WHILST most local teenagers relaxed during the school holidays, a Cohuna Secondary College student spent his time running in the United States of America.
James Kervin travelled to Arizona, California and Nevada late last month to compete against some of the country’s top junior athletes.
The 16-year-old was selected to join a group of Victorian and New South Wales school-based athletes following efforts during last year’s School Sports Victoria athletics season.
“The organisers looked at my race times after I came third in the 1500 metres last year at the Loddon Mallee regional final,” Kervin said.
“I had to submit my best five-kilometre, three-kilometre and 1500-metre times, with 10 participants from Victoria and a couple from New South Wales selected.”
The year 10 student competed in five-kilometre races at four events, finishing in the top 30 at each competition.
“The standard of the four meets were like our zone or regional finals, with two of the races having 200-plus competitors, one having around 50-odd people and the other event being a fun run,” he said.
“The conditions were different for running. I left here when it was wet and humid, but over in America it was the end of summer and start of autumn, so the courses had a hard surface.”
Away from competitions, Kervin visited Disneyland and the Grand Canyon, with the trip extended by one day after an unscheduled stopover at Hawaii.
“I was meant to be back last Wednesday, but one of the passengers suffered a heart attack on the flight back to Australia, so we had to stop at Hawaii,” he said.
The unscheduled stop put Kervin’s Loddon Mallee regional athletics campaign, which occurred last Thursday, in jeopardy, but he arrived at the Bendigo venue in time for his events – finishing third in the 800 metres, fourth in the 400 metres and qualifying for the State final in the 1500 metres after finishing second.
“Travelling to America to compete was an awesome experience, and anyone considered should go for it,” he said.
