McDonald take training to next level

Last year, Abi McDonald wasn’t happy with her performance during the high school track and field season.

Competing in the senior girls 100-metre hurdles, the Grade 12 student at Beamsville and District Secondary School placed second at the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association championships, but her time was far from satisfactory in her eyes. It was also a comedown from her Grade 10 year when she won SOSSA and made the final at the Ontario Federation of Secondary Schools Association championships.

Coming off last summer when she made it to the finals at the national youth championships in Manitoba, the 17-year-old has taken her training to a new level this season.

“I have been really consistent,” she said. “I have been doing weights and I have been training six times a week instead of just the three, and that really helps.”

Trevor Moore, her coach at the Niagara Olympic Club, has had a first-hand view of her newfound dedication to the sport.

“She’s committed more time to the sport and made it more of a priority,” he said. “That consistency has shown up.”

It has shown up on and off the track.

“She has been with the club for four years now and she has improved a lot as an athlete and as a human, and she has grown up a lot this year,” Moore said. “She is having a really good season and I expect more good things from her.”

McDonald won the 100-metre hurdles at the Zone 4 meet last week and Wednesday she placed third at the SOSSA championships at the Niagara Olympic Club in a race plagued by three false starts. Governor Simcoe’s Mia Friesen won the race in a time of 15.28 seconds.

McDonald hopes it is only the beginning of a great season.

“I definitely want to get to OFSAA and make the finals,” she said.

McDonald is confident about making that goal based on how her season is going.

“I have dropped a lot of time from last summer.”

She is not just focused on the high school season.

“I am trying to get to junior nats (nationals) in Montreal in the second week of July.”

She needs a time of 14.8 seconds to qualify and is at 15.3 seconds right now.

Moore likes her chances of qualifying.

“She has to stay consistent and as the competition gets faster, she will get faster,” he said. “It’s a matter of doing what she is doing, being confident, believing that she can do it and believing in the program.”

McDonald is a big fan of her sport.

“It’s the feeling,” she said. “I just love getting PBs (personal bests) and I just love track in general.”

She is not sure where her hurdling will take her after she graduates high school this spring, but she is already fielding a number of offers, including a NCAA Division 1 school in Massachusetts and Ontario schools such as Windsor and Western.

Her decision will be based on the calibre of the schooling and the track and field team. But first, she has some unfinished business.

“I definitely want to finish this year strong,” McDonald said.