Kate Buskirk

Education

Kate attended Duke University in North Carolina, where she sang Alto II for the Duke Chorale and Chamber Choir under the direction of Rodney Wynkoop. She finished in the top half, at 57th place, despite hot and humid conditions.

Career

In, Van Buskirk set the record for junior girls ROPSSAA (Region of Peel Secondary Schools Athletic Association) 800 m, at 2:17.58. She followed this up in, by setting the record in the senior girls ROPSSAA 800 m category, at 2:11.47, and in the 1500 m category, at 4:38.53. Both records still stand.

These awards were not only for her cross country and track running, but also volleyball.

In March, Van Buskirk went to the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, held in Le Mans, France. This was the second highest Canadian finish at the event.

Van Buskirk graduated from Turner Fenton Secondary School in June with honours at the Academic level of study, but returned for a fifth year. At the event Van Buskirk set a meet record.

She ran the 5000-metre distance in 16:38, three seconds faster than Anita Campbell of Abbotsford, British Columbia, a runner at Washington State University.

In May, Van Buskirk set the current ROPSSAA record for girls open steeplechase, at 5:12.00. At the Pan-Am junior track and field championships, Kate Van Buskirk finished fifth in the 800 m. The Canadian junior title qualified her for the NACAC Cross Country Championships (North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association) in Florida, to be held March Van Buskirk told the Guardian that she"d "like to be top 30 and the top Canadian" at the Worlds.

As of, Van Buskirk trained 12 to 16 km daily, with long runs of 18 km.

She trains at the Mississauga Track Club, under her coach/father Jim Van Buskirk, as well as training with the Toronto Olympic Club and coach Eddie Raposo. Kate finished 10th in the final Athletics at the Summer Universiade – Women"s 1500 metres.

Kate place 6th in the 1500 metres semifinal 14th IAAF World Championships in Athletics. Kate"s 4:07.36 was a personal best time World Championships in Athletics – Women"s 1500 metres.

Kate will represent Canada in the 1500 metres at the 15th IAAF World Championship in Athletics.

Achievements

• She won bronze for Canada at the Commonwealth Games in the 1500 m. Kate won the Runners" Choice London Distance Festival for the 800 m, but only placed third in the 800 m juniors at the Hamilton Spectator Indoor Games. Van Buskirk won the title of "Athlete of the Year" from the City of Brampton in She also won the Ken Giles Award for Brampton"s Amateur Athlete of the Year, from The Brampton Guardian. She also won her high school"s female athlete of the year award in the -school year. In, Van Buskirk won her category of the McQuaid Invitational, a race for high school athletes, held in Rochester, New New York Later, Van Buskirk won the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) championship for her category. Next Van Buskirk won the Ontario Track and Field Association (OTFA) junior championship. In December, Van Buskirk won the Canadian junior championship, held in Vancouver, British Columbia. Van Buskirk told The Brampton Guardian "I really don"t know what to expect (at NACAC) because I"ve never been there." Because of this win, Athletics Canada chose her for the World Cross Country Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, to be held in April. Kate won gold medal at NACAC Cross Country Championships - North America, Central America and the Caribbean. Kate earned bronze medal Athletics at the Commonwealth Games – Women"s 1500 metres.