Sports
McMath's Lo gets high marks from coaches
Alicia Lo’s work ethic is top notch, an
inherent trait that has the McMath secondary student poised for a bright future
on the track.
Just completing her Grade 12 year, she is
coming off an impressive silver medal in the senior girls triple jump at the
B.C. High School Track and Field Championships. Her leap of 10.75 metres was
just off the winning standard of 11.37 metres set by Claremont’s Rebecca
Dutchak.
“I was aiming for bronze, so it was
definitely a major surprise,” says Lo, who placed fourth in 2017. “I was
shocked and delighted when I acquired a new personal best by almost 10
centimetres.”
Widely recognized as a genuinely nice person,
Lo is “grateful” her sister encouraged her to join the school team in Grade 10.
She’s also thankful for her “amazing” coaches and their belief and patience,
who immediately saw the potential.
“She’s just totally a thinker,” says McMath’s
Bob Riddell. “She is always analyzing her jump technique and listening to the
feedback from her coach Harry Haley. “Her board take-off and distance even in
that first jump had us excited for her, and then she just showed what a great
student she was.
“And she loves listening to Green Day, my
favourite,” laughs Riddell.
Byron Jack, her coach with the Richmond
Kajaks which she joined this year to increase training, is anxious to see where
Lo goes from here.
“She had a foot injury early in the season
and was able to overcome it,” Jack says. “We haven’t even jumped too much this
year, however we have worked on her strength and speed and that has really paid
off. I believe Alicia still has more in the tank and I expect that she will
jump over 11 meters soon. She is a delight to coach.”
Lo plans to continue training after
graduation, focusing on triple jumping and improving her sprints. She is hoping
to transfer to the University of Alberta in the future to pursue her studies,
and also join the Golden Bears track team.
Carson Bradley and Liam McLeod, two of McMath’s
vaunted sprinters, also shone at the provincial championships.
The defending champion in the boys 200
metres, Bradley placed sixth this year in a time of 22.43 seconds. McLeod was
seventh in 22.55 seconds. Bradley still hopes to break 22 seconds this summer,
having ran 22.2 at the district qualifier.
Bradley earned a bronze medal in the 400
metres with a third-place time of 49.75 seconds, an improvement on the 49.8 he
ran in April. His winning time at last year’s provincials was 50.57 seconds. He
added a second bronze in the 4x100 metre relay.
Though Riddell observed Bradley’s
dissatisfaction with the 400 metre result, he shouldn’t be discouraged.
“I was thinking that success for Carson and
Liam this year would be making the final eight,” Riddell says. “I am hoping
Carson sees his accomplishment in a more positive way. Carson is an athlete who
sets goals, works toward them and monitors his progress. He is very results-oriented
and times or placing are a big part of his feedback loop. It’s hard for a Grade
11 to win at the senior leveI.”
Riddell continues to be bullish on next year
for the McMath Wildcats. He says Tani Seward and Serge Serbinenko are becoming “super
runners” in their own right, further adding to the talent pool.