It's been a trying season for Shalane Haselhan, but she's hoping to put all that behind her at the Canada Games in a couple of weeks.
The Lampman track and field athlete will compete at her second Canada Summer Games in mid-August in Sherbrooke, Que.
Haselhan, a former member of the Estevan Legion Track and Field Club who now attends the University of Regina, is entered in the high jump.
She sustained "a pretty bad ankle sprain" in February, severely limiting her ability to train, so Haselhan said her main goal is simply to improve.
"I've been recovering from an injury, so I'm just hoping to continue jumping where I have been jumping at, and hopefully just get a personal best."
Haselhan finished fifth in high jump at the 2009 Games in Prince Edward Island.
"In 2009, I was the younger person on the team, so my goal was just to go and kinda have fun. This year, being an older athlete, I really want to show what I got and maybe, hopefully, make at least the top five."
Women's high jump takes place during Week 2 of the Games, with qualifying on Aug. 13 and the final running on Aug. 16.
Haselhan said that getting back to where she was before the injury is as much about her mental state as anything.
"It definitely affected my indoor season this year, so I didn't train all year. It was just a shorter training season this summer. I have to get my confidence back up and know that I can achieve that again."
Haselhan said that the 2009 Games, when she was just 18, gave her some experience in what it's like to compete at a national event.
"It was a different atmosphere. It's cool to stay in a place that's so busy. Lots of athletes stay at the same dorms, we all eat at the same hall. It's interesting to see a whole bunch of athletes all there, all wanting to win in their event. It's nerve-wracking, but it's exciting to see other people are just as passionate as you are," she said.
Haselhan has two years of eligibility left at the U of R and said she plans to train hard this summer, with hopes of having a bounce-back year.
The Sherbrooke Games begin Friday and wrap up on Aug. 17. A total of 269 events will be held in 17 different sports.
