Brendan Hoff of the Reynolds Roadrunners, selected top male athlete of the 2016 Island high school track and field championships, doesn’t have far to look for inspiration. When he was a young runner in Campbell River, he looked up to eventual 2012 London Olympian Cam Levins of Black Creek, and now trains with another London Olympian, Geoffrey Harris.
“I’ve learned a lot from them and they push me to my limits,” said Hoff.
Hoff, who moved down-Island two years ago to train at the Athletics Canada national centre in Victoria, is good enough to legitimately dream about one day joining Levins and Harris as senior internationals. Hoff represented Canada last year at the world youth (U-18) athletics championships in Cali, Colombia, and has set his sights on qualifying this summer for the world juniors (U-20) in Poland.
“2020 is the big goal,” he said, referring to the Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Hoff won the 1,500 metres and 3,000 metres in Island meet record times. The two-day championships concluded Thursday at Centennial Stadium. His 1,500 time of 3:56.36 broke the 41-year-old record of 3:58.70 set by former Canadian international Tom Griffin of Mount Douglas in 1975. Hoff’s 3,000 metre time of 8:34.78 broke the old standard of 8:34.93 that was held by Thomas Getty of Mount Douglas from 2013.
“I pushed myself and really went after it this week,” said Hoff, who will run against the pros this summer in both the Victoria International Track Classic and the Harry Jerome Meet in Burnaby.
Desirae Ridenour of the Cowichan Thunderbirds was named best female athlete of the championships for winning the 1,500 and 3,000 metres. She clocked 9:48.42 Wednesday in the 3,000 to chop more than 10 seconds off the record of 9:58.60 from 1976 set by Olympian and former Claremont star Debbie Bowker.
Ridenour almost eclipsed another 40-year-old record held by Bowker [nee Scott] when she won the 1,500 metres Thursday in 4:35.73 seconds, just missing Bowker’s 4:34.63 from 1976.
“It was so close. Hopefully, I will get it next year,” said the Grade 11 all-rounder Ridenour, who trains at the Triathlon Canada national centre in Victoria.
“I’m excited … it was a really good meet for me.”
Liam Gatensby swept the boys’ 100 metres in 11.09 seconds and 200 metres in 23.21, and also anchored the Oak Bay gold-medallist 4x100 team, to be named most inspirational athlete of the Island championships.
Hassey Fashina-Bombata from the Wellington Wildcats swept the girls’ 100 and 200 metres in 12.30 and 25.48, respectively.
The nearly all NCAA-bound Cowichan 4x100 girls team won in 49.09 but did not get under its own Island (48.70) and B.C. (48.27) records set last year. Cowichan’s 4x100 anchor-runner Chicago Bains, also the two-time defending Island and B.C. 100-metre hurdles champion, turned the Island career three-peat in the hurdles Thursday by winning in 14.79.
Talented all-rounder Cassidy Steen of Mount Douglas, who attributes her seamless ability to clear the water hazard to the double axels she lands in figure skating, won the girls’ steeplechase Thursday.
Oak Bay won its 25th consecutive Island team championship with 250 overall points to runner-up Reynolds’ 185.
“It was a great team effort,” said Oak Bay head coach Mike Sheffer.
“We had more than 100 competitors. It was fun to coach so many kids. They deserved what they got. It’s a testament to the program Keith Butler [Oak Bay head coach from 1987 to 2012] built.”
Oak Bay topped the male standings with 170 points. Rounding out the top-five were Reynolds at 80, Ballenas of Parksville 61, Claremont 45 and Lambrick Park 38. Reynolds won the girls’ standings with 105 points in a top-five that included Carhi of Campbell River at 95, Oak Bay 80, Cowichan 67 and Wellington 46.
Oak Bay had won 11 B.C. overall team championships in 15 years — they were second the other four times — before slipping to sixth place last season behind the 2015 champion New Westminster Hyacks.
The top-placers in the Island high school meet advance to the 2016 B.C. championships June 2-4, where they will have home-Island advantage at Rotary Bowl Stadium in Nanaimo.
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