By Shelden Rogers.
Off the track, Brad Davis and Liam Marecak are best friends, but once they hit the starting line it’s all business.
The two long distance runners from Bayside Secondary School have developed a system to push each other to their maximum abilities, and they have seen results.
“Whenever I see Liam catching up to me I know that I have to speed up a little bit,” said Davis.
The two were among hundreds of athletes participating at the Central Ontario Secondary School Athletics track meet at Mary Ann Sills Park last Thursday.
East Northumberland-Brighton took top prize at the event with a total of 404.5 points. Bayside Secondary School followed with 326 points and St. Theresa’s finished third with 208.5 points.
Part of Bayside’s success came from the Davis and Marecak due. The two combined for three gold medals and one silver.
They started running together this year and have been close ever since.
“Liam is my best friend, he has really pushed me through everything, he has made me who I am today,” said Davis.
Track and field is more than just a sport to these two. Marecak said it has affected his life outside the track.
“Track and field has definitely taught me a lot, like how to never give up on something even with the competition and everything that might stand in your way. It teaches you not to give up and pursue something that you really want,” said Marecak.
Davis said it has changed his life completely since last year.
“I have changed a lot since last year. I was nowhere and did no sports, now I have a good team mate who has really supported me through everything, it just makes me feel a lot better,” said Davis
“Track and field has taught me to stay with the right group and keep with your real friends and not anyone who doesn’t treat you like they should,” said Davis.
Bayside also had the help of Katherine Herron, who broke the triple jump record for midget girls at the COSSA meet.
A total of 12 records were broken throughout the day. Events like shot put, javelin, 100m dash and many more saw their long lasting records fall.
Herron said it’s all about staying focused and confident.
“The key is being confident. After my hurdles I didn’t do that well so I had to just shake it off. My coaches help me a lot and make sure that I focus on the next race and stay focused,” said Herron.
She said there is no feeling like waiting at the starting line.
“It’s so nerve racking, I always just look down at the finish line and stay confident, it’s just such a rush,” said Herron.
Bayside coach Daniel Tripp said success is all about the approach you take to training.
“Each week is big. If you make it a personal thing, rather than focusing on what everyone else is doing, you can achieve your own goals and stay motivated,” said Tripp.
Once the training is over, Tripp said there is no feeling like seeing his team succeed and their hard work pay off.
Other dominant performances came from Trenton High School. The school combined for a total of seven gold medals during the day.
Long distance runner Rachel Faulds placed first in both of her events. She said there is nothing like seeing success on the track.
“When you run really well it’s the best feeling in the world. You feel incredible and it’s really exciting,” said Faulds.
Trenton Jumper Leaugen Fray also placed first in all of his events, dominating the competition in the triple, long and high jump events. But he said it’s not all about winning.
“Winning events feels nice, but it feels better to get personal bests. It’s really nice to win but I’d rather get a personal best than a win any day,” said Fray.
Top athletes will now wait for their next test at the OFSAA East Region Track and Field Championships at Mary Ann Sills on May 30th.