Cochrane High School continued to set the standard of track-and-field excellence this year, dominating the Alberta Schools Athletic Association (ASAA) 2023 championships and bringing home yet another provincial banner to adorn the walls of the school's gymnasium.
The Cobras track and field team sent an unprecedented 42 athletes to Edmonton on June 2 and 3 for this year's provincial high-school track meet. The Cochrane contingent collectively managed to amass an ASAA record of 563.5 points and 17 medals.
As an example of Cochrane High's sheer dominance in the sport provincially, the second-placing 3A school at the Edmonton meet was St. Paul Regional, who collected 268.5 points. The second-place overall team was 4A Medicine Hat High, who collected 356 points, or more than 200 less than the Cobras.
Esther Sieben, who has taught and coached track at Cochrane High School for nearly 20 years, said what she's most proud of is the fact the record-setting points total this season was down to a total team effort, and not necessarily just a handful of particularly talented student-athletes.
“I want to be clear - this is really a team banner," she told The Eagle on Monday. "These kids left it all out on the track.
“When you look at a point total like that… an individual gold medal gets you 16 points. Having 40 athletes there, if you do the math…you’re looking at individual kids each getting 10 points or higher for the team."
While Cochrane High competes as a 3A school on account of the enrolment total, Sieben pointed out the Cobras even eclipsed the points totals of Alberta's big 4A schools from the likes of Edmonton and Calgary.
"We beat all the 4A schools as well, which goes to show how talented the kids were," she said. "We had a really good couple of days – a lot of PBs and really good performances.”
Of Cochrane's 17 medals, Sieben said there was a wide diversity, with podium placements in everything from high jump to relay sprints and long-distance running events. She said the team also sent two para-athletes and four unified athletes, who also all contributed greatly to the Cobras' overall points haul.
"We’re just one of those teams that are very multi-faceted – we came at it from all angles," she said.
Remarkably, Cochrane High's points total could have been even higher this year, according to Sieben, had one of the Cobras' star athletes not missed provincials due to a calf strain. She said Grade 11 runner Jett Hasiuk was ranked first in Alberta in a few of his events, but had to pull out of the provincial meet due to a last-minute injury.
Dominating high-school track and field is nothing new for the Cobras, as the north Cochrane school also brought home the 3A banner from Medicine Hat last year. Despite its small enrolment, Cochrane High is a perennial contender as one of the top high-school track teams in the province.
Sieben credited multiple factors for the longevity of the Cobras' track success. She touted a dedicated coaching team, including Ken Poulsen, in helping the athletes adequately prepare for the track season every spring.
But she said the devotion showed to the sport by the students themselves is the key ingredient in producing a dominant track team.
“These kids don’t show up at divisionals not knowing how to use the blocks or hand off the baton," she said. "It’s about time, commitment, and effort. When you have people who are passionate about sport, the kids catch on quickly and it just grows.”
Bow Valley and St. Tim's also represented
While Cochrane High will make headlines for its provincial performance in 2023, Cochrane's other high schools were also represented in Edmonton last week.
Bow Valley High School amassed 54 points overall, finishing in 20th place in the 3A category. Bobcats student-athletes fared well in the sprint events in particular, where 34 of their points came from.
St. Timothy Catholic finished 16th in the 2A category with 37 points, thanks to a strong showing in particular in the long-distance running events.
