Lua Pauls of Morden is one of five competitors that will be heading out to Edmonton as part of Team Manitoba to take part in the Western Canada Track Challenge.
"Oh, I'm super excited," she says with a big smile. "It'll be a great experience and I'm going with some great local athletes, who I'm friends with. The bus ride there will be fun and I know our coach (Al Wirth) is definitely looking forward to us having this experience looking forward to our career as athletes. It says we're staying in dorms, so that will be a fun experience. Just being there and seeing other athletes from across western Canada, how they work with their coaches, it'll be an interesting thing to see."
It's been an emotional ride for Pauls and the other track athletes after provincials were cancelled earlier this year, but she says she and the other athletes deeply appreciate the work that's gone into getting them this opportunity. "I think it's awesome. I mean, the provincials being canceled was a big let down, obviously. Being able to do this, it feels rewarding, because it sucks to work a whole track season and have nothing to put your work into, so this is going to be really fun and exciting. We're lucky to have great community and some great coaches around Canada that worked at getting us these experiences."
Usually a multi-sport athlete, Pauls says she's focused on one in particular heading into the big weekend. "This upcoming weekend, I'm just doing javelin. It's the one I've put the most work into, I've worked really hard to improve myself since last year. Throughout the year, I was doing long jump or 100 meter, stuff like that, but I think javelin is the one sport I see myself doing the best in."
Throwing a javelin is quite the thing and Pauls details what she does and thinks about as she prepares to throw. "My coaches have given me a number of things, but when I'm up there with the javelin, I focus and forget everyone else is there. I take my steps, I remember to keep my arms back, keep the weight on the back leg, spring forward, make sure your arm is straight, and follow through all the way. It's something you have to be all there for. You have to have a mindset, and while it's a lot, it's a throwing event you have to be all there in your head. It's a throw of technique, that's for sure."
While she's focused on performing her best, the ultra competitive Pauls says she's looking forward to seeing how she stacks up against some of the other top athletes in Canada. "I think it's going to be really cool. Even here in Winnipeg, seeing the skills across Manitoba, it's been super impressive. I'm eager to see how different even our pre-throwing rituals are or how different our steps or techniques are. Going to Edmonton will be even more interesting just to see how the other athletes interact with their coaches and it's doing to be so important for me to see how I can improve on my own."
Heading out as a team and representing the Pembina Valley is something very special for Pauls, and she says it means the world to the group heading out west. "It feels awesome," she says beaming. "It feels awesome, and I love the support that is there with us as a team. We talk as a team, hype each other up, make sure we're confident and we always tell each other that it's not a big deal if we don't win, it's having this experience and having it all together. Being able to go with people I know, it calms my nerves a little bit knowing they'll be there competing, and they might be just as nervous as I am. It's pretty reassuring."
Going up against some top talent, staying in dorms, traveling distance and staying mentally focused, all things Pauls may have to get used to if doing athletics at the college level is something she strives for, and she says it's absolutely been on her mind. "I never thought I'd track and field this seriously, honestly. But now, just the other day, I had a call from a recruiting agency and they were telling me what it would be like if I wanted to be seen by scouts. Just to see what this kind of world is about when it comes to getting into university sports wise or getting scholarships, it certainly seems like a competitive thing to do. Just being able to see, going into the dorms, seeing the level of competition, I think it's going to shock me a little bit, but I'm really starting to understand what I need to do if I want to take this serious. It's been really good."
Lua Pauls and the athletes representing the Morden and Winkler communities are set to head out on the bus to Regina on Thursday, where they will get a practice in before the competition starts this weekend in Edmonton.