Soon-to-be freshman, Kinzee Charbonneau, competed in two individual events at the Jr. Olympics this week in Savannah, Georgia. She qualified earlier this summer after landing fourth in her region in the 400m and seventh in the 800m.

After multiple heat delays, she finished 57th out of 72 with a time of 2:41.19 in the 800. In the 400m she landed 77th out of 94 with a time of 1:06. The day before, she finished with a PR of 1:02.03.

Kinzee’s mom, Shaye, said the meet was difficult with the delays, especially with Kinzee’s eating schedule. Once she’d entered the warm-up area she wasn’t allowed to leave, forcing athletes to sit and wait without the opportunity for food.

She also served as an alternate for the 4×8, which ended up getting cancelled and ran the next morning at 6 am due to heat.

Shaye, said it’s harder to qualify for individual events.

“All in all, for her to make it here in two open events, that’s pretty neat,” she said. “Open events are tough to qualify for. When you get to this level it’s crazy how good these kids are.”

Meanwhile, Kinzee said it was a good experience and she was glad to compete on a larger scale.

“Coming to a track meet like this is fun to see how good people really are. A lot of girls are nice; we are all in the same boat, just to compete and have fun.”

Kinzee also competed last year at the Jr. Olympics in two relays.

“This was a great experience,” Shaye said. “She looked good running. Great form and kept her pace.”