Johnson Racing To The Top
Delainey Johnson running with CKSS’ cross country team – Contributed Photo
Johnson swims, runs, and during the summer time plays soccer. In fact, she enjoys all three sports equally, and finds that each benefits the other.
“Before I swam, my track and field results weren’t amazing, but after I started swimming I was placing 1st and 2nd,” says Johnson, who swims for the Blenheim Blast swim team. “It really helps doing more than one sport, my skills get better each time I do them, and it also helps my muscles.”
Johnson being in grade 9 at CKSS has noticed a huge difference between elementary cross country and high school cross country,
“In elementary you compete against the same people, but in high school every time you go to a race it’s new people.”
Johnson’s two older siblings, Riley and Pierce are also athletes, Pierce being involved in volleyball and javelin, and Riley in swimming.
Johnson says Riley, who now swims at Laurentian University, helped her get into swimming.
“Both my siblings had a sport that they were involved in, and I really wanted that as well, so Riley got me into swimming,” explained Johnson.
Johnson says before she found her passion for swimming, she tried hockey, and ringette.
Despite Johnson’s multi-sport talents, neither swimming or running stand out as her favourite, rather, she enjoys each.
“I love both equally, I couldn’t do one without the other.”
With so much success, Johnson sees a future for herself in sport.
“I definitely want to keep up both sports in my future, even if they aren’t competitively, they are definitely something I will never stop doing.”
Johnson is off to Niagara Falls this weekend for the Provincial running championships, while her Blenheim Blast swim team is competing at the SEAL Meet in Chatham, hosted by the Chatham Y Pool Sharks.