Talsma earns bronze at OFSAA
Jeremy Talsma is a natural.
The 15-year-old, Grade 10 student at Smithville Christian High School earned a bronze medal in the junior boys triple jump Thursday at Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) track and field championships at York University in his first season of competitive track and field.
“He was in third most the competition and then dropped to fourth in the fifth round,” Smithville track coach Wanita Dykstra-May said. “He pulled all the big guns out for the last round and hit 13.06. “I’m so proud of him.”
Dykstra-May feels the sky is the limit for Talsma.
“He’s a great athlete, good kid and a natural competitor,” she said. “I’m excited to see where he goes with his sports.”
Talsma qualified for OFSAA at the South Regional track meet last week at Centennial, placing first with a leap of 12.60 metres.
“I was pretty happy with that distance,” he said.
Talsma, who also placed fifth in the 400-metre race barely missing out on another OFSAA birth, admitted he was anxious heading into the meet.
“It was a bit frustrating and nerve-racking definitely,” he said. “I was nervous to come here. Some people do track outside of school but I don’t do any of that. They have all this experience and this my first really competitive track meet other than in grade school.”
Talsma also competed in the long jump, 4 x 400 relay and 4 x100 relay.
“It’s pretty busy,” he understated.
He conceded it may have spread himself a little too thin.
“It’s really tough. I struggled in long jump (sixth). It was difficult because my body is really sore. Shin splints, charley-horse in quad. My body was getting mad at me for doing too many different things.”
Talsma is following the footsteps of his sister Marissa and brother Jayden, both outstanding track athletes who also won OFSAA medals.
“In grade school I did pretty well,” he said. “My sister did track and brother and both knew Mrs. May really well and I thought I would try and see how I could do.
“I’ve been pretty happy with my results so far.”
Talsma isn’t sure where track will lead him, particularly considering he plays soccer for Hamilton United.
“I’m a pretty competitive soccer player so I don’t have a lot of events outside of school,” he said. “I just think I’m going to do this in school in Grade 11 and 12.”
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