Athlete of the Month Shamelle Pless
When I was little I enrolled in a track and field team just for fun, and my favorite section was always the 50 meter sprint. We watch and admire athletes like Usain Bolt or Allyson Felix in the Olympics all the time but did you guys know that we have a sprinter of our own that trains right out of Edmonton?
Meet Shamelle, a young 23 year old athlete who trains competitively in track and field right here in our very own City of Champions.
WD: Hi Shamelle, so tell us a little bit about yourself, what got you to start with sprinting?
SP: My dad was a linebacker for the Edmonton Eskimos, and my mom was a dancer and also ran track and field. Growing up with athletic parents and being surrounded by sports, I naturally found interest in them from a very young age. One of the sports I joined in elementary school was a
cross-country team at the age of 8
and I was terrible at it. I ran 300th
place (not an exaggeration) out of all
the other 8 year olds. When I was old
enough I tried for indoor track, where
kids can compete in the 200m and I
loved it. I ended up being a part of
the record breaking indoor relay
team that year travelling to the USA
for my first out-of-country meet.
WD: What an amazing story! So how
long have you been a part of a
competitive team?
SP: I joined my first competitive team
when I was in 7th grade, I was about
12. I ran under that club and coach
until I graduated high school, from
which I then earned a track and field
scholarship to Northern Arizona
University and trained there for 5 years.
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