The first thing that immediately sticks out about fifth-year thrower Brooke-Lynn Boyd is her positivity and enthusiasm.
"My coach always says that I'm mentally strong compared to some of the other athletes. But I don't know how to work on that exactly. I just have fun and try to smile a lot and stay loose," she says with a grin.
"Especially when I throw I like to dance. Not a lot, but it's just to get loose and it usually makes my coach laugh. So that keeps me calm."
Originally a baseball player, Boyd was convinced to try javelin, shot put and discus in high school by the track and field/volleyball coach, who was impressed by her power. Things "escalated from there," according to Boyd.
A defining moment in the West Kildonan product's career occurred towards the end of grade 11, when she started coming out to the U of M to train with versatile assistant coach Mingpu Wu. The two have been inseparable ever since.
"Oh god, he's so funny. I don't think I could have any other coach," Boyd says emphatically.
"We just work so well together. He's like family. He's so smart and he knows so many events too and works with so many athletes. He picks certain athletes to work with and really keys in on them, so it was kind of nice to be picked as one of his athletes at first."
While Boyd prefers javelin – earning a bronze at the 2017 Canada Games on home soil – it's shot put that consumes her attention during the indoor season, as the former is only a summer sport. But there's no denying the parallels between the two.
"For javelin, it reminds me of when you're swinging a baseball bat with your back leg. I'm good at that. And when I throw shot put, I still do the javelin thing, so everyone says I throw shot put like a javelin thrower."
After two years of nonstop training, Boyd's efforts were rewarded in her third year with a gold medal in shot put at the Canada West Championships. The throw of 13.40 metres was also a personal best at the time. Boyd then successfully defended her title last year with a throw of 13.81 metres.
"I remember going into the competition being nervous, because I'd won the year before, and my coach was like 'okay, all you have to do is save the first throw. Don't go hard," she says of her 2017-18 showing.
"And my first throw I PB'd and he was like 'oh, you crazy girl.' That's what he tells everybody, he tells them that I'm crazy. That throw won it for me. Sometimes you never know what throw is going to win it, so sometimes you have to be crazy."
In a few weeks, the charismatic veteran will look to defend her Canada West title for a third year in a row while also attempting a top-three finish at the U SPORTS Championships in March, which is being hosted at the U of M. But instead of thinking of her placing, she prefers to focus on the process and getting better every day.
"It's a lot of pressure, but I also don't like to think about it. I never looked at the rankings before. Ming would always tell me what they are or my workout partner. I'd just be like okay, I want to throw a PB and I want to throw well. And if someone else throws well and beats me, that's fine. It happens."
Boyd's progression as a thrower hasn't gone unnoticed by head coach Claude Berube, who appointed her a captain this season amongst a training group that consists of primarily first and second-years.
"She's really matured, both as an athlete and as a person in the last few years. You could see it by the fact that she's now one of our team captains," he says of Boyd.
"You don't always see the combination of somebody who's a javelin thrower primarily, become a shot-putter and with the success that she has. She's done a tremendous job and Ming has done a great job working with her."
Catch Brooke-Lynn Boyd and more Bison track and field athletes at the 2019 U SPORTS Track & Field Championships, hosted by the U of M from March 7-9, 2019. Day and championship passes are on sale now.
