Dunn, Flanagan top athletes at track meet
Holy Cross Family of Schools Elementary Track and Field Meet
Natural athletic ability led Grace Dunn and Dennis Flanagan to top girl and boy honours at the Holy Cross Family of Schools Elementary Track and Field Meet on Thursday.
Dunn, a pupil at St. Catherine, won the Grade 8 girls 100 metre and 200m runs and the triple jump. Flanagan, from St. Patrick, won the Grade 7 boys 200m and 400m runs and the running long jump.
They were among 250 athletes from six schools – also including St. Alphonsus, St. John (Peterborough), St. John (Norwood) and Monsignor O’Donoghue – competing at Holy Cross Secondary School.
Dunn and Flanagan admitted neither one of them did much training for the meet. They get lots of exercise playing other sports. Dunn is a rep lacrosse and hockey player. Flanagan plays rep basketball and house league soccer and hockey.
“I just play a lot of lacrosse and I guess that’s what gets me prepared,” Dunn said.
She comes from an athletic family so it runs in the genes. Her brothers Josh and Zach Currier star for the Peterborough Century 21 Lakers and also play in the National Lacrosse League.
“We all go out and play our hardest and like to play sports and our whole family enjoys watching,” Dunn said.
It’s nice to win, says Dunn, but it’s not her main motivation for doing track and field.
“I don’t really care what I place I just like having fun and hanging around with my friends and doing things I love,” she said.
“Grace is a natural talent and a natural athlete,” said St. Catherine principal Shelley Adair.
“She has a great spirit and brings that to whatever she does whether it’s her school work, things we do at school or athletics. She’s just a talented and nice girl.”
Flanagan also won top boy last year by also winning all three of his events.
“I run around all the time but I don’t do much training,” said Flanagan, who says he spends his recess breaks playing soccer.
“In basketball you have to run all the time. You can’t stay in one spot. It’s not like soccer where you stand and wait for the ball to come to you.”
It wasn’t until Grade 6 that he started to dominate his events.
“It’s really good to win all these events. I was trying to do it for a second time,” he said.
Next year he thinks he’ll try the 100m dash.
“The 200, my teacher said I could get a better head start and a better lead. The 400, I have long legs so I can keep my stamina and sprint at the end. Next year I’ll probably do the 100 instead of the 400.”