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Lacombe-born athlete inducted into Hall of Fame

Lacombe born Trisha Lorenz was inducted into the Alberta College Athletes Association (ACAC) Hall of Fame

Lacombe born Trisha Lorenz was inducted into the Alberta College Athletes Association (ACAC) Hall of Fame with a ceremony on May 10th.

Lorenz was among the first 50 inductees to be honoured and welcomed into the Hall of Fame. The ceremony was held in part with the 50th anniversary of the Alberta College Athletics Association.

“It’s an honour, a huge honour,” says Lorenz. “I got the letter from Augustana and thought it was some general letter but I started reading and thought, whoa - oh, okay!”

Lorenz was given the induction after an intense dedication to sports and coaching between Augustana University College, the University of Lethbridge and dedication shown through her high school years.

“I enjoyed being part of a team, and having the achievement and improvement and seeing something come from your hard work. I’m still like that, especially with physical things,” she says.

“I like to learn something, then master it and get better.”

Lorenz first began taking initiative with her sport skills development in high school, where she was often practicing in the school gym to better her basketball skills. She did play a variety of sports in the school, but excelled at basketball especially.

“I was very, very focused and very competitive and determined,” says Lorenz.

“I think those are all great qualities, but if there’s a child out there that has a dream of doing something with their athletics, I think it’s great to dream and to work towards that.”

The Lorenz family was often involved in activities that promoted her interest in a healthy lifestyle.

“My parents were excellent role models for me in that they played sports and we went to watch games, and did a lot of things as a family that were active.”

She says that often there were bike rides, games of catch and park visits. The relationships built through her active lifestyle choices were also an immense part of her athletic success.

“There are things that stand out in terms of actual competitions, but more of it is general memories of experiences we shared,” she says. “Road trips, early morning practices, eating lunch in the cafeteria, that kind of stuff.”

Lorenz said her coach was also a huge instrument in her success, and was her inspiration for beginning a coaching career.

“My coach during those (high school) years was a real mentor for me.

“She was a huge support for me as an athlete and as a coach. She was always the one I could go to, and she helped me feel a lot more confident and helped me believe in myself.”

She adds that some of the friendships she developed in her years as a practicing athlete have been long lasting and very special to her.

When asked what she could say to young aspiring athletes, Lorenz’s focus was on allowing children to have a variety of experiences.

“The kids that aren’t jocks still deserve an opportunity to try things and be active. I think that’s what is important for the development of kids.”

Lorenz recognized that for most parents, budgets sometimes prevent the chance to enroll kids in several sports. She also says the pressure for kids to be excellent at a particular sport is immense.

She says kids think they aren’t going to be good enough to play on a team if they don’t stick to a single sport all year round, and adds that she finds the notion quite sad.

“I think now that maybe the focus is a bit too much on kids having to choose at a very young age what sport they want to excel in. It’s so sad when that happens.”

Currently, Lorenz resides in Raymond, Alberta with her husband and three boys. She leads an active role in her town’s theatre community and is also a tap and jazz dance teacher.

When she put the brakes on her athletic career, she went to Grant MacEwan University to study a theatre arts program.

“For me, it’s nice to have that part of my life now that I’ve sort of switched gears.”

kmendonsa@lacombeexpress.com