INTRODUCTION
In 2007 and 2008, the Canadian Junior Championships will take place in Abbotsford, hosted by the Valley Royals Track & Field Club. The Valley Royals have hosted 2 previous Canadian Junior Championships - 1995 and 1997 as well as a Canadian Senior Championships in 1997. More recently the Valley Royals have hosted the BC Summer Games in 2004, the Abbotsford International Track Classic since 2003, and the BC Senior Games in 2006.
The Jane & Gerry Swan Track at Rotary Stadium in Abbotsford is a superb facility that is furnished with international-level equipment for all events. The track is well known to be fast and athlete oriented for spectacular times, and the throws events will take place within the main facility within easy view of the grandstands. The 2008 Canadian Junior Track & Field Championships will take place on July 25th, 26th, and 27th, 2008.
The entrance to Rotary Stadium is located on Trethewey St. to the north of Trethewey and Maclure Road. Rotary Stadium is a part of the Exhibition Park Complex. MAP OF ROTARY STADIUM/EXHIBITION PARK AREA: here. From Highway 1 (TransCanada Highway), take the Clearbrook Road exit (Exit ) and proceed north on Clearbrook Road. Turn right at Maclure Road. Turn left at Tretheway St., and the Stadium will be to your right - the entrance will be the first turn on your right.
Schedule (pdf): 2008 Schedule
Technical Package (pdf): Technical Package
Championship Entry Standards (pdf): Entry Standards
Registration Package (pdf): Registration Package
Online Registration: Online Registration
Registration Confirmation: Registration Confirmation
Athletics Canada Web page for 2008 Canadian Juniors: Athletics Canada 2008 Canadian Junior Championships
NEWS FOR THE 2008 CANADIAN JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS:
MASSAGE THERAPISTS WILL BE ON SITE to treat athletes. There will be a modest cost of $15 for each treatment of 20 minutes duration. Who knows, even some coaches may need a massage to soothe the stress of watching their protégés compete.
WEATHER FORECAST during the days of the meet is very favorable. Daytime temperatures should range between 24 and 26 degrees (that’s 74 to 76 degrees imperial for those old timers) and during nighttime it will cool off nicely to between 10 and 12 degrees. There is only a 10% chance of precipitation. Has the weather forecaster ever been incorrect?
THIS IS THE FOURTH CANADIAN JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP that has been hosted in Abbotsford. The first one took place in 1970 on a clay/brick track located at Abbotsford Secondary School. At that time there was both a juvenile and junior division held during the meet. Believe it or not a number of teams from Eastern Canada traveled to Abbotsford by train and some of them had not even booked sleeping berths. I remember picking up the Scarborough team at the train station in Mission. Bishop Delegowicz, a very large discus thrower on the Scarborough team, emerged from the train looking a little bit scrunched. CBC televised the meet and many new standards were set during the three day competition that took place in mid August - on the hottest days Abbotsford witnessed that summer.
The track at Abbotsford Secondary School was inaugurated with a 100 meter exhibition run by the great Harry Jerome. The field comprised Jerome and a number of secondary school aged runners from Abbotsford. The kids who got to run against Jerome never forgot the experience. One of these athletes, Ken Pease, who became an outstanding rugby player, always mentions the experience of being able to run a race against Harry. “I believe I finished 25 meters behind Jerome - I may have been able to do a little better but was awe struck by even being allowed to take part in a race with a runner who held two world records - it was a thrill I will never forget,” Ken told me about a year ago.
Abbotsford hosted its second Canadian Junior Championship in 1997 and two weeks later the Canadian Senior Championships were held at the same stadium. During the senior meet, Donovan Bailey clocked 10.03 for the 100 meters against a –2.3 headwind and that time serves as the stadium record to this time. We have often reminisced as to how fast Donovan’s time may have been had he run with a positive but legal wind.
COMPETITION TRACK FEATURES WIDE TURNS: The turns at the Swan track are as wide as the rulebook will permit. This means that times recorded for races such as the 200, 400 and 400-meter hurdle event are usually fast. In fact, countless personal bests for the three aforementioned events have been established on this track. Tom Dickson, sprint and hurdle coach at Simon Fraser University stated that “Our sprinters and hurdlers love competing at the Abbotsford track because they know that a fast time is very possible on that track.”.
TWO INDEPENDENT LYNX TIMING SYSTEMS TO BE USED: Both systems are owned by the Valley Royals Track Club and cameras are installed on both sides of the track. In addition, a special camera is mounted that reads the numbers on the front of the runner’s jerseys. “We have taken every precaution to make sure that we have the correct order of finish and the correct times for each runner and that we are able to process an event finish in a very minimal amount of time,” stated the photofinish coordinator Jason Swan.
MANY FAMOUS NAMES FROM TRACK AND FIELD HAVE COMPETED AT THE SWAN TRACK: What do Donovan Bailey, Bruny Surin, Mary Slaney, Graham Hood, Tim Kroeker, Davidson Ezinwa, Tom Pukstys, Mark Boswell, Jeff Harwig, Tim Barrett, Phominia Mennsah, Cathy Freeman, Suzy Hamilton, Angela Chalmers, and Deon Hemmings have in common? Most of them are former Olympians and all of them have competed on the Swan track. In fact, many hold a facility record, a complete list of which can be found on the Valley Royal web page (Valley Royals website). In addition, Valley Royal athletes Mike Mason and Ruky Abdulai who have been named to this summer’s Canadian Olympic Games team have competed in Abbotsford on many occasions.
COACHES RECEPTION: Coaches will want to make sure they are in Abbotsford on the Thursday before the meet so they can attend the Technical meeting at 7:00 p.m. that evening followed by the gala reception. The Technical meeting will take place in the auditorium at the Abbotsford City Hall and the reception will be held in the foyer of the auditorium. For those of you were fortunate enough to attend last year’s festivities, you will remember the great food and refreshments.
VIEWING: No matter what event coaches and spectators are interested in they should be able to find an excellent viewpoint to watch it. The covered stadium seats 5,000 but beyond that seating will be arranged close to most of the field events. So those interested in the throwing or jumping events should be able to get an up-close view of the proceedings.
ADDITIONAL ACCOMODATION SECURED: The newly opened housing at the University of the Fraser Valley has been made available for the Canadian Junior Championships. Rooms that correspond to hotel-like living quarters and dormitory type rooms are both available on a first come basis. The shuttle bus for transportation on Friday, Saturday and Sunday between motels to the track and return will include the University as one of the stops. Full details of these accommodations can be found elsewhere on this web page.
CLIMATE: During late July the weather in Abbotsford usually features warm temperatures, sunny days and moderate humidity. During the time frame of the meet there is generally a light outlet wind which means what wind there is should be on the back of the sprinters. We don’t believe that umbrellas or coats will should necessary.
ANNOUNCING TO FEATURE BOTH TRACK AND FIELD EVENTS: As happened last year, two knowledgeable track announcers will be on hand. Mike Van Tighem will handle the track events while Jim Leith will follow the field events. There should be good coverage provided for all events.
ROTOTILLER FOR PITS: You won’t see some over-worked official digging up the sand in the horizontal pits. That’s because a tractor with a rototiller does all the heavy work of grooming the pits. We have never heard the officials complain about not being able to do that chore. In addition, horizontal jumpers and pole vaulters will be able to take advantage of favorable wind conditions as the facility is equipped with runways that can be used in either a north/south direction or south/north. There are also two pole vault pits available that are both housed in sheds which means that it takes about three minutes to ready one of the pits for a competition.
AWARDS HANDED OUT IN FRONT OF STADIUM: Parents, coaches and interested others should have no trouble taking pictures of medal presentations. As was done last year, victory ceremonies will take place directly in front on the main stadium immediately after the completion of a final event So bring your cameras, but never fear if you forget them - photographic services will be available onsite again as they were last year.
SOUVENIR SHIRTS WILL ONCE AGAIN BE SOLD: Once again attractive and quality souvenir shirts will be on sale. The shirts are dri-fit material and attractively crested—there will be both short and long sleeved shirts available for purchase.
STAY TUNED: WE WILL UPDATE THIS INFORMATION PAGE ON AT LEAST A WEEKLY BASIS—WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN ABBOTSFORD FOR THE CANADIAN JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS—JULY 25, 26, & 27.
