WCSSAA & D8: Day One

Back from checking out some action at the WCSSAA/D8 Track championships over at Resurrection earlier today.  Have to say, as great a facility that Resurrection is for a high school, there's something missing compared to having the championships over at Centennial Stadium in Kitchener.

We all know about the state of things over at Centennial, thanks to a couple of Record articles (and letters to the editor) last year.  Anyways, my turn to chime in on the impacts of shifting things over to Resurrection.......

Firstly, the lack of "quality" lighting means that the schedule is bumped up to be completed during the daylight.  Not a huge deal, but I'm sure some more parents/fans who work the typical "9 to 5" would be able to see their kids events if the host facility was compatible with evening races, etc. 

(Flip side:  Back when I was in high school, it was also a common complaint of runners, especially when things ran behind --- the 100 finals might not finish until 10:30ish, so makes for a late night for those with events bright & early the next day). 

Along with the fans aspect comes another 'negative' over at RCSS --- lack of permanent grandstands.  The folks on the organizing committee do what they can (erecting temporary seating near the finish line, for example) but this, coupled with the limited groundspace compared to Centennial/The Aud seems to lead to an excess of people and athletes dispersed about and (sometimes) almost interfering with events on the track.  Of course, some parents I'm sure would prefer to be a bit more comfortable, too.

Lastly, have to say the high jump area is a bit disappointing.  Especially considering that it is on the track ---- was watching that for a bit today and it's slightly annoying to have to pause for races or try to rush in jumps between laps of the 1500m races.  It definitely seemed like a few times that some of the competitors rushed their jumps to try to get them in.  Meanwhile, some athletes were warming up for 100m finals and doing strides almost into the high jump area.  Now, there were still some good jumps today so props to the athletes for keeping their focus ---- but maybe this is something that should be looked at if Rez is hosting again next year. 

Now, I'm not trying to criticize or take anything away from the WCSSAA/D8 championships.  Any track meet is tough to run, and we must all keep in mind that the teachers/coaches/parents/community members involved are volunteering their time.  Just a couple of observations from today, that's all.

Speaking of the meet, the weather cleared up nicely by the end and (as expected) a few records were broken today.  We'll have more over the next day or two, so stay tuned!