BY SCOTT
HADDOW
In her first four years of competing at the provincial
university level, Greater Sudbury's Leila Angrand established
herself as one of the best cross-country and track and field
runners in Ontario and Canada competing for Laurentian
University.
Disciplined and passionate, Angrand is in the final leg of her
university career and going out as a champion despite the fact
she changed schools and teams this season.
Now at the University of Western Ontario completing her
Master's Degree in occupational therapy, Angrand won gold in
the 3,000-metre and two bronze medals in the 1,500-m and
1,000-m at the recent OUA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Angrand earned a spot on the OUA Women's All-Star Team for
2008. Her performances also qualified her for the CIS
Championships, which takes place at McGill University in
Montreal from March 6-8. The College Notre-Dame graduate is out
to set new personal best times at the national level and savour
every moment of her last CIS event.
SH: Wining gold in 3,000-m, how does that feel and what does it
mean to you?
LA: Winning the OUA 3km for a second time in a row was a great
accomplishment for me. I didn't come into the championships
ranked first, I was ranked third or fourth and I knew there
were a lot of fast girls out there racing. So I didn't
know how things would play out. I felt confident enough to feel
as though I could win, but I knew it wasn't going to be easy.
So being able to compete with all these great girls and come on
top was a great feeling.
SH: Two bronze medals in the 1,500- and 1,000-m. What did
those mean to you?
LA: Getting the bronze in both events was great too. I do
feel like I could have have done better in the 1,500-m, but I
do have another opportunity at CIS. But regardless, I am
happy to repeat my bronze medal performance from last
year. For the 1,000-m, it was my second time ever running
it and it was less than two hours after my 3,000-m. There was
an incredible field in that event, so I was not even thinking
of medaling in the event, all I was thinking about was not
coming last and trying not to feel fatigue from the 3,000-m.
Winning the bronze medal and getting a personal best time in
such a tough field after running the 3,000-m was an amazing
accomplishment for me, one of the best in my track career.
SH: Qualifying for nationals, what does that mean to you?
LA: Qualifying for nationals is always an accomplishment for
anyone. The standards are faster than last year and the
athletes are a lot faster than last year, so I knew it would be
more challenging to qualify, which makes it that much better
when you do finally qualify. Furthermore, being my last year of
university racing, I was really motivated to perform well at
both OUA's and hopefully at CIS too.
SH: What are you out to prove at nationals this time? What's
your all-time best at nationals?
LA: I just want to have fun and perform to the best of my
ability and if that gets me a medal or personal best time then
I will be happy. This is my last CIS Championships, so I just
want to enjoy it and finish off the season in a great way with
no regrets. Last year, I came second in the 3,000-m and
seventh in the 1,500-m. This year I am not going to run
the 3,000-m. I am going to run the 1,000-m instead to change
things up as well as the 1,500-m. The 3,000-m and 1,000-m
are right after each other at CIS, so I could only pick one of
the events. It was a really hard decision, especially because I
love both events, but I would have been happy regardless of
which event I decided on.
However, it will be really tough to medal in the 1,000-m, but I
am up to the challenge and whether I medal or not, I will be
happy if I just give my 100 percent effort. I'm excited to see
what I can do.
SH: For a runner like yourself, what does it take to reach
this level, and have success at it?
LA: I think for me the most important thing to have at this
level is confidence. If my confidence isn't up to par, neither
will my performance. It also takes commitment and dedication
and I think you have to be willing to take risks when you race
and when you are training, not be afraid to take the lead
sometimes. I also think that for me, having had some experience
(good and bad) has helped and taught me a lot. Also,
having great coaches in which you can trust and having so much
support from team members, staff, family and friends is very
important and one of the primary reasons I was able to reach
this level and have some success.
SH: You had injury problems in the past. How are you doing
this year?
LA: I have had my share of injuries in the past. But this year
I have not had any significant injuries (knock on wood).
I've had to miss a few workouts here and there for minor bumps
and bruises, but nothing huge. I'm being really careful
this year in listening to my body. If something feels
like it might flare up, or if I'm feeling sick, then I will
make sure to take care of the problem right away and take it
easy in my training. This has really helped me be more
consistent with my training.
SH: What's been the biggest challenge for you this season?
LA: The biggest challenge by far for me this season is
balancing school and training. Grad studies is very time and
energy consuming. There is a lot of work to do and a lot
of classes to attend. A lot of my classes overlap with my
practice times, so I've had to do 85 percent of my training on
my own either early in the morning or late at night, outside or
on a treadmill.
SH: You're at Western University. Why did you decide to go
there?
LA: I went there because of the program of study I got accepted
in. It was between Western and Windsor and it was a really
tough decision, but ultimately I thought the program here was a
better fit for me.
SH: Has it been the right move? Why? What stands out about
the school and sports?
LA: I've had my doubts about whether I made the right move, but
I like to think and hope that I did. I've made great friends
and ultimately I really enjoy the program that I am in and I've
learned a lot since I've been here. It's much different than
Laurentian, I've had to get used to the amount of students,
large campus and using the transit system, but these are just
minor adjustments that everyone has to make, when they first
move away. In terms of athletics, I love it here. People
here are also very proud of their school and whenever there is
a game or race, there is a huge crowd of supporters, I have to
say it was crazy and overwhelming when I went to a
football game for the first time.
SH: You're taking your Masters in Occupational therapy. Why
this and what do you hope to do after university as a work
career and why?
LA: Occupational therapy is a booming health care
profession. It offers a broad range of areas of
work and I agree with the philosophies and values this
profession brings. These are some of the main reasons why I
chose this area of study. Hopefully after I graduate I
can find an area of work I enjoy and maybe initially do it part
time while continuing with my running. In reality I don't have
specific plans, most of the time I like to just go with the
flow and see where that brings me.
SH: Looking back over the last five years, what can you say
about your university sports experience?
LA: It went by quickly. All the experiences I've had, bad and
good, have made me the person and athlete I am today. I feel
that I've had the opportunity to experience so much, I've
gained skills such as time management, confidence and
determination and overall it's made me a stronger person.
It's given me the opportunity to travel so much and meet so
many incredible and supportive people. There's just too many
things that I've gained throughout my university career that I
can explain.
SH: After university, do you still plan to run
competitively? What's your thoughts?
LA: I definitely still plan on running and competing after I
complete university. I don't know where I'll be or at what
level I'll be at, but it's something I am going to try to keep
up as long as I can. Next year I will probably train with the
university team again. I might race a few times, but nothing
crazy. I'll use the extra time I have to catch up on all
the sleep I haven't had this year.
