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Growing up in New Liskeard, it was
almost a given that Josh Bujold would develop a passion for hockey first
and foremost. Thankfully for the crew at Cambrian College, he also took
a liking to running and volleyball along the way.
One of three children in
the family (Josh has a twin brother and younger sister), Bujold recalls
a love of hockey that dates back as far as he remembers. By Grade 3, his
interest in track & field and cross-country running started to emerge
and the building blocks were being in place for a national caliber
collegiate athlete.
It wasn’t until his
senior secondary school years that Bujold’s priorities began to change.
“I knew my competitive days in hockey were over….and I knew that running
was something I really wanted to do”, he explains.
“I had always done well
in cross-country and track & field, but I was much more passionate about
hockey.” But as time went by, it became harder for the Northern Ontario
talent to ignore the signs. Bujold advanced to OFSAA (all-Ontario
championships) in cross-country in each of his five years of
high-school, finishing second in the province in Grade 12.
“As the years went on, I
saw improvement and knew there was still more that was possible”, noted
the soon to be graduate of Timiskaming District Secondary School. Ready
to take the next step, Bujold admits the call to attend Cambrian seemed
only natural.
“I’ve wanted to be a
paramedic since primary school and Cambrian is ranked top in Ontario…and
I knew they had a strong cross-country program”, he states. Despite all
the success he enjoyed through his teens, the progression to work with
Golden Shield coach Jack Kosmerly was still something of an eye opener.
“The intensity of the
practices jumped up so much…and the amount of kilometers we were doing.
I learned so much” Bujold acknowledges, now with three years of OCAA
competition under his belt.
After finishing in 16th
at the Canadian championships in both 2006 and 2007, Bujold made a major
leap forward last fall, cracking the top ten by placing eighth overall
in Kingston.
Of course, no sooner
does he leave the daily regimen of his cross-country training that the
volleyball courts await, although this transition was much less planned.
In fact, Bujold notes that while he played the sport in public school,
he never participated in volleyball while in high-school.
“But I’ve know Ben
Cambridge (member of the Cambrian men’s volleyball team) all my life –
his dad was my soccer coach and we had played summer beach ball before
college”, said Buhold.
“Ben basically told me I
was going to go out for the team….and I’m so glad I did.” Now a fixture
in the middle with the Cambrian volleyball crew, Bujold notes a definite
difference between his two athletic passions.
“Volleyball is much more
team oriented. While you do run as a team in cross-country, it’s a very
individualistic sport.” Bujold’s prowess in both venues was recognized
late last month as the friendly multi-sport competitor shared the
Cambrian Male Athlete of the Year Award with basketball star Brady Bolan.
With one more year of
athletic involvement remaining for Josh Bujold at Cambrian College, the
best may be yet to come.
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