Bill Masich has been around the Prince George Track and Field Club for as long as he can remember.
He was only a youngster when his dad Tom, along with others interested in the sport, formed the club in 1973.
Masich has been involved ever since, first as an athlete and later as a volunteer coach, executive and meet organizer. His wife coaches as well and his daughters compete.
Now in his 40s, he's seen a lot over the years, witnessing the club rise and fall in cycles.
But Sunday, as Masich surveyed the competition at the annual Spruce Capital Invitational meet at Masich Place Stadium in between setting up hurdles, he reflected on the sport that runs deep in his roots.
"When the Spruce Capital meet used to be at Lakewood (elementary), there'd be 800 kids competing," he said. "Now we have about 100. In the 200-metre girls (16-17-year-old) final with Lauren (Matheson), Shelby (Jansen) and Emma (Floris), it was just the three of them. Fifteen years ago, we used to have heats and finals (in that one event).
"I've been around and seen faces come and go, old faces that were active in the sport in Williams Lake, Bella Coola, north to Fort St. John, and they just aren't there any more. I've seen faces retire because if you're not passionate about the sport, you just won't do it. People of my dad's generation have retired. I'm setting up hurdles and coaching because the numbers just aren't there."
And it's not just on the club circuit that Masich has witnessed a decline in the sport. It's also at the high school level, especially at the north central high school zone meets.
"We used to get 400 to 500 athletes (at zones). There's not that many any more. At (high school) provincials (this year), some schools had 60 kids."
The Prince George schools combined to send 12 athletes to provincials - five from College Heights, three from PGSS, and two each from D.P. Todd and Duchess Park.
"It's been a bit of a battle the last few years," Masich said.
The PGTFC numbers around 150 athletes this season, up "a little bit" from last year, which Masich is satisfied with. They have reached as high as 228.
The club's junior program is growing and developing, but what Masich is encouraged the most about is the steady climb of participation in the rascal age group for six- to eight-year-olds.
"They have so much fun," he said. "They experience the same emotional turmoil as the big kids but they just smile and are happy. It's really neat to see. It's really neat to see the kids go through the ranks. The Prince George Track and Field Club is healthy and growing and thriving, but I would like to see more people involved.
"With track in the north, there aren't enough people to fill the spots of coaching and the organizational part. Those who are here are doing a really great job but it's just not enough. It makes it hard to put on a meet and get kids excited about it."
Masich knows track and field is a technical sport with jumping and throwing, sprint and hurdles and long distance events. It can be pretty daunting to coach. But, he added, people must be comfortable to coach and have that drive and passion just like those in soccer and hockey.
