Season Recap

One year ago I could not have even imagined I would have been able to do so many of the things I was able to do this year. In this sport, it is often support is hard to find. I have worked myself very hard, I have a fantastic coach, and I have a small group surrounding me who support me in my goals. This year I got to do so many things, but I will talk about only a few.

At this point last year, I was still training with no real club affiliation, no championships, no real end to a season, very little support, and a very new relationship with my coach. With meeting my coach I was able to make some impressive steps toward success. He was also one of the key factors as to why I began seriously looking into how I could race in Germany. Last summer I spent many many hours researching and learning about the way things work in Germany and searching for a club who would support me to get into the German Championships. So much work was put into not only training, but also just organization of things.

Working a full time job and continuing to train full time has been a struggle but I have made it work. Some of the opportunities I had this year included traveling to Canada a bunch to race a hand full of my hurdling friends who happen to consist of the majority of the top 10 hurdlers in Canada. For outdoor season I was invited to participate in the first two of 3 NTL meets which would have the high hurdles. I set a goal to represent myself well and I did just that. I was able to finish 4th at both of the NTL meets!

One of the more exciting things I was able to do this year was travel to Germany 3 times. My first visit was to introduce myself to my club and show that I was serious about joining and qualifying for the indoor championship. I was able to not only run a PB but also qualify and get my first win on German soil, and the best part was that I got to do it at my clubs home stadium!

My German trips have really been amazing experiences and I was always sad to leave. The national championships were some of the highest level meets I have ever competed in and at the best facilities I have had the pleasure to see.

I am 25 years old and was able to participate in my very first National Championship of my career!!!

My third trip to Germany was for the Outdoor Championships. I spent 9 days in Germany preparing for the race. I came into the meet seeded 12th and would need to improve to make finals. I was able to improve and make finals, finishing 7th. At the age of 25, I participated in my first outdoor championship and was also a finalist. So much excitement!

To top it off, each trip to Germany so far has seen my run a PB!

My year has been amazing. I have trained for 14 months to make all of this happen. I have researched, studied, and executed all levels of my continued participation in the sport and having done all the work primarily on my own gives me a feeling I can’t describe.

I am ready to get back to work, but I know this next year will be big for me and resting the body is important.

I want to thank all the people who have supported me. This year has not been easy by any mean and anyone’s support no matter the size is greatly appreciated!