(L-R in red) Annika Erickson, Eiley Morrison, and Kylie Sargent. (Supplied)

By Alessia Proietti

Jumping over hurdles

Three local athletes compete in national youth track and field championship in Quebec

Aug 15, 2023 | 3:07 PM

Three local athletes spent their weekend competing in the Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships in Sherbrooke, Quebec, facing more than just track hurdles.

From August 11-13, 17-year-olds Annika Erickson, from Red Deer, Kylie Sargent, and Eiley Morrison both from Lacombe, represented the Alberta Speed School in the U18 400 metre sprint, 100m hurdle, and 100 m sprint, respectively.

To make it to the championships, athletes must achieve a specified standard at one of their competitions throughout the season. For Erickson, that’s a track time of 1:01.82 in the 400m; for Sargent, that’s 16 seconds in the 100m hurdle; and for Morrison, that’s 13.10 seconds in the 100m sprint.

“Some of us are fortunate enough to have wonderful experiences in our lives and for such young adults, I’m very proud of these ladies in the way they embraced this moment and found another tool to put in their tool box to make them better individuals and better athletes going forward,” said Spring and Hurdle Coach Ronald Hewer.

Not only was it the first national competition for the three girls, but the day came with added hurdles.

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Each category had an above average amount of athletes competing across various heats. Sargent, for example, competed against 40 other athletes, seven in each of the six heats. Hewer said that while typically the top two girls from each heat advance to finals, this competition took only the top performer instead.

This was to Morrison’s disadvantage as she placed second in her heat with a time of 12.98 seconds.

All three girls also competed on the same day, Friday, which Hewer says was very rainy and windy, rendering the track slow.

“They were nervous. It’s a big deal; all this work, all that training, next thing you know you’re getting in the starting blocks and the title ‘national championships’ can be very stressful and it was for them all. Now that the competition is over, they’re looking back going ‘that was an amazing experience’,” he said.

He says while they didn’t reach their personal or seasonal best, the girls performed mechanically well given the impediments faced.

Erickson, for example, used the wind at her back to her advantage in the first 200m, Hewer described, pushing herself to gain as much speed as possible before reaching the curve where the wind would now be in her face. She then strategized to remain relaxed rather than fight the wind to maintain her speed. She earned fifth place in her heat with a time of 1:01.59.

While Sargent was not granted the opportunity in the 100m hurdle, she fought the wind to achieve fifth place in her heat with a time of 16.77.

With both Erickson and Morrison ranked in the top 20 in the country, Hewer says all three girls did especially well within the category of western Canadian athletes.

Hewer says the competition was a great learning experience for the girls as well as for those in the audience.

“You’ve got to find a way to take those nerves and channel them into excitement and energy so your mind can take over your body,” he said.

Some advice he gives to his trainees are to listen to energetic music to get the blood going, distract yourself from external factors like the weather or other competitors, and visualize the race by closing your eyes.