Oveson competes in track games down under

Published 5:00 pm Wednesday, August 14, 2002

“G’Day mate” may have been heard around the streets of Wallowa after the return of Lynique Oveson from Australia late in July.

The up coming WHS junior along with 15 other track athletes from Oregon and Washington recently returned from a 13 day excursion to the Outback.

Track and field athletes traveled from across the United States to the Gold Coast of Australia to compete in their respective events as part of the Park Royal Down Under International Games.

The International Games joins the Novotel Beachcomber Down Under Bowl XIII and the Down Under Hoops Classic, in bringing 3,500 visitors from the United States to the Gold Coast yearly. All athletes are handpicked to represent their state.

Each athlete has two days of competition during their seven day stay on the Gold Coast. Their Gold Coast program includes a visit to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, visiting a nationally acclaimed theme park, one free day to play tourist at the numerous attractions of the Coast and all the fun in the sun the Gold Coast has to offer.

Any athlete that placed in the top eight at state track and field competition qualified to attend the meet that was sponsored by International Sports Specialists

Cost for each individual was $3000. Money was raised by donations and fund raisers.

Oveson left July 15 and flew from Portland to LA. From LA she flew to Honolulu, Hawaii then on to Sidney, Australia.

After touring Sydney the group flew on to Griffith University in Nathan Queensland, Australia on the Gold Coast to meet up with the approximately 800 athletes in attendance. An estimated 500 athletes from the US representing 36 states made up the largest concentration of attendees.

Oveson was ready to go after completing two days of practice before the start of the meet on Saturday and Sunday.

Her opening event was the steeple chase, a race she had never competed in previously. The steeplechase consists of four regular hurdles and one water jump. Runners must clear 36-inch hurdles. These hurdles are sturdier than the ones used in hurdle races, and runners may put a foot on top of them as they pass over. The water jump consists of a hurdle and a water-filled pit 12 feet square. The steeplechaser steps onto the hurdle and leaps across the water. The pit is 271/2 inches deep at the foot of the hurdle and slopes up to the track level. Most steeplechasers come down in the water at the shallow end of the pit to soften their landing.

Oveson competed within a field of 17 girls and 14 boys that were classified into three brackets, 20 and under, 18 and under and 16 and under.

The Wallowa teen finished fourth in 8:52.86 in the five lap, 2000 meter event. “I’d never done it before and the Aussie girls said that it was easy,” Oveson said. “It was hard. I wouldn’t want to make it a serious event. It was definitely challenging,” she added. The top three girl finishers were all Australians with the winning time coming in at 7:24:51.

Oveson placed eighth in the 800 meters after crossing the finish line in 2:32 well off of the winning time of 2:08.

“They ran 19 girls in one heat so there was a lot of bumping and elbows,” she said. “I got boxed in because there were three people running in my lane.” The finish was 10 seconds off of her personal best.

Oveson won her only medal of the games on the second day of competition placing third in the javelin with a toss of 108′. “We used their javelins that were bent,” Oveson said.

Her 4X100 relay team placed fifth.

United States dominated the sprints and field competition while the Australians controlled the distance events.

Sixteen medals were awarded to the Oregon/Washington contingency

Afterward, the group spent three days on Waikiki, Hawaii surfing, snorkeling and eating.

“It was a fun good experience,” Oveson said. “I would recommend to anyone that has the chance to go,” she added.