Maya Macnab likes to try new things. Or, as she put it, “a lot of new things.”
It’s fitting, then, that she has enthusiastically stepped into quadrathlon, a relatively new competition in high school track and field.
Read more: Baron girls Rugby gains historic berth in provincials
Christine Thiessen, phys-ed teacher and track coach at Lloydminster
Comprehensive High School, recognized the multi-talented Macnab as a natural fit for the four components of quad.
In other words, the Grade 9 student is a poster girl of sorts for quad, as it’s commonly called.
“I do a lot of sports, like Mrs. Thiessen was saying,” said Macnab, 15. “I ran the triathlon for as long as I can remember. I like to try a lot of new things.
“This was never offered before, so I thought I’d give it a try. I’m not overly good at every single event, but I thought it would be really interesting to give it a try. I never thought I’d go this far and I’m really enjoying it this year.”
After a strong performance last week in the Northwest district meet at her home track, the Lloyd Comp grounds, Macnab is bound for the Saskatchewan high school provincials this Friday and Saturday in Moose Jaw.
She’s competing in the intermediate girls’ division, while fellow Barons’ athletes Joseph Kelly and Katherine Thiessen — Christine’s daughter — are also representing the Comp in quadrathlon in the intermediate boys’ and senior girls’ categories, respectively.
All of them are multi-sport athletes. That versatile profile makes them more than worthy competitors in quad, which encompasses shot put, long jump, 100 metres and 800 metres.
“I was talking to my mom about it,” Macnab recalled. “She said, ‘This might be something you’d be interested in.’
“I was, like, ‘Yeah, because it’s not one event where you (otherwise) stand around and do nothing.’ It’s a bunch of events that demand different things, like jumping, throwing, a distance run and a sprint. So, it’s all over the place, which I really think is interesting.”
QUAD COMPANY
Macnab gained experience training against older competitors and drew from her own varied sports strategies, too. Much like Kelly with football and Katherine Thiessen with softball, Macnab has multi-sports written all over her.
“I’ve definitely done a lot of sports growing up,” she said. “My main one is probably hockey right now.
“So, I feel like you need to have an understanding of the proper skills that go into something that goes on so long. It’s really physically demanding, so having a good understanding and a background in other sports helps a lot.”
That approach has served her well as she continues to develop her technique in the various elements of quad.
“Well, going into it, I wasn’t much of a sprinter,” she said with a smile. “But I used this as an opportunity to get better at all the events.
“I hadn’t done long jump since Grade 6, and I’m really starting to enjoy long jump and the shot put, definitely. I’m getting better at sprinting. There’s a lot of development through all this, so it’s really nice.”
On the ice this past winter, Macnab played hockey with the Junior Rustlers travel team.
“Every second weekend, our team would have four games, so that again was physically demanding,” she said. “We had to have a lot of endurance to go through two games in one day. That was very interesting.
“I would like to play for them again this year.”
Besides competitive hockey and triathlon in the community, Macnab has played school sports like basketball, badminton and track.
“Maya is about as multi-sport as you can get,” said coach Thiessen. “She’s an ideal representative for quad.”
As she left track practice Monday afternoon, Macnab was headed to a tennis lesson.
“I really like to keep busy.”
WOMEN IN SPORT
The promising young athlete is making even greater gains in sport. She’s among four Lloyd Comp students, along with their mentor Thiessen, who are participating in a Women in Sport conference in Saskatoon in mid-June.
“I definitely appreciate Mrs. Thiessen,” said Macnab. “I love how she advocates for women in sports, too. She made me feel I could do a lot of things. I love her encouragement. She pushes me really hard, which I really appreciate so much.
“Her daughter does the quad, too, so she knows a thing or two. She also (oversees) a lot of sports, because she’s the athletic director, so I talk to her a lot. She’s an amazing person and I’m so grateful I got to meet her.”
Because of her participation in multiple sports, Macnab has gained friends from various backgrounds.
“Through the experiences that sports bring, you meet a wide variety of different people,” she said.
“Everyone brings something different. I’ve met so many amazing people, and some of my really good friends, through sports. I just think it’s an amazing way to meet people, and people that you may not hang out with, you can bond with through sport.”
She’ll probably run into more new friends at provincials in Moose Jaw.
“I’m very nervous for that,” Macnab said about the competition. “A good nervous. An exciting nervous. I think it will be really fun.”
Read more: Pro prospect Leslie’s junior rights traded to Kelowna
