Recent NewsCoyote Track Club’s Annual Festive Run Raises Funds For Make-A-Wish Foundation - Dec 4, 2021
The first Saturday in December was a special day for the Georgian Bay Coyote Track club. Over 45 kids and parents donned Santa suits and Christmas attire to parade around town for the HoHoHoliday 5K, a virtual run put on by 365 Sports. Proceeds from the run go to support the Make-A-Wish foundation.
The club started the festivities at the Harbour Pavilion and then dashed across the bridge and past the Dairy Queen, making their way to the Meaford Long Term Care home. Special thanks to the nursing home staff for having residents out to cheer the team along. It was a very special moment to share. From there, the team jingled and jangled down the main street and enjoyed the honks of encouragement from passersby. There was singing, dancing, laughing and a whole lot of fun as the Santas shuffled their way through the downtown core. Spirits were high as the runners finished the course and celebrated their success and the season. The team would like to thank a number of generous sponsors from our community who have helped to support our athletes and keep the club running smoothly. These include the Rotary Club of Meaford, TD Canada Trust, Brian Renken Professional Corporation, and Eagles Weed Control and Lawn Service. The Coyotes wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new year Coyotes compete at OFSAA high-school XC championships - Nov 6, 2021
The 2021 Ontario High School Provincial Cross Country Championships [OFSAA] was held in Lakefield, north of Peterborough at Lakefield College under perfect weather on Saturday, November 6th. Sunny skies, light wind and dry ground with +5'-8'C - Who could ask for more! With Covid, no spectators were permitted. Also with Covid and some regions not participating, typically there would be 250-280 athletes per race at OFSAA and this year's numbers were down, averaging about 160 per race.
The Georgian Bay Coyotes had 4 representatives at this highly competitive event. Traditionally it has been the toughest provincial high school XC championships in all of Canada. So just to make it there is quite the accomplishment. Event distances began at 4km for the grade 9 Novice Girls and Boys, 5km for the Grade 10 Junior Girls and Boys and 6km for the Grade 11+ Senior Girls and Boys. There were 20-24 Regions spread out across the width of a soccer field at the start line with up to 2 teams each lined up 5 deep and 5 individuals also lined up 5 deep in each region. After a 300m sprint down the field and onto the trail, the course funneled into a 15ft wide section, with narrower areas of about 10ft wide. Course conditions were perfect after having a few days to dry out after all the rain. So it made for a very fair course with small rolling hills, twists and turns, and dry, mostly grassed and hard packed dirt over the 300 acre course. In the Grade 9 Novice Girls event. Lindy Kingston, representing St. Mary's High School in Owen Sound was the lone Coyote. She had a good start and settled nicely in to her pace. Her time of 20:58min over the 4km course earned her a well deserved 114th spot against 166 finishers. There were 17 other racers who did not finish [DNF]. Lindy's St. Mary's High School Team captured 15th place of 24 teams with a total score of 388 points. Points are given for the placing of each of the top 4 athletes on each team. So if you placed 114th, 114 points would be added to your score. The Grade 9 Novice Boys followed the similar 4km course consisting of two 2km loops. Meaford's Ethan Mei and Wes Brown, both competing for St. Mary's High School, laced up against 182 competitors. As the gun went off, Ethan had a fairly good start - likely around 30th spot as they funneled onto the trail. Trusting his training, he slowly moved up through the very competitive field and cross the line in 19th spot with a very respectable time of 15:56.4min - only 52 seconds back of the leader, who outsprinted the 2nd and 3rd place runners, each were 1 second behind the leader. Wes Brown kept his consistent pace throughout the race, crossing in 160th spot with a time of 23:24.0min. Their team placed a very solid 8th of 21 teams. Meaford's Kara Tichbourne, a grade 11 Georgian Bay Community School student, was the lone Coyote senior competitor. Her 6km race would trace over two laps of a 3km loop as she laced up against grade 11, 12 and "grade 13 victory lap" athletes. An extremely strong and star-studded group of runners lead the pack off the start, with Tichbourne not too far off the pace. She was in the top 30 after the first 3km and dug deep to close in 25th spot. A very solid performance for her, with a time of 25:08.4 Congrats to ALL our Coyotes as they gave 110% to represent both their school and the Coyotes. All are on a 2 week break before lacing up for the winter season of training. Strong Showing For Coyotes at MTA Provincial Championships
- Oct 30, 2021 
Photo: Coyotes members Jacob Martindill (left) paced his Tyke boys team to a 2nd place team title while Alba Hargreaves (right) wins the individual bronze medal in the Mite Girls 1km race.
The Burlington Track and Field club and the Thorold Elite Track Club hosted the 2021 Minor Track Association Cross-Country Provincial Championships at Fireman’s Park in Niagara Falls on Saturday October 30th. The Georgian Bay Coyotes were proud to attend the meet with a roster of 21 athletes.
The morning started with drizzle, and the course was wet and muddy from the torrential rains the night before. There were rolling hills for the athletes to contend with, though the team was well prepared to tackle hills. The Coyotes had an exciting start to the day as our Coyote, Alba Hargreaves paced herself well and crossed the line in 3rd position, winning the Provincial bronze medal. Next, the mite boys followed this up with a great 8th place finish by Caleb Cleland. The tyke boys had a team of three runners who showed up prepared to give it their all. Jacob Martindill placed 5th while Liam MacInnes-Wiley pushed hard to cross the line in 12th and Nathan Leary was close behind, crossing in 15th position. With three strong finishes, the team won themselves the 2nd place overall team medal. The biggest race of the day saw over 65 atom girls line up to race. The Coyotes had 7 runners in this race, most of whom were first year in the age group. They paced themselves very well off the start, and they ran the majority of the race as a pack, placing about two thirds of the way through the group of 65. The atom boys had over 50 competitors in their race, and the three Coyotes in this race had some exciting finishes. When the starting gun fired, Emmett Leary was swallowed up in the mass start, but managed to pick his way through his competitors and he finished in 3rd place, bringing home another Provincial medal for the team. Bryson Cleland put forth an incredible sprint to finish off his race, capturing 33rd place. Our last Coyote to lace up was Jack Wessinger and he raced in the senior boys category. He was calm and collected as he tackled his 3km course and placed himself near the top 20. Our Coyote runners put their training to the test and proved that all their hard work paid off. Coach Steve Leary is very proud of all these young runners, most of whom are new to the sport, and he is looking forward to continuing to train with this energetic and dedicated group. The team now has one more week of training before they take a well-deserved two-week break. Full results are below: Girls 800m PeeWee Adelaide Kulakowsky 5/8 4:48.83 Girls 1000m Mite Alba Hargreaves 3/24 4:28.00 Boys 1000m Mite Caleb Cleland 8/32 4:24.51 Tobin Goodman DNF Girls 1500m Tyke Ella Kulakowsky 12/39 6:38.96 Estella Mei 24/39 7:37.52 Allie Mackay 28/39 7:58.87 Boys 1500m Tyke Jacob Martindill 5/29 6:00.56 Liam MacInnes-Wiley 12/29 6:27.76 Nathan Leary 15/29 6:30.42 2nd Place Tyke Boys Team Girls 2000m Atom Myla Keast 37/65 8:36.06 Kate Earle 39/65 8:39.55 Meridyth French 41/65 8:41.05 Lydia Menard 44/65 8:45.75 Chloe Beckett 45/65 8:46.48 Ayla Delaney 46/65 8:47.10 Estelle MacInnes-Wiley 50/65 8:52.04 Boys 200m Atom Emmett Leary 3/54 6:37.59 Bryson Cleland 33/54 7:55.78 Sebastien Mei 46/54 8:50.70 Senior Boys 3000m Jack Wessinger 21/35 12:18.70 Coyotes Advance to OFSAA Cross Country Champs - Oct 28, 2021
Photo: Ethan Mei and Kara Tichbourne each earned bronze medals at the CWOSSA Cross Country Championships and will represent the Coyotes and their high schools at OFSAA on Saturday, November 6.
Photo: Members of the Georgian Bay Coyotes Track Club; Ethan Mei, Wes Brown & Lindy Kingston who attend St. Mary's Highschool will all get to compete at OFSAA as part of their school team.
It has been a very interesting year with Covid, and the Fall high school cross country season was no exception. With the Bluewater District High School Cross Country Championships being held in its traditional location in Hepworth at the Sawmills on Thursday, October 21st, athletes then were able to compete at the CWOSSA XC Champs.
Locations were tossed around to host the annual event, from Kincardine to Hanover, but various road blocks prevented this from happening. Covid also played a role in this, which several school boards actually pulling out of the Fall racing season. Typically there would be over 200 athletes competing in each of the races, but this year in the CWOSSA region, only 20-40 athletes were slated to race in each of the 6 events. Being a smaller race site, this allowed the Sawmills in Hepworth to host CWOSSA this year. The Sawmills race course is very challenging with the terrain fluctuating from relatively flat to rolling hills to sharp inclines that make every inch of your body cringe. On Thursday, October 28th, under pleasant, dry and sunny weather, athletes gathered for a chance to advance to OFSAA, the high school provincial championships. The top 5 individual athletes + the top 2 teams in each event advance to OFSAA, which will be held in Lakefield, near Peterborough, on Saturday, November 6th. Members of the Georgian Bay Coyotes, representing their respective high schools of either Georgian Bay Community School in Meaford or St. Mary's High School in Owen Sound, laced up their shoes and put their hard training to the test. In the Grade 9 Novice Girls 4km race, Lindy Kingston, representing St. Mary's High School, had a solid race, taking 12th spot amongst 35 competitor with a time of 18:53.1, which was 3:39 seconds off a very strong race winner. The Grade 9 Novice Boys 4km race had 2 Coyotes on the start line. One of the race favourites, Ethan Mei of St. Mary's, took the lead from the start and held it for most of the 2 lap course, but faded slightly at the end. His bronze medal performance gave him a time of 14:33.7, just 0.7 seconds from 2nd and 5 seconds shy of the leader. Ethan's team also placed 1st. This allowed team mate and fellow Coyote team mate Wes Brown to qualify for OFSAA. Wes finished 32nd of a field of 33 with a time of 20:47.7. Former Coyote member Luke House of Owen Sound, placed 6th and added to the team's strength. The Georgian Bay Community School boys team placed 2nd and will also advance. They had 2 former Coyotes, Hayden Green and Denon Taylor adding to their teams strength. Kara Tichbourne, GBCS's lone senior girl, laced up for the 6km race against some very talented runners. The first kilometer was a bit of "cat and mouse" and then the race opened up. Kara came through the first 3km comfortably in 3rd spot with the top 2 girls about 30 sec ahead. The positions held over the 2nd lap as she cross the line in 3rd to capture a bronze medal, with a time of 27:11.2, only 35 seconds back of 2nd spot and just over a minute back of the race leader. Kara's performance earned her spot on the starting line at OFSSA as well. Congrats to ALL our Coyotes who raced their hearts out and all four Coyote members now getting to compete at OFSAA on Saturday, November 6th. This will be a very interesting race as NO spectators are permitted. Coyotes Making Their Presence Known - Oct 21, 2021
Photo: Members of the Georgian Bay Coyote Track Club pose for a team picture as they prepare to race in their final races of the 2021 XC season.
On Thursday October 21st, the Bluewater Athletics Association held its annual race for high school cross country teams in Hepworth. Several members of the Georgian Bay Coyotes were in attendance and they made their presence known.
Ethan Mei and Wes Brown both competed in the Novice boy’s race. Ethan paced himself well, knowing that bigger races are yet to come, and he still comfortably crossed the line in first place. Ethan and Wes both raced for St. Mary’s high school and their team’s efforts saw them win first place in the team awards. Lindy Kingston took part in the Novice girl’s race and she also was part of the winning St. Mary’s high school team. Kara Tichbourne ran in the Senior division girls race as part of the Georgian Bay Community School team. She ran strategically and let several others battle their way to the finish line while she cruised through in fourth position. These four runners will now prepare themselves to participate in CWOSSA which will take place on Thursday October the 28th again at the Sawmill Trails in Hepworth after a last minute venue change. This year, placing in the top 5 in the CWOSSA race, or being part of the top two school teams will allow runners to qualify for OFSAA on November the 6th. While our high school aged runners prepare for these exciting races, many of our younger racers are headed to the Provincial Cross-Country Championships in Niagara Falls next weekend. It will be an exciting few weeks for the team. Coyotes Host 10th Annual XC Race - Sept 25, 2021
Photo: Members of the Georgian Bay Coyote Track Club, Ethan Mei and Avery Brown as well as Matt Martindill, encouraging young William Harding and Kieran Fleming to the finish line in the grade 1/2 Boys 1km race.
If you happened to pass by the old GBCS track on Saturday September 25th, you were likely struck by the fact that there was an event happening. Against all odds, the Georgian Bay Coyotes managed to jump through a circus supply of hula hoops in order to organize and host the 10th annual cross-country race for children in grade 1 to 8.
It was a very exciting day. Over 140 athletes registered for the 8 races which were organized in waves, seeing one race every half an hour from 9:30am to 1:00pm. The day’s announcer and sidekicks kept the event rolling along smoothly and they even had the crowd singing, dancing and laughing about the rain. The course for the race was a bit muddy and soggy from a week’s worth of rain, and it gave the athletes a challenge. Joseph Campbell once said: “Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging.” The athletes racing on Saturday certainly demonstrated some commendable character traits as they were challenged by the course. We saw some wonderful examples of sportsmanship, determination, self-control, gratitude, friendship, and compassion. From our race rabbits and turtles, we saw incredible leadership and encouragement towards the kids. It was truly a heart-warming experience to see how the challenges of the race brought everyone together. The crowd and the community were unified in supporting the runners, and local councilor Ross Kentner ensured that both the running club and the kids felt that community support by partaking in a number of the medal ceremonies. The races were made such a great success by a number of parents and volunteers who gave of their time and talents to make the day run so smoothly. Thank you. Thank you to Dr. Natalie Sauriol and paramedic Scott Luce, who gave some of their precious time to ensure that racers were safe and well cared for throughout the day. A number of businesses were also very generous in making donations that made the event affordable and amazing for all. Special thanks go out to A-1 toilet rentals, Dairy Farmers of Ontario, Fourth Division Canadian Training Centre, Grandma Lambe’s and Masse’s Your Independent Grocer. Your donations are greatly appreciated. Coyotes Compete at MTA Provincial Championships - Sept 4/5 2021
Photo: Members of the Georgian Bay Coyotes Track club competed at the 2021 Minor Track Association Outdoor Provincial Championships in Brampton. Pictured from left to right are Ella Kulakowsky, Kate Earle, Emmett Leary and Ethan Mei, all from Meaford
The Covid-19 pandemic has been tough on the mental and physical well-being of the youth across the Country but if you were track-side at the Terry Fox Stadium in Brampton this past weekend, Sept 4/5, you would hardly know it. More than 500 superb young athletes from across the province competed in the Minor Track Association (MTA) Ontario Provincial Championships. Last year’s competition was cancelled due to COVID so this was the first championship meet held since October 2019.
The Georgian Bay Coyotes Track Club, who train at the old GBCS athletic field in Meaford, sent five athletes to compete over the two days of competition and they were well prepared to race with the province’s best. They competed in ten events and achieved new personal best times in all ten races, while taking home one gold, two silver, three bronze, two 4th place finishes and a very respectable 7th and 8th place finish amid some very tough competition. Saturday morning started off with the Tyke girls 1200m race. Ella Kulakowsky was the only Coyote to toe the line for the Coyotes and she looked confident taking the lead at the mid-point of the race. She couldn’t quite hold on to the lead and finished 2nd knocking 9 seconds off her previous personal best time. Next to the line for the Coyotes was Jacob Martindill in the Tyke boys 1200m. Jacob ran a very well paced and steady race and with 150m left in the race he kicked hard trying to close ground on the third place runner but was edged at the line by five tenths of a second finishing in 4th place. The atom girls 1500m race saw Kate Earle of Meaford stepping to the line. The excitement of the race had her going out hard at the start of the race and she held on to finish 7th overall knocking an unbelievable 40 seconds off her previous personal best time from the start of the season. In the atom boys 1500m race Meaford’s Emmett Leary used his training and racing knowledge to his advantage and stayed calm while a small group of runners broke into an early lead during the fast start. He kept his pace consistent throughout the race and was able to catch the other runners and take the lead with about 600m remaining in the race. Emmett kicked hard with about 400m left in the race and created a sizeable gap between himself and the other runners and pushed hard through the finish line to take first place and the Provincial title. The final race of the day for the Coyotes saw Ethan Mei, also from Meaford, in the senior boys 1500m race. Ethan was a bit nervous at the line but he soon put his nerves aside as he went out strong with the lead pack of runners. As was the case in the previous race for the Coyotes, Ethan took the lead and started a hard finishing kick with about 400m remaining in the race. Despite the surprise of the hard early kick, three other runners were able to keep pace and stay with the lead pack. In the final stretch a runner from Toronto was able to outsprint the others, with Ethan taking 2nd place and earning his first provincial championship medal. Sunday morning saw another great day of racing with four Georgian Bay Coyote members competing in the 800m timed finals. With 108 competitors registered to compete in the 800m race the competition was stiff and the day saw some amazing performances from our athletes. Jacob Martindill from Owen Sound raced to his second 4th place finish of the championships in the Tyke boys 800m race knocking 14 seconds of his personal best time. Kate Earle, who came in to the competition ranked 13th overall ran a great race and dug deep to finish third in her heat and 8th place overall knocking more than 13 seconds off her previous best time. Emmett Leary, fresh off his win from the previous day, came into this shorter race ranked 7th overall but got a good lane draw in the faster of the two heats and got himself into a good position with the lead runners right off the start. As he did the previous day, Emmett made a break with 400m remaining in the race but two of the other runners were able to chase him down in the final 150m of the race. He place 3rd overall knocking three seconds off his previous personal best time. The final race of the day for the Coyotes was the senior boys 800m and Ethan Mei was ready to take on the challenge. Ethan also got a good position in the fastest of the heats as the athletes took the race out hard. The pace slowed throughout the race as the athletes tired from the fast start, with Ethan crossing the line in 3rd place. Overall, it was a great weekend of racing for our young Coyotes and they were well rewarded for their hard work. The Georgian Bay Coyotes are now preparing for the fall Cross-Country season. The team is working on organizing its annual cross-country race in Meaford on September 25th. This race will be open to children from grade 1-8 and registration will be online via our website. For more information on the team please visit www.georgianbaycoyotes.com Full Race Results: Event Name Place Time PB Tyke Girls 400m: Ella Kulakowsky 3/10 1:19.65 * Tyke Boys 800m: Jacob Martindill 4/5 3:04.71 * Atom Girls 800m: Kate Earle 8/15 2:58.59 * Atom Boys 800m: Emmett Leary 3/17 2:32.05 * Senior Boys 800m: Ethan Mei 3/18 2:18.50 * Tyke Girls 1200m: Ella Kulakowsky 2/5 4:43.24 * Tyke Boys 1200m: Jacob Martindill 4/5 4:33.63 * Atom Girls 1500m: Kate Earle 7/7 6:12.51 * Atom Boys 1500m: Emmett Leary 1/12 5:07.89 * Senior Boys 1500m: Ethan Mei 2/15 4:46.40 * Coyotes Back to the Races - July 31 2021
[Photo: Emmett Leary (Left) and Ethan Mei (Right) lead their respective races on the way to gold in the first MTA races since February 2020.
On Saturday July 31st, the Minor Track Association held its first track and field meet since February of 2020 at the beautiful Terry Fox stadium in Brampton. The Georgian Bay Coyotes, along with numerous other Ontario clubs, were thrilled to be in attendance as almost 300 athletes from across the province were in attendance. In their first races in more than 18 months, the Coyotes certainly left their mark on the event. The first race of the day was the 1200m race which was confidently won by Emmett Leary as he stayed poised after falling behind several of the overly anxious runners in the first lap of the three-lap race. He slowly chipped away at the lead over several laps taking the lead for good with 200m left in the race to take gold and knocking 11 seconds off his personal best time. Jacob Martindill, a Tyke, made his Coyote debut in this Atom race and he ran impressively against the older athletes. Sebastian Mei also put forth a solid run in this race, knocking an amazing 11 seconds off his previous personal best. The second race of the day was the 1500m. Again, the Coyotes left the spectators on their feet as Ethan Mei went out hard and held strong for the entire race, also taking gold and knocking a fantastic 15 seconds off his previous personal best. The next Coyotes to line up on the track were Estella Mei and Jacob Martindill who competed in the Tyke 400m race. Estella started her race looking calm and collected and she poured on her speed in the last 200m while surprising her competition as she caught and passed a number of them, placing 5th. She improved her personal best time by over 8 seconds. Jacob followed Estella’s lead and took a calm approach to the beginning of his 400m race. He poured on the speed gradually and kept enough in the tank to finish sprinting, placing 3rd in his heat and 6th overall and knocking 2 seconds off his already impressive personal best. After a short break for lunch, the races continued with the 800m. Emmett Leary and Sebastian Mei ran in the Atom race while again improving their personal best times. Emmett stayed with the front pack of 4 runners and held on to place 3rd in the 800m race. The final race of the day for our Coyotes was run by Ethan Mei. He shaved more than 6 seconds off his previous best time and comfortably finished in 3rd place. Our team performed extremely well setting personal best times in each and every race of the day. Some of the team is now on a two-week break before beginning training for cross-country season, while others, with the Outdoor Provincial Championships in
sight, are training through the break and looking forward to racing again in early September. Full Race Results: Tyke Girls 400m Estella Mei 5/7 1:31.09* Tyke Boys 400m Jacob Martindill 6/10 1:22.92* Atom Boys 800m Emmett Leary 3/9 2:35.03* Sebastien Mei 9/9 3:06.35* Senior boys 800m Ethan Mei 3/8 2:19.76* Atom Boys 1200m Emmett Leary 1/8 4:00.49* Jacob Martindill 6/8 4:37.56* Sebastien Mei 7/8 4:53.21* Senior Boys 1500m Ethan Mei 1/4 4:55.53* Coyotes Are Back on Track - July 2021
[Photo: The Georgian Bay Coyote Track Club at the Meaford Harbour getting ready for their first team work-out since March of 2020
Welcome back Coyotes, welcome back! On Saturday July 3rd, the Georgian Bay Coyotes took to the streets with a spring in their steps and big smiles on their faces. The whole club was allowed to run together for the first time since March of 2020; and run they did. For their first full team workout the club completed the Captain Canada 5k, a patriotic fun run put on by 365 Sports. The team donned their red, white and orange to celebrate our wonderful Nation and to pay respects to the Indigenous children who lost their lives at Residential schools. The team followed the well-known Meaford Harbour run 5K route while wearing Canada flag capes and listening to celebratory Canadian music. The main street of Meaford had many cheers and honks for the team along the way and it certainly lifted the team’s spirits to have the community’s support. The team now has two full months of training to put in before Provincial races are scheduled in September. The team looks forward to sharing our future successes with you. There are many miles and smiles ahead!
Coyotes Are Back on Track - June 2021
[Photo: Emmett and Nathan Leary and Meridyth French of Meaford are proving this lockdown has not slowed them down as the team has now returned to formal training.
After a tough year of cancellations and COVID, the Georgian Bay Coyote Track Club have resumed group training! Athletes have been training on their own or within their households for the past few months, but with Ontario now in Stage-1 of re-opening the Coyotes are back on the Track in groups of 10 or less. The team is eager to see some friendly faces, to encourage and push each other to improve and to show that the Georgian Bay Coyotes are still one of the premiere middle and long-distance track clubs in Ontario.
Beginning on June 30, with Ontario moving to stage-2 of reopening, the team will have limited spots available. If you are interested in joining the club please complete the registration package and email the completed forms to georgianbaycoyotes@hotmail.com. Stay safe, keep working hard, and enjoy the amazing running environment our area has to offer. See you on the track! Time to lace up your shoes and start running. Group training begins with Ontario Stage 1 reopening. - spring 2021
[Photo: Emmett and Nathan Leary of Meaford are climbing hills in anticipation of the start of the 2021 Coyote group training Season.]
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