Two Lacombe high school students are primed and ready for the approaching track and field season having just returned from a special training camp in Puerto Vallarta.
Kylie Sargent and Eiley Morrison, who both live on farms in Lacombe County, attended the camp over spring break and it proved an exceptional time to hone their skills, said trainer Ron Hewer, a high-performance coach with the Red Deer-based Alberta Speed School.
Also, while in Mexico for the training, the girls had the opportunity to take part in a competition in Mazatlan as well, he said.
“Eiley tied for first place in the 100m, and Kylie earned a bronze in both the 100m hurdles, and the 400m hurdles,” he said.
“Both represented their country, province, and community with class and sportsmanship.”
For his part, Hewer has been coaching down in Mexico for several years. He heads to Mexico for the winter months to coach high-performance athletes from the Puerto Vallarta Halcones Track Club.
“Anytime an athlete gets the opportunity to experience a training camp out of their normal environment, I would encourage it. There are a lot of dividends that come from that — life-long dividends.”
He uses his knowledge and expertise in both countries to further develop and enhance high-performance track athletes, according to the organization’s website.
“The Mexican system is a little bit different, as it starts in October and ends in May, whereas the Canadian system starts in May and ends around early August,” he explained.
“So it’s been a really good fit for me as a coach.”
Following his coaching duties for the Pan Am games in Chile this past fall, he returned to Mexico.
“I coach there throughout the winter months and a little bit of the spring. During the winter, I do go back to Canada usually about every four weeks and meet up with my Canadian athletes,” he said.
“We brush off the dust a little bit by doing some training sessions.”
Hewer said that he’s helped to provide high school students with the opportunity to head down to Mexico on their spring breaks to keep up with their training.
“When they get on that outdoor track in Canada (in the warmer weather), they’ve already been on an outdoor track (in Mexico). They’ve been training, so they’ve got a bit of an edge — they’ve got an advantage over their competitors.”
For example, Sargent and Morrison were able to take part in several sessions in Mexico, even though their visit there wasn’t overly lengthy.
Meanwhile, the Alberta Speed School is a seasonal summer track club.
Winters are spent resting the body and working on strength and conditioning in preparation for the summer season, and during the winter months, participants take part in some indoor meets.
For Sargent and Morrison, both 17, the experience of training in a different country proved an enriching and beneficial experience.
“They make you feel really special. It’s fun — we got to see a lot of new things, a new culture, and make some new friends,” said Morrison.
“It was awesome.”
Hewer has been a high-performance coach for more than 30 years and has been in the Red Deer area for the past six years.
“I’ve been working with Kylie and Eiley for one calendar year, and they’ve had just incredible success,” he said.
“They both come from amazing families, and they are both very, very focused. They are both very driven athletes, too. They have the perfect personalities for this sport.”
For the students, the challenges of track and field make it all that much more compelling.
“I like that it is ‘individual’. And that it’s up to me to make myself better,” said Sargent.
“I can always push myself to be better.”
Morrison agreed.
“I like the competition, and I think that it’s really rewarding when you work hard.”
For Hewer, there is nothing quite like helping to guide athletes to great heights in the pursuit of athletic excellence.
“I love what I do. Their success is my success,” he said, adding that in his own experience looking back, he had some great coaches as well. That is something that has always inspired him to give back, he added.
“I can’t put an adjective on it, but it’s moments like this — watching your athletes dig in. They get those personal bests, you get to share those moments with them.”
He also noted that in Mexico, coaches will personally present their athletes with medals after a given competition.
“We don’t do that Canada. But I love that about Mexico because it’s your journey together.”