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Tumbler Ridge Athlete Qualifies For National Championships
Wednesday July 14, 2010  | Laura with her two medals from the meet in St. Albert.
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Laura Sharman, one of the most talented athletes in the history of Tumbler Ridge, recently achieved a coveted milestone, by qualifying for the National Championships to be held in Ottawa on August 6-8. Laura has just finished Grade 9 at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. This distinction comes after a demanding season of intense training, under the watchful eye of coaches Linda Helm and Birgit Sharman.
Her two events at Nationals will be the 80 metre hurdles and the long jump. All of her training has been on the Tumbler Ridge grass track, on which the coaches go out and paint the lines using funds from the True Sport award that Tumbler Ridge received in 2007. The long-jump area in which she practices is equally low-tech: a simple pit dug by volunteers, with a grass run-up. She was also privileged to spend a week of intensive training with gifted long jump coach Max Legault in Tumbler Ridge.
Her lead up to Nationals has been impressive: 1st and 2nd places at the BC Provincial Championships in the Grade 8-9 category, qualifying for the BC Summer Games, and then a crucial meet at St Albert, Alberta. At this venue she had to meet certain national standards or place 1st or 2nd in Alberta. The qualifying standard for long jump is 4.90 metres – Laura jumped 5.06 (1st place). The standard for hurdles is 12.58 seconds – Laura came in in an astonishingly good 12.15 seconds. She was thus notified on June 20th that she has made the team to go to National Championships.
Provincial teams have their flights, accomodations, uniforms and meals covered by the Royal Canadian Legion, and stay with the team and coaches. Meantime her training continues with track and/or weight room sessions seven days a week. Laura’s achievements are a tribute to her own praiseworthy dedication and passion for track and field, the unflinching support of her coaches, and the positive training environment that Tumbler Ridge provides. All of Tumbler Ridge will wish her well on August 6-8 in Ottawa!
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