Pictou County track and field athletes doing well in U.S.
If Pictou County students are looking for inspiration in the world of track and field, there is no shortage of role models.
Three recent female athletes are now competing at the university level in the United States, where they are all doing well and making a name for themselves.
Pat Carty, who coaches for Pictou County Athletics, says he tries to keep younger students informed about the successes of these athletes.
These athletes are all getting training at a high level and can then share that knowledge with local athletes when they’re back in Pictou County for visits.
“It’s really good,” Carty said. “They come home and they help out and stuff like that…
“Our girls bring those skill development stuff home.”
Several of those athletes recently shared with The News about how their outdoor season is going this spring.
LAUREN QUANN
Pictou’s Lauren Quann is in her senior year at the University of New Hampshire, where she is majoring in therapeutic recreation while competing in the javelin and high jump events this semester.
With this being her final semester, she said she is trying to make the most of it.
“My focus this year was to stay happy, stay healthy and do well,” she said.
“I feel like I worked really hard to get where I’ve gotten and I just wanted to have a good senior season and cap out my university year.”
That mindset and hard work seem to be paying off for the Pictou-raised athlete.
During her opening outdoor meet of the season in Raleigh, N.C, she achieved a personal best in the javelin throw of 44.38 metres which beat her previous personal best by two metres.
She believes the focus on fun has helped. She said she’s also worked with her coaches on the mental preparation side and relies on her experience to know she can enter a meet with confidence.
While the outdoor season is just getting underway, Quann and other track athletes have been training indoors throughout the year.
“We train all through the winter inside on an indoor track and we do a lot of training with weighted balls, medicine ball drills and some indoor javelin and stuff.”
But while that’s good for technique and strength training, she said she enjoys being able to be back in the open air.
“It’s really nice to get outside and actually flight a javelin and see how it flies and see a distance on it.”
From an academic standpoint, Quann said she is enjoying her major and looking forward to doing more work with people in the world of therapeutic recreation.
“I’m hoping to continue within the sports world, but a little bit different realm,” she said. “I work with a lot of adaptive athletes and people with disabilities, so I’m really excited to get into that realm more heavily.
She said it’s important for her for people to see people with seeming disabilities for their true ability.
“It’s really opened my eyes working with this population how athletic and how able they are to do everything.”
Asked what advice she would give to others considering a collegiate career in sports, Quann says to “keep the sport fun.”
“If you’re having fun and staying in a positive mindset moving forward, then you’re going to do really well, but also to put in the work and the training so that you have that base to go off of.”
While juggling academic and athletic responsibilities can be a challenge, she says, from her experience, it’s worth the extra work for the experiences it gives.
“I think there’s an extra element added to the connections you build with your teammates and coaches and having that solid support system of people who are always going to be there for you because you’re a teammate.”
JENNA REID
Pictou’s Jenna Reid is in her junior year at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., where she is taking an accounting major. As an athlete, she has been competing in javelin and hammer throw this season.
She had a strong year last
year, competing in seven meets and winning several javelin events. At the Southern Conference Championship, Reid was second in the javelin, fifth in the hammer and ninth in the shot put.
This year she’s off to an even stronger start with a personal best at her first meet of the season.
“I think my training in the winter has definitely paid off,” Reid said. “I have a new coach this year and he’s helped me a lot in terms of the technical portion and really just focusing on each individual step rather than trying to fix everything and just hope for the best.”
The outdoor season for her started in mid-March. She is now preparing for the Southern Conference Championship, scheduled for April 30 to May 1.
Her personal goals are to qualify for the eastern qualifiers for the NCAA and she’s also hoping to make the Canada Games teams for Nova Scotia.
Reid said she has really enjoyed the warmer weather and also the people in South Carolina.
“The people here are really amazing and really helpful. It’s definitely a different atmosphere than home, but the people I’ve met here, have really helped and made it an awesome experience.”
She encourages other athletes in Nova Scotia to push hard if playing at the college level is something that interests them.
“Don’t give up, and even if things are hard and you’re faced with adversity, just do as much as you can.”
She said it’s also important not to be afraid to ask for help and network with others who may be able to give you advice or help you.
She also encourages young people to use their time in high school to try new things. For her, the sport she was initially interested in was hockey. Track and field was something she started as a form of cross-training. She had no idea that it would one day land her an athletic scholarship.
“High school is a good place to get your start in terms of training and finding a feel for what you like,” she says. “Try as many things as possible in high school.”
KEIGHAN DECOFF
Fraser’s Mountain resident Keighan DeCoff is in her freshman year at Mount Saint Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Md. She is currently majoring in criminal justice with a minor in sociology.
While it’s her first year competing at this level, she’s already getting recognized. After her first week of the outdoor track and field season, she was named Rookie of the Week for Women’s Track and Field in the Northeast Conference.
“In my first meet at Myrtle Beach, S.C., I got a new personal best in the shot put. I threw 12.67 (metres).”
She got another personal best in discus during a meet at High Point, N.C. as well.
While her main events are discus and shotput, DeCoff said her coach is also trying to get her into hammer throw.
While Mount Saint Mary’s may not be a super wellknown school, DeCoff said she is happy with her decision to go there.
“I love it here,” she said. “It’s a relatively small university compared to most and just it’s in a very rural town, so it kind of reminds me of home a little bit.”
She said her coach is really in tune with the athletes and can use the coaching style that works best for each person.
“I find she is able to prepare our workouts well to fit everyone’s needs,” DeCoff said.
DeCoff trains five days a week and is usually travelling every weekend, but said she finds teachers and coaches are understanding and willing to help them make their busy schedule work.
“Most of the time, I find it’s pretty well balanced,” she said.
DeCoff encourages other athletes who want to compete at the university level to keep their options. “You might find something you weren’t expecting,” she said. “I’m very happy with my choice.”