Danny Daniels
Contributor
Two Peninsula Track members were the joint 2012 winners of the club’s Inspirational Athlete Award at the recent annual awards picnic and barbecue at Centennial Park.
Jacqueline Gaby and Kaelan Smith, both 15, were chosen as the winners of the awards based on their performance this last year.
Smith overcame a major injury he sustained early in the season and went on to win a silver medal in the 100m hurdles at the B.C. Summer Games and Gaby competed in an impressive three events at the same games, including the 1500m steeplechase where she placed second.
Their names will now go on the trophy which includes many stand-out athletes from earlier years, including Angela Chalmers, bronze medal winner at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.
Novice Trophy winners were Julia Peterson and Anita Truter, both nine years old, and Yannick Truter, 11, all of whom took part in their first season of track and field this year.
The Fiona Clarke Awards for special participation in Club events went to Anna-Maria Hilton, 12, and Amelia Casciola, 15, on the girls side and Ben Sammons, 12, and Michael Giles, 15, for the boys.
The Eleanor Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship was shared by Megan Peterson, 13, Hannah Gartside, 11, and Cameron Lorenzo, 13, while specific event trophies went to Connor McCullough, 12, as jumper of the year, Isaiah Smith, 11, and Finn Battersby, 12, as runners of the year, and Julia Irwin, 13, and Phil Brodeur, (oldest member of the club at 92), as throwers of the year.
Brodeur set many personal bests during the year, including winning the weight pentathlon at his first attempt.
The Masters Trophy was also a shared award, recognizing the Canadian record setting performances in the pole vault and high jump, plus two Pan-American gold medals of Sandy Anderson, 72, and the two B.C. high jump records set by Les East, also 72, together with his five gold medals at the B.C. Seniors Games last month.