“We’re really breaking it down to the essence of what makes an athlete,” is how Robbie Gertsner, a first-year Masters student in Physics, describes his sport of track and field. Through the wide variety of events offered in track and field, these demonstrations of human strength and skill are all present under the umbrella of a single sport. For Gertsner, the beauty of track and field lies in the fact that it places raw athleticism centre-stage.
On Jan.18, the McGill University Track Team achieved remarkable success at the uOttawa Winter Classic. The Martlets and Redbirds secured three gold medals each, cementing their reputation as dominant competitive forces. Beyond the medals, the men’s track team etched their names into McGill history by breaking a nine-year-old school record in the men’s 4×800-metre relay. The team, composed of athletes Sean Adams, Ben Gates, Samuel Hepworth, and Devin Chapple, completed the race in an astonishing seven minutes and 37.9 seconds. This performance narrowly eclipsed the previous record of seven minutes and 38.96 seconds, set on Feb. 26, 2016, by a mere 1.06 seconds.
Despite these impressive accomplishments, Gertsner feels track and field does not always receive the recognition it deserves at McGill.
“Track can go under the radar a little bit, especially at McGill,” he says. “It’s not at the forefront of our sports.”
However, he remains hopeful that moments like these will help raise the profile of McGill’s track athletes and bring greater attention to their dedication and achievements.
Still riding the adrenaline from his recent performance at the 28th Annual McGill Team Challenge, where he broke his personal best in the 60-metre run, Gertsner is already looking ahead to what’s next for his team. When asked about the possibility of bringing home a championship banner, he expressed confidence in their chances.
“I think we have a pretty good shot at the [Réseau du sport étudiant du québec] RSEQ, which is the Quebec provincial championship,” he shared. “Coming into this weekend, the men’s team was ranked first in the RSEQ, and if we continue to push this momentum, I think we’ll have a really good chance.”
However, when asked about his experiences at McGill’s track team compared to Western University, where he completed his undergraduate program, he highlighted a reality far too familiar across most athletic endeavours at McGill: The lack of team cohesion.
“If I’m being completely honest, I wish that we had more of a collective team spirit,” he says. “When I was at Western’s track team, which has consistently been one of the top teams in the country, we had a very collective team dynamic, which is not quite at that level here at McGill.”
Gertsner believes that for the team to truly gain the edge over competitors, team members should invest themselves in events they are not used to and make an effort to watch their teammates compete and learn about their successes, which can do much good for the team’s results.
“For example, myself as a jumper, I don’t really know much about the distance or throwing events, but if I take the effort in learning what type of distances and times they are running and throwing,” he said. “I think that’s the key in pushing yourself outside your niche group because that’s what connects us all.”
However, Gertsner admitted that he has noticed developments: “Now that the season and races have started, it has improved, and people are cheering for each other.”
With the track and field season far from over, the Redbirds and Martlets have time to prove their efforts in forming a stronger team collective and perhaps even bring the Quebec Provincial Championships banner back home.
