BC Athletics Bulletin 
Your weekly source of up-to-date Athletics news in BC

ISSUE #12-2003
Wednesday, May 28, 2003

TRACK & FIELD

Sprint/Hurdle Round Table
Athletes and Coaches are invited to share their experiences and concerns regarding Speed Events in BC at a meeting to be held Saturday, June 14th at 12:00pm at the Langley Pacific Invitational. Ways to improve the quality of coaching, indoor facility problems and additions to the Calendar of Events are among the topics to be addressed.

Western Canada Games 4X400m Relay Team Development
In preparation for the Western Canada Games six to eight male and female athletes are needed for 4X400m relay teams to compete at the Harry Jerome Track Classic June 8th in Burnaby and at the Victoria International Meet on June 11th in Victoria. There is a possibility of also taking part in the Senior Canadian Track & Field Championships in Victoria on July 18-20. This is an excellent opportunity for athletes 23 and under to test themselves in high calibre meets. Interested coaches of athletes 23 and under are asked to contact Eugene Konart as soon as possible at eugenekonart@bcathletics.org or (604) 737-3176.

2003 Pacific Coast High Performance and All Comers Meets
Swangard Stadium, Burnaby BC
Tuesday July 22, & Wednesday July 23, 2003
These meets are open to anyone wishing to participate. All ages/abilities. Mixed performances (men/women) are allowed for Canadian National/Provincial Standards and National Rankings. They are not valid for Records, International Standards or National/Provincial Team Selection.

Membership requirements for High Performance events are: B.C. Athletics Juvenile, Junior, Senior or Masters membership or equivalent from another Province/State/Country Athletics Track & Field Association for 2003. Membership requirements for All Comer events are: B.C. Athletics Members (All Types) or equivalent from another Province/State/Country Athletics Track & Field Association for 2003.

For further information see the last 2 pages of the Canadian Sr. Track & Field Championships Technical Package on the Athletics Canada website at:
www.athleticscanada.com/athcan/events/Senior03VictoriaFinalEN.pdf 
or contact jtighe@lynx.net.

Fundraising Opportunity Reminder
The Achilles Track Society is pleased to offer a new incentive program focused on developing strong athletics at the grassroots level for the many track and field clubs throughout the province of British Columbia.

For every Harry Jerome Track Classic ticket your club sells the Achilles Track Society will donate $5 back to your club. This will help clubs generate funds while showing support for B.C.'s premier track and field meet.

This opportunity is only available through the Achilles Track Society. For more information on this exciting new club fundraising opportunity, please contact Peter Ogilvie at peter@metroathleticclub.com.

The Harry Jerome meet begins at 2 p.m. and will run just over two hours featuring 18 events. It will be preceded at 1 p.m. by Elementary school relays. Ticket for the Jerome meet are just $10 and available at all Ticketmaster outlets. Children under the age of 12 will be admitted free. Doors open at 12 noon.

PacifiCanada Track & Field Series:

Kajaks International Track Classic - Wednesday June 4th 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
It's still not too late to register for the Kajaks International Track Classic. Events offered are the Men and Women's 100m, 200m, 800m, Mile, 300m, Long Jump and Javelin as well as a Masters Mile and Masters 100m. Maureen de Saint Croix who will be 50 on May 26th, will attempt to beat the World Record/50-54. This is the first of 5 meets in the PacifiCanada series to be contested over 8 days. Further information can be found at:
www.kajaks.org/events/kajaksinternational.htm and www.pacificanada.ca/.

New West Record Classic - Thursday June 5th
The New West Record is still accepting entries with an early bird deadline of May 27th.
Join Canadian and international competitors in an early evening meet. Many events have advancement to the Vancouver Sun Harry Jerome International Meet on June 8th.
There are prizes for all races as well as cash prizes for the top three individual performances in the meet. These awards are in addition to the series awards. www.pacificanada.ca/.

Athletics Canada:

2003 World’s Youth Championships: NEW VERSION
www.athletics.ca/athcan/events/
2003IAAFWorldYouthChampionshipsinAthleticsSelectionCriteria.doc 

Pan American Games - Declaration of interest to compete
NEW MANDATORY REQUIREMENT : DEADLINE JUNE 2, 2003
www.athletics.ca/athcan/events/
PAGSDeclaration_of_Interest_to_Compete.doc 

Pan American Games – COC Information Form
www.athletics.ca/athcan/events/COCInfoFormFinal.doc 

Pan American Games – Team Handbook Biographical Information
www.athletics.ca/athcan/events/COCHandbookBioFormFinal.doc 

Pan American Games – COC Clothing Form – Women
www.athletics.ca/athcan/events/COCClothingFormWomenFinal.doc 

Pan American Games – COC Clothing Form – Men
www.athletics.ca/athcan/events/COCClothingFormMenFinal.doc 

2003 Canadian National Road Running Team – Selection Criteria
www.athletics.ca/athcan/team/
SelectionCriteria2003RoadRunningOpportunitiesFinal.doc 

2003 British Open – Selection Criteria 
www.athletics.ca/athcan/team/BritishOpenSelectionCriteriaFinal.doc 

2003 IBSA World Championship in Athletics – Selection Principles
www.athletics.ca/athcan/team/IBSASelectionCriteriaFinal.doc 

Canadian Track and Field Championships
Book your hotel in Victoria NOW
Championship Hotel:
The Travellers Inn
3 Locations in Downtown Victoria
Tel: 1-888-254-6476 email: downtown@travellersinn.com 
Meet info and registration on-line: www.cantrackandfieldchamps.ca 

Hershey Youth Track & Field Program
Meets:
May 29th and June 5th in Kelowna. Contact Amber Gilbert at amberktfc@telus.net. 
June 8th in Prince George. Contact Tom Masich at pgtrack@ckpg.net. 

Sport Leadership 2003 & ICCE Global Coach Conference
More than 400 Canadian and international sport leaders will meet in Vancouver from October 30 - November 2, 2003. Core themes include:
Driving motivation and commitment
Innovations in sport leadership
Technology as a competitive advantage
Developing expert coaches: best practices
World-class High performance systems
Information: www.coach.ca/e/conferneces/sportleadership.htm 
To apply: www.coach.ca/e/partners/nci.htm 

CLINICS AND WORKSHOPS

Level I Coaching Clinic
BC Athletics is considering putting on a Level I Coaching Clinic in Abbotsford in June. The clinic will be held if enough interest is shown. Please contact the BC Athletics office at eugenkonart@bcathletics.org if you are interested in taking part.

High Jump Clinic - June 5th - Minoru Track, Richmond BC
BC Athletics will run a High Jump Clinic with Mark Boswell and Kwaku Boateng
www.bcathletics.org/hjclinic.htm 

Pole Vault Clinic - June 10th
Two of BC's top Pole Vault coaches - Gerard Dumas and Ziggy Szelagowicz will run a high performance clinic in Victoria. Included will be demonstration jumps, video taping and discussion about technical aspects of jumps along with yearly planning, mental preparation and nutritional suggestions. Details on the exact time and location will be announced.

ROAD RUNNING

BC Runners Go the Distance at the 30th Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run
Ten ultramarathon runners from British Columbia will join more than 400 talented athletes from around the world to converge on Squaw Valley on June 28, 2003 for the 30th running of the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, the oldest endurance running event in the United States. They will brave serious risks, from cougars and rattlesnakes to dehydration and renal shutdown, in their quest for that elusive buckle that fewer than half will achieve.

What kind of people would do such a thing? "They’re just ordinary people doing extraordinary things," says Greg Soderlund, the race director for the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run. "Running an ultramarathon, a race longer than the marathon’s 26.2 miles, is becoming more and more popular. It’s a very satisfying experience running point to point and seeing just how far you’ve traveled."

The Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run began in 1974 at the Tevis Ride when Gordy Ansleigh’s horse pulled up lame, and Gordy decided to tackle the course under his own power. He succeeded by crossing the finish line in under 24 hours, exploding the notion that human beings simply could not do such a thing.

"At that time, the idea of running 100 miles in one day was thought to be impossible," explains Soderlund. "Today there are more than 30 100-mile races in the United States, but Western States is considered to be the Granddaddy of them all, and the pinnacle in an ultrarunner’s career."

The course begins at Squaw Valley with a 4-mile, 2,500 foot ascent up to Emigrant Pass, cresting at 8,750 feet. From there, the runners will traverse rugged terrain as they climb and descend through canyons, crossing the same paths that the gold miners did over 150 years ago. After the cold and snow of early morning, runners may encounter temperatures as high as 110 degrees during this section of the trail.

After a brief excursion into relative civilization in the town of Foresthill, the runners then head down to the bottom of the American River Canyon. The crossing is made dangerous by the swiftly flowing water through the rapids and uneven footing on the underlying rocks, though the runners can cling to a cable running from bank to bank as they plunge into the icy snowmelt. From here, they climb through Auburn Lake Trails, across No Hands Bridge, and up to Robie Point before the reaching the finish line at the Placer High School track.

This year, 29 years after Gordy crossed the finish line, more than 400 runners will step up to the starting line in Squaw Valley at 5 am on June 28 and see if they have what it takes to join the ranks of those who had the physical and mental tenacity to cross that finish line at Placer High School in Auburn in less than 30 hours. During the course of the race, they will climb a total of 18,000 feet and descend another 23,000 from start to finish. Runners completing the course in less than 24 hours earn the coveted silver buckle with the inscription "100 Miles, One Day." Those who complete it in 30 hours, receive the brass buckle that reads, "100 miles, 30 Hours."

“The Canadian contingent is one of the largest and strongest to date”, according to former Canadian National 100 Kilometre run team manager Ean Jackson of North Vancouver. “We anticipate bring home a bumper crop of silver buckles this year and more than a few age group records.” This year, Canada will be represented by:

Ron Adams, N. Vancouver, BC
Bruce Grant, Delta, BC
Ken Greenaway, Vancouver, BC
Ean Jackson, N. Vancouver, BC
Chris Mager, Vancouver, BC
Andy Nicol, Vancouver, BC
Scott Riddell, N. Vancouver, BC
Ted Russo, Anmore, BC
Monica Scholz, Jerseyville, ON
Robert Smith, Victoria, BC
Imre Sorban, Brackendale, BC
Jamie Wilson, Regina, SK

Western States 100-mile run:
www.ws100.com 

Vancouver Island Relay - June 16, 2003
www.vancouverislandrelay.com 

MAJOR AND UPCOMING EVENTS SANCTIONED BY BC ATHLETICS

Details, direct links and contacts
http://www.bcathletics.org/main/index.htm 

EVENT LISTINGS
For complete listings of upcoming events (BC events highlighted in yellow) with contact information:

Track & Field
www.bcathletics.org/eventcal_tf.htm 

Road Running
www.bcathletics.org/eventcal_rr.htm 

Marathons
www.bcathletics.org/eventcal_mar.htm 

Road Relays & Ultra
www.bcathletics.org/eventcal_rr2.htm 

Cross Country and Trail Running
www.bcathletics.org/eventcal_xc.htm 

Race Walking – see Track & Field above

Back issues of the BCAB are now available at
www.bcathletics.org/main/bcabulletin.htm