Looking Back on our Cross Country and Track & Field Seasons

It is the end of October, and our Cross Country student-athletes have finished another successful season at the Provincial Championships in Cape Breton. Seventeen students made the trip to picturesque Cheticamp to compete against top athletes from schools all over Nova Scotia. Despite less-than-ideal weather and course conditions, our athletes came home with four medals in tow, a result which is tied for the best medal haul at Provincials in our school’s history. 

The Junior Girls, led by Carley Williams's 2nd-place individual finish, placed 2nd overall (of all Junior High Schools in the province) in an awe-inspiring race after placing a close third in the Capital Region. The Intermediate Girls dominated the field to place 1st overall (of all Junior Highs and High schools in the province). Led by Heidi Nuyens's 3rd-place individual finish, our girls had one of our school's best-ever Cross Country running team finishes at Provincials, placing all 5 team members in the top 12 individually.

Last year’s Track & Field season was also a school-best. At Provincials, Ayla Williams, Carley Williams, Faye Chiasson, Nyah Kaupp, Vivian Johnson, Sam Olugu, Charlie Hunter, and Folu Adebisi all took home medals in individual events. Our Junior Girls took home gold in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays, and our Intermediate Boys took silver in 4x400. In the Junior Girls 800m, Grammar athletes swept the podium, with Faye, Carley, and Ayla taking gold, silver, and bronze, respectively.

Faye Chiasson and Vivian Johnson each broke school records in multiple events. Vivian’s silver result in the High Jump (1.56m) tied with Athletic Director Justine Colley-Leger ‘09’s 2006 record. “It is exciting to see the continued success of our student-athletes at the highest level of competition in Track and Field,” says Mrs. Colley-Leger. “When I was a member of the Track and Field team, I remember the proud moment of receiving instruction from Coach Peter Beazley and seeing that translate into success in high jump. I am proud to share this accomplishment with Vivian, who is an exceptional student-athlete.” 

Many of our Cross Country athletes will compete in the 2024 Track & Field season, which begins in March.

Participation in these sports also benefits our cross-sport athletes, who find the training and conditioning of Cross Country and Track & Field translates into speed and endurance on the pitch or the court. They also provide a great entry point for new athletes and can offer students new to the sport the opportunity to compete at a Provincial level. "For example, last year our junior boys 4x400m team was an inexperienced team with some athletes who hadn't done track before,” says Coach Peter Beazley. “They applied their existing skills and fitness and, through practices, added fitness, technique, and sport-specific know-how. With a goal to achieve, they ran to a very respectable 5th place finish in the SSNS Provincial Championships."

We look forward to cheering on our Gryphons in their Track & Field events in the spring!