Thirty-five years ago, I was in grade six and preparing with my school team for the5th annual Edmonton Journal Indoor Games. Mr. Ewasiuk would be there to let us in early and run in the hallways before school started. After the preliminary races, my 8 x 200 metre relay team made it to the finals. We went on to win the relay competition by two-tenths of a second. My first gold medal!
This was an important moment in my life as an athlete and a runner, as I knew in my heart that we had done the work to compete and win. This also shaped my career as an educator and I have not missed bringing a team to the Games—now called the Running Room Indoor Games—in the past 20 years.
This year, at the 40th annual Games, our boys’ team earned a bronze medal and my Teacher Relay team won gold. It was a beautiful full-circle kind of day. Thank you to Running Room for providing this amazing opportunity for students in our city.
Photo from left: Matt (front row, second from left) with his Grade 6 relay team; and inset (second from left) with his 2018 Teacher Relay team.