More than 500 student athletes from Grades 3 to 8 gathered at Ursuline College Chatham on Wednesday for the Kent Catholic Schools Athletic Council’s annual track and field meet, showcasing both athletic achievement and sportsmanship.
Students from schools within the St. Clair Catholic District School Board and Conseil scolaire catholique Providence competed throughout the day in a variety of events.
While the meet featured strong performances and record-breaking results, Monsignor Uyen Principal Americo Todino said the event’s value extends beyond competition.
“It’s about competing, enjoying the day and meeting friends from other schools,” says Todino, who is a representative on KCSAC. “I participated in this event as a child and made lifelong friends from other schools, and you have to remember there was no social media back then. It was just from this type of event. I still see that happening with our students today and I think that’s the best part about it.”
Four records were broken during the meet, including an impressive performance by Grade 8 student Brynlie Myslik of St. Michael Catholic School in Ridgetown in the shot put competition.
Myslik broke the existing record on her opening throw before surpassing her own mark on her third attempt with a throw of 11.36 metres.
“I felt really amazed,” says Myslik. “I didn’t know I could throw that far. I had some faith in myself because of practice at school. It didn’t look far, but it was far. I felt good.”
The competition marked Myslik’s first year participating in the shot put event at UCC. She said she needed some encouragement from a teacher before deciding to compete.
Another record was set by Grade 4 student Jeri Atoyebi of St. Teresa of Calcutta Catholic School, who completed the 200-metre race in 30.49 seconds.
“They helped me because I wasn’t that motivated when I first started doing track and they motivated me,” says Atoyebi, thanking teachers Mrs. Lozon and Mr. McCarthy for their support.
Grade 7 student Sierra Langille-Raspburg of St. Angela Merici Catholic School established a new record in the 400-metre event with a time of 1:05.43. Grade 6 student Shaila Chawla of École Sainte-Marie also set a record in the 400-metre race, finishing in 1:06.97.
The event also recognized the contributions of retiring teachers Brendan Spence, Dennis Segren and Patrick Demeter, who have played key roles in organizing the annual meet through their involvement with KCSAC.
“They have been part of this in so many ways,” says Todino. “All three have been the sports council chair in the past. They’ve taken on any role that has been asked of them, whether it’s committee member, whether it’s the sound system, or whether it’s the set-up crew. There are no egos. It’s just about working together to make this day work for our student community.”
