NWT/Nunavut
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Bringing home gold
Natalie Dunleavy
HAY RIVER - Stephane Pontus' gold medal at the NWT Track and Field Championships may have marked the end of his high school athletics career, but there's a bigger road ahead.
Along with a plunge into post secondary education at the University of Alberta, Pontus will aim to compete at the 2009 Canada Summer Games in Prince Edward Island. Pontus' success last weekend must have been an encouraging boost. His gold overall division champion medal came from taking a first in the 200-metre dash, 400-metre dash and long jump, as well as a silver in the 100-metre dash in the boys 16-17 division of the meet. He credited his success at the meet to training and sports such as badminton that have kept him in shape. "I've just been running a lot with training and getting strong in to track," he said. Pontus will have to make room for track and field training between courses and social activities when he begins his studies at this fall. "Training there is all year round," said Pontus. Pontus said his focus will largely be placed on track and field since there is no varsity badminton. Sprints are key to his success. "I'm not a distance runner," he said. "I've got a good top speed. Over a 200-metre run I can sprint the whole thing." Pontus said to succeed at the Canada Games, he will have to take his training even further. "I've got to work on my cardio and I know that," he said. He said he will also take a stronger focus on warming up and stretching. He said he noticed a difference when he included these elements before his events in last weekend's meet. "A short warmup helps a lot in a race," he said.
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