 800 meters (1:53)