Wagmatcook First Nation teen chosen for program to support potential Olympians
Emily Latimer | CBC News | Posted: September 3, 2019 9:00 AM | Last Updated: September 3, 2019
'You wouldn't know it by his demeanour, but he's a competitor,' says phys ed teacher
A Cape Breton teen is one of 100 Canadian athletes chosen to compete at a program meant to identify and support future Olympians.
Dante Isadore is track and field athlete from Wagmatcook First Nation, N.S., who competes in long jump and triple jump.
The 17-year-old athlete is starting his Grade 12 year at Wagmatcookewey School, where he was first introduced to track and field by his physical education teacher.
Five years ago, Isadore travelled to Saskatchewan to compete in track and field.
"That's really what got me here," he said. "It's what I was interested in because I had a chance to travel if I joined a sport."
Since then, he's competed in track events across Canada.
"It's been nice," he said. "It's the only time I got to travel. I've been to Toronto, Manitoba and Saskatchewan."
He trains at the local gym in the Wagmatcook Culture Centre. He works out five to six times per week without a coach or trainer, but his friends motivate him on the sidelines.
A multi-sport athlete, he plays hockey in the fall and winter, track and field in the spring and softball in the summer.
Isadore said his biggest accomplishment to date was competing at the 2018 Legion National track and field championships in Brandon, Man. He competed against athletes from across Canada and placed ninth overall in the men's under-18 triple jump.
"I didn't practise much before I went because I only knew about it two months before that I was eligible to go,' he said.
'He definitely wants to win'
Jamie White has been Isadore's phys ed teacher since he was in primary.
White said he could see at an early age that Isadore had potential as an athlete.
"When competing, he's got the ability to rise to the occasion. And that's not coaching or teaching. That's just in him," White said.
Apart from being a strong jumper and sprinter, White said Isadore is also one of the nicest kids you'll ever meet.
"It's nothing for him to get personal best after personal best at these competitions," White said.
White hopes that Isadore's participation in sports will lead him down a road to success.
"He's one of those kids you know is just gonna be OK once he leaves high school, and he's going to do OK in life," White said.
Marjorie Pierro, the principal at Wagmatcookewey School, said Isadore is a strong student and positive role model to other students.
"He brings medals home to us, so we're very proud of him," Pierro said.
Record breaker
In May, Isadore broke two regional records at the Highland regional track meet at Cape Breton University. His triple jump broke a record set in 1989, and his long jump broke a record set in 1986.
"I didn't really think before it, but I realized the record is older than me," he said.
Last month, Isadore competed at the Atlantic Indigenous Games in Halifax, which included physical testing in partnership with Canadian Sports Centre Atlantic.
Through data collected during those games, Isadore was identified as a good candidate to continue onto the RBC Training Ground in Calgary on Sept. 14-15.
"At first I didn't think it was a big deal and then I started researching and I thought it was a really big deal," Isadore said.
CBC Sports is a founding partner in RBC Training Ground.