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UPDATED: Valley championships will go on

Langley Mustangs track and field club helping run Fraser Valley championships
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The Walnut Grove Gators won several Fraser Valley banners at the 2011 Fraser Valley track and field championships.

The games will go on, at least in Langley when it comes to the Fraser Valley high school track and field championships.

“It is important to the kids and if we can step up and help out, we are glad to do it,”  said Brent Dolfo, president of the Langley Mustangs Track and Field Club.

“There are thousands of high school students throughout the Fraser Valley that compete in the sport.”

The Mustangs have stepped in and will help run the Fraser Valley championships at McLeod Athletic Park. Typically, the two-day event is run during school hours, but it will instead go from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on May 15 and 17.

The later times are to accommodate the parent volunteers, many of whom work during the day.

The event usually has 1,300 competitors from Hope to Coquitlam and it serves as a qualifying meet for the B.C. high school track and field championships June 1-2 at Burnaby’s Swangard Stadium.

The Mustangs were approached to help run the meet.

“In light of the unfortunate labour situation, we offered to step in and help if asked by the Fraser Valley schools to serve and help keep the meet going,” Dolfo said.

“I think it is important for kids to have an opportunity to compete and I know a number of the athletes are looking for scholarships.

“They have been practising year-round in this sport and not have an opportunity would be very disappointing for them, so if we could help, we had to step up and do this.”

The Fraser Valley championships will also serve as a qualifying meet for Grade 8 and 9 athletes for this summer’s B.C. Summer Games in Surrey.

The Mustangs need about 100 volunteers over the two days to run the meet.

One thing going in their favour is the Mustangs have significant experience in running large-scale meets already.

“We have an experienced crew that ran large meets from many years so we can take and draw from our experience and help the school system,” Dolfo said, referring to running the track and field portion of the 2010 B.C. Summer Games hosted by the Township, as well as the Mustangs’ annual Pacific Invitational track and field meet.

Anyone interested in helping volunteer at the Fraser Valley track and field championships can click here for more information.