Normally when an athlete is in competition at the Moose Jaw high school track and field city championships, breaking a record is a rare and unique occurrence, one that isn’t really expected.
It isn’t all that often that not setting a new mark is a tad disappointing.
But when you’re Cornerstone Christian School throws specialist Aliyah Block who every time she entered a high school competition this year set a new record in both the discus and shot put, well, it kind of becomes expected.
Block was back at it during the Moose Jaw high school city championship last Wednesday and had no difficulty in setting a new senior girls record in the discus, putting together a throw of 38.03 metres to best former Peacock standout Megan Reid’s mark of 36.55 metres set back in 2001.
The thing is, there’s still plenty more in the tank for Block, too.
“It went pretty well,” she said of the new city mark. “In the one mini-meet, I threw 39.36, which is really good for me because last year my best was 37. Now I’m getting 38s more often, so it’s coming along and getting better.”
Block looked to also set a new mark in the shot put, a record that is held by Peacock’s McKenna Ehman from 2013 at 11:39 metres, but would ‘only’ hit 11.00 metres, still easily taking first place in the event by more than three metres.
“It’s just kind of annoying because I throw further in practice all the time,” Block said. “The record for this one isn’t super good and I know I was capable of beating it, but sometimes it just doesn’t come out of your hands like you want it to.”
With the two event wins, Block advances to the South Central District championships Wednesday, May 25 along with the other top finishers from cities. A solid showing there and it’s off to the SHSAA provincial championships in Regina during the June 3 weekend.
“It would be really awesome to have a chance to win medals at provincials, especially since I didn’t have a chance to the last two years, so it would be nice to get it back, kind of,” Block said. “I still worked hard those two years in training and hopefully I’ll have a chance at a medal this year.”
Block wasn’t the only record-setter on the day, as Peacock’s Nikolina Kapovic also set a new mark in the intermediate girls 3,000 metres. Her time of 11:17.88 smashed the time of 11:26.30 set by former Central and Moose Jaw Rotary Track Club standout Kailey Smith, set way back in 2002.
A handful of athletes also picked up rare four-event sweeps during the city meet.
Central’s Ellah Flanagan won the intermediate girls 100 metres (13.68 seconds), 200 metres (29.06), 80 metre hurdles (14.58) in addition to clearing 1.35 metres to win the high jump.
Cyclones teammate Jacob King ruled the junior boys distance events, winning the 400 metres (55.12), 800 metres (2:18.20), 1,500 metres (4:53.50) and 3,000 metres (11:43.78).
The team city championship-winning Peacock Toilers also had a pair of winning sweeps, led by senior girls competitor Ariana Wakeford, who won the 100 metres (12.95), 80 metre hurdles (13.14), long jump (4.91 metres) and triple jump (10.38 metres).
She was joined by intermediate boys competitor Chris Swanson, who put together a rather eclectic slate of wins -- the 100 metres (12.55), 200 metres (25.94), shot put (9.35m) and javelin (25.33m).
Next up for high school track and field is the aforementioned South Central District meet, which takes place all day on May 25 at Gutheridge Field.
