Elm Creek’s Jaylyn Deurbrouck is in her fourth year on the track and field team for the University of Manitoba Bisons.
Deurbrouck first started track and field while in elementary school in Elm Creek. In Grade 7/8, her Phys Ed teacher, Derek Tyler, told her she could get a lot better if she received more help from coaches who knew more about the sport than he did.
“From there, I contacted Lyle Myers from Carman,” said Jaylyn Deurbrouck. “He started coaching me in high jump, hurdles, long jump, sprints, etc. In high school, I did the pentathlon, which includes shot put, high jump, long jump, 100-metre and 800-metre running.”
Lyle Myers and Derek Tyler helped Deurbrouck get recognized by some Winnipeg coaches. From there, she made the provincial team to compete at the Tri-Provincial meet in Edmonton and then the following year in Regina.
In Grade 10, at her zone track and field meet, Deurbrouck jumped her personal best in the high jump by 10 cm. That day, she went from jumping 1.48m to 1.58m, but after that, she had trouble getting over 1.55m until University.
Once the pandemic hit in the spring of 2020, Deurbrouck returned to track and field because it was the only sport she could train for. It was outside and thus easier to do on her own at home. She fell in love with the workouts and got excited about track again. Halfway through Grade 12 at Elm Creek School, Deurbrouck reached out to the UofM and committed to the school for the fall of 2021.
Deurbrouck’s primary focus in track and field is the high jump. As she enters her fourth year of school, she notes that her time at the UofM has been a positive experience. She is a psychology major with a minor in family social sciences. Once she’s finished her degree, she plans to pursue an addictions and mental health counselling certificate.
“My time at the University of Manitoba is going great,” said Deurbrouck. “It’s been super busy, fun, and overall a great experience. I train all year round, but not always on the track year-round. This past summer, I trained on the track until mid-May, and then I played football for Manitoba Fearless until July. For July and August, I lifted weights and did yoga and swimming. And then back in September, I started back up with the University track team.”
Deurbrouck’s indoor track University season starts at the end of November and goes until mid-March.
Last season, Deurbrouck performed well at the CanWest Championships. She hit a new personal best by jumping 1.65 metres, which put her fourth in CanWest, just one centimetre short of qualifying for the USports Nationals.
“For this year, I’m hoping to have a good indoor season and qualify and compete in CanWest and USports nationals again. It’s also my last year of eligibility to be a part of the Canada Summer Games, so I hope to qualify and compete there in the summer. And I’d really like to see a 1.70-metre jump for sure, as it’d be a new personal best.”
