Colonels again benefitting from javelin success

Nicholls State freshman Jaimee Springer is more than 2,000 miles from her native Canada.

It’s safe to say there hasn’t been much jet lag in her transition to the college level.

In her first season with the Colonels track team, Springer is firmly establishing herself as one of the best javelin throwers in the Southland Conference.

The best part for Nicholls is her latest toss was her best, as she qualified for the Canadian Junior National Championships with a 146-foot, 8-inch toss that won the Cole-Lancoln Invitational meet in Lafayette.

“Things have gone really well,” Springer said. “I’ve thrown really consistently and I’ve done a lot better than I thought I would. I came here with goals of hitting both 143-feet, then 146 and I hit them both, so I’m pretty proud of what I’ve done here so far.”

The path from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to Thibodaux took some time to develop, as Springer said she wasn’t recruited by Nicholls until May of her senior year.

Colonels coach Scott Williamson said the prospect first landed on his radar after he looked at the results of some Canadian track meets online.

“Canada is a pretty long way away,” Williamson said. “But like with all of our recruits, the Internet is probably the biggest way to find out results on stuff. You find the results, then you call and ask about kids with their club coaches or different recruiting services. That’s how we found out about her.”

Once contact was initiated, Springer said Williamson wasted little time in selling the program’s future to her.

Whatever he said worked as the thrower chose the Colonels over Georgia Southern and a litany of Canadian universities without ever making a visit to Louisiana.

“I figured you might as well go out of the country,” Springer said. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I took it. … I hadn’t gotten to take a visit here before I got here because I got recruited so late. But the food is good, the people are nice. What else could you ask for? I like it here.”

Aside from the cuisine, one thing Springer probably likes about Nicholls is the Louisiana heat.

With Canada’s winter season, Springer admitted the only thing able to be thrown in Alberta about half of the year are snowballs.

In Louisiana, Springer is able to work on her throwing all year long.

“That’s a great thing for me,” she said. “Everyone back home is … complaining about how it’s cold and it’s still winter and the snow is constant. Here, it’s in the 80s all of the time with humidity. For a thrower, there’s nothing to complain about, really.”

Being allowed to work out by Mother Nature is one thing. Doing the right things to be successful while you’re there are another.

That’s where assistant coach Leslie Bourgeois comes into the mix.

Bourgeois is in her first year as an assistant coach after spending the past five years with the Colonels’ track team, winning three Southland Conference championships in the javelin.

Springer said it gives her comfort knowing that she’s in good hands. Because everything she’s asked to do has already been done, by the coach, herself.

“She’s helped a lot, both technique-wise and mentally, too,” Springer said. “She’s told me during my throws what I need to fix and what I need to work on. Mostly, she’s just there as a good support system. I know that the things she’s suggesting for me are right, because just look at the things she’s done in her career here. It’s remarkable the success she’s had.”

As far as how good Springer could be?

Bourgeois offered pretty high praise, saying that the thrower will end up being however successful she wants to be.

“She started at a young age throwing the javelin, so she’s the most experienced of all of us that are throwing,” Bourgeois said. “It really adds to her knowledge of the javelin and just what she needs to do to be prepared for meets and practices. She knows what it takes to be a winner. That’s the most important thing.”

With the track season drawing to its close, several Colonels have been doing just like Bourgeois described, winning.

Nicholls heads into this week’s Southland Conference Championship with several athletes who can potentially walk away with conference titles.

Williamson, now in his sixth year, said he’s finally getting to a point where he feels comfortable with the program he’s built.

“We knew it was going to take time to be able to get the athletes in that would be able to help us to be successful,” he said. “Those first few years, we got some athletes who were pretty good, but now, we’re bringing in better recruits and now that they are in their fourth and fifth years here at Nicholls. They’ve all developed and that’s probably the most rewarding thing, that they’ve all come here and weren’t the most highly recruited athletes out of high school, but they’ve all worked really hard and have bought into our program and now we’re seeing the fruits of those labors.”

But Springer is only a freshman and is already achieving success.

Forget Canada, it looks like her new home just might be the winner’s circle.

“She has that talent level,” Bourgeois said. “She’s definitely good enough.”

Nicholls State freshman Jaimee Springer readies for a throw during a recent track meet. Springer is one of several Colonels who have a chance to win the conference title at this week’s Southland Conference track meet. NSU SPORTS MEDIA