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Track stars aim for personal bests at B.C. Summer Games

Cody Schaeffer hasn't had much down time these days.
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Cody Schaeffer will be competing in the 100

Cody Schaeffer hasn't had much down time these days.

The Prince Rupert athlete just got back into town after a gig in Richmond saw him play left-mid and striker for the Prince Rupert rep under-17 soccer team, and now he'll be whisked away down south again to compete in the B.C. Summer Games with Team Northwest for track and field in Nanaimo next week.

"It's been stressful I guess ... but I've been pretty good. I'm sleeping in of course," he said at a practice at Charles Hays Secondary School (CHSS) last week.

Sleeping in; what summers are made of. But not for long for Schaeffer and his three Rupert teammates joining him – Kody Deschamps, Isobel Leblanc and Emily Cavin.

"The fact they're out here basically on their own training is a good sign," said CHSS head coach Dighton Haynes, preparing to rake the long jump sandpit.

Schaeffer will run the 100, 200 and 300 metre distances at the games, while Leblanc will compete in the 200, long jump and high jump. Cavin will take on the 200, hurdles and triple jump, and Deschamps has the 200 and 300 metre runs to deal with.

Most of the athletes who they'll be competing against will be a year older, since Cavin, Leblanc and Deschamps all competed for the Prince Rupert Middle School in Grade 8 this past year.

"This is going to be an eye-opener for all of them because they haven't been to anything this big and then if they can go out there and get close to their personal bests, then they'll have a successful meet," said Haynes.

Cavin has some extra motivation to perform at her best in Nanaimo.

"We're going down a couple days early to visit some family beforehand. I have an aunt in Nanaimo and some grandparents so they're going to come watch me," she said.

For Cavin, hurdles have presented the biggest challenge so far, but she's channeled her inner Perdita Felicien and conquered the obstacles after an initial rough patch.

"It's difficult. The first time I did it I knocked over three [obstacles] and I died in the last 100 metres but I've gotten better so I'll be prepared hopefully," she said.

Leblanc has only recently delved into track and field and it's helped not only her sporty side but her dancing as well.

"It gets you to have more stamina because you're running a lot," said Leblanc.

Her high jump personal best totals are a metre and 45 centimetres.

"I'm also getting put on a relay team down there but we don't know who we're going to be with," she said.

"I'm really excited I think it's going to be a good experience."

"In the past I've found that the athletes who had gone to the Summer Games had such a great experience that they're really the core of the [school] team for future years," said Haynes.