1937-38: This was the first year in which the students of Matsqui, Sumas, and Abbotsford entered into the Fraser Valley High School Field Day under one banner; Philip Sheffield High School. The consolidation of these educational administrative districts meant that P.S.H. had roughly two hundred students, many of whom were keen athletes. This athletic prowess is reflected in the dominance that P.S.H. showed at this tournament, as the easily wrapped up first place by a margin of nearly fifty points. Due to the success at the Fraser Valley Field Day, students from P.S.H. participated in the 1938 Track Meet, which was held in Richmond. Once again, they easily wrapped up the victory in this event, by scoring 141 points in total. They were presented the “Grand Aggregate Cup” for being the winningest team to enter the tournament. Beyond team success, there was also much individual success, which is marked by individual trophies and performances. Kai Webster won first in the senior division in both track meets that P.S.H. participated in, due to her first place finishes in broad jump, high jump, and triple jump (hop, step, and jump). For the boys, Bob Machell won first place in the junior division for his success in the 100 and 50 yard dash. Overall, this year was exceedingly successful for the students of P.S.H., and laid the foundation for an excellent track and field program going forward [1].

 

1938-39:  For the third straight year, the P.S.H. track and field team walked away with first at the Fraser Valley High School Field Day. They beat out Mission, Chilliwack, and Richmond for the title and were dominant in many of the events. Gilmore for the senior girls had a fantastic showing, as she finished first in the 50 yards, 75 yards, 100 yards, and broad jump, which was enough for her to win individual awards for her valiant effort. The booming success of the track and field team can be seen, and it was becoming a sure thing for them to win the championship every year. In many events they had one (or more) podium finishes, and in one case for boys high jump, they swept the podium and broke the regional record, thanks to B. Kunzmann [2].

1939-40: As seen earlier, the track and field team at P.S.H.S. was very successful at the regional championships. For the fourth straight year, they won the championship with large victory over Richmond high school. Jack Nelson was the Senior Champion across all schools, as he won the Javelin, 100m race, and placed third in the 440 yard race. In the senior matriculation, Jack is described as “Bright and cheerful all the day; examinations? – far away!”. This small quote gives an insight into the type of personality that Jack had and it suggests that he was devoted to the world of sports as opposed to the world of academia. Other notable achievements of this year’s track meet was Kay Webster, who got first in Hop, step, and jump (triple jump), second in softball throw, and third in broad jump (long jump), as well as Bob Short and Paul Cass who finished 1st and 2nd in their respective events. Mr. Stradiotti’s commitment to student success can be seen in the track & field, as P.S.H. was able to walk away with their fourth consecutive victory at the regional track meet [3].

 

1940-41: This was the first year in five years in which the P.S.H. did not walk away with the Grand Challenge Trophy at the Fraser Valley High School Field Day, as they lost to Richmond high school by a margin of 15 points. Despite their defeat, they still had valiant efforts from many of the members of the track team, and were very successful in specific events. Nonie Gilmore, who had had a very prolific debut in 1938-39 continued with her strong efforts, as she won the girls Senior Champion for best athlete. For individual events, she came first in all of the sprint races and helped propel the senior girls relay team to second place. Nonie is described as “witty, peppy, and full of fun, plays basketball and watch her run, Nonie is loved by everyone”. This is a fitting ode to the grand champion for best athlete, especially considering that she is only in Grade 11 and was competing against girls who were one or two years older than her. One other athlete to note this year, was John Irvine, who set the inter school provincial record with his discus throw of 105 feet, 6 inches [4].

1940-41 Track & Field Collage

1941-42:  There appeared to be no track and field this year. Within the yearbook and newspaper clippings from this year, it seemed as though sports were quite cut back, likely due to World War II. For the boys, much of their free time was put into cadet training. For the girls, and some of the boys, there were other ways they were helping on the home front. Due to the time and effort required to run a track and field, it likely was one of the programs cut during this year. From here on out, there was no more track and field for the school for the duration of World War II [5].

References

[1] Philip Sheffield High School Consamannum 1937-38, The Reach Gallery & Museum.

[2] Philip Sheffield High School Consamannum 1938-39, The Reach Gallery & Museum.

[3] Philip Sheffield High School Consamannum 1939-40, The Reach Gallery & Museum.

[4] Philip Sheffield High School Consamannum 1940-41, The Reach Gallery & Museum.

[5] Philip Sheffield High School Consamannum 1941-42, The Reach Gallery & Museum.