The District Track Meet occurs this week at Haley Park in Warfield.
This is an exciting and long-standing competition of strength and speed among youth in the school district, held at an exemplary track facility.
Trail hosted its very first annual regional track meet on May 25, 1929, welcoming young athletes from Nelson, Cranbrook, Kimberley, and Trail.
Trail students competed for several weekends prior to the event at Butler Park to make the cut, when 18 athletes were selected to compete.
Among them?
Renowned athletes Mike Buckna and the Haley Brothers (Joe, Pat, and Paul).
That Saturday morning, representatives of each visiting community officially formed the Kootenay Boundary Schools Athletic Association, and appointed Cranbrook’s G.T. Moir as president and Alex Balfour of Trail acting as honorary president.
The constitution was approved and some fine details sorted, particularly easing up on false start disqualifications.
The board at the time felt a rigid approach to disqualification for athletes who had traveled a fair distance to attend might hinder future participation.
The weather was exceptional, providing a bit of rain at noon, cooling down participants and spectators and cutting down the nuisance dust.
Trail topped the leader board with a whopping 73 points, with Nelson (56), Cranbrook (36), and Kimberley (23) filling out the ranks.
For the girls, Cranbrook reigned supreme.
Some event highlights included the senior boys’ 880, in which George Wallach of Nelson beat his teammate, Desmond Hewitt, only by throwing himself across the tape, with a time of 2:14.
Hewitt got his revenge, in the 440, winning it.
Mike Buckna, star boy athlete of Trail, was upset twice by Fred Large, Cranbrook’s star, in the opening races.
Large won the 100 yards in 10 3/5 seconds, and the 220 in 23 2/5 seconds.
Kate Martin of Cranbrook, Canadian Olympic aspirant, and who missed being a member of the last Canadian Olympic team by a matter of seconds, defeated Beth Kollmar, Trail star, in two events.
Martin won the 100 yard dash in 13 seconds, and won the high jump when she cleared the bar at 4 feet 2 ¾ inches, an inch over Beth’s mark.
Other results included G. Wright of Trail winning the broad jump, clearing 17 feet, 8 inches.
Joe Haley of Trail winning the high jump, at 5 feet, 3 inches.
D. Hewitt of Nelson took the 440 yards, and R. Watkins of Kimberley took the junior high jump at 4 feet, 5 ¾”.
Senior boys pole vault went to Mike Buckna, at 9 feet, 4 inches, while the junior title when to A. Forrest of Trail, with R. Basso placing second.
We wish all the young athletes competing in the annual district meet the best of luck and look forward to tracking the results of these meets for another 96 years!
Sarah Benson Lord, manager, Trail Museum and Archives and Visitor Centre.
