Sisters follow in mum’s fast footsteps

By Marc McGowan
WALKING has long been a way for individuals to keep fit, but for the Burrens the pursuit has helped form a unique family bond.
Mother Joanne was a five-time Victorian racewalk champion in the 1970s and 80s and is now watching her daughters Amy and Sarah cut a similar swathe through racewalking ranks.
Dingley residents Amy, 14, and Sarah, 11, won their fifth and third Victorian titles respectively at the State Track and Field Championships in Bendigo on the weekend.
The Narre Warren little athletes both triumphed in the 1500-metre walk, with their natural talents – and all of their hard work – proving too much for their competitors.
Amy is also a multiple national champion in her age group and trains under four-time Olympian Simon Baker.
“I like everything about it – the social side and the competition side,” the year-eight Kallista College student said. “I’m just hoping to keep going with it and enjoy it.”
After beginning little athletics as an 8-year-old, Amy, who is also a promising runner, now practises three times a week at various venues, including Ringwood, Bells Park and Knox.
When younger sister Sarah began the discipline she achieved instant success and has continued to dominate her rivals.
“I think it’s a good sport. I don’t really know why; I just like it. At little athletics I was good at it and I won all the races,” the grade-six St Mark’s Catholic Primary School student said. “I have heaps of friends doing athletics, but not many do racewalking. They don’t really like racewalking because they’re not very good at it.”
With her mother and older sister to look up to, Sarah has had plenty of advice to draw on.
“Because my mum and Amy are really good at it, I guess it’s in my genes and sort of comes naturally,” she said. “I look up to her (Amy). She’s really good and I want to be like her.”
Sarah has done a good job of emulating her sister so far; already breaking several of her sisters’ records, but Amy is not fazed.
“I just let her do what she has to do. Our times are quite similar at the same age,” Amy said.
Not surprisingly, Joanne is extremely proud of her daughters.
“They’re very natural walkers and they’re fairly good at running, too,” she said.
“They love all sports and they’re very tough. Amy actually had a broken big toe on her right foot from playing soccer at school and still competed.”
Their stunning results even have Joanne dreaming of them one day representing Australia at the Olympic Games.
“It would be pretty amazing,” she said.