Gayle jumps to OFSAA silver
Amairah Gayle had a great time at her first Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations track and field meet.
“It went well, I learned a lot and I was able to get a new PB in the high jump,” the 15-year-old St. Catharines resident. “The long jump and everything else I am fairly new at them so it was very inconsistent, especially long jump. But I was also able to get a new PB in long jump (5.25 metres) and I came fifth in that and second in the high jump. I didn’t place in 100 metres. I am not a sprinter.”
The Grade 9 student at St. Catharines Collegiate picked up a lot of things at the meet.
“It taught me how to be consistent with my (high) jumps. In competition, sometimes I would be a bit wonky especially at 1.55 (metres). I struggled adjusting to that even though I could clear 1.60 after. The only problem I had there was I wasn’t getting my butt up and I don’t know why. Otherwise. Everything else benefitted me.”
Her silver medal jump in the high jump was 1.62 metres while the winner, Frances Vollett from St. John’s College, jumped 1.65 metres.
When they hung the silver medal around her neck, the Thorold Elite Track Club member wasn’t celebrating too much.
“I was thinking that I had to do better and that I had to work a lot more harder than what I was doing. I was slacking off too much and I needed to do a lot more which I kind of did in the time before that competition,” she said. “After OFSAA, I kept practising and it helped a lot and I actually jumped 1.65.”
That jump, at the District B Legion Meet in Hamilton, helped Gayle win gold and beat Vollett by 10 centimetres.
“She (Vollett) is really good and she taught me a lot with form too. I was looking at the photos of her jumping and how her back was curved completely and I knew I wasn’t doing that. Once I learned that and practised it, I was able to clear it (1.65 metres) later.”
Gayle showed a lot of maturity in admitting she hadn’t been working hard enough and she credited her father, Patrick Gayle.
“He reminds me that other people are working when I am not. I could be sitting around and people are training. Raw talent can help you but people are going to surpass you some day if they have raw talent and are working hard.”
Her experience at OFSAA was motivating.
“It taught me to work harder and it clearly helped. After competition, I used that.”
Thorold Elite coach Steven Fife describes Gayle as an amazing talent.
“She works incredibly hard but also makes it look easy to jump what she does. The sky is the limit and she has already been defying gravity. She’s very, very humble and grateful and there are national medals within her reach.”
This summer, Gayle is planning to compete at the provincial and national championships.
“I wanted to keep training during the year and make it to 1.70 eventually. I usually go up five at a time.”
The long-time goal is to get a scholarship.
“Everything about it interests me. Eventually I want to get good enough that people are watching me on TV.”
