T. A. Blakelock High School
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: TigerSharks Swim Team
Record-Breaking Swimming Season Fueled by Olympian Coaching at T. A. Blakelock HS
T. A. Blakelock High School has never been known as a swim team powerhouse. The Tigers have seen flashes of success over the years, but never a season that reshaped the record books and provincial standings. That changed this year.
Breaking five GHAC (Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference) records—one of which had stood for two decades—and earning two individual OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) gold medals, this year the team has cemented its place in school history.
The season’s most poetic moment came when Grade 11 student Zayden Dindayal dove into the pool for the 100m Individual Medley. He didn’t just beat the swimmers in the adjacent lanes; he broke a 20-year-old record held by David Landry, a former T. A. Blakelock HS student and teacher.
Swim coach and teacher Petar Jokic added context to the weight of that moment: "Having multiple people on the podium and multiple records at GHAC and then at OFSAA... I don't believe that has happened in about 15 years."
The record-breaking didn't stop there. Grade 12 student JJ Rubanovich and the rest of the relay team took down a nine-year-old mark in the 4x50m Medley Relay.
When asked what catalyzed this sudden surge in success, JJ emphasized the mental side of the sport. “You’ve got to be really mentally strong to actually accomplish that,” he said.
The swimmers also pointed to the coaching staff as a reason for their success, specifically Annamay Oldershaw. As a former Olympian and world record holder, Ms. Oldershaw brought a level of technical precision that the program had never seen.
"I think the biggest change... would be the person on the other side of the table," Mr. Jokic said, gesturing to Ms. Oldershaw. "To take it to the next level, I'm going to default to the Olympian coaching staff. That extra little bit came from that."
Ms. Oldershaw brought a detail-oriented approach that resonated with the team. "My career was very much about doing small things and doing them really, really well," she explained, noting that the OFSAA gold medalists won by just a few hundredths of a second. “One of the things in my career that was always a big deal was touches. We worked on that a lot."
The transition from regional qualifiers to the provincial stage at OFSAA was a test of mental fortitude. For Grade 12 swimmer Melanie Heuft, seeing the "psych sheets"—the pre-race rankings—was both a blessing and a curse.
"When the psych sheets were released... I saw that I had a chance of maybe being able to come first. It gave me extra motivation, but it was also really stressful," Melanie recalled.
Zayden echoed the intensity of the moments before the race began. "The top 10 times were all within 20 milliseconds from each other. Me and Mel were sitting beside each other in the stands... just sitting there silent, stressed out. Our parents said we looked like chipmunks because we were both biting our fingernails."
That anxiety did not negatively impact their performances. Melanie Heuft claimed gold in the Senior Girls 50m Breaststroke with a finals time of 36.28, while Zayden Dindayal took gold in the Senior Boys 50m Breaststroke in 31.57.
"It felt awesome," Melanie said. "Not even just getting the medal, but just knowing that I could achieve what I set my mind to." For Zayden, the reality took longer to sink in. "I was a bit in denial.”
While the swimmers were still trying to process the win, their supportive coaches were not as composed. "We’re screaming, trying not to cry on the deck," recalled Mr. Jokic. "We did cry, obviously. They were calm, cool, collected in the pool, and we’re losing our minds on the deck!"
The excitement extended beyond the pool as well. Declan Adams, a former T. A. Blakelock record-holding swimmer who returned to the school this year as a teacher candidate, was rooting for the team as their season unfolded. “It was really fun to follow along with what was happening and hear the updates from the math office,” Mr. Adams said. “They did a really great job.”
While swimming is often seen as an individual pursuit, the Tigers fought to make it feel like a team sport throughout the season. This was physically represented by their matching "deck parkas"—specialized gear funded through a scrap metal drive led by team captain Cameron Coxson.
"It’s like our jersey since everyone has a different bathing suit," Melanie explained. "It’s nice to have something everyone can wear together."
Beyond the parkas, the team focused on fostering their love for the sport. As Ms. Oldershaw puts it: "Loving what you're doing really helps you swim fast."
Both Melanie and Zayden had previously stepped away from high-level competitive swimming. "I joined the [school] swim team so I could start swimming again," Melanie said. "The coaches were super motivating... and it made swimming fun again. That made it easier to put my best effort in."
While some of the athletes the T. A. Blakelock team faced were competitive swimmers, many of whom can train upwards of 16 hours per week, the Tigers were able to accomplish their goals with a much more balanced schedule.
Zayden appreciated this lesson: "Learning I can still have success while also being able to balance school and other parts of my life... I can put that mindset toward anything."
TAB TIGERS BRING HOME THE GOLD GOLD GOLD!!!
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Michael Ekeng
Grade 11 TAB student Michael Ekeng participated in the We Are Canada exhibit, a student-led photo and essay exhibition that celebrates 50 influential Black professionals from across the GTA in recognition of Black History Month. Michael also interviewed Mark Williams, the CEO of the Toronto Symhony Orchestra. The interview was featured on the CBC radio show "Here and Now" with Farrah Merali.
CBC Radio Show "Here and Now Toronto" with Farrah Merali - Michael Ekeng and Mark Williams
The "We Are Canada" exhibit, featuring
photographs and essays, opened up to the
public on Saturday
Students across the Greater Toronto Area are recognizing inspiring Black
professionals in a variety of fields in a new exhibit to mark Black History Month.
The We Are Canada exhibit opened Saturday to celebrate the essays and
photos taken by students showcasing leaders of the Black community in different
areas of work.
"We Are Canada gives students the opportunity careers, career progression and
become inspired by what they see," said Angela Henry, director of communications
for the Lifelong Leadership Institute.
"And also gain the understanding that Black people have been involved in areas
of work across many positions in Canada."
Participating students are part of the leadership by design program, which has been
run by the Lifelong Leadership Institute for 10 years, said Henry at the exhibit's premiere.
She said it was inspiring to see students push their boundaries and do something
"that scares them a little."
Student Bemi Esisi said her takeaways from the project was the importance of good
communication and having passion for your work.
"Being Black in Canada, sometimes you don't see yourself represented. So getting
to see what my future could look like is really inspiring," said Esisi.
"These opportunities are really important for [students.] It allows us to showcase our
voice, our place in the world and that we can be more than what people expect from us."
'Overjoyed' to learn from a role model: student
Oakville grade 11 student Michael Ekeng said he was eager to find a way to mark
Black History Month this year.
He said he was “overjoyed” when he got to be a part of the We Are Canada exhibit
and through that met Toronto Symphony Orchestra CEO Mark Williams.
“It was unbelievable, what are the chances,” he told CBC Radio’s Here and Now.
“I was so overjoyed that I would finally have something to push for Black History Month.”
Ekeng said it was fascinating to learn from Williams that he was the first Black CEO
of a major orchestra.
Williams said the interview experience was just as much of “a gift” to him. He said
as a person of colour that has “achieved,” there’s a sense of responsibility in giving
back to the community any way you can.
“Anything I can do to shine a light on the work that Black Canadians are doing,
I’d love to be a part of that,” he told CBC Radio’s Here and Now.
Williams added he was grateful to go from learning about Black history as a youth
to now being able to inspire young people in the future.
"During the interview I had this moment, where I realized the roles had shifted and
it really made me grateful … to give something,” he said.
For Ekeng, he said he learned from Williams to always try new opportunities
and “put yourself out there.”
“Especially as a Black individual, where those are so limited you just need to
jump at what comes to you,” he said.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Arrthy Thayaparan is a Toronto-based multimedia journalist. She's interested
in health, climate and community stories. She has previously worked at Reuters
and CBC Vancouver. You can contact her at arrthy.thayaparan@cbc.ca
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