As for the 2023 season, Kristen has been busy and shows no signs of slowing down. At the 2023 BC High School Multi-Events Championships, Kristen was crowned the Senior Girls Heptathlon Champion, scoring 4639 points. Throughout the two day competition, she won the 100m hurdles with a time of 14.47, the 200m with a time of 25.49 and the 800m with a time of 2:20.49. A week later at the 2023 BC High School Provincial Championships, Kristen won the 400m hurdles in a time of 1:00.55, was part of the Crofton House 4x100m winning team and was second in both the 100m hurdles.
However, with a lot of season still left, there is so much more to come. Kristen was recently named to the Canadian National Team, where she will compete in the 400m hurdles at the U20 Pan American Championships in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. Not to mention she is also looking ahead to Canadian Nationals that is set to take place the last week of July in Langley, BC.
"I hope to continue to shave off some time in both my hurdle races in order to qualify for the U20 BC Team that will compete at Nationals. Also, next year I will be training in the multis, so I would like to work on refining my technique in some of my weaker events to ensure I'm going into the next year with a solid base to build off of."
Kristen has certainly gained valuable experience throughout her final years of high school track and field and with that, she has been able to leave us with some wise words.
"Increased training volume does not equate to increased success. In my younger years, I would often overtrain and neglect muscle recovery, perpetuating a cycle of injury and re-injury and ultimately leading to inconsistency in my training regime. It wasn't until I learned the importance of rest days and post-workout recovery that I saw an increase in the quality of my training. As for college athletics, I would advise younger athletes to choose the path that they are most passionate about and truly love. While college's value strong performances, they also want athletes who are eager and driven, factors that will shine through when you're excited about a school and passionate about your sport."