Lane Britnell returns to Prince Albert today for the first time since he set a provincial high school record in the senior boys’ pole vault last June at Prime Ministers’ Park.
“My personal best was 4.83 (metres) at the time, but I just jumped 4.65 that day, which still broke (the record), but I was still hoping to go higher,” Britnell recalled Friday on the eve of the Saskatchewan Athletics provincial meet.
“It wasn’t the best weather. It wasn’t raining, but it was cloudy and it was pretty cool. It went all right. I didn’t jump as high or as far, pole vault and long jump, as I wanted, but I did five events that weekend, so it was good enough. I’d take it.”
A year later, the high school standard still belongs to Britnell, who was competing with Holy Cross of Saskatoon.
He’s coming off his freshman season with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. The 18-year-old Outlook product was named the rookie of the year in the Canada West conference.
“I still haven’t improved my personal best, height-wise, but it was a lot of fun,” Britnell said of his debut season in Canadian Interuniversity Sport.
“I found, this year, I learned more and grew more as an athlete, more than I ever have before. I learned a lot from competing with Taylor and Dillon (Petrucha) and competing against older guys all the time, rather than just guys my age. When you’re competing with the Huskies in the CIS, it’s just university (athletes). There’s not age categories like before, so it was different competing against older people all the time, and going to bigger meets and competing as a team and getting all pumped up that way.”
Britnell’s collegiate yearbook includes a couple of standout memories.
“Probably winning Can West rookie of the year, and getting silver at Can West (championships), that was really fun,” he said. “I’d say that was the highlight.
“CIS nationals were fun, too, but I didn’t place there, so it didn’t turn out as well. It was still a learning experience.”
Britnell and many of his collegiate contemporaries are in Prince Albert for the provincials today and Sunday. It’s a trials meet for junior and senior athletes, and the Saskatchewan championships for the peewee, bantam, midget, juvenile and masters divisions.
“Statistically, it doesn’t mean a lot,” said Britnell, a junior who is six feet and about 175 pounds. “But it’s another opportunity for me to try and jump a personal best. It would be a good opportunity (today) for me to try and get to 5.10, height-wise, if I work on some technical things. It’s just another chance to improve.”
Although he’s approaching it like a practice, Britnell has definite goals in mind.
“I’m kind of shooting for world juniors this summer, so I need to get my standard at one of these meets coming up here,” he said.
“I have to jump 5.10 anytime this season, or if I win junior nationals, I get to go automatically. But my goal is to go there with standard. I want to jump at least 5.05 and win juniors, rather than just go there by winning.”
The junior nationals and worlds are both scheduled for July in Moncton, N.B.
“I think that’s pretty cool,” Britnell said of the world juniors being staged in Canada
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