After competing in the sport of track and field for almost five years, a local St. Paul athlete has build up quite the record of accomplishment. At the young age of 14, Jocelyn Laramee recently represented Alberta in the sport of track and field in a three-province competition.
The Tri-Province Midget Championships took place July 15-17 in Regina, where Jocelyn joined her Team Alberta teammates to take on the best track and field athletes from Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The competition featured only midget-aged athletes, who are born in the years 1996 and 1997.
After watching her family become involved with the sport of track and field, her brother as an athlete and her mother as a coach, Jocelyn developed an interest and a passion for the sport.
“My older brother did track and field for a long time and I was always interested,” Jocelyn said. As soon as she was eligible to compete, she also picked up the sport and has never looked back.
Jocelyn was selected to represent Team Alberta in three events at the competition including triple jump, discus and javelin after a qualifying competition. Jocelyn and her teammates traveled to Regina on a coach bus and stayed at the University of Regina dormitories throughout the competition. The event also featured catered meals, barbecues and breakfast, put on by the U of R and Athletics Saskatchewan.
The weekend track and field competition saw sweltering temperatures reaching as high as 40 C. On July 16, Jocelyn competed in both triple jump and discus. In the triple jump competition she placed 10th but jumped a personal best of 8.92m. In the discus competition later on in the day, she threw a 22.20m, which was enough to earn the young athlete a seventh place finish.
“The weather was really hot but overall we all did well,” Jocelyn said.
On the next day of the Tri-Province Champion-ships, Jocelyn took part in the javelin competition, which was her strongest event coming into the meet. She did not disappoint her Alberta teammates, as she threw a 26.31m throw which was good enough to secure a bronze medal.
Jocelyn said earning the bronze medal was the highlight of the competition, which she felt went well overall and was a great experience.
“I was a little disappointed with discus but the competition was great overall.” For her first time competing in a tri-province meet, she was quite happy about where she finished and the fact that she was able to set a new personal best in the triple jump.
For the past five years, Jocelyn has been training hard and dedicating her time to improving her skills in the sport of track and field. She trains in St. Paul with the North East Alberta Track and Field Club with coaches Reg Green and Dr. Albert Harmse. In addition, she receives a lot of advice from her mother, Loree, and her brothers.
“Being in NEAT is great. The coaches are really nice and know a lot about what they’re doing.”
Another NEAT athlete will be making his national competition debut in August, as the athlete will travel to Ottawa to compete in the National Legion Track and Field Championships.
NEAT track and field coach Reg Green believes Eric will compete in the triple jump at the event, since “he is the best triple jumper in the province,” in the youth age category.
Seventeen-year-old Eric Laramee, brother to Jocelyn, was recently notified of his national team selection and at this time does not know for sure what events he will be taking part in at the competition.
NEAT track and field coach Reg Green believes Eric will compete in the triple jump at the event, since “he is the best triple jumper in the province,” in the youth age category.
“The competition will be very elevated,” Eric said, adding he is looking forward to catching up with friends from other provinces he has not seen in a while.
“Track is great because you are able to maintain friendships with your competition,” Eric said. “This is something that you don’t see in many team sports.”
The NEAT club will be back in action July 23 and 24 in Sherwood Park as Athletics Alberta puts on the 2011 outdoor provincial championships.
“I’m hoping to get more personal bests and to just keep on improving,” Jocelyn said about the provincial championships, where she will be competing in her favorite event of javelin, as well as others.
For all members in the NEAT club coach Green wants to see the athletes compete against themselves and strive to improve on their personal performances.
“The focus is as long as they are improving personally,” Green said. “Our main empathsis is to be the best I can be at this meet.”
This will be the last competition of the outdoor season for the club, who will pick up training for the indoor track and field season in the fall.
“It was overall a really good season,” Green said. “There were a lot of great overall personal performances and the standard are being pushed up.”
“The competition will be very elevated,” Eric said, adding he is looking forward to catching up with friends from other provinces he has not seen in a while.
“Track is great because you are able to maintain friendships with your competition,” Eric said. “This is something that you don’t see in many team sports.”
The NEAT club will be back in action July 23 and 24 in Sherwood Park as Athletics Alberta puts on the 2011 outdoor provincial championships.
“I’m hoping to get more personal best and to just keep on improving,” Jocelyn said about the provincial championships, where she will be competing in her favorite event of javelin, as well as others.
For all members in the NEAT club coach Green wants to see the athletes compete against themselves and strive to improve on their personal performances.
“The focus is as long as they are improving personally,” Green said. “Our main empathsis is to be the best I can be at this meet.”
This will be the last competition of the outdoor season for the club, who will pick up training for the indoor track and field season in the fall.
“It was overall a really good season,” Green said. “There were a lot of great overall personal performances and the standard are being pushed up.”
