VANCOUVER – It's the final weekend of March which means one thing for the UBC Thunderbirds Track and Field team: the annual UBC Open – the program's one and only home meet of the season.
Featuring over 500 entries from collegiate and club teams from both sides of the border, the annual meet this Saturday and Sunday, March 25 and 26 will provide ample opportunity early in the season for the T-Birds to compete against strong fields and secure their spots at the upcoming conference and national championships in May.
"We've lost some seniors but we've gained some new athletes. Some of those are transfers, some are student-athletes coming in doing graduate work and some are true freshmen who are going to make an impact right away. We're looking forward to an opportunity for many of those people to don the UBC Thunderbird uniform for the first time on the track," said UBC head coach
Laurier Primeau. "With the increase in the number of entries this year and the new surface on the track, I think it's going to be a great competition."
Last week saw the team's first meet of the NAIA season with six different athletes already punching their ticket to the national championships with 'A' Standard results, all of those coming in field events.
"Our power speed side got off to a great start and we know the endurance squad is ready to go, they certainly proved that in cross country season," added Primeau. "All indications are by the end of this weekend we will have a significant number of tickets booked to national championships."
The UBC Open will see the season debut for many track specific athletes, and in many cases the collegiate debut in front of friends and family.
"Nerves are a big factor in your very first university meet. Questions about whether you think you belong can be answered very quickly. And to be clear, we only recruit athletes who belong, so it's more a matter of self-doubt than it is our confidence in them. But, a freshman competing against a fifth-year can be like an eighth grader competing against a 12
th grader. And when you think about it in that context, it can be daunting for them. So, I think lots will be learned and I think the big takeaway will be if you are a UBC Thunderbird, you belong at the university level."
The meet is set to begin Saturday morning with men's pole vault the first scheduled event at 10:00 a.m. The bulk of events will be completed throughout the day Saturday with Sunday mainly featuring the completion of decathlon and heptathlon events as well as a number of relays including a fun Thunderbird Athletics competition featuring athletes from other varsity programs.
FULL MEET SCHEDULE
