Adam Newton down but not out

Adam Newton, seen here prior to his 10.37 hand timed race at Cundari field in May, is trying to keep a positive attitude after coming home from OFSAA without a medal. Photo by Chris Dawson.

It just seemed to be almost too perfect this spring for Adam Newton. Winning easily in every meet he competed in, even the first meet of the year in Etobicoke when he blew away his southern competitors on a wet and dreary day.

But that dream season came crashing down in mere seconds Friday afternoon in the 100 meter final. Newton, the favourite with the best time coming into the event, came out of his blocks and jumped up too fast into his running stride which led to a poor start and a disappointing fourth place finish.

“I screwed up big, I caught up a little ground but my start killed me,” Newton said in a phone interview with BayToday.ca Sunday night.

“I didn’t choke but I panicked. The best teaching is failure, I got crushed but it teaches me to be more disciplined and to keep holding on.”

Newton couldn’t recover on Saturday and finished 6th in the 200 Meter final.

West Ferris Track and Field coach Larry Sheppard believes Newton was carrying a huge load of pressure on his shoulders; coming into the meet with the best time, along with his “Fastest Kid in Canada” title he captured in the Nike sanctioned event last fall.

“Other athletes weren’t in the spotlight like him,” Sheppard said.

Sheppard adds that his southern competition comes from schools with powerful year round track programs, while in North Bay there is no indoor facility and Newton and his teammates had to even train in the snow early in the season.

“Adam deserves a lot of credit, he’s revived the track and field progam at West Ferris,” Sheppard said.

Newton also admits there was a huge gap between the competition he faced up North and the competition he had to deal with in Windsor. Newton used a hockey analogy to describe the difference between OFSAA and NOSSA.

It would be like going from the Skyhawks, being the leading scorer of Skyhawks to playing in the World Cup,” Newton said.

“It’s such a leap, you are not prepared.”

Still Newton’s time of 10.92 in the final would have given him a provincial crown if he lived in any other province but Ontario. That’s the positive Newton is trying to take out of the event as his time is good enough to allow him to compete at the Junior Canadian Track and Field Championships in July in Montreal.

Newton will be heading there with a small contingent of athletes from North Bay this summer.

His goal is to make the Canadian 4 X 100 relay team and compete for his country at the Junior Pan-Am games which will take place in late July back in Windsor.

While Newton feels he let down his school and his city with his performance at OFSAA, many in the Gateway City still look up to him and are proud of his accomplishments and proud of how he’s helped put North Bay on the Track and Field map.