The Como Lake Relays for elementary school students has been running - literally - for 33 years but there won't be a 34th event in 2012.
The relays were scheduled for last Wednesday but were cancelled due to the ongoing B.C. teachers' labour strife, it was announced on the School District 43 website. Also scratched was the district's annual track and field meet, which was slated for May 23 at Percy Perry Stadium.
The decision to nix both events came from the Como Lake Track and Field Committee prior to the B.C. Teachers' Federation vote last week of 73 per cent in favour of withdrawing from extra-curricular activities, among the union's other planned actions to try to reach a new contract agreement with the provincial government.
"The committee loves holding and running these events but they [members] do not see a way around this," it said on the SD43 website.
Last year, about 2,000 students in Grades 4 and 5 in SD43 participated in the long-standing Como Lake Relays, with the two-day event considered the largest of its kind in B.C.
High school sports have also been impacted heavily by the teachers' vote to halt extra-curricular activities, with B.C. School Sports announcing today (Wednesday) it has cancelled the provincial golf championships along with mountain biking because of it. Other spring-season sports such as girls' soccer, rugby, tennis and badminton remain a go, at least so far, while track and field has been deemed "questionable" on the BCSS website.
