Arborg teen named the MHSAA Female Athlete of the Year
June is already proving to be a busy month for Sydney Burak.
The Interlake teen recently wrapped up her final exams and is set to graduate from Arborg Collegiate later this month, but not before she collects some parting gifts.
Already named co-varsity female athlete of the year at her school last week, Burak, 17, will be honoured as the Mantioba High School Athletic Association’s female athlete of the year on June 25, capping a marvellous scholastic season in which she found success locally and earned experience internationally.
“I’ve done a lot of growth this year, for sure, and it’s just been a breakthrough moment for me,” Burak said recently.
Lofty expectations awaited the student-athlete on the field and in the classroom ahead of her Grade 12 year.
Burak, who was nominated for the Athletics Manitoba U18 outstanding female award, played badminton and volleyball, but shone brightest in track and field.
Burak won the female high jump event at the Manitoba indoor provincial championships, then was later selected as one of four athletes from the province for the Simplot Games — one of the premier high school indoor track and field events in the U.S. — in Pocatello, Idaho. She recently capped her year at the MHSAA outdoor provincial championships with a second place finish in high jump, her signature event, and placing fifth in triple jump, all while holding a 90 per cent average in the classroom.
A fine year, indeed.
“Looking back on this year, it’s definitely been a breakthrough year for me personally with all my sports and accomplishments,” said Burak. “I feel like I’ve worked really hard throughout my past four years in high school, not only on my sports but also attainting that academic record as well.
“I knew this year, going into my Grade 12 year, that I wanted it to definitely be the best and I worked really hard, and to be recognized for something this big is just really amazing.”
Burak becomes the first athlete from the hamlet of Arborg to win Female Athlete of the Year. It’s something she doesn’t take lightly, and has served as a shiny reminder that she belongs with some of the other top athletes from the proinvikce as she enters her first year with the University of Manitoba Bisons track and field program.
“It definitely gives my a lot of confidence and just reassurance going into university that I do deserve to be there and I can accomplish big things. But also, I have been training with the Bisons a bit already so the familiarity with the space and the coaches and some of the team already has also definitely helped me feel more comfortable,” she said.
Burak is the daughter of two track and field athletes and, naturally, they steered her toward athletics. As she grew older, high jumping captured her heart and she became more determined to excel in the discipline.
Last year, she joined the Winnipeg Optimist Club to hone her skills, driving three times a week to the James Daly Fieldhouse on the UofM campus to train.
Haley Fisher, a track and field coach at Arborg Collegiate, has worked with Burak since middle school.
Burak’s work ethic is something she’s always had, and has set her apart from many of her peers, Fisher said.
“She’s honestly a remarkable young individual and she has put in so much work into her training,” said Fisher, who high jumped for the Bisons during her university career. “When you’re doing your training, you have peaks and valleys and, for me, when I went to university, I didn’t really start properly training for high jump until I was in university. So, I was a lot older when I was jumping heights that she’s doing now. She’s going into her university at such a (high) level.
“She’s very developed at her age as a high jumper. She’s jumping 1.60 (metres) and that’s very difficult to be getting, especially coming in. Like, when I was working at it with others, that was something that we were trying to get when we were in university and she’s achieved it before she’s even started.
“I really think we’re going to see great things from her moving forward.”
Much of Burak’s summer will revolve around preparing for her freshman season, and she will stay sharp in a competition setting too as she looks to qualify for the U23 Western Canadian Championship from July 19-23.
