Two young Innisfail athletes believe their experience at the Alberta Provincial Indoor Track and Field Championships will help them with their athletics in the future.
Emily Lucas and Brayden Posyluzny both travelled with the Red Deer Titans Track and Field Club to the event at the University of Alberta in Edmonton on March 2 – 3. That's where the two Innisfail residents earned six medals combined.
Lucas, a Grade 10 student at Innisfail Junior/Senior High School, earned one medal out of the two events she participated in. She competed in the 1,500 metre event where she placed fifth among the youth females with a time of 5:05.23. In the 3,000 metre event, the distance runner placed second with a time of 10:48.35.
“It was a good experience,” Lucas said. “You got to race against people you might not have at the normal track meets you go to and it helps you get to know what you're up against for outdoor track.”
Lucas has been competing in track and field events since she was in Grade 8. She takes her distance running and cross-country running very seriously. Competing at provincials pushed her to do her best, she said.
“I learned a lot, that when you go to provincials you have to try your best because they are also doing the same thing. To succeed you need to really try.”
Posyluzny, who resides in Innisfail but attends Notre Dame High School in Red Deer, earned medals in five of the six events he competed in. He earned second among youth males in the 60 metre hurdles which he finished in 9.44 seconds. His 1.6 metre leap was enough for third in high jump, he earned first place in the long jump (6.12 metres), second in the triple jump (11.86 metres) third in shot put (11.6 metres). He placed 14th in the 60 metre event with a time of 7.56 seconds.
He said he was enthused about competing in the provincials. He also said the experience pushed him to compete with more determination.
“I was excited and it was kind of motivating. It was really exciting to know I am actually doing good enough to compete provincially.”
The track and field club will now have a break before they start preparing for outdoor events. The club will compete in its first outdoor meet in May.
