The Cochrane High School Cobras ran away with the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association’s (ASAA) 3A provincial track and field championship banner in Medicine Hat this past weekend.
Cobras track and field coach Esther Sieben said she was proud of her team, when reached for a phone interview on the way home from Medicine Hat on Saturday, June 4.
“It was amazing. The coaches I work with are top notch,” she said. “The kids came out and trained and put in the work.
“We took the school bus, and we supported each other and it was real team spirit, a real team atmosphere that put us on top.”
The Cobras entered 30 athletes in various events and came away with 16 medals – good for 514 points and first place overall in the ASAA's 3A division.
Sieben credited the Cochrane school’s high level of student-athletes in achieving so much individual and group success.
“We have a very athletic group of kids. [They’re] great human beings and great athletes,” she said.
Some of the Cobras’ top individual performers at provincials were para-athlete Chloe Harwood, who claimed gold in both the women's wheelchair shot put and 100 metres, and Jett Hasiuk, who won gold in the junior men's 200, 400, and 800 metres.
Other multi-medal winners included Clay Grattidge, with gold in the intermediate boys' (Grade 11) 800 metres and silver in the 400 metres, and Ray Belanger, with gold in the senior men's long jump and silver in the high jump.
Perhaps most impressively, the Cobras accomplished their championship without a full roster, due to the school’s coinciding graduation ceremony on June 3 and some conflicts with other sporting events.
“As a team we went through some adversity,” Sieben said. “Our seniors were all graduating, so we left some people that qualified for the provincials behind because they needed to walk across the stage and graduate.”
Despite that adversity, the track team rose to the challenge, according to Sieben.
“Kids who did attend performed harder. A lot of the medals are gold. These kids beat out Calgary kids and Edmonton kids,” she said.
Cochrane Cobras Medal winners:
Theron Martzoukous – Bronze in wheelchair shot put
Chloe Harwood – Gold in wheelchair shot put and 100 metres
Jamisen Adam – Bronze in 100-metre hurdles
Csenia Irvin – Bronze in 800 metres
Jett Hasiuk – three Gold in the 200, 400, and 800 Metres
Clay Grattidge – Gold in the 800 metres and silver in the 400 metres
Avery Shafer – Silver in long jump
Hannah Hurtubise – Silver in the 100 metres
Ray Belanger – Gold in the long jump and silver in the high jump
Will Jaques, Logan Metcalfe, Csenia Irvin, Katie Smith – Bronze in 4x400-metre mixed relay
Hannah Hurtubise, Morgan Lien, Avery Shafer, Naomi Jacques – Gold in 4x100-metre relay
For a full record of results, visit bit.ly/3xd6wJg
