OLDS — The Velites Track Club and coach Rachel Andres, who is attempting to qualify for the Olympics, have both reached the end of the outdoor season.
They had one last chance to compete on Oct. 3. However, there were problems getting that one organized and the season was scheduled to end Oct. 4 anyway.
So that was that.
“It is over for the club as a whole,” Andres wrote in an email.
“The only way to get another meet would be if we were allowed to go to B.C.
“As rules stand, Athletics Alberta has forbidden us from going out of province to compete. And I’ve pushed my training cycle seven weeks past when I was supposed to stop in order to be somewhat ready for the two meets we did get.”
However, the outdoor season did end on a high for Andres. She broke her personal best distance during a meet in Calgary Sept. 27 with a throw of 58.53 metres (m); a new personal best and Alberta provincial record.
Andres said that distance puts her “very solidly” into first in Canada and is the 39th furthest throw in the world this year.
Her previous best distance, obtained last year, was 58.44 m.
“I’m glad to have been able to break my personal best and (the) provincial record to end the year,” Andres wrote. “Unfortunately, I’ll have to leave the Canadian record untouched now until next year.”
The indoor season is supposed to start in November. But as of last week, it was uncertain if it would proceed, given concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I cannot compete in my event, discus, indoors as there is no facility big enough,” Andres wrote.
However, if the indoor season does go ahead, École Olds High School athlete Adam Jorgenson could compete in shot put and weight throw.
As of last week, Jorgenson was ranked No. 5 in the country in shot put and No. 9 nationwide in discus.
Andres said during the Sept. 27 meet in Calgary, Jorgenson struggled with the discus and was unable to improve on his mark from a few weeks ago, throwing a distance of 31.15 m.
However, he did better in shot put, hurling it 13.20 m which was .71 m better than before.
I’m quite proud of him for refocusing and getting it done,” she wrote.
Andres was pleased with her own performance in that meet as well.
“I had the best series of throws in my career thus far,” she wrote, alluding to having obtained her personal best and having set a new provincial record.
“My final throw of the competition was looking to be even better, but a wind gust slammed the discus into the ground at 57.13 m at the peak of flight.”
