Greater Victoria hopefuls inspired by Team Canada’s success in the hammer throw at the Paris Olympics, will now have to look outside the region for somewhere to try their hand at the sport.
The hammer cage located at Saanich's Lambrick Park Secondary School was decommissioned Wednesday, Aug. 14 by School District 61 who deemed the structure “unsafe” and incapable of being upgraded.
"Safety is our highest priority and as such the structure is being removed," said Caroline Manders from the superintendent's department at School District 61 on the day of the demolition.
The cage, which was closed by the school district in early 2022, has previously been the training ground for the new Olympic hammer throw champion Ethan Katzberg, and Victoria’s very own Adam Keenan, who threw a season’s best of 74.45 metres in Paris, finishing 13th overall.
The removal has been criticized by Keenan, who prior to his departure for Paris, told Black Press Media that the long journey to train at an alternative cage in Duncan, as well as injury struggles, almost cost him his place at the competition.
The 30-year-old athlete says that the school district has been working with Athletics Victoria for two years to replace the structure and has at times demonstrated that the project is “not a priority” for them.
“My Olympic career is done now,” said Keenan, who announced his retirement after the competition. “But we've had two years to get that cage up so that I can have a place to train in Victoria. And it's really hard for me not to wonder what could have been.”
“Working with the school district has proved extremely difficult. I’ve noticed that their attention to detail is quite poor and they're not interested in doing things in a timely manner,” he added.
At the Paris Games, Keenan witnessed Canadian sporting history, when teammate Katzberg won Canada’s first-ever gold medal in the hammer throw, followed quickly by Camryn Rogers doing the same in the women’s competition.
“I was beaming with pride,” Keenan said, adding that he has known both Katzberg and Rogers since they were young teenagers. “Watching them grow into not just the best throwers in the country, but the best throwers in the world, has filled me with nothing but pride… and go B.C., because we're all from B.C.”
Canada’s success in the hammer throw has sparked a rising interest in the sport, says Keenan, who was quizzed by curious sporting fans when he landed back in Canada.
“Those with children said that their kids were interested in getting involved in hammer throw and that just, I mean, it made my day to hear that,” he said.
But with no current access to a training cage, Keenan fears what impact this will have on Greater Victoria children wanting to throw themselves into the sport.
“This isn't about elite athletes anymore,” Keenan said. “This is about developing physical literacy in our communities, and regardless of what anybody says, that matters. Having kids be able to access safe and fun exercise is crucial in any society.
“My life changed because of this, I got a full scholarship to the United States because of throwing, it changed the course of my life. That’s what I would love to see other people get to have. But it won't happen if we don't put a cage up.”
The cage removal is also a personal blow for Keenan, as he and his family fundraised for the structure to be installed in 2010.
“My grandfather poured the cement for the circle and made the metal insert for it,” Keenan said. “My other grandfather paid for a big portion of the cage. So it's hard not to see it as my family's legacy to sport.”
In a statement to the press, School District 61 said that they have been working with Athletics Victoria to install a “modern and safe” throwing cage at Oak Bay High, but “missing parts” have delayed the installation. A claim that Keenan denies.
“There's no part missing,” said Keenan about the cage purchased in March 2023, that was previously housed at the Kamloops national throwing centre. “One of the posts on the cages is bent, and this was communicated to them when we first bought the cage.”
According to the president of Athletics Victoria, Sean Steele, a structural engineer’s report, retained by the school district but paid for by the athletics group, has indicated concerns about the cage and its wind-loading tolerances. But he adds that the report is unclear on how the cage falls short of the engineer’s standards.
“We will be seeking clarification on this to determine what remediation is needed,” said Steele, who added that the cage’s original manufacturer has advised that it should be “relatively easy” to bring the cage back up to standard.
“We are hopeful about having a safer and proper throwing cage for use in the city, and appreciate the work of the school district in support of this as we continue to work steadily through their requirements for installation,” said Steele.
“Right now we don’t have a timeline for installation but we are keen to have it done as quickly as possible and practical.”
For Keenan, that can’t come soon enough, saying that post-retirement, he is putting his involvement in the sport on hold.
“Unfortunately, the last two years have really soured my experience with training in Victoria,” he said. “I won't do anything in Victoria until there's a safe place for people to train.”
