Drake a ‘Natural Leader’
Fifth-year runner looks to finish strong at the nationals
Steve Bohrn Staff
Photo by Lippy.
This year’s Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championships in will mark the final meet that Sharon Drake participates in while sporting the Bison logo. Described as a “natural leader” on the Bison squad, the fifth-year veteran will leave behind a legacy of achievements that includes a bronze medal with her 4 by 400-metre relay team in 2003-04, along with numerous other top-ten finishes.
“The [bronze-medal] race was definitely the best of my time here with the Bisons. It was the year that I was hurt and no one expected us to win. I’m proud of what we did, but on the other hand, I have to wonder what we could have done if I was healthy,” said Drake of the 2004 medal win.
Drake attributes her successes to her coaches through the years, one of whom was her brother. Garry Drake was a sprinter for the University of Saskatchewan who won numerous medals in various events while Sharon was in high school. The natural urge to follow her sibling led her down the path that would eventually make her a medal-winner on the same podium as him.
When she began with track and field in 1995, she was a thrower, but was quickly drawn to the glory of the track, and more specifically, sprinting. By the time she graduated from Elton Collegiate in 2000, she had numerous universities knocking on her door. But, the allure of staying close to home was what kept this talented athlete in Manitoba.
Bison sprinter coach Alanna Hinrichson, who has been working with Drake for three years now, has nothing but praise and admiration for the two-time Academic All-Canadian.
“Sharon is a natural leader on the team and her dedication is something that the young athletes look up to. Her determination to enjoy every minute makes coaching her a real pleasure,” said Hinrichson.
Hinrchson said that Drake’s refusal to give up and her ability to bounce back after a tough race is the main reason why Drake has had such an impressive showing this year.
Drake has had an outstanding final season with the Bisons, posting personal bests in both the 200-and 400m sprint events.
Drake admits the hardest part about university athletics is the time commitment. She spends much of the time that a normal university student would spend socializing either in the gym or doing homework. But while it can be difficult at times, she has had the chance to meet many people she admits she would never have met had she not been involved with the Bisons.
After the season is over, Drake plans to retire from competitive track and wants to take a break from the intense training to live a “normal life” for a while, before diving back into the coaching aspect of her sport.
