CIS Nationals in review
Credit: Geoff Robins
I have been having trouble putting the experience of the past weekend into words – it’s an overwhelming feeling of gratitude, joy and comfort knowing things are coming together. The best part of it is how much support and love I’m feeling from the people around me. This past weekend at the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) National Championships in Windsor, Ontario has come and gone. It was my fourth one, which leaves just one more left in my eligibility. Each year seems to be more special and more emotional. This past weekend felt like a very distinguishable moment as many of my fellow Vikes teammates toed the line in a UVic singlet for the last time as they have used five years of eligibility in running for the team. There were tears of joy and sentiment as the weekend came to a close – ending on a high, high note.
I came out of the weekend with a gold medal in the 600m, and silver in both the 4x800m and 4x400m relays. Collegiate track is as much of a team sport as anything else, as individual as it may seem. In the relays, you have four girls, who you put their absolute trust in one another. You trust that the other 3 will execute the race as well as they can and they have the same expectations of you. They are the girls you train with and are around, day in and day out. They are the girls who see you at your absolute lowest and highest moments.
These teammates of mine are the ones that I have been so honoured to share this journey with – and to end on the note that it did made it that much better. The 4×800 was bittersweet, as we were going into it with hopes of challenging the dominant University of Toronto team who was going in ranked #1. We fought a hard battle, each of us racing our hearts out. We came up short, as U of T had their absolute best performance, coming out of it with a Canadian record. Nonetheless, I am so proud of my ladies. The 4×400 was an absolute treat to end it with …we came in ranked pretty low, with no expectations of medalling – we were in the slower heat and were racing the clock to try to get on the podium. When the times came up on the board showing that we achieved silver, we burst into a frenzy of excited tears and hugs. It was the best way to end the weekend! 
Here is my 600m final:
http://www.trackie.com/track-and-field/TrackieTV/2015-cis-600m-final-women/5577/
Check out http://govikesgo.com/ for recaps of the weekend for the Vikes track team! We came out of it with some hardware and solid performances.
I am so lucky to be part of such a supportive and hard working group. What I’ve come to associate most with my university experience are the friendships I have made. With rookies on the team who I’ve become so close with and people who have been there since I first joined the team, the amazing group I am a part of makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. 
Now it’s time to finish off the semester and hit the books in catch-up mode: real life is hard to get back to after a weekend of being a little bit slacking on the studious side, but it is a trade-off I will gladly take!
Rachel
