MELANIE BRUNELLE, Pilgrim High
Often times at a state championship meet where the attention is focused on the schools that are battling for the team title and the more commonly-known stars who are wrapping up their careers, some of the other top athletes can get lost in the shuffle.
Pilgrim’s Melanie
Brunelle may have been one of those unsung heroes a few weeks
ago.
While Smithfield pulled
off a shocker in the girls’ meet and Hope sprinter Quashira McIntosh was closing our her stellar career against R.I. competition with three individual titles , Melanie was quietly making some noise in the
jumping events. The talented leaper upset defending champion Carly Timpson of
Narragansett in the high jump with a personal-best leap of 5 feet, 3 inches. She
wasn’t finished there. The Pilgrim star also claimed the triple jump. In that
event, she defeated top-seed Whitney Jackson of Hope with another PB of 36-11.
What was your most
memorable performance?
Winning two state
championships my senior year are definitely very memorable, until then I had
always been just too short of that title, but I had one last jump in triple
jump, I was in first for most of it but one other girls last jump beat my
previous one. I took my last jump and I could just feel it, I knew I did it, I
jumped my very best, won the event and broke a school record I had finally
achieved the title of a state champion after all these years.
What was your most
difficult obstacle to overcome?
I had a lot of injuries
throughout the years, minor ones, but they would affect my performance
sometimes. I had to push through them and try my best not just for me but for
the team.
What advice would you
give to younger athletes?
Always try your best,
give it 110%, you won’t like every event you do but your coach may still put
you in it, don’t waste the time arguing over it, use that energy toward the
race and work hard because your performance isn’t just for yourself but it’s
also for the team. Also have fun while you are doing it, if you aren’t enjoying
yourself then you aren’t going to do as well.
What will you miss most?
I will definitely miss my
teammates, I have built such strong relationships with them, especially the
other hurdlers that I practiced with just about every day. We had such great
times working together and I will miss them along with my coaches who have
given me the chance to get to where I am today.
What are your future
plans?
I plan on going to Rhode
Island College starting in the fall. I plan to study in art education to become
an art teacher. I will also continue my track career on the college track and
field team.
What influence has your
coach (or coaches) had with respect to your performance and overall life goals?
I have learned a lot from
my coaches. When I first started track I wasn’t planning on sticking with it. I
just tried it out and ended up loving it. My coach has taught me so much, not
only how to be a successful athlete but also a good person in the world. I
helped my coach Tom Dolce and principal of Wyman Elementary, Mr. Celio, coach a
youth track club. This was the final declaring moment that I wanted to be a
teacher and help younger kids excel in something they enjoy.
Who would you like to say
Thank You?
I would like to say thank
you to my coaches and my family for helping me get to where I am in track and
dealing with me even when I’m stressed over my events or upset that I didn’t do
my best. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have these memories and
accomplishments or even some of the relationships I made with other athletes.
Melanie's profile