SETS THREE MEET RECORDS

1983 didn’t treat Jeff

By JIM JAMIESON

medals, setting three meet
records along the way in his

AS ROOKIE years go,
Jollymore too badly.

All the 12-year-old North
Shore youngster did in his
first year of competitive track
and field was win 11 gold,
four silver and two bronze

NEWS photos Terry Peters

ROOKIE ATHLETE Jeff Joillymore, winner of 11 gold, four
silver and two bronze medals in his first year of competitive
track and field, shown at practice, above and right, at Nor-
Westers track and field club. The North Shore youngster
scored most of his successes against top calibre U.S. athletes
in his age group.

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speciality — the 200 and 400
metres.

‘*‘He has a basic natural
talent,’ says Lila Griffith,
Jollymore’s coach at the Nor-
Westers track and field club.
‘“‘He’s fast. Sprinters af
born, not made.’’

Jollymore, who is also a
promising triple jumper, had
his finest moment in July at
the Track City classic in
Eugene, Ore. At the classic,
which brings together the
best in age class competition
in Western Canada and the
western United States,
Jotlymore won the 400m with
a personal best time of 59.6
seconds and took the bronze
medal in the 200m in 26.4.

Earlier in the season,
Jollymore set a Pacific Nor-
thwest Athletics Congress
record in the 400m (60.17) in
June at the Cascade Striders
International meet in Everett,
Wash. The precocious
youngster managed to pare
some ticks of the stop-watch
off that performance a

month later in Bellingham,
Wash., establishing another
meet record in the 400m at
60.09. As well, Jollymore,
who attends grade seven at
Highlands Community
school, swept the 200 and
400m events at both the B.C.
Elementary School cham.
pionships and the North Van-

couver Elementary School
championships (meet
records).

Jollymore’s umes 1n_ the

200 and 400m were the
second-fastest ever fora B.C.
runner in his age group. For
his performance, he was one
of four boys tn his group to
be presented with jumor
development awards for
track and field at the B ¢

Amateur Athletics Associa
ti0n) annual banquet ain

Park Royal
North Mall

Rookie honored

a

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November.
Jeff, who also plays com-
murity soccer for Mount

Seymour Eagles, comes by
his/athletic ability honestly.
ys father, Al, was a cham-
10n high school sprinter in
Nova Scotia in the late 1950s
and was once clocked at 10.!
seconds over the 100 yards.
Speed seems to run
throughout the family, as
Al’s 16-year-old niece from
Philadelphia was selected to
the American Junior Olym-
pic team as a sprinter this
year.

According to Griffith, who
has been Jollymore’s coach
for a year, the impressive
thing about her charge’s
medals and records this year
is that he accomplished them
despite a lack of experience
and training. ‘‘You thought

°83 was good?’’ she asks
thetorically, ‘‘— wait ‘til
next year.’’

‘*T’ve been really impressed
with his attitude and his
dedication,’’ says Griffith.
‘*This fall I’ve noticed it the
most. He’s doing the hills
and the distance and he’s
really training.”’

The difference from a year
ago, says Griffith, ts
Jollymore’s exposure to top-
calibre competition south of
the border.

“*He’s realized at a very
early age that it takes more
than natural talent to win.”’

Although it’s difficult to
assess the long-term potential
of someone at such an early
stage of athletic develop-
ment, Griffith predicts
Jollymore will participate in
the BC Summer Games
when he's 14 and the | cgion
Camp, which selects 18 boys
and 18 girls from BC fora
track and field development

camp cach summer
©

922-0223

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