Going toe-to-toe with the best the Americas has to offer
I catch Anthony after one of his workouts. He’s milling about the track at Alumni Stadium, waiting for me and catching up with fellow members of the Speed River Track and Field Club, most of whom look like they are there for a similar reason. Anthony’s jovial attitude, short curly hair, and wiry-muscular frame make him an exciting and unintimidating person to talk to.
We grab a seat on a bench over by the pool and quickly get to the topic of his sport and his place in the Pan Am Games. Anthony began his studies at Dartmouth College before transferring to the University of Guelph in his second year. He proudly tells me he began competing internationally in track and field in high school, and has since risen quickly through the ranks to become, as he sees it, one of the more feared competitors to be toeing the line at the Pan Am Games.
Anthony will be representing Canada in the 800-metre event. He has travelled across the United States, Canada, and Europe, running shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the best in his tier and age group. In addition, he spent part of August 2013 in Russia, competing at the World University Games for Team Canada.
Anthony is not shy about his achievements and is clearly accustomed to talking to sponsors and other athletes, touting his skills and abilities in a confident, but not cocky or arrogant way. As a graduate and a full-time athlete, finding sources of funding for travel, training, equipment and the like is one of Anthony’s biggest challenges. Most of Anthony’s sponsors come courtesy of the local running club to which he belongs. A group that Anthony generously paints with praise for being welcoming, professional, and just competitive enough to give him an edge, without being overbearing.
In addition, he has also been accepted into CIBC’s Team Next program, which he credits with having opened quite a few doors along the way. Anthony, clearly enthusiastic about the program, describes it as providing not only monetary assistance, but also help with some of the softer skills required of the modern athlete: social media marketing, networking, public relations, and so on. In a society that idolizes our athletes, it makes sense that coaching in those areas could be just as important as coaching on the field. Anthony becomes noticeably more excited when talking about the marketing and networking opportunities he’s had, and it’s obvious he would be very good at that aspect of the sport. He is confident, well-spoken, and clearly puts thought into what he says, without it being overtly obvious that he’s doing so.
Anthony is coming off a stellar season, but has had his fair share of setbacks. The year he transferred to Guelph, Anthony suffered an injury which hindered his training. That did not, however, slow him down. He “…came to Guelph, continued to improve, and then last year was [his] huge breakout season.” To him, it’s an all too familiar reality of the world of professional sports. Anthony’s laid-back and confident manner helped him shrug off the setbacks, and when I ask him how he hopes to perform in the games, he turns to me with an incredulous look on his face, eyebrows peeking like I’ve just asked whether he likes to run, and says with a chuckle, “Oh yeah, I think I can win.”