For Addison Paquette, her passion is not only for one sport but for two.
Since taking up basketball at the age of five, Paquette has excelled as a point guard, playing for the Brantford CYO Girls basketball program. However, after a chance meeting with an Olympic track legend, she devoted more time to track and field.
“I didn’t really like playing basketball at first, but as I started to understand the game more and kept at it, I fell in love with it. When I step on the court, I just feel like myself and that I can express myself and show my talent,” said Paquette. ”Then in Grade five, I started track…I met Robert [Esmie] who was watching my brother’s boxing match in Sudbury. Robert asked me if I would like to train with his club. I had never [been part of a] track team before, but I thought I would give it a shot.”
Esmie, who captured gold with the 4×100 men’s relay team at the 1996 Summer Olympics, helped Paquette build her confidence.
“When I was running with Robert he really made me believe in myself, and I just started feeling good about what I could accomplish. I started to practice more and more… and now I’m training every single Monday and Wednesday; running on the trails and doing track,” explained Paquette.
The young athlete’s strong development in both sports was helped by being part of two Brantford-based clubs.
“I have been part of the Brantford CYO events since the age of five. The coaches there are great [and] they’re very supportive. They have always helped me throughout my basketball journey; helping me improve on shooting and dribbling and everything that I can do to [increase] my basketball IQ. I honestly think I’m going to keep with them for a very long time,” she said. “And I love being part of the Branford Track and Field Club (BTFC). I have a great coach, Marqus Daniel [who] has inspired me and helped me through my track journey. Since starting with the club, I have improved so much, in my form and speed.”
In 2024, all her hard work paid off when Paquette qualified for several events for the 2024 Ontario Summer Games held in London, Ontario.
“I qualified for the 400M, 800M, and long jump events. It was a really good experience. I met a lot of talented runners there. I thought that I would run well at the games, but it was actually the other way around, where I jumped very well, and my running wasn’t as great,” she said. “But I know that I was practicing a lot for my jumps this year, and it did really improve, because I got third place.”
Marqus Daniel, who has coached Paquette for a number of years at the BTFC, noted her growth, especially in the last two years.
“She followed up with a lot of strong performances this year from 2023 [and] she did very well in the Summer Games. Just making it to the games [was an accomplishment], because the Niagara team [has] some of the best athletes in Canada, let alone Ontario, in the same age group,” noted Daniel.
Along with a strong finish at the Ontario Summer games, Paquette made the Brant-Brantford Catholic District School Board record books during competitions.
“For long jumps, it took me two jumps before I broke the record…my brother gave me some words of encouragement and told me I had to give it my all …and I went for it and jumped…I was really happy about that, because I have really improved this year. And then I had the 800M event, which was one of my strongest races, and I broke the record for that one as well,” she explained.
Paquette, who won the 2024 BTFC Most Outstanding Minor Girl award, looks to build upon her success in both sports.
“I really want to improve on my shooting. I know I’m able to shoot better and a little farther than past years. I find that at basketball I’m very good with finishing and dribbling [and] being able to visualize the court very well,” she noted. “I also want to work more on my long jumps…while making sure that I have a positive mindset during my races.”
Daniel believes that Paquette has the right mindset to excel whether it be on the track or the basketball court.
“She’s the definition of a good athlete… she works very hard for everything she has; nothing has been given to her. As long as she keeps progressing and enjoys playing those sports, she will find success on any team in college or university or wherever she decides to go,” stated Daniel.
