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04/20/2023 07:58 AMAs she burns rubber with her legs, leaps high through the air and over the hurdles on the East Haven High School track, Erica Canfield also leaves her adversaries in the dust by being a youthful trailblazer on another racing circuit who knows when to both kick her legs into high gear and shift into first gear.
While Erica displays her swiftness as a top sprinter, jumper, and hurdler for the East Haven girls' indoor and outdoor track teams in the winter and spring seasons, respectively, she is also fast on another track in the stock car racing world.
For its 2022 campaign, Erica finished fifth in points in the Ministock Division at the Waterford Speedbowl for her rookie season run. While she started track her sophomore year, she is a third-generation racer within her family, being the first female out of her bloodline to take to the race track.
"For my first season racing, I did not expect much; I was not used to driving a manual transmission," says Erica, a junior at East Haven High School. "I expected to finish last in my races, but I cannot describe the experience of being out there on the track when racing; you have to feel it for yourself. I love running and the adrenaline rush it gives you, but finishing first in a race car is a bigger rush over winning an event in track because, with a car, you are focusing on so many little things."
Erica opens up to recall that she did have an episode of trepidation when it came to her first foray onto the starting line for stock car racing. Yet like a true competitor and professional, she collected her thoughts, cleared her mind and body, and then honed in on one component of the car at a time.
"The first time I went out there for my first race, I had an anxiety attack," Erica says. "Whenever I get anxiety like that, I focus on controlling my breathing and then on making sure I am operating all parts of the car, such as the gas and the clutch, properly."
As she has garnered several connections through racing alongside various cars across Connecticut, Erica adds that she discovered she has become a sort of role model for younger aspiring racers–even more so from the female faction–who see her as a pioneer.
"Racing has helped me gain a whole lot of friendships," says Erica. "I have little kids come up to me saying how they want to do what I do. It makes me want to keep doing it to let little girls know that they can also do this in a male-dominated sport. Hearing that from the kids can be a mix of emotions because they are looking up to me, and it is something that they have the power to do within themselves."
Back to track, Erica mentions that those teammates and competitors her sophomore year when she first began with the Yellowjackets created slight uneasiness, though she learned to work with those elder teammates and learn from them while additionally forming her physique.
"Mentally, my sophomore year, I was not confident because I was intimidated by those athletes with more experience," Erica says. "But I made friendships with them that helped me gain confidence. Physically, I was not strong at first, but I gained my speed and muscle through focusing more on track."
This past indoor track season, Erica showcased her multitude of talents by qualifying for states in five events of the 55 meter hurdles, 55 meter dash, 300 meter dash, high jump, and long jump. While marveling at that amazing accomplishment, Yellowjackets' girls' indoor and outdoor track Head Coach Rusty Dunne praises Erica for being the ultimate utility athlete.
"Erica qualified for the state championship in five events in indoor track; this is unheard of," says Dunne on Erica, who has already qualified for states in outdoor track for the 100 and 300 meter hurdles, 100 meter dash, and high jump. "Erica is a great multi-event athlete. She's strong, fit, has excellent speed; she's athletic, and tough. She never misses practice; she's a good worker, a determined kid. She races cars. Who races cars?! Erica is a very good student, [and] her hard work is paying off as she's being recruited to compete in collegiate track and field. We are currently aiming for the heptathlon in mid-June for her. We feel it'll be a perfect fit for Erica. She is fun to coach."
As she moves towards the final year of her high school life, Erica will continue to set a fast pace on various lanes while being someone younger athletes can look to emulate in being a barrier breaker. She concludes that while she may have teaching aspirations on the horizon, she could take a sharp left turn into the professional racing ranks if she follows her dreams.
"I have a decent amount of goals. In racing, I want to let the young girls know that they can do exactly what the boys do, and they can achieve anything they put their mind to," says Erica. "I want to also focus on school and getting my grades up where they need to be raised while hitting more personal records with track. I would like to be a preschool teacher, but who knows, I may like to join NASCAR one day."