Batam B Reps collect 1-0 win in close Rebels encounter

  The North Dundas Peewee B Demons split a pair of back-to-back games last week, kicking it off with a big 6-1 win over the Braves in Brockville, on Tuesday night, December 15, but then […]

 

B. McNairn-Leader staff

IROQUOIS – Brynn Gilmour hasn’t let her first year of high school slow her down one bit on the track or otherwise. In fact, Gilmour has continued to quicken her pace throughout the current high school track and field season, bringing it to a successful conclusion at OFSAA last week in Oshawa, where she ran two personal best times.

Gilmour who began to train seriously, five years ago as she prepared for her Grade 6 school year at Iroquois Public, competed in both the 400m sprint and 800m at the Oshawa Civic Recreation Complex.

Although she failed to advance out of her heats, she put together personal best times in both events, gaining a good feel for the caliber of the athletes and for the intense excitement of competing at the provincial level.

“Brynn had an excellent year of competition culminating in her qualifying for the All-Ontario Championships,” says her Seaway High School coach Mark Lewis. “She worked hard all year and committed herself to achieving her goals.”

“She wanted to run under 60 seconds in the 400m dash, and was close to attaining this goal. She ended up running at 61.56 which was still a personal best (PB) by more than three seconds.”

In the 800m, the goal was 2:20 and she achieved it running in 2:20.92, which was a PB, a full nine seconds better than her time when she started the season.

“She barely missed qualifying for the final at OFSAA in the 800 and ended up with the ninth fastest time, actually running faster than one of the athletes who made the final,” says Lewis.

“She had a great year and was a joy to coach. She always worked hard and did everything we asked her to do, even if she didn’t feel confident doing it. Lindsay Waddell and Robyn Carriere and I were extremely proud of her accomplishments.”

For Brynn, her many races have been rewarding since her first season in grade 6. She credits her grandfather, Wayne Barkley, for peaking her interest.

“My grandfather took me everywhere. He got me started running around the neighbourhood.”

Throughout her elementary school career, she set numerous track records and consistently scored the honour of top girl at the annual Tournament of Champions.

In addition to her two days per week of high school training, Brynn trains three days a week in Brockville under coach Bob Tucker, who is with the Brockville Legion program. She runs one day per week on the weekend and takes one day off …the day off dependent upon her homework.

Lewis and Tucker coordinated her program at the start of the high school season, and according to Brynn it has “worked out fine. I work on distance with Bob and speed with Mr. Lewis. I am actually the luckiest athlete out there, as I have two really great coaches who are always there.”

A typical training session for Brynn runs 1.5 hours and includes arm and leg strengthening exercises. Training is year round, and, “yes” she says to everyone, “I run in the winter.”

For her mom and dad,  Dale  and Carrie Gilmour, it has been an interesting and, at times, nerve wracking experience. “When she was little she was always quick and always had endurance, so that’s why we began to think maybe she could look at it more seriously,” says Carrie. “It’s a huge commitment. She runs year round through snow and sleet. We didn’t realize there was so much science behind it all.”

Brynn began her first high school season with firsts in both of her events at the SD&G, despite the fact she was battling a flu bug. She ran the 400m in 1:05 which she says, “was not good” and the 800 in 2:33.

At a very windy EOSSAA she won the 400m with a time of 62 seconds and placed second in the 800 with a time of 2:27.

Then it was off to the East Regions meet where a personal best time of 2:22 gave her a second place finish in the 800 and a personal best time of 61 seconds put her in third spot in the 400.

The finishes allowed her to qualify for the All-Ontario.

Interviewed last Thursday before she left for OFSAA with her mom and coach Lewis, Brynn says she wasn’t nervous “yet”.

“I’ve had a pretty good season. I would like to be under 60 seconds in the 400, and I would like to run the 800 in 2:20 or under. Judging from my current times, they both seem attainable.”

Having now entered the high school level of competition, Brynn notes that “it’s a huge difference. The talent pool has opened up quite a bit. A lot of people who ran before drop it at the high school level.”

While you may not cross the finish line ahead of your competitors every time, every time you meet or surpass your personal goals at the finish line is a time to celebrate.

Those personal wins, and the experience of competing at a level that many just dream of, is what Brynn brought home with her from Oshawa.

[…]

 

Two Morrisburg club skaters will be lacing up their skates for the Skate Ontario Championship coming up in Brampton, March 13-15.

Senior Bronze skater Alexis Engwerda and Juvenile (under 14) skater Trina Dykstra-MacPherson, put together strong performances at the Eastern Ontario StarSkate Invitational Championships (EOSIC) held at the Nepean Sportsplex, February 13-15, to land their qualifying spots. Engwerda skated to a podium silver medal finish in her division while Dyskstra-MacPherson placed fourth.

“Alexis had a great skate to her spirited Celtic music from the ‘Lord of the Dance” that won her a bronze medal in her flight, and qualified her for the final,” says her coach Allison Scott.

“Not everything was clean, but I tried everything and I was happy about that,” says Engwerda whose program is ambitious and energetic and consists of three spins (camel-sit-change, sit combination, deathdrop and sit-change-sit) and six jump elements, five of them double jumps, including two double-double combinations, and a spiral sequence. “I had a personal best with 23.53 points, and that beat my previous best by two points.” 

“Alexis skated with great flow and finesse attacking each element with a smile,” said Scott. “She had a fabulous combination spin, an effortless double flip jump, and she achieved a personal best score and a spot in the final.”

 “However, her performance in the final was even better than her first skate!  She rose to the occasion, skated aggressively but assertively into each element, had solid and complete rotations in both her double-double jump combinations and beautiful spins including a quality death-drop spin which all resulted in her surpassing her previous score and achieving another personal best!”  

“Her silver medal win and a chance to skate at the All-Ontario Championships in Brampton, is an honour which is so incredibly exciting!”

“Alexis has improved tremendously this season.  Her her hard work, determination and dedication has paid off, and I am extremely proud of her outstanding accomplishment for this event.”  

“I am just so happy for her and look forward to our experience together at the All-Ontario!

Trina had a nearly flawless personal best performance at EOSIC in the Juvenile under 14 category to earn her a qualifying position for the Skate Ontario Championships in March. 

“It was one of my better skates,” says Trina. “I did a personal best 28.79 from my previous 22.02. That was a really big jump, and I was really happy.”

“Trina completed a jam-packed 2.5 minute program including an axel and eight doubles (2 double-double combinations, an axel-double loop with three other doubles by themselves),” says coach Louise Dimmick. “She also performed three excellent spins, two change-foot combination spins (one with a flying entry), a flying camel spin and a beautiful spiral sequence that really highlighted her flexibility.” 

“Trina’s speed and artistry have really improved over the last six months, and you could see Trina’s love of skating come out in her performance.”

 “This success is the result of years of hard work and it’s been so nice to be a part of this journey with her.”

[…]