One, the midget girls shot put, was almost a given: when you’ve been almost two metres better than the competition all season and nearly the same amount over the existing record, it’s almost a matter of just showing up.
And sure enough, the 15-year-old Grade 9 competitor got the job done, clearing 11.62 metres to finish first by nearly 2.34 metres and break the record of 10.38 metres set by Tessa Neufeld in 2017.
Block didn’t have as much luck in the discus, though, as a tough headwind played havoc with the field and saw her hit 30.50 metres – a mere 65 centimetres behind the mark set by Megan Folk back in 2006.
“It was good, I was very tired since it was really sunny and warm, so that affected it a little bit, but I’m pretty happy with how I threw because the last meet I only threw 25, which isn’t the best for me,” Block said of just missing the new mark. “Sometimes you’re on or just off, and I just didn’t quite get it today.”
Block was definitely on when it came to the shot earlier in the day – and while her number compared to the record was aided by the recent shift from four kilogram to three kilogram balls by the SHSAA, that didn’t change her season-long total dominance in the event.
While her goal was to rewrite both marks, Block is more than aware that success in the sport can be a day-to-day thing.
“I was really hoping to break the records because I have broken the records in practice, but a lot of it is just certain times you throw better than others, there’s not much you can do about it and it just winds up better,” she said. “It’s kind of muscle memory since there’s not a lot you can control and there’s a lot of stuff to do, so you just have to kind of get used to it.”
Block works extensively with her father, Cornerstone teacher and former strongman standout Al Block, and fellow coach Chris Pickering, a former Riverview shot put specialist who currently holds the district senior boys record and competed in the CIS for the University of Regina.
While Pickering’s tutelage helped her fine-tune her approach and reach the level she has today in the shot, her dad has focussed on helping her with the discus, ironically the lesser of his two throws back in the day.
“He threw shot put but really sucked at discus as a kid,’ Aliyah said with a giggle. “It’s funny now because he coaches me in discus a lot and doesn’t know as much about shot put. He gives me a lot of critiques about discus since you can’t always tell what you’re doing wrong, where in shot put I can usually tell if something isn’t right. “But he has a huge impact, it keeps me passionate about it and keep working at it.”
The key now will be to see how things go at provincials during the June 7-8 weekend at Gutheridge Field.
“It all depends on the day, but I think I have a pretty good chance,” Block said. “I really like new experiences, so when somethings fresh and new I get more excited about it and unconsciously throw better. It’s adrenaline, kind of, and hopefully that’s what’ll happen and I’ll get pumped up and throw even better.”
