Sky is the limit for Lavoie

Anisha Kinnarath Salam is gearing up for an important week.

AK Soccer Academy, the Winnipeg-based club Kinnarath Salam and her father started in 2019, is in Surrey, B.C., this week for the Canada Soccer National Championships — a first for the 15U girls team — and Kinnarath Salam believes her side has a legitimate shot at winning it all.

“We’ve had the squad, but this is a very talented group,” said Kinnarath Salam. “A few of these girls have been with us since they were five years old. A few have been with us since they were like 10. But we got some powerhouses last year.”

One of those new headlining talents is winger Quinn Lavoie, a product of West St. Paul who has brought a tantalizing blend of speed, technical skill and high IQ on the pitch.

Lavoie helped lead AK Soccer Academy to a 19-1-1 record in the Winnipeg Youth Soccer Association and win the Manitoba Soccer Association Cup, punching the club’s ticket to the national tournament. AK went 4-1 in provincials — their only loss coming without Lavoie in the lineup — and won the championship final 7-2 after receiving four goals from Lavoie.

“My dad calls her Batman because her presence on the team is very uplifting, and there’s a lot of comfort from her teammates when she’s on the team and when she’s on the pitch because they know that she’s going to lead on the pitch and lead by example,” said Kinnarath Salam.

“When you have your best player on the field, but she brings out the best of everyone, and then she elevates also players around her, we have a very strong group, and it takes a lot of pressure off of our other star players when she’s around, and vice versa. It’s a good group, and they’re very well balanced and gelled.”

Lavoie is doing more than scoring goals, however.

“My dad calls her Batman because her presence on the team is very uplifting, and there’s a lot of comfort from her teammates when she’s on the team.”

The 5-6 teen is a multi-sport talent who is beginning to create waves locally and nationally in both soccer and track.

Lavoie grew up in a hockey family but was enrolled in soccer when she was four years old and added long-distance running and track to her repertoire in Grade 2. She’s been a standout on the track and the pitch for years now, but the last two years in particular have put her on the map in both worlds.

After earning gold medals in the 300-metre, 800m, 1,200m and medley relay at the Western Canada Team Challenge, Lavoie was crowned the 400m and 800m Manitoba provincial high school champion, kickstarting a successful summer. In August, she earned another gold in the 800m and bronze in the 300m event at the Legion Youth Nationals in Regina, then set a new Manitoba indoor U16 800m record when she finished fourth at a national meet in Boston in two minutes, 15.11 seconds.

Winnipeg Optimist Athletics coach Derek Ozunko has directly coached Lavoie for the last six months, but has watched her for the last four years.

“She’s a very talented athlete. Stuff she does is very natural,” he said.

With her commitments on the pitch, Ozunko said he doesn’t see Lavoie as often as other athletes. That hasn’t appeared to stunt her development, though. She could go a couple of weeks away from the track and seamlessly pick up where she left off — a rare feat, Ozunko said.

“I kind of feel like the sky’s the limit for her in terms of running,” Ozunko said. “She’s really got good endurance, and (that) just comes by her easily. I guess as far as her next step would be after high school, I guess university level and stuff, and right now her progression continues the way it has been; I can see she has the chance of being a national team member in track if she wants to pursue it to that level.”

“I can see she has the chance of being a national team member in track if she wants to pursue it to that level.”

In soccer, Lavoie has travelled for European opportunities over the last two years. She went to Scotland, where she trained with Celtic FC Academy for a week, and has played twice in Spain at the Surf Cup International. She went to England earlier this year to play in the London Ladies Cup.

When she’s not travelling, Lavoie has continued to ply her trade with Manitoba’s Regional Excel Centre (REX). She’s already on the national radar, being named a reserve player for the U16 national team this year.

Kinnarath Salem, who played college soccer at North Dakota State, also sees a bright future for Lavoie in her other sport. She believes Lavoie could be a dual athlete at a Division 1 university if her heart desires.

“I think so. Overall, she has great athleticism. She has also a strong player’s IQ, and she’s also very highly technical,” said Kinnarath Salem. “A lot of players in Manitoba, you lose a lot of opportunity because we’re from here, but I think that in university, I do see her continuing to play university. In my opinion, she has the potential to play stateside, as well.”

Lavoie admitted it’s been difficult to juggle her busy schedule while prioritizing her studies, but she’s done so admirably, making the honour roll every year since enrolling at St. Mary’s Academy in Grade 7 and finishing last year with an 89 per cent average across all classes.

“Everything I’ve done, it’s just been good experiences, and I feel like I’m developing very well as a player and as a person, meeting a bunch of different people from like around the world and everything, just like experiencing different levels and how to compete,” Lavoie said. “Just seeing the difference in competition everywhere, I just like how much exposure I’m getting to everything. It’s been a good year for soccer and track.”

Lavoie credited her family’s impact for her athletic development. Her mom and older sister still play hockey recreationally, while her dad has had an influence on her nutrition. It’s been a positive environment for a young athlete, to say the least.

“Everything I’ve done, it’s just been good experiences.”

“I feel like they help each other pretty well. They both complement each other, but for soccer, it just helps. Track really helps with my speed because I’m a winger, so it helps a lot just when I’m driving to the net, and then it helps with my stamina also for endurance and everything,” she said. “I like them both equally, but I just did track just to help me out with soccer.”

In a perfect world, Lavoie would play both sports in university, but she’s not in a rush to choose one path just yet. Whatever she decides, she appears destined for great things.

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