The best of the best high school track and field athletes from throughout the province are converging on Langley this week.

Langley, and specifically the McLeod Athletic Park (MAP), are a preferred location for the BC High School Track and Field (BCTF) Championships that are happening Thursday through Saturday.

While the local track and most of its competition amenities are pretty standard, it乌鸦传媒檚 the covered stadium and media booth used for staging, as well as the jumbotron that keep organizer Andrew Lenton and the team from the BCTF乌鸦传媒檚 commission coming back to Langley again and again.

乌鸦传媒淭he media tower makes a great staging area for the event, for us, from an organizational perspective,乌鸦传媒� he said.

乌鸦传媒淏ut the feedback we get from the spectators is that the jumbotron is something they乌鸦传媒檙e really wanting to keep, so we乌鸦传媒檝e come back here.乌鸦传媒�

He said the Township乌鸦传媒檚 parks and rec staff have been 乌鸦传媒済reat to deal with.乌鸦传媒� And the commission乌鸦传媒檚 long-standing relationship with the Langley Mustangs track and field club has made it possible to facilitate 乌鸦传媒渁n event of this magnitude乌鸦传媒� year after year.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 a really great facility. The Township of Langley is great to work with, their parks and rec. The facilities are great,乌鸦传媒� said Lenton, who is assistant coach at Maple Ridge Secondary and commissioner for the B.C. High School Track & Field Commission.

In addition to complimenting parks and rec, he said partnering with the Langley Mustangs track and field club to facilitate an event of this magnitude has been key.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 just a massive event,乌鸦传媒� Lenton said Wednesday afternoon from MAP.

It乌鸦传媒檚 one of the largest high school competitions of any kind in the country, comparable only to the Ontario track and field event, he said.

It will be a full house, added Lenton, noting that once again there will be 2,400 students from 335 high school throughout the province competing.

乌鸦传媒淲e cap out. We limit and restrict who can come into the championships,乌鸦传媒� he explained. 乌鸦传媒淭here乌鸦传媒檚 many thousands and thousands more who have not been as lucky as to qualify or get a berth into the championships.乌鸦传媒�

In addition to all the athletes expected, there are another 400 coaches, and countless parents and supporters coming to Langley this weekend.

乌鸦传媒淭his is a huge undertaking,乌鸦传媒� Lenton told the Langley Advance, explaining that these annual championships takes more than a year of prep time to arrange.

Speaking to that, he and the other commission directors started preparing for 2019乌鸦传媒檚 competition last summer.

The championships are primarily held within the Lower Mainland, because of facilities and logistics.

Only on rare occasions does it get moved to the Island or Interior.

It was hosted at the Apple Bowl in Kelowna in 1972, and Nanaimo in 2015, Lenton recalled. But he confirmed it will be back in Kelowna again next year, and he乌鸦传媒檚 already making plans for their return to Langley in 2020.

This is year six for Lenton at the helm.

乌鸦传媒淚 thought I would do it for one year, and somehow I乌鸦传媒檓 finding myself in year six. I don乌鸦传媒檛 know how that happened,乌鸦传媒� he said.

It乌鸦传媒檚 primarily the calibre of athletes he sees participating year after year, and their insatiable quest to better themselves, that keeps him coming back.

This year乌鸦传媒檚 competition includes 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1,500-metre races, long jump, shot put, high jump, javelin, triple jump, steeplechase, race walking, discus, and hammer for students Grade 8 through 12.

乌鸦传媒淭his really is, in terms of high school track and field competition, as good as it gets,乌鸦传媒� he said.

乌鸦传媒淚n fact, We have some of the best athletes in the world competing,乌鸦传媒� he added, encouraging sports enthusiasts to watch the performances.

乌鸦传媒淭hey乌鸦传媒檙e going to be exciting,乌鸦传媒� Lenton said of the various showdowns. 乌鸦传媒淔or a lot of the kids, this is what they乌鸦传媒檝e been practicing and training for months and months.乌鸦传媒�

While Thursday乌鸦传媒檚 action runs from 3 to about 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday are full days. Friday will see meets and competitions running from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to about 5 p.m.

That乌鸦传媒檚 long days, Lenton admitted. But to make it more palatable for spectators, most of the finals have been arranged between about 2 and 5 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday.

乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檝e loaded in all the finals in those times,乌鸦传媒� or at least as many as they could accommodate.

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