Abby Jackson commits to Oakland
For the longest time, Abby Jackson was content to be a multi-sport athlete.
“I never considered joining a track club because I have always been so busy playing travel hockey and soccer but a year ago I joined the Niagara Olympic Club. I have been training with them five days a week and I have just fallen in love with the sport,” the Grade 12 student at Westlane said. “I remember you interviewed me in Grade 9 after a cross country race and you asked me if I considered joining a track club and here we are today. I never thought this would be happening.”
What has happened is the 18-year-old Niagara Falls resident has committed to be a scholarship runner at Oakland University in Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, Mich. Oakland competes in the NCAA Division 1 Horizon League.
Joining the Niagara Olympic Club played a huge role in her landing the scholarship.
“I have learned so much more about the sport training consistently and not just for part of the year,” she said. “I have improved my form and the proper technique for running.”
Jackson realized in the last couple of years that she had a chance to take her running career to the NCAA Division 1 level.
“I had been in contact with multiple schools and when I was looking at results from meets before I started competing, my times were comparable to the girls that were winning,” she said. “I wanted to take my athletic career to the next level and I couldn’t be happier with the decision that I made.”
Besides Oakland, Jackson had multiple offers. She also visited Bradley in Illinois. She considered staying in Ontario but she knew she wanted to go to the States.
“Everyone says university is the best four years of your life and I just wanted a challenge and somewhere to grow as a student/athlete. After talking with coach (Paul) Rice at Oakland, I knew it was going to be a great place for me,” Jackson said.
Her first visit to the school came during American Thanksgiving and the school was a ghost town so she returned again for another look. Her second visit allowed her to meet her future teammates and coaches.
“Everyone was so welcoming and it was such a great community,” the future exercise science major said.
Jackson signed her letter of intent on her birthday.
“It just felt unreal and I couldn’t believe it was happening. It still feels like a dream and I am so happy. It was the best birthday gift I could have asked for.”
She can’t wait to get started at Oakland.
“I am looking forward to running with such a great team. I got to hang out with some of the girls when I went for my visit and everyone was so kind.”
Her goals for her first year are straight forward.
“I just want to improve my times and have a good time. I don’t want to be stressed out. I want to run and be happy where I am.”
Jackson has continued to train hard despite the pandemic and multiple lockdowns.
“I always say you have to be the hardest-working person you know and I believe I am the hardest-working person I know,” she said. “There is no way you are going to get better without doing everything it takes. I have to take those extra steps even when no one is there to watch or no one is there to push you to that next level.
“You are your own biggest competitor and training by myself has allowed me to grow.”
Jackson’s weekly training includes three day of running and two days of weight lifting. She was thrilled to return to training with the Niagara Olympic Club at Youngs Sportsplex in Welland on Jan 30.
Earning a Division 1 scholarship requires a lot of help.
“I want to thank my friends and family who were with me every step of the way, my current track coach Trevor Moore who has helped me get to this point, and my math teacher, Mr. (John) Kennedy, who is also the track and cross country coach at Westlane,” she said. “ He is the one who introduced me to the sport and none of this would have been possible without him.”
She also thanked Rice for making it an easy choice to commit to Oakland.
