Trip of a lifetime
North Smithfield's Xavier Croteau ready to compete in the 30th annual Down Under Sports Tournament in Australia
NORTH SMITHFIELD – For someone who had never before paid much attention to – heck, even followed – track and field, Xavier Croteau sure has found a way to excel at it.
So much so, in fact, the North Smithfield High junior sprinter now is preparing to make a trip of a lifetime. He discovered late last June that he had been invited to participate in the 30th annual Down Under Sports Tournament’s outdoor track segment in Brisbane, Australia during the week of July 8-17.
He later learned he was the only Rhode Island trackster to receive such a request. Blown away? You bet.
“I was selected without knowing the event even existed; my (varsity) football coach, Wes Pennington, told me after Captains’ practice one day in late June (after my sophomore year ended) that he had something for me,” Croteau explained. “I remember it was a Friday about 6 (p.m.), and he gave me an envelope.
“He said he didn’t know what it was,” he added. “I was in the locker room with my friends when I read the letter, and I couldn’t believe it, so I gave it to (teammate) Jack Pucetti to see if it was real. He told me, ‘Yup, it’s true!’ and I was, like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I was stunned. I mean, Australia? Me?”
When he went home and told his parents, Derek and Diane, they had the same reaction.
“I showed my mom the letter, and she started freaking out; she was stunned, and that made me even more excited,” Croteau said, laughing. “The letter said that I had an amazing outdoor (track) season, and that they were more than thrilled to have me fly down there and be a member of the U.S. team.”
It IS astonishing that Croteau will compete not only in his 100- and 200-meter specialties against high school kids from Australia and New Zealand, but also the nation’s interscholastic 4 x 100 relay.
Here’s why: As a freshman, he started for Pennington’s varsity squad as a kick and punt returner, tailback and free safety, and – in the spring – went out for the baseball team. Not surprisingly, given his athleticism, he made it.
He had always loved baseball, and thought he’d have an interscholastic career in it. Croteau’s mind set, however, changed rather quickly.
“I didn’t run track as a sophomore because of baseball, but I wasn’t playing much, and that bothered me,” he noted. “Because I started (for the football team) as a freshman, I decided to go out for track (the spring of his sophomore year) because I wanted to get faster for football. I was humbled by (starting), and I wanted to get better.
“I also was told by my friends I was one of the fastest guys in the school, so I figured, ‘Why not?’”
Croteau had instant success, and – by early May – found himself winning the 100 dash at the Northern Division Outdoor Championships with a superb clocking of 11.1. He also manufactured a top-six placement in the 200 (23.3).
“I definitely was shocked,” he admitted. “I knew I had a chance at winning at Northern Divisions because I won all of our dual meets, but then I actually did it. I entered that meet believing I could, but I wanted a PR (best time) even more.”
Approximately three weeks before he received the invite to “Aussieland,” at the state championships at Brown Stadium, he finished an unsatisfying 12th in the 100 (11.3) and 10th in the 200 (23.1).
After his junior grid campaign, one in dwhich he helped his Northmen earn a playoff bid, he joined the indoor track team for the first time, and – naturally – excelled yet again. He landed third in the 55-meter dash (6.8).
Croteau indicated he had been disappointed with his outdoor season early on this spring, especially after placing 10th in the 100 and 13th in the 200 at the recent Classical Classic.
The good news: He still hadn’t lost a dual meet in the shorter distance, and can now rcall himself the defending Northern Division champion in the 100. a Earlier this month at Ferguson Field in Lincoln, he ran a preliminary time of 12.05 and was second to Woonsocket’s Isaiah Karpinski. In the final, though, he flew to an 11.56 clockding and defeated the Villa Novan by a massive two-tenths of a second.
“At the Classical Classic, I was not pleased with those times,” he said. “It was my first tstate qualifier of the season, and I wanted to trun faster, especially after what I did last year at the same meet. I finished third in the 100 and ninth in the 200.
“After that (meet), I just thought I had more work I had to get done for Northern Divisions.”
It was easy to tell he was more than satisfied with his 100 final, but he’s got more on which he needs to focus, and “Down Under” isn’t one of them. Not yet.
The R.I. Class C meet is right around the corner, and the state championships will be held at Brown on Saturday, June 2.
Then there’s the subject of how he and his family will afford the trip to Brisbane.
“I’m still shocked,” he said. “Out of all the kids in Rhode Island, they picked me, and I have no idea why.”
According to “X” (call that a simple, appropos nickname), the elation of flying around the world soon turned to worry in the Croteau household.
“Probably two days later, my mom started to worry about the money it would take for us to get there,” he noted. “She talked to the people who sent the letter, and they told her they sent the letter because I was invited to the Down Under tournament. They said they wanted me to run the 100, 200 and in the 4 x 100 relay.
“I know I’ve talked to some kids who went last year, people from West Warwick and Hendricken, and they told me it was the est track and field experience of their lives,” he continued. “They said, ‘X, whatever you do, don’t stop training after states!’ They also told me, ‘Whatever you put into it, that’s what you’ll get out of it.’
“I understood.”
Apparently, Diane continued to fret, so decided to investigate further.
“When we first found out, I was, like, ‘What? Is this for real?’” she chuckled. “He had just started track, and he was doing really well, but we weren’t sure what (the letter meant. We never thought about track because he always played baseball (in the spring).
“We had never heard of (the event) before, so I did some research,” she added.
“I found out later that the (Down Under tournament’s) officials recruit like a college does. I contacted the parents of a couple of kids who went last year, and Xavier found out that a girl from Mount St. Charles had gone for volleyball.
“It’s not just for track, but for basketball, American football, golf, cross-country, etc. I went on-line and saw a ‘Webinar,’ and we discovered a lot about it – when it was going to be, what would happen, the security and how much it cost. I found out International Sports Specialists, Inc. runs it, and George O’Scanlon is the president. Apparently, Gulf Coast of Queensland is the sponsor.
“Once I got all the details, I knew he’d be well taken care of.”
From the outset, she knew there would be one more issue. Her husband had told her from the beginning something to the effect of, “I don’t know. I’m worried, so he’s not going alone.”
Diane had a simple response.
“Well, he’s not NOT going! We’ll raise the money! That’s what I said,” she laughed again. “I also said, ‘I’m going, too.’”
On Sunday, Dec. 3, (ironically, Xavier’s 17th birthday), some family members and friends in the West Warwick/Coventry area hosted a fundraising event at the Olde Theater Diner.
“I grew up down there, and I have a friend who works there so we put together a luncheon,” Diane explained. “After expenses, we raised $1,200, which was a long way from what we needed.
The people who invited us said we’d need $4,700 for Xavier, which included airfare from Vancouver to Brisbane; we had to raise another $584 for a flight from Boston to Vancouver.
“We basically had to raise a little over $11,000, because (event officials) recommended we bring a minimum of $500 spending money.
"The $4,700 includes the flight to Brisbane (from Vancouver), 10 days and nine nights in a hotel, two meals a day and going to a Koala Bear event.”
Diane noted the family and friends have raised all but approximately $3,000, that after Prime Storage Group, based out of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Diane’s employer) promised to donate $2,500 to the cause. (Diane works at the Coventry facility).
“I’m pretty psyched about it; it’s a fantastic opportunity for ‘X,’ and going Down Under has been on my bucket list for … well, forever,,” she stated. “I mean, it’s Australia! Hello! You get the opportunity to do something like this, and to watch your son compete against other coutries, ad you have to jump at it.
“I never thought I’d be able to go financially, but thanks to my son’s talent and the generous support of our family and friends, it’s possible. We’re thrilled!”
Anyone who wants to donate to the Croteaus’ cause on-line may do so by going to DownUnderSports.com/payment (use DUS ID: 8F81-6FAA—8896), or pay by calling (435) 753-4732