High School Cross-Country Comes to Saskatoon in 1961

In our case it is notable that our little cohort which began high school in about 1960, first made the news in 1961 and that is the same year that I could first find records of high school cross country in the Star-Phoenix.  Don Gogel won the first cross country run in Saskatoon, squeezing past me and Allan Angell.  Al, George, and I were on the third place Walter Murray team.   See photo of Star-Phoenix article below (October 17, 1961).

List of Sakatchewan Provincial High School Cross-Country Winners

I am attaching a number of links (below) to a set of files which show all  the cross-country runners (male) who came in first, second, or third in midget, junior, or senior  final provincial  races from 1962 on.

Title Page:  Fifty Years of Athletics in Education---click on  link.
http://www.ourroots.ca/page.aspx?id=3750318&qryID=97a9e419-2da7-410b-8c0e-ccddc2068d52


Page 202 Senior boys
http://www.ourroots.ca/page.aspx?id=3750525&qryID=153ef184-3eb5-40e5-9218-59d36f67293b

Page 200 Junior Boys
http://www.ourroots.ca/page.aspx?id=3750523&&qryID=97a9e419-2da7-410b-8c0e-ccddc2068d52


Page 198 Midget boys
http://www.ourroots.ca/page.aspx?id=3750521&&qryID=97a9e419-2da7-410b-8c0e-ccddc2068d52


There are many familiar names, probably as close as one could find to a "hall of fame" for middle distance runners of our age and point in history in the entire province.   Names which I personally recognize are Charlie Simpson, Garth Hilderman, Ken English, Bill White, Allan MacDonald, Ray Rohatinsky, and Don Gogel.  I am sure many readers will recognize others, including themselves.

Remember those cross country meets?

In October 30, 1961 the Saskatoon Track and Field Club sent only two runners to Regina's Luther Colege cross-country run.  I won the junior high school run and my brother, George, won the midget division.
On October 22, 1962 Saskatoon cleaned up in all divisions at the provincial high school championships  at Luther.  Charles Simpson won the the midget division, followed by Garth Hilderman.  Of special interest to me is the the senior division;  Allan MacDonald beat me by two seconds, followed by Ray, Don,and Allan Angell.  Talk about depth!

Also a sign of things to come was Valerie Jensen's win in the women's open.

There were many cross-country races in 1962 and 1963.  I remember the Edmonton meet in the fall of 1962 when Don, Allan A., and myself won the team junior championship.  On the way home we got stuck in some little town when a a wheel bearing overheated in our rental car.

About the same time the U of S had an invitational race in a football game at Griffith's Stadium.  In the high school race Don won, Allan Angell got second, and I got third.  In the open race the U of S team was composed of some names which have a familiar ring---John Maloney (was he my phys ed teacher?), Wayne Woolfit (remember driving home in his bumpy black beetle, in the dark at 40 below?), Lyle S. (of course), Jim Loetke, and Jim Halford (I will always remember shooting a poor badger hissing in pain on a hunting trip at his family's farm). 

For many of us high school cross-country culminated in the fall of 1963.  See the picture of the Junior Cross Country Champs. (Sorry it is hard to read).  The Saskatoon teams won at every level.  The junior team looks suspiciously like Walter Murray, coached in those days by Ralph Morris.   Premier spot went to Don Gogel; he beat Al MacDonald (by a whisker), and Ray.  I was way back in fifth.

I read in some track psychology book that every high school track "star"  is, sooner or later, beaten by someone better.  Seems to be true.