A group of track athletes and their coach went to Edmonton for a special event, and all involved came away proud of the efforts, as well as a greater understanding of what it will take to find that next level.
"It was good, it was good, it was a long, long trip," coach Al Wirth says with a chuckle. "15 hours on a bus, so it was a long trip. But, the kids worked hard and competed well. We didn't get any medals, which is unfortunate, but we did get some top eight finishes, which is nice."
While the results were not what they hoped, Wirth says the overall experience was eye opening for the athletes. "It was a big change from when you're here, and you have a one hour bus ride into Winnipeg to compete, knowing you're going to be one of the top kids. You know you'll get your six throws. There, it was a long trip, long bus ride, you're staying in a dorm, the situation is quite different. On top of that, you're competing against all the best kids from all the other provinces. I'm really hoping that this gives them a spark and an interest. With the new track in Morden now, I think that might kickstart a track and field thinking group in our area."
Wirth believes that the high level of competition is going to help these athletes understand what they need to do to hit that next level. "We've already started talking about that," the long time coach explains. "Training over the winter, doing strength training, bio-metrics, jump training, getting faster and stronger. We talked about the whole time we were there, even when they were finishing seventh or eighth, or whatever, we talked about how to get to that next level and the things they have to do. It's about step by step, getting a little stronger, little stronger, little better technique, and then you go the next level competition, which next year is Legions for most of the people that went with me. We started talking about that before we even went to Edmonton, we were talking next step. They're interested, which is good, it's a good sign."
The group that went was a special one, according to Wirth, not just as athletes, but as people. "Obviously, they are great kids," he says with a smile. "Their parents have been very supportive, they try to do the best for their kids, and give them these opportunities. These kids are going to be the leaders for the Morden and Winkler track teams over the coming years. They're all going into grade 11 or 10, so they are right there, they are the leaders, and they'll show the others what they need to do. I've been in situations like this before, this sort of spurs others to say they can do this, too. Then they get involved and do more. Everybody just needs to do a little bit more, and you find yourself at that next level. You find yourself going 'oh, I am pretty good at this', and you move on a little bit at a time. It's not like the other things where you can go 'if I just do this, I'll be in the NHL', well no, no you won't. It's step by step, you go to camps, you go to this level, you make a AAA team, then play with a junior team. It's just step by step. You're not ready at 17, 18, or 19 to take on the Olympics, even though that may be your final dream. It's step by step, that's how you get there."
Going to Edmonton was special, and Wirth says he and the group took a lot of pride representing the Pembina Valley, as well as the province of Manitoba. "For me personally, it was a great experience. I got to rekindle some of my friendships from years in the past, and see a lot of new coaches that I've never seen before. For the kids, I think they had a great opportunity, and a great time meeting all the other kids that they've only competed against in Manitoba, now they were on Team Manitoba, and they were cheering for each other. That was a great experience to have that, to understand they were competing against others, but they are now friends, they can say hi at track meets instead of just viewing them as competition. That's a step, and that next step is is making a Team Canada, and all the people I used to compete against are cheering for me to be better. That leads to the world stage. It doesn't happen over night, but it takes those steps to make dreams come true."
Thanks to coaches like Al Wirth and athletes like those that went to Edmonton, track and field programs in the Pembina Valley will keep the dreams alive for many.