Friends and fun
lead to Bradshaw medal boom
Randy
Pascal
2020-12-24
"I actually really enjoyed the social element of
running - the results were a bonus."
But what an impressive string of results
there were to look back upon, as Ryan Bradshaw returned
to the days of his high-school cross-country/track career
that produced no less than six OFSAA medals from 1993
to 1998.
Perhaps most impressive in the stretch
that featured two teams medals and four individual podium
finishes, including three in cross country alone, might
be the fact that in the 21 years since Bradshaw graduated
from Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, SDSSAA representatives
have a grand total of two medals from OFSAA cross-country
to show for their collective efforts (Calum Passi –
Bronze – Midget Boys – 2017; Devon Kershaw).
Now 41 years of age and having recently
welcomed the addition of a son (Bryce) to the family fold,
Bradshaw may have been as unassuming an OFSAA champion
as the city has ever produced.
"I didn't even realize that I was
very good, truthfully," stated the long-time GTA
resident, thinking back to his very first appearance at
provincials. "I had figured that winning around Sudbury
was OK, but that I would get destroyed in southern Ontario.
My parents didn't come to OFSAA my first year."
Born and raised in Sudbury, Bradshaw would
wander his way into the high-school cross-country scene,
more by virtue of friendships with the likes of Tom Salmoni,
Jake Rukholm and the Kalviainen twins. "I don't even
remember placing in the top ten in elementary races, maybe
even the top twenty," said Bradshaw.
"But we had maybe six or seven close
friends in grade nine at Lo-Ellen, so all of our training
exercises were just a lot of fun. We had an element of
competition between each other, but honestly, our training
workouts during the week felt like more of a hangout session.
I joined because I wanted to meet people."
So it was that Bradshaw attended his inaugural
OFSAA race in the fall of 1993, having finished second
to Joel Lavigne (Lasalle) at the cities midget boys' race.
"I always went into those races nervous, which I
think is pretty common," said Bradshaw. "All
I remember was Terry's advice (coach Terry Moss), to focus
on people around me and get into my own groove."
The game plan worked - for the most part.
"I was leading going into the final
stretch," Bradshaw recalled. "I wasn't a good
sprinter - never had the speed, still don't have any kind
of speed. Two guys passed me. I just couldn't close it
out, but it was a pretty cool experience."
It was also enough to convince his older
sister Kelly that it was time to up the ante.
"She knew that I needed to be trained
better," he said. "By the time I had finished
my cross-country season, I was working with Dick (Moss)."
If his first OFSAA appearance was something
of a blur, the same could not be said for the sequel.
Because of a late birth date, Bradshaw maintained his
midget status as he took to the trails in his grade ten
year. He would claim first place at the pre-OFSAA race
in Ancaster, besting a field almost 500 strong a few weeks
before provincials.
"I think I was probably even a little
more nervous my second year, just because people were
talking about me," he suggested. "I guess that
I knew that I had somewhat of a shot, but at the same
time, you just never know."
What he did know, without a shadow of
a doubt, was exactly how he wanted to tackle the course.
"We raced the escarpment," Bradshaw
noted. "There was a really steep hill, a real game
changer because it was towards the end of the race. Any
time there was a hill on the course, it helped me out.
I wanted to surge at the bottom of the hill, if I was
feeling good."
Better still, Bradshaw was feeling great.
"It turned out that I opened up about
a 40 second gap by the time I emerged at the top of the
hill."
With his parents on hand, the northern
Ontario harrier would earn gold.
And while his on-going battle with asthma,
as well as the emergence of a very talented competitor
from Sault Ste Marie (Matt Hayman - the pair finished
one/two at OFSAA in grade 12) would mean that he would
not repeat his individual gold medal performance, Bradshaw
continued to enjoy success, right through to his time
with the Laurentian Voyageurs cross-country team.
Unfortunately, following his sophomore
season at L.U., the program was folded.
"That was kind of a nail in the coffin
for the progress of my running career," said the
graduate of the Sports Administration program.
Still prone to lacing 'em up and enjoying
a recreational run - "I'll throw some music on and
go out and clear my head" - Bradshaw remains the
same social athlete that he always has been. "Some
of the other runners that I knew really closely, people
like Lisa Ouellet and others, they really had a drive
to be top, top athletes."
That's just not Ryan Bradshaw.
Even his selection of music, a running
accompaniment that he picked up maybe a decade ago, is
fully consistent with the approach of a somewhat more
laid-back elite level athlete. "I still have one
of those old matchbox iPod shuffle things, whatever they
are called, that I don't even know how to re-program,"
he laughed.
"Some people really like upbeat stuff,
but I just want cool, relaxing tunes - sort of campfire
music. I've always found that if you can shut your brain
off, the pain (of running) kind of goes away anyways,
and that's really what you're looking for."
At least, that's exactly what Ryan Bradshaw
was looking for.
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