In what looks to be a case of extremely bad timing, School District 61 has picked this week to decommission the hammer cage at Lambrick Park Secondary School, the only facility of its kind in the South Island.
The move comes as the country is feting two newly minted Olympic gold medallists in the sport, and both Nanaimo’s Ethan Katzburg and Richmond’s Camryn Rogers are believed to have thrown from the Lambrick cage at some point in their young careers.
There is a group starting to make noise about saving the steel structure, which by all accounts is badly in need of repair.
“I’m just shocked,” said Gina Zack, whose 14-year-old son Jake picked up the hammer last year and found a sport he loved. “This came as a huge surprise.”
She suggested that tearing it down — just when hammer throwing is in the spotlight — makes no sense.
Zack said she and Jake watched Katzburg and Victoria’s Adam Keenan, who placed 13th, in the Olympics, and her son was “fully inspired.”
“We’re all so proud of our Canadian athletes, but we’re not setting our youth up to be able to do that because there’s nowhere for them to train or play or dream,” she said. “This is my child’s dream and it’s something he’s good at. It’s something he enjoys.”
The Lambrick cage, built for about $10,000 in 2010, has been in jeopardy for more than a year. It was locked up last year and deemed unsafe and inoperable due to damage from errant throws and wear and tear over the years.
Retired teacher Tom Turnbull, who still coaches track and field at Lambrick Park, had hoped to pull together a group to try to have it repaired last year.
He said he was surprised when he rode by the cage last month and saw a sign indicating the cage would be removed in August.
Turnbull still hopes it can be saved, and is trying to get former athletes, parents and other members from the track and field community to come to the school Thursday morning to protest the cage’s removal. He believes work is set to start around 7:30 a.m.
“Especially after Canada wins two gold medals,” he said, noting that is bound to inspire young athletes to at least try the sport. “We’re trying to protect the structure. Rather than tear it down, let’s fix it. It’s definitely fixable. But it’s not fixable once it’s torn down.”
Deb Whitten, superintendent of Greater Victoria School District No. 61, said the cage at Lambrick is being decommissioned due to safety concerns, but she said they are working with Athletics Victoria to provide a modern throwing cage for the region at Oak Bay High School.
The school district said in an emailed statement that the inability to monitor the surrounding field at Lambrick while the cage is being used and the inability to upgrade the cage to a modern, safe standard played into the decision.
“As a school district, safety is our highest priority and as such the structure will need to be removed,” the statement said. “We are hopeful things will continue to move forward for Athletics Victoria and a safe structure in collaboration with Athletics Victoria will be installed so that local athletes can learn, train, and compete in these important field events in a safe manner.”
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