A Lacombe athlete brought home gold from the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association (ASAA) provincial track and field championships over the weekend.  

Eiley Morrison competed in the senior women’s 100m and 200m for her last high school race, taking first in the 100m.  

“I thought I had gotten second place, so I was super shocked. I was really surprised,” Morrison said. “It was a whole bunch of adrenaline, a huge adrenaline rush. It was quite unbelievable."  

Morrison is relatively new to the sport, as she’s only been competing competitively for one year.  

Coach Ronald Hewer reached out to her to join the sport, and she decided to compete full-time.  

“I saw a lot of potential. She was basically just running on sheer speed, and she just needed mechanical adjustments to allow her to maximize her velocity and to become faster,” Hewer said. “It was just a matter of identifying her talent, reaching out to her, and opening the door to her.” 

To kick off the season, Morrison and Hewer attended a training camp in Mexico, then would practice three times a week, including one-on-one practices, circuit training, and weight training.  

Despite the training, Morrison became very sick before the competition but pushed through.  

“I was super-duper sick, so I had a hard time breathing. Not a lot of things were in my favour, but I overcame them pretty well,” she said. “It was a challenge, but I tried to forget about it, get the 12 seconds out of the way, try hard every single time I step up to the start line and just push through.”  

Hewer added that Morrison came into the championship very focused, and performed on demand despite being sick.  

“She had the most perfect race at the perfect time, and she was sicker than a dog. She performed, she executed, and she put it all together,” Hewer said.   

He added that winning provincials highlighted Morrison’s dedication to the sport.  

“This is something we've talked about for a long time,” Hewer said. “There's a lot of sweat, tears, emotions, pain and at the end of the day, it's trust. Trusting the program, trusting your coach, and trusting yourself.”  

Although Morrison has had to overcome challenges while competing, she believes you get out what you put into the sport.   

“It's definitely tough on the mental side of things working without a team. You’re training on your own, and you have to push yourself, but it's really rewarding,” she said.