“I made it to the finals for the 100m (dash) – but this year is definitely going to be better.”
For as much as Lo-Ellen Park and Air Blastoff sprinter Melina Doiron was already establishing new records this time last year, her quote above providing a comparison from OFSAA 2023 to OFSAA 2024 speaks volumes.
Well, perhaps not at the same volume as the crowd noise that erupted at the Laurentian track last week as the eldest of four children in the family blazed to a victory in the junior girls 100m dash at city championships in a time of 12.19 seconds.
That’s 12.19 seconds - as in a touch faster than the current SDSSAA senior girls’ mark of 12.21 seconds established by OFSAA bronze medal winner Ashley Huard back in 2012.
That’s 12.19 seconds - as in a touch faster than the 12.24 clocking of Shadae Thompson from All Saints Catholic SS in Whitby – the gold medal winner in the junior girls 100m dash in 2023.
And that’s just the latest in a series of very impressive performances that the Knights’ grade ten track star has posted since making the move from competitive gymnastics in the spring of 2022.
“It all changed almost overnight,” suggested Doiron, thinking back to the switch that triggered her run of success – pardon the pun.
“I was good, but I knew I wasn’t going to go much further in gymnastics and I wanted to challenge myself, wanted to go far with something.”
That said, the fact that one fed into the other, at least to some extent, is not overlooked in the least by the teenager who first dipped her toes on the track in the relatively relaxed setting that were elementary meets with her schoolmates at Ecole Publique Hélène-Gravel.
“I ran in school and would win everything and my dad saw at a young age that I had potential,” said Doiron.
For as much as most dads might not enjoy a great perspective on her speed, the mere fact that Philip Doiron will forever find his name enshrined in the retired SDSSAA track records (15.21 – 110m hurdles – junior boys; 41.36 – 300m hurdles – junior boys) suggests that this dad is far more than a casual fan of track and field.
“I had it in my head that I might be good at this,” added Melina. “A lot of the strength I had built up helped me transition from gymnastics to track.”
There was, however, at least some degree of double-edge to this sword.
“In gymnastics, your toes are always pointed down, so plantar flex, but in sprinting, you want “dorsiflex” (dorsiflexion),” explained Doiron. “That was definitely a challenge for me, something I am still working on.”
Then there are the things that simply cannot be taught.
Perhaps the most glaring difference between Doiron and everyone else that she ran against last week lies in the stillness of her head, the ability to run with the least amount of wasted body movement possible.
As ironic as it likely sounds, the stillness of her head is something that she honestly did not have to give a whole lot of thought to. “Honestly, that’s something that is really natural,” she said. “I didn’t really even notice it; it’s something that Robert (sprint coach and Olympic gold medal winner Robert Esmie) never mentioned to me.”
That’s saying something since anyone that knows Esmie well knows that the dynamic ball of energy seldom has little to say – which is a wonderful attribute to share with his athletes since his positivity radiates everywhere that he goes.
“He always says that the most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the sport,” said Doiron with a smile. “And I love the sport.”
Given the stages on which Esmie has performed, the big dreams that he shares with his young protégées are balanced against an understanding of just how challenging the road to elite athletic success is to travel.
In recent months, Doiron and Esmie have trekked both to Los Angeles as well as his native homeland of Jamaica, allowing the young sprinter to race against a whole other level of athlete.
“I wasn’t going there to win those races – but I got some PBs (personal best times),” said Dorion.
“It’s not going to be a straight path. You have ups and downs. You’re not going to PB every meet, you’re not going to win every meet, so you’ve got to learn that.”
For now, their sights are set on OFSAA 2024 – looking to build upon to learned experiences of 2023. “I did run times that I thought I was going to run there (last year) – but now we’re talking medals,” said Doiron.
The search to be better simply never ends.
