Honour Roll
Aysia Maurice
Aysia Maurice started running, as many kids do, at her school lunch run club. “In Grade 2, one of my gym teachers noticed how much I liked it and asked me if I wanted to run cross country,” she recalls. “I guess he thought I was pretty good.” It’s safe to say that her gym teacher had a good eye. Maurice, at just 15 years old, has taken “pretty good” to a whole new level with her long list of championship awards.
Maurice’s results have improved steadily over the last several years. Last fall, she won gold at both ropssaa and ofsaa in the midget category for cross country and gold in senior girls at the Minor Track Association Provincial Cross Country Championships. More recently, she had an outstanding performance at ofsaa track and field championships, taking gold in the midget girls 3,000m and silver in the midget girls 1,500m. She followed this up with a U16 1,500m steeplechase golds at the Athletics Ontario Outdoor Track Championships and at the Legion National Championships in Sydney, N. S.
Despite her success, Maurice is humble and praises her coach, Scott Skimming from 310 Running, for the work he puts into his athletes. She understands that much of her success comes from great coaching: “He knows exactly how to prepare each of us for the big meets, he knows our abilities and knows what we need to work on and provides us with as many racing opportunities as possible.” She also recognizes the benefit of great training partners, like fellow 310 teammate, Sierra Rodriques. “She and I are a similar speed, so we can push each other. We train for the same events too so I always have that person there to warm up and race with, I am so lucky to have her,” she says. Skimming reinforces Maurice’s sentiments: “We have built a mutual trust. I trust her decision making, her execution and I unconditionally trust her efforts. Aysia is an athlete that knows where she wants to go, has the talent to get there and is not afraid to put in the work in and she trains and competes with a maturity and intelligence way beyond her years.”
As Maurice continues to work towards her full potential, she admits she struggles with her confidence: “It can be tough sometimes, it’s hard to stay out of my own head and just keep focused but I just keep telling myself, I know my abilities, I know what I’m capable of and I have to believe that I can run at high levels and I can run against all these amazing athletes. Once I hit the track, I am always determined to finish strong and give it my all.” She’s also thrilled about the new track at her school that is an exceptional upgrade to the gravel track she trained on for years. Skimming was asked to participate in the design phase of the track and with his recommendations, the track will now house a proper steeplechase and will meet standards for hosting events such as ofsaa track.
Currently, Maurice is changing her focus from track, and her beloved steeplechase, to her other favourite event, cross country. As for long term goals, she hesitantly mentions the Olympics, using words like “crazy” and “incredible” if it happened. She understands the hard work ahead but still believes anything is possible. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself,” she adds quickly, “I just want to focus on what’s in front of me.”