All four North East Albert Track (NEAT) Club athletes who travelled to Winnipeg for the 2010 Western Canada Midget Youth Championship on July 24 and 25 offered exceptional performances.
In return, each athlete came home with at least a bronze medal, if not better. But even more impressive is that each of the athletes achieved new personal bests while at the track meet, which speaks volumes for the training they did beforehand.
Two boys and two girls would travel from the area to Winnipeg to compete at Westerns. In total the athletes would bring back two gold, two silver and three bronze medals between just four members, which is “very good,” says one of NEAT’s coaches, Reg Green.
St. Lina’s Marc Dubeau placed first in the discus throw, achieving a distance of 38.59 metres. He would also return with a bronze medal in the shot put, achieving a distance of 12.69 metres. Although he wouldn’t beat his personal best in either event, it would be enough to place him at or near the top of the heap.
“The meet was an amazing experience and everyone on team Alberta did amazing,” says the local athlete, upon returning to the area last week. Dubeau adds, “I am happy to see how well everyone from our club did.”
Dubeau also took part in the javelin throw, and improved on his personal best, throwing for 46.92 metres, and placing fifth. He would also perform well in the hammer throw, making for a distance of 24.14 metres, also a new personal best.
NEAT’s second male competitor, Eric Dupuis, who comes from the Myrnam area, would also take first place in his main event, the triple jump. Dupuis would tie his personal best with a 13.51 metre jump to take the gold medal.
In his second event, Dupuis would also make it to the podium and take home a silver medal in long jump after measuring 6.45 metres – a new personal best for the young athlete.
On the female side of things, Elk Point’s Lindsey MacDonald made an impressive performance in Winnipeg, and that’s after spending the earlier part of the week in northern Alberta competing in the Alberta Summer Games.
But MacDonald’s trip to Winnipeg was certainly worth the effort as she took home two bronze medals, the first in long jump, with a distance of 4.94 metres, and the second in 200 metre hurdles, with a time of 29.88 seconds. Both would be new personal bests for MacDonald.
She would also place highly in the high jump, with a height of 1.50 metres, enough for fourth place, and she would achieve another personal best in the 80 metre hurdles, with a time of 13.45, enough for sixth place.
Cold Lake’s Hayley Lucas, also a NEAT athlete, would take silver in the javelin, with a throw that would measure 24.10 metres, a new personal best. She would also finish fifth in high jump, with a height of 1.50 metres, and would place eighth in the shot put, with a distance of 8.52 metres, another personal best.
The meet means the end for most of NEAT’s athletes 2010 outdoor track and field season.
“Overall this season was a success but there is still lots of room for improvement,” says Dubeau.
