Skotniski adds to OFSAA medal haul

There are hard acts to follow and then there’s what was facing Sierra Skotniski as she headed into last week’s Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations’ track and field championships in Guelph

Last year, the Grade 10 student at Welland Centennial made an impressive debut in high school track and field, winning OFSAA gold in the midget girls shot put and bronze in the discus.

“All I was hoping to do was medal and I was really hoping to medal in both again, but it’s fine that I only medalled in one,” the 15-year-old Port Colborne resident said. “That’s all I wanted.”

She ended up winning the bronze medal in junior girls shot put with a throw of 12.73 metres, which was 0.45 metres behind the silver medallist.

The Athletics Niagara member wasn’t overly pleased with her performance in the shot put or the discus. She ended up in fourth place in the discus with a throw of 34.88 metres.

“I haven’t been throwing my best lately, not to anywhere near my PBs (personal best) so it has kind of been a disappointment.”

She thinks it’s a matter of not peaking at the right time.

“I’ve been doing track for a while now with a club and during the winter I would train twice a week and I would power lift twice a week,” she said. “I stopped power lifting right before track season and I think that might have affected it.”

Skotniski started training full time last October hoping to build on her excellent first year of high school track and field.

“I wanted to continue to get better and I just really enjoy doing it,” she said. “It gives me something to do all year.”

She loves most everything about the sport.

“It’s the feeling of being really strong and having it (discus and shot put) go far.”

Skotniski has always been strong, but her training over the winter has added to that element. She can dead lift 75 kilograms.

She plans to continue training through the summer, but she’s not planning to enter any competitions.

“Next year I will start doing it for universities and all that.”

Her ultimate goal is to earn a track scholarship at a university.

“I just want to continue to throw after I am done high school because two of the girls who went to OFSAA didn’t medal and they were saying it was the last time they would pick up a discus,” she said. “I don’t want that.”