HomeMy WebLinkAboutGoderich Signal Star, 2017-03-29, Page 2222 Signal Star • Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Staehli looks back on varsity
career and plans for the future
Julie -Anne Staehli
Special to Signal Star
Local athlete Julie -Anne
Staehli shared her national
sport track experience with
the Lucknow Sentinel in her
own words, after recently
completing her university
sports career at Queen's Uni-
versity in Kingston:
On March 11, I ran my last
race for. Queen's University
at the National U Sport Track
Championships in Edmon-
ton, placing third in the
3,000m (9:20) and sixth in
the 1,500m (4:28).
Every athlete has five years
of eligibility in the U Sport
system, and my time as a
Gael is now up.
Although my varsity career
is slightly a blur, I am grateful
for every opportunity that has
come from running at this
level. Between Cross Country
and Indoor Track, I became
the first 5 -time All -Canadian
at Queen's with 12 podium
finishes, two school records,
and a lot of free pizza from
being Athlete of the Week (the
best).
Although my name is writ-
ten beside these results, I
can only take partial credit
for this success. The consist-
ency in my performance is a
reflection of the coaching
I've received from Head
Cross Country and Track
Coach, Steve Boyd, and his
assistant, Brant Stachel.
The knowledge and
patience they have is incred-
ible, always helping me
resurface when things get
rough, and getting me to the
start line each season in time
for the championship races.
The trust and confidence
they have in me is unbeata-
ble, and I truly believe this is
a key part to our success.
Beyond the "coaching staff';
the support I've received
extends to my sponsorship
with local RMT, Kurtis Mar-
low, who picked me up in
2014. I am forever thankful
for the hours of treatment
he's dedicated to me each
week, always keeping me
and my injuries calm. Fol-
lowing in 2015, I signed with
New Balance Canada, and I
will be re-signing with them
this year. It's amazing the
amount of shoes you go
through with 120-130k a
week, so this sponsorship
has been a huge asset to
both my feet and my budget.
Finally, why I've asked to
write this piece is to thank
the people back home (you)
who are reading this, and
who have followed and sup-
ported me through this jour-
ney so far.
I never get tired of phonet-
ically spelling out [Luck -No]
and explaining where it is on
the map (I usually start with
London, then go from there).
I am very proud to be from a
small town with endless
support.
The number of calls, texts
and relayed messages from
my parents these past five
years is one of the most
rewarding things about
being an athlete. I always
look forward to the next trip
home, running on the back -
roads and waving to all the
trucks and tractors that go
out of their way to pass by. I
never expected this kind of
support when I started,
Contributed Photos
Staehli recently completed her varsity career and is looking
forward to her athletic, as well as, academic future.
especially from a community
(and country) rooted in
hockey, but it makes my
experience as an athlete so
special.
Although my varsity career is
finished, it feels like I'm just
getting started.
The number one question
I get asked, besides "What
do you eat?", is "Are you
going to the Ol};mpics?':
That is a loaded question
that I can't answer. I'd be
lying if I didn't say I dream
about it every day, but it's
like winning the lottery,
there's a lot at stake with a
lot of unknowns. Thi's is
where luck comes in,
except the lucky part in
running is responding well
to training, staying injury -
free, not falling in a race or
eating a bad meal on flight,
and the million other fac-
tors that play a role in
determining the outcome
on race day. Now 23 with
(hopefully) miles ahead,
and three years before
2020, I can only take one
step at a time.
I am now in my first year
of a MSc in Sports Psychol-
ogy at Queen's, on track to
graduate in the summer of
2018. Next fall, I will be com-
ing on as an assistant coach
for Cross Country, training
and traveling alongside the
women. From here on, the
focus will be qualifying for
high performance meets and
making national teams.
Crazy enough, I received a
call last Thursday before my
race that a spot opened on
the IAAF World Cross Coun-
try Team competing on
March 25.
Now patiently waiting on
my travel visa to arrive, I will
hopefully be returning to
Uganda and representing
Team Canada.
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Lucknow's Julie -Anne Staehli competing for Queen's University.
Juke -Anne Staehli has wrapped up her varsity athletic career
with Queen's University