High-flying Maya back on OFSAA podium
Maya Fetic has had an eventful journey on her way back to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations’ track and field podium.
The 17-year-old Niagara Falls native won OFSAA in Grade 9 and came within a few centimetres of the OFSAA record in the midget girls pole vault. She broke her leg in Grade 10, but took the cast off in time to jump at OFSAA and placed fourth.
In her Grade 11 year, she had to switch launch legs because her one leg had been fractured too many times doing gymnastics. She still managed to place 11th at OFSAA.
“My doctor told me I should quit pole vaulting or switch legs,” the Grade 12 student at A.N. Myer said.
She is left-handed and would take off on her right foot and she switched to having her right hand up and using her left foot to take off.
“It was really hard and my coaches were really nervous about it because not a lot of people do it,” she said. “They were pretty surprised with how well I did, but I was pretty determined.”
It took her about a year to feel comfortable with the new technique.
“By then, I was pretty much even and I had caught up,” she said. “Now, a year and a half later, I PBed (recorded a personal best) again.”
She jumped 3.65 metres at OFSAA, topping her personal best by an impressive 0.2 metres and winning an OFSAA bronze medal in the process.
It was the culmination of a lot of hard work at school and twice a week practices at Bolton Pole Vault.
“I was really determined on getting better and getting back to where I was because I used to be ranked first in Canada.”
She held that ranking in Grade 9 and 10.
“I wasn’t in Grade 11 so my goal for Grade 12 was to get back.”
She is currently ranked fourth in Canada.
“Hopefully, I can get to second (in Canada),” she said. “There’s a really good girl who is ahead of me right now and she is doing really well. I am really proud of her and I hope I can get close to her.”
The winning jump at OFSAA was 3.9 metres.
“I hope by the end of my season, which is in August, to jump around 3.9 metres,” Fetic said.
She has been hooked on the sport since Grade 8 when she watched Makiah Hunt in action. Hunt, a Saint Michael grad, was a three-time OFSAA champion and is now a scholarship athlete at the University of South Dakota. Fetic and Hunt now carpool to practice in Bolton and share a passion for the sport.
“I have a lot of fun doing it and it feels really natural to me. I am also very competitive so I like to do stuff to better myself and I enjoy being healthy,” Fetic said.
She also loves the camaraderie in the sport.
“I enjoy the people I jump with, my coaches and everyone who does track and field is really nice.”
She will be graduating from A.N. Myer this spring and is taking her pole vault career to Western University.
“I am going to be on more of a strict training schedule and it’s five or six days a week that Western practises instead of two and going to the gym once or twice a week,” she said. “I feel like I will be more fit and healthy and they are also going to help with food scheduling and stuff.
“It will be nice to be part of a team and, with harder training and stuff, I think I will be able to improve.
Fetic will be missed at Myer.
“Maya has been very dedicated to her training both in and outside of school,” Myer coach Joanne Thomson said. “Although her pole vault training has been outside of Myer, Maya has been proud to represent and jump for Myer over the past four years.
“She has trained at school to stay eligible for OFSAA, putting in countless hours to be at her peak for the high school track season.”
Thomson describes Fetic as coachable, conscientious and a talented athlete.
“We have been proud to have her at Myer and will miss her when she graduates.”
