Isabella Mills ventures into heptathlons as track and field journey continues

Isabella Mills, pictured, won silver in the long jump and bronze in the 100-metre hurdles event at the New Balance Canadian Track and Field League (CTFL) meet June 28 in Ottawa. Mills also continued to progress as a high-level track and field athlete this summer, appearing in two heptathlon events, in which she finished top three in both competitions.

By Spencer Seymour

St. Marys native Isabella Mills put together another strong track and field season that included her competing for the first time in arduous heptathlon events.

Mills’ season began June 28 at the New Balance Canadian Track and Field League (CTFL) meet where she earned second place in the long jump competition, as well as a third-place finish in the 100-metre hurdles.

Mills called the Ottawa competition an exciting experience, noting how it was different from what she was used to.

“It was really cool because you were able to be put in different teams, so you weren’t competing with your club,” Mills told the Independent. “You’re competing with totally new people. And it’s also not under the Athletics Ontario organization. It’s underneath CTFL, which is also just a totally new experience because that’s what professional track and field is in Canada.”

Mills added there was a grander overall experience outside of the events making up the meet.

“We got a lot more gear, and there were a lot more things to do at the track, aside from just competing,” said Mills. “They wanted you to talk to your team and meet new people. It was really cool. I really liked it. I liked to be able to talk to new people and get new relationships and see how everyone else is doing.”

On July 11, Mills represented District C at the Ontario Legion Provincial Championships in Sudbury, where she competed in her first heptathlon and placed third.

The U18 girls’ heptathlon is a combined track and field event that tests an athlete’s speed, strength, jumping ability, throwing ability, endurance and versatility. It consists of seven events contested over two days, with athletes earning points in each event based on their performance. The athlete with the highest total points at the end of all seven events is the winner.

Though she didn’t quite have the results she wanted, Mills said it was more valuable as a learning experience.

“It was my first heptathlon, which, obviously, was really new,” Mills said. “I’ve never done something like that. Obviously, I picked up that it’s a lot more challenging and you’re doing a lot more than what I’m used to. The first one was definitely an experience. It definitely didn’t go the way I wanted it to go, but I just had to get the first one out of the way.”

Mills explained the biggest takeaway she had from her first heptathlon was the need to have a short memory.

“It’s a lot different because you can’t just get all upset over one event because, in 20 minutes, you’re doing the next one, so you have to move on with it. You can’t just be upset if you don’t perform the way you wanted to in a certain event because you’re doing something else pretty soon, and it’s all just really for points. You don’t really care about places or anything like that. You just want to get the points.”

Having gotten a taste for the rigours of a heptathlon, Mills then set her sights on the Ontario Outdoor Track and Field Championship, hosted July 24-26 in St. Catharines, where she once again competed in the heptathlon.

Though difficult, Mills said she welcomed the challenge the heptathlon offered.

“I really enjoyed doing the heptathlon,” Mills said. “I like staying busy at the track and not waiting three hours until my next race or something like that. I like how you’re always looking forward to something new every single time. I like how you’re not just doing one event for the whole day.”

Mills finished with the silver medal in her second heptathlon and, while having areas in which she still wants to improve, felt a lot better about her most recent heptathlon performance.

“I think I was just a lot more ready for it,” said Mills. “I think I was more prepared for it and going into it because I knew more what to expect. Obviously, there was still like a lot of room for improvement, but I think it’s just going to get better in the future because I’m just so new to it, and I think that, over time, I’ve compared the first one and the second one, there was already such a huge improvement because I started to realize what it is going into it.”