We talked to representatives from some of the top programs in Canada about what they look for in a young athlete. Some of their answers may surprise you. The Ontario high school track and field championships, more commonly known as OFSAA, is one of the largest meets in Canada. This year, the province’s top athletes gathered at the University of Toronto’s Varsity Stadium, filling the stands with parents, friends and the track and field nerds. “First and foremost, we’re looking for athletes who want a good education.” There were a few other important spectators at the meet, some which made their presence very public and some which chose to fly under the radar, keeping their eyes on specific athletes: Canadian university coaching staff, looking for the latest additions to their track and field squads. While providing OFSAA coverage for Canadian Running, we decided to ask these coaches a question that every high school athlete wants to know the answer to: what does a coach look for while recruiting? Some of their answers may surprise you. “First and foremost, we’re looking for athletes who want a good education,” says Gary Malloy, the head cross-country and mid-distance track coach for the Windsor Lancers. “Secondly, we’re scouting for personalities that we think will fit into our team concept model. We’re looking for athletes that want to work hard with a group to benefit the team as a whole. Of course, we have performance standards, but we’re pretty liberal with giving people a chance.” “We like to put faces to names and look for deeper potential.” Bob Westman, a sprints and hurdles coach for the University of Toronto, says that having a presence at OFSAA is all about having the chance to meet athletes in person. “Anyone can go online and look at times nowadays” he explains. “We like to put faces to names and look for deeper potential.” This concept of long term potential came up across the board with all the coaches. Through their years of experience with young athletes, they know that high school and especially university, is a rollercoaster for anyone, but often a particularly bumpy ride for student athletes. “Physically, and also very importantly, emotionally, young athletes need time to develop,” Malloy says. “We don’t believe in rushing that process.” The recruiting process starts earlier than you may imagine as well. With most of the Grade 12s having already accepted offers of admission to universities or colleges, recruiters are mainly keeping their eyes on Grade 10s and 11s, athletes that are beginning to show potential, but are likely not sure where they’ll be headed for their post-secondary education. “Competing at provincials is what really got me serious about training.” Most universities bring members of their team with them, who can relate to the experiences of high school athletes. Joy Spearchief-Morris, a representative for the Western University track team, said that although this was her first time at OFSAA (she’s from Alberta), the atmosphere at other provincial meets is the same. “Competing at provincials is what really got me serious about training,” she says. “It wasn’t until then that I got really focused about thinking about where I wanted to go after high school.” Westman agrees that the atmosphere of provincial meets is important to fostering a desire to continue in high-level competition. “It’s fantastic for us that we get to put our facilities on display this year and show athletes the resources we have available to them. The crowd, the live broadcasting on the jumbotron, it all gives athletes a taste of what competing in the CIS is like,” he says. U of T, Windsor, Western, McMaster and Queen’s were all spotted at Varsity Stadium over the weekend, all of which are OUA powerhouse teams. And those athletes that look a little bit too old to be in high school? Those are university team members, hoping to meet some future teammates.
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