By RUSSELL BENNETT
MARY MacKillop Primary School student Caydn Lane is setting cross-country trails alight with his blistering speed. But, ominously for his competitors, he’d prefer to use that pace to burn them up them on local footy fields as a proud member of the Beaconsfield Junior Football Club.
Caydn, from Lysterfield South, is already a three-year cross-country veteran at just 10-years-old. He started at Narre Warren Athletics club when he was just seven, and has since made a host of district, regional, state and now national meets.
He last week came fifth in a state two-kilometre event, earning the right to wear Victorian blue and white at the national titles in Launceston beginning next month.
But even when he’s not in competition, he’s still hell-bent on setting personal best times in his training sessions – he set a personal best of 7 minutes and 15 seconds over two kilometres, before bettering that mark four days later at the state titles.
His biggest hurdle seems to be his timetable – fitting his running and footy around his tennis, and school at Narre Warren North’s Mary MacKillop.
Caydn’s competitive spirit shines through in everything he does. By last year, at just nine-years-of-age, he was able to consistently show his dad Craig – a former Beaconsfield, Mazenod, Mulgrave and Springvale midfield ace – a clean pair of heels.
And earlier this year, Caydn set a personal best of 13.11 in the beep test.
But it’s really a case of ‘like father, like son’ for this pair. As much as Caydn loves his running, he adores his footy.
He’s already a two-time winner of the Chris Newman award for the best-and-fairest player in the Eagles’ under-9s and hopes to one day don the Red, Blue and White of his beloved Western Bulldogs in the AFL.
Caydn wanted to wear his dad’s number for the Eagles but, put simply, the number 22 was too big for his slight frame. So, he opted for 16 – in honour of his favourite player, and fellow midfielder, Ryan Griffen.
Craig, and Caydn’s mum Sally – herself synonymous with the Eagles’ A Grade netball outfit – love the atmosphere around the club. They’ve loved seeing the youngster flourish on field with his team-mates.
But that will all take a back seat from 29 August to 1 September in Tasmania when Caydn runs like the wind.
He can’t wait to get over to the Apple Isle and represent his home state. He’s heading over in style, too. Caydn gets to ride in a jet with the other Victorian athletes. His mum and dad will fly over with the parents, lagging behind as usual!
