Michael Prime
Track and Field
Track and field sprinter Michael Prime had a stellar weekend for the Gaels at the St. Lawrence University Indoor Classic in Canton, New York, coming away with three gold medals. Prime took first place in the 200- and 400-metre dash events and was also part of the first-place 4X200-metre relay team.
He said it was great to see his extensive training regimen pay off.
“I’ve worked hard for it throughout the term. I’ve set strength gains in the gym.”
Prime was surrounded by Gaels on the 200-metre dash podium. Adrian Heller placed second and Ahmad Rumann finished third. He said he was pleased to see his teammates succeed.
“I was really happy to see Adrian so close behind,” he said. “Rumann’s been recovering from a shoulder injury, so it was good to see him come back.”
The three of them work closely together in training, Prime said, and revel in each other’s accomplishments.
“We have a really good team dynamic,” he said. “We’re always encouraging others to go faster in practice. We look out for each other off the track.”
Prime started track in Grade 10 after his high school touch football coach saw his quickness.
“He noticed that I had speedy legs and that I could do track events,” Prime said.
Prime started with longer-distance running, competing in the 800- and 1,500-metre events in track and five- and six-kilometre races in cross country. He said he switched to shorter sprints partly because of the different training involved.
“The training appealed to me more,” he said. “With sprints, you have to focus more on form and technique.”
Prime used to compete in alpine skiing, and won an Ottawa-area race without any formal training. He said sprinting brings a similar sense of velocity.
“I always enjoyed the speed,” he said.
Prime said he’s enjoyed his time in the Queen’s track program thus far thanks to the experience of the coaching staff and the camaraderie with his fellow athletes.
“The coaches for track are great,” he said. “Everyone’s really excited, really part of the team.”
Prime said he has high goals for the season.
“I’m hoping that I can qualify for the CIS championships in an individual event,” he said. “Aside from qualifying individually, I want to medal in the 4X400.”
—Andrew Bucholtz
Veronica Catry
Track and Field
Veronica Catry starred south of the border for the track and field team last weekend, picking up gold medals in the 55-metre dash, 200-metre dash and 4X200-metre relay at the St. Lawrence University Indoor Classic in Canton, New York.
Catry said she was thrilled to do so well early in the season.
“It felt great,” she said. “It was a great second meet of the year.”
For Catry, a Kingston native, track is a long-standing ion.
“I did it through most of elementary school,” she said. “My mom was my coach.”
Catry had to give up track during her early high school years when her family had to move to CFB Petawawa because of her father’s military career, but they moved back to Kingston five years ago and she picked up where she left off. She said she was excited to start running competitively again.
“It was something I missed.”
She has focused on the same sprinting events for most of her track career, she said, but she’s changed her training plan to a longer-distance one this season.
“Long sprints is more working on your endurance and cardio,” she said. “This year, I started doing long sprints and my endurance has improved significantly since last year.”
Catry, in her second year on the team, said track and field appeals to her because of its dual focus on individual performance and team cohesion. “I like that it’s individual, you get out what you put into it, but at the same time, your team’s always there cheering you on,” she said. “It’s a good mix of individual and team.”
Catry said the focus on the team increased at the university level.
“I found once I came to Queen’s, with a bigger team and a better team, it became less of an individual and more of a team sport,” she said.
Catry said she loved seeing the attention paid to track during Donovan Bailey’s days of world stardom and she’s optimistic Canadian athletes will perform well enough to recreate that in the future.
“I think it just needs more time,” she said. “Money has to go into the grassroots.”
Catry said she thinks Queen’s track has a solid future if it survives the current Athletics Review process.
“With the Athletics Review, everyone’s on their toes,” she said. “I really hope we can stay on as a varsity sport for years to come. I hope it can continue to improve.”
—Andrew Bucholtz
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