My year so far on varsity track has been competitive and delightful. I set very high expectations for myself after my unprecedented success in JV, which, given my circumstance lead to a highly rigorous season of preparation.
My biggest competition for first place in my main events 400m hurdles and 100m hurdles was named François from DAA. He is a very nice guy, as most people are in track, who would probably equal my time in the 400m sprint, and be just behind me in the 100m sprint. The biggest difference between us is that I am just under 5’8” and he stands well above 6 feet tall. This poses a serious challenge for any hurdler, especially because the height of all the hurdles increased from JV, and I really had not.
The biggest weakness I have while hurdling has always been my form, and it looked like that was the only thing left I had if I wanted to improve my time. I spent the whole season working on my flexibility and form in order to make it over the higher hurdles quick enough. During the 100m hurdles finals, I was completely tied with François the whole race until I actually went so low during my jump that I knocked one hurdle over. For most racers, this would mean the end, but in my situation I actually gained a fraction of a second which I was able to maintain until I finished in first. I still am not completely sure why I actually gained time by hitting a hurdle, but if I had to guess I would say that it is because I had enough speed and force that the impact did not slow me down at all, and because I was lower to the ground it meant the jump lasted a shorter amount of time which meant I started my next stride just before François did. At any rate, that wasn’t the only surprise win that happened between us. He also beat me in my main even 400m hurdles, creeping up and passing me in the final stretch while I burned out and fell over the finish line. It was quite a dismal sight. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the whole season, including MESAC and look forward to fighting for gold once again in the next one.
Achievements So Far
- 100m hurdles MESAC gold grade 11
- 400m hurdles MESAC silver grade 11
- 4x400m relay MESAC silver grade 11
- 4x100m relay MESAC silver grade 11
- Team MESAC gold medal grade 11