Bulldogs race to OFSAA bronze
The Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs junior boys cross country team had high expectations heading into last Monday’s Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations cross country championships in Ottawa.
“We were expecting to do pretty well,” said Aidan Nickolson. “We have a pretty strong team and we wanted to do the best that we could.”
Mark Abban-Desbouvie and the rest of his teammates found out they had won the bronze medal by looking at the online results that were constantly changing as runners cross the finish line and their results were inputted into the system.
“We actually thought we were seventh at first because there was a glitch and when we found out we had won third it was very exciting and happy moment,” Abban-Desbouvie said. “We were all over the place getting water and food after the race and then everyone was celebrating. Eventually you meet up and you all celebrate together. We had fun and enjoyed the victory.”
Keegan Clark felt everyone on the team played a role in the victory.
“Lucas (Sacco), Christian (Sloetjes) and I were all very close and we had a very strong fourth runner in Jack (Miller). Aidan also helped bump down some other runners and Mark was out there cheering guys on on the course.”
Running is an individual sport but teamwork plays a crucial role in cross country.
“The team is very important because if you have one person not do so well then the team suffers. We all have a part on the team,” Clark said.
Miller moving up to run junior was a key moment for the team.
“We knew from the beginning if we pulled Jack up from novice that we would have a decent shot at maybe a top five finish,” Sacco said. “We realized his full potential when he committed to the junior team at zone. He had a stellar race and he did well right behind us. We knew he would push up forward to have a good finish at OFSAA.”
It was important for the team to be confident but not overconfident.
“Overconfidence just makes you fall harder. We went into it knowing we were going to do well but not being sure of where we would finish,” Sacco said. “Our goal was a top five finish. Obviously we got that we are very happy about it.”
Miller needed to make some changes to race at the junior level.
“I know a lot of the older kids like to do a higher mileage. For me, it took some adjusting to get there. I was normally in the 50-60 kilometre range (a week) and they were closer to 60-70 kilometres. In the summer, I know the older kids were doing a couple of hundred-kilometre weeks and I was still at 60.”
It wasn’t hard for Miller to be motivated.
“For me, I like the challenge and I knew that I could do well at OFSAA so I really wanted to keep training. I didn’t want to be disappointed with my performance.”
It was the second straight year that a Churchill junior boys team won a bronze medal at OFSAA.
“In my opinion, going into OFSAA I was kind of nervous to match up with that,” Sloetjes said. “We were hoping to podium and we did so.”
Sloetjes tried not to feel any pressure about matching last year’s result.
“It was more that I was moving (to Port Colborne) and this was probably my last OFSAA at Churchill and my first OFSAA,” he said. “There was pressure to do well because of that.”
Sloetjes agrees it will be tough to leave his teammates.
“They are basically my brothers,” he said, adding that brotherhood is what made the team succeed. “We have gone through a bunch of stuff — blood and sweat — and we did a lot of workouts. When you do that all together, it creates a bond that is more than just a friendship.”
