An athlete for all seasons
No one should be surprised by any successes Aubrey Sartor has this spring in track and field.
Last fall, the Grade 9 student at Blessed Trinity competed in cross country for the first time since Grade 6 and ended up cruising to an easy victory in the novice girls race at the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association championships. She would go on to lead the Thunder to an 11th-place team finish at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations championships by placing 27th as an individual.
“After I won SOSSA cross country in the fall, I just decided that I would try out for the track team,” she said.
Sprinting came naturally to her.
“I play a lot of sports and I am pretty fast in them. I play midfield in lacrosse and I played striker in soccer and I would always be first to the ball. I am faster than most girls so I thought I would give it a try.”
On Wednesday at the Niagara Catholic Athletic Association track and field meet, the 15-year-old was up to her usual tricks. She won the 100 metres and 400 metres and was also competing later in the day in the relays.
“I don’t know about the further meets but I was pretty confident today at this meet.”
She has a specific goals in mind for this track and field season.
“I hope to get to OFSAA but my biggest goals are to win SOSSA next week.”
Regardless of what she does in track and field, Sartor has already accumulated an impressive sporting resume. She has made the Team Ontario field lacrosse team the past two years and recently advanced to the final tryout for this year’s squad.
It is a busy schedule.
“We travel to the States about seven times during the year, including Florida and Maryland, and then I also play for St. Catharines lacrosse.”
Last year, she was a member of a St. Catharines Athletics team that won a provincial title. Sartor was also on a Stoney Creek Sabres hockey team that won a provincial crown.
“I have quit hockey to focus on lacrosse,” she said.
Running track is a good way to help prepare herself for field lacrosse.
“I play midfield in lacrosse and it is all running up and down the field so I have to be able to be fast and have good endurance,” she said. “They both help with each other.”
