Elisabeth Champion
As homegrown hero Jessica Stenson prepares for her 2024 Olympic journey, back home in Naracoorte, the Naracoorte Little Athletics Club, where Stenson first started, will be cheering her on.
President Hayley Smart said the club, and town, were proud to see Stenson on the world stage.
“She’s very inspiring in every way,” she said.
As a runner herself, growing up and working with Stenson, she knew she was something special, and would do well.
“I always knew that she had this ability with endurance,” she said.
“She was always very determined, she always made the most of every opportunity.
“She did have talent obviously, to make an Australian team, but also she always worked very hard.”
Having trained and raced with Stenson, she said it came down to Stenson’s mindset as well.
“She was always resilient, and put a hand up for everything,” she said.
“There was always something special about Jess when we’d go away.
“She never got overwhelmed about anything. All the state teams I went to, I look back, I’d get nervous and not want to sightsee, but she always knows the most of every opportunity.
“She used to sightsee, and wanted to go and see everything, and meet everyone and she’s a real people’s person to make the most of every opportunity.
“I don’t think she ever put too much pressure on herself, which was great as a young girl so I can see a lot of characteristics there that I look back and say ‘right that’s why she’s made it this far in her career.”
However, Ms Stenson said Ms Smart was a “hero” to her as well.
““She’s been a hero of mine since the very beginning. She was a couple of years ahead of me at school and just paved the way,” Stenson said.
“I saw her doing things that I thought ‘I’d love to do that one day’, I’ve always had so much respect for Nikki.
“And she’s such a humble, hard working and happy individual that had a big influence on my career.”
Ms Smart said Stenson was an inspiration to the young athletes.
She encouraged anyone who was keen to try Little Athletics to try it out, in a friendly, non-competitive way.
“It comes down to just putting yourself out there and just having a go, because it’s like anything, the more you practice, the better you’ll get, and the more you practice running, and the more you race, you learn how to race,” she said.
“It’s about learning to push themselves. Kids don’t know how to push themselves and really, at the end of the day, they learn how to push themselves and not be too hard on themselves.
“It’s about aiming to improve rather than just comparing themselves.
“it is about creating that fun environment for young kids to want to excel in.”
She said there were plenty of opportunities for children to race and compete if they wanted, with other local Little Athletics clubs in the region, as well as the cross country season.
For more information on Little Athletics, contact Nikki on nar@salaa.org
