An R.F. Staples athlete is second in the province after competing in the Alberta Student Athletics Association championships at Edmonton’s Foote Field June 3-4.
Cole Huppertz earned silver in triple jump with a 12 foot 8 inch jump and took home second overall with 36.50 points in the senior division individual score.
“It was a personal best,” Huppertz said.
Huppertz also competed in high jump and long jump, placing fifth and eighth, respectively, putting up the points towards the second-place overall achievement.
“He worked hard,” said coach Meaghan McKenzie.
“He did everything he was supposed to. He came to practice, he watched videos to see the technique and get an idea. He was just willing to go and do it.
“It’s a very odd event. You’re throwing a combination of skipping steps with the jump at the end.
“If you mess up one it can affect how well you do, but he has the speed and the ability to jump.”
Huppertz credited coaching for the medal, alongside his own hard work and a pinch of predisposition.
“Miss McKenzie does a great job, and last year we had a member from the national team who helped us,” Huppertz said.
“It’s just a natural talent,” he joked.
“He’s pretty tall,” McKenzie added.
R.F. Staples sent 10 athletes to the provincial championship.
Though McKenzie was hesitant to compare yearly performance, she said that this year’s competition had an added challenge for students.
“We didn’t do quite as well as we did last year,” she said.
“We had a bit of a younger team. I think [Huppertz] was one of the few Grade 12 students.”
Even so, McKenzie said that R.F. Staples short track season made the performance from her whole team all the more impressive.
“Overall, everybody was pretty happy with how they did. It was a tough competition. You look at the number of kids, how far they’re throwing, how far they’re jumping. Some of the numbers were unbelievable,” she said, adding that she was especially proud of Huppertz’s performance.
“The athletes that tend to be those top eight are usually on club teams, so they practice year-round. To be able to hold our own against that kind of training really speaks to his ability.”
