OFSAA track and field meet returning to London on heels of great local results
The OFSAA track and field championships are returning to London next year.
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The OFSAA track and field championships are returning to London next year.
The prestigious provincial high school meet will be held here for the first time in 14 years on June 6-8, 2024 at the recently renovated Western Alumni Stadium. The event features up to 2,900 athletes from 850 high schools, along with their coaches and families, and will likely have future Olympians in the field.
“You never know who you’re going to be watching,” Zanth Jarvis, Tourism London’s director of sport tourism, said. “We’re hoping we have the next Damian Warner or Alysha Newman, to name a few, competing. Western has done a lot of work with their track and we want to get events on there. With all the records set (recently) at the (Bob) Vigars meet, it’s known as a fast track and people want to compete on it.”
Warner, the reigning Olympic decathlon gold medalist, will serve as the meet’s ambassador ahead of his title defence next summer in Paris. He trains regularly at the Western facility that served as the site of the Vanier Cup university football championships last fall.
“To this day, some of my favourite memories come from OFSAA and it’s where I got my first taste of high-level competition,” the Montcalm grad said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without my experience at OFSAA. I can’t wait to watch (it) next year here at my home track.”
The meet’s return comes at a high point in local excellence.
Oakridge’s Julia Tunks will get the chance to smash her own national senior high school discus records at home. The Banting boys’ team is aiming to repeat its overall points title win from the most recent OFSAA event earlier this month in Ottawa.
“Arguably, the West region had some of the best results there and many of those athletes are returning again,” said Broncos coach Todd MacKay, who is part of the organizing committee with Western track and field coach Vickie Croley. “The athletes will get to compete close to or at home to finish off their (high school) careers in their backyard.
“As much as the kids live to travel, being able to sleep in your own bed and compete at Western is an advantage.”
The teens will have a built-in familiarity with the site, too. As usual, the Thames Valley and Western Ontario (WOSSAA) lead-up event will be held there, too. The trade-off is that the final West Region qualifier will be held in Windsor just ahead of the big meet in London.
“We’re far enough west that this becomes a destination similar to Ottawa or Windsor,” MacKay said. “People will come here and stay because it’s justified. We see sometimes in Toronto, you can drive to it and make it a day trip, then leave.
“At this one, competitors, coaches and families will take advantage of the facilities, accommodations and businesses and it creates a bigger buzz because more people stay for the duration and embrace the whole event.”
There will be community opportunities with hundreds of volunteers needed to run the event. Organizers are also looking for local businesses to get involved in setting up shop in a potential mini-mall structure on site led by long-time sponsor Nike as the flagship store.
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