Its very success has led to its demise.
The Lambrick Park Secondary School hammer cage has been home to numerous club and school hammer, discus and shot athletes and throwers who went onto the Olympics, Paralympics, Commonwealth Games, Pan Am Games and world championships such as Adam Keenan, Heather Steacy, Sultana Frizell, Agnes Esser, Taryn Suttie, Jessie Brockway and Ness Murby. But the cage is now rendered inoperable, a victim of its own success, with so much use over 13 years that it has too many holes and is deemed unsafe for use.
A call has gone out to the South Island track and field community to have it repaired or replaced. The cage was constructed in 2010 after parents of throwing athletes wondered why there was no place for hammer and discus throwers to train. Lambrick Park Secondary track and field coach Tom Turnbull took on the project. School District 61 gave permission to place the cage on the school fields with the proviso the school and/or the track and field community had to raise the money to pay for it.
“Lambrick Park families canvassed businesses for funds, fundraised and donated their own money to reach the goal,” said Turnbull.
The cage cost $10,000 to construct.
Turnbull has sent out an open letter to the track and field community: “Many schools, clubs, provincial teams, national teams and individuals have trained at Lambrick Park’s cage. High school league competition, Lower Island championships and Island championships are held yearly at Lambrick Park Secondary’s cage. The Victoria Track Classic, Dogwood Games, Invictus Games, B.C. Senior Games and other throwing events have competed at Lambrick Park’s cage. Many of those who have trained or competed at Lambrick Park’s cage, have become provincial and national champions and gone on to compete at the Olympics, world championships, Commonwealth Games and Pan Am Games. Since 2010, over 50 schools and clubs have had athletes train and/or compete at Lambrick Park’s cage. Not once has Lambrick Park School received any financial compensation for the use of the throwing cage. Until repairs are made, there are no other local venues for the athletes to train or compete at. Unfortunately, Lambrick Park School does not have the funds to pay for the repairs.”
Turnbull can be reached at [email protected]
Darren Reisig, president of the Lower Island School Sports Association, said in a note to coaches: “Unless some change or dollars are found to repair, or until further notice, it does not look like the South [Island] will be able to hold the hammer event for track and field this year unless an alternative site can be found locally or unless repairs to Lambrick’s cage happen fairly quickly.”
The hammer and discus events of the Lower Island school track and field championships are usually held at Lambrick Park Secondary with the track events at UVic’s Centennial Stadium, the same when the Island school championships are held in Greater Victoria.
The 2023 Lower Island high school track and field championships are May 17 and the Island championships May 24-25, both at Centennial Stadium, with the hammer and discus events currently in limbo.
