Jade Canak, a recent graduate of Erskine Academy, competed in her first New England Outdoor Track and Field Championship meet last year. Canak arrived with impressive credentials, and as she quickly realized, so did everybody else.
“Every kid that you talk to is such an incredible athlete,” Canak said. “That was definitely eye-opening.”
Canak is one of many local athletes competing at New Englands on Saturday in Bridgewater, Mass., as central Maine will be well-represented in the competition.
In addition to being part of Erskine’s 4×100 meter relay team that is seeded 30th, Canak is seeded 16th in the triple jump and 21st in the long jump. She said she’ll compete in all three events.
“I’m definitely focusing most on my jumps,” she said. “But last year, I ran the 4x100s at New Englands and it helped me warm up a lot for my jumps. I had my best triple jump last year, so I don’t want to change anything.”
Waterville coach Ian Wilson is certainly experienced in sending athletes to New Englands. Wilson said that despite the increased level of competition, the burden on the athletes isn’t as great as it would be at a state meet.
“I think for a lot of them, they don’t feel immense pressure,” Wilson said. “Really, they’re focusing more on their performance. Lots of times, they’re more relaxed and they perform better because of it.”
That’s the approach Maranacook’s Kelby Mace is taking. Mace is ranked sixth in the long jump and ninth in the triple jump.
“I’m just going to go in with an open mind,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d qualify. It’s just sort of a no-pressure thing — just go out and do my best.”
Waterville has nine athletes competing, led by Rachel Bergeron (fourth in shot put, 26th in discus), Sarah Shoulta (12th in 100 hurdles, 17th in 300 hurdles, 27th in pole vault) and Kellie Bolduc (17th in triple jump, 21st in 100 hurdles). On the boys side, the Purple Panthers have two athletes seeded in the 110 hurdles, as Troy Gurski is 18th and Shahzaib Khan is 26th.
Class A girls pole vault champion Noah Stevens of Skowhegan goes in 16th in that event. The experience of going to New Englands is all new to Stevens.
“I just got a packet that said what I have to do, and I’ll just go and figure it out for myself,” she said. “The competition’s really good. It makes me work harder, and pushes me to be a better athlete.”
Mt. Blue’s Nate Pratt-Holt was the Class A winner in the triple jump, and is seeded fourth in New Englands. Pratt-Holt, a sophomore, is the only athlete in the top 11 in the triple jump who is not a junior or senior. Winthrop’s Rachel Ingram will also compete in the triple and long jump.
Messalonskee’s Amanda Knight is seeded 10th in the 400 and 34th in the 200. Kaitlin Eschenbrenner, who won the Class A state title in the javelin, is ranked 12th in that event. For the Messalonskee boys, Damen Bickford is seeded 10th in the shot put. Maine Central Institute is sending three athletes, with both Eric Hathaway and Shane Hathaway competing in two events. For Carrabec, junior Emma Pluntke is 11th in the shot put.
Lawrence’s Sydney Emery is one of three Bulldogs competing. Emery, a junior, is seeded 24th in the discus with a throw of 104 feet, 10 inches. She’s eying the school record, which she said is at 110 feet.
“I’ve thrown it in practice plenty of times,” Emery said. “I’m not expecting to place or anything. I’m just going to have fun with it.”
The rain in Bridgewater Friday night was about like it was in central Maine. There’s possibly more rain in the forecast for Saturday, which will affect some events more than others.
“It’s slippery in the circle,” Emery said. “It’s not really going to help me out.”
Mace didn’t seem bothered by the prospect of rain, saying it’s not a big deal. Canak, like most of us, is about sick of the rain.
“The weather affects me when I’m competing a lot,” Canak said. “I do my best when it’s hot and humid. I don’t like wind at all — unless it’s a tailwind. If I have a tailwind, that’s great. If it’s hot and rainy, I’m OK with that, but cold and rainy — not good.”
Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243
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