Sub Zero on track

Members of the Prince George Track and Field Club were on the track at Masich Place Stadium on Saturday, getting ready for this weekend’s Sub Zero Meet, the opening event on this year’s schedule. Allan WISHART/Free Press

Watch out for Rascals on the track on Saturday.

The members of the Track Rascals, the 6 to 8 year olds in the Prince George Track and Field Club, will be taking part in the annual Sub Zero meet, which goes Saturday at Masich Place Stadium.

There could be a lot of Rascals on the track for their one event, the 60-metre run.

“The Rascals had been growing slowly,” coach Bill Masich said, “about three per cent a year. This season, it’s gone up by about 10 per cent.”

That growth is reflected across the club, which has 130 kids registered in Rascals, Junior (9 to 12) and Senior (13 and older).

“We’re seeing a lot of new faces. There are some who have transferred over from other sports, whether to stay in shape or just as a fun break.”

Masich expects most of the Prince George contingent to be at the Sub Zero meet on Saturday, but isn’t sure which out-of-town clubs will be participating.

“Typically,” he says, “we’ll see Quesnel, Williams Lake, sometimes 100 Mile House, Vanderhoof. We have had kids from Nisga’a, Terrace and Prince Rupert in the past.

“A lot of it depends on the weather and what their schedule for the season looks like.”

He figures there will be about 200 athletes at Masich Place Stadium for the meet.

The Sub Zero is the first meet of the new season for the Prince George club, and starts off a busy season which sees them going to Kamloops later this month. Students in high school will be attending the zone high-school championships, with winners advancing to the provincials.

“The two big meets for a lot of them,” Masich said, “are the Spruce Capital Meet, which we host, and the Jack Brow in Kelowna. The Brow is usually right at the end of the school year, so some of the parents use it to start their summer holidays, since they’re already on the road.”

Competition in the Sub Zero Meet starts Saturday at 11 a.m. at Masich Place Stadium.