While many were celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in more traditional ways, young people here were training to fence, shoot, run and swim.
On Sunday, 60 athletes from western and central Ontario Pony Clubs along with first year pentathletes participated in the annual clinic.
Instruction in swimming, fencing, running and shooting was provided on site.
Shaun LaGrange president of the Ontario Modern Pentathlon Association, explained this is the third such clinic held in Fergus.
LaGrange said the day was a training session intended as an introduction to pentathlon.
“We reached out to the local pony club which does a tetrathlon – which is run, swim, ride and shoot. Pentathlon adds fencing to the mix.”
He said the clubs were invited to come out, try the Sports and to get more people involved.
“We also reached out to other members of the community.
“It’s partly to introduce more people to the sport and show them the excitement of pentathlon.”
He added modern pentathlon was introduced as a new sport with the resurgence of the modern Olympics in the early 1900s.
Pierre de Coubertin (the founder of the modern Olympics) selected pentathlon to mirror the ancient Greek pentathlon, which consisted of running, javelin, discus, long jump and wrestling.
The events chosen for modern pentathlon represent the diverse attributes of a Napoleonic officer, including:
– fitness (running and swimming);
– control and concentration (shooting);
– agility and speed (fencing); and
– determination, adaptability and courage (riding and jumping on an unfamiliar horse).
Modern pentathlon is five Sports combined into four events in the span of one day, including: fence, swim, ride, run plus shoot.
Athletes move from one event to the next with a short break in between.
For more information check out the national website at pentathloncanada.ca or the provincial site at www.ompa.ca.
