Young eyes OFSAA podium finish

Nick Young started his high school track and field career with a flourish.

In Grade 9, the Grade 12 student at St. Francis won an Ontario Federation of Secondary Schools Association gold medal in the 800 metres.

Following an injury-plagued Grade 10 year, the 18-year St. Catharines resident made it to the OFSAA finals last year. Now in his final year, the Athletics Niagara member is looking to return to the provincial podium.

“My goal this year in the 800 is to medal and then in the 1,500, I am debating what I am going to do with that,” he said. “It’s hard as a Grade 12 because if you run the 1,500, you have to do heats and the finals and then the same in the 800. Four races over a weekend is kind of hard.”

Young, who won the 800 metres and 1,500 metres at the Zone 4 track and field meet Thursday at the Niagara Olympic Club, knows that medalling at OFSAA is no easy feat, but feels that goal is within his grasp.

“Last year, I finished ranked fifth in Canada with the times (I posted), and the top five were all from Ontario,” he said. “Had I run another race, I think I could have got my times down a little bit more so I definitely feel like I have a shot?”

Thankfully, Young won’t have the pressure of trying to impress university scouts on his mind. He has already committed to be a scholarship runner at Northeastern University in Boston.

“It was kind of stressful over the cross country season because you knew that was the last chance for coaches to look at you,” he said.  “Now that it’s done, there’s not that much pressure to run faster times any more. It’s all about running and having fun.

He looked at a number of options before signing on the dotted line with Northeastern.

“I visited with them and I did a visit with Michigan State and obviously the scholarship money has a lot to do with it because the schools in the States are expensive,” he said.

But money was far from the only factor in his final decision.

“I was only there for two days, but I felt like I bonded with the team really well. It is a great group of guys there and there are some 800 guys and the 800 is kind of my speciality,” he said.

He was also impressed with the coaching staff at Northeastern.

“I talked to four or five coaches there and they all seemed to be on the same page. It seemed like the right fit for me.”

His goals at Northeastern are clock related.

“I obviously want to keep bringing my times down and then there’s some national team stuff happening this year and the next couple of years, a lot of under-20 stuff, and that’s kind of the goal,” he said. “In the first year, it is hard to make the national championships, but I am hoping I can do that in my second and third year.”

Before he starts to focus on preparing for his post-secondary career, Young is going to savour his final moments as a high school runner.

“I am trying to take it one race at a time and enjoy it as much as possible because it’s our last races and then we are off to university where we will be racing guys three or four years older than us,” he said. “It will be a lot harder.”