Honour Roll
Cameron Ormond
It’s not often i n the sport of running that one can claim a hat trick, but Grade 11 student Cameron Ormond can when it comes to cross-country, having won the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations ( ofsaa) t it le as a midget, junior and senior. Such a feat has not been accomplished in Canadian women’s running since Olympian Kathy Butler won four out of five titles in the late ’80s/early ’90s. Currently, Kevin Sullivan (who holds the Canadian senior 1,500m record, went to the Olympics twice and now coaches at the University of Michigan) is the only athlete to have won four of the Ontario championships in a row – but that could change in the fall of 2018, when Ormond has her final shot.
What’s your most memorable racing experience?
I’d have to say ofsaa cross-country when I was in Grade 10. I’d been dealing with an Achilles injury during the fall, so in September, I wasn’t running at all. My team actually had a training camp right after I first got injured; I still went, but I was walking instead of running. Pool running was the main way that I cross-trained.
I was feeling pretty down about the amount of training I’d been able to do, so I wasn’t my most confident going into the race. I had a terrible start and was way back in the pack for the beginning of the race. As the race went on, I surprised myself with how good I felt and managed to take the lead and hold on.
What advice would you give to beginner runners?
To keep pushing and work hard. Just know that you’re not going to get where you want to be right away, it takes time and patience to see improvement. The other thing that I would say is to find a group or a team and use them. You can derive so much strength from being a part of a group.
What’s the hardest part about being a student athlete?
I think when you’re in high school, it’s intimidating to see the times that older athletes are running because it makes you wonder if you can ever get to that level. For me, I see girls that are in their mid-20s and it is difficult to wrap my mind around the amount of work and improvement that has to happen in order for me to try and reach that level. But, I think that kind of comes back to what I said for advice for beginner runners, that time and patience are so key. One of the most important lessons that I’ve learned through running is that usually it’s my mental state, not my physical state that’s holding me back.
What are your future goals?
It’s a dream to represent Canada, but I’m trying to stay in the present for now. I’m focused on the seasons I have left in high school and am just beginning to talk to universities. Pretty soon I’ll have to make the decision of whether I want to go to the States or not. But for the most part, I try not to get to caught up in the future and just enjoy where I’m at and what I can do now to set myself up for success.
What’s the biggest misconception that people have about running?
They don’t think it’s a sport!— CF