Sometimes, you just go with your gut feeling. For Espanola triple jumper extraordinaire Caroline Ehrhardt, that approach brought her right back to where she started when it came time to deciding on an NCAA institution to further her track and field career. Come September, Ehrhardt will head off to the southern U.S., soon to become a member of the Oklahoma Sooners athletic family.
Four to six months back, that was exactly where she expected to be. And as she has said all along, the meshing between herself and her soon-to-be post secondary coach would be critical - in this case, Jeremy Fischer. "The first time we met, we just clicked right away. I think we'll work very well together" said Ehrhardt recently, the stress of one of the toughest decisions of her life now behind her.
In early fall, Ehrhardt, the reigning Canadian Junior Women's triple jump champion, had narrowed her sights on three possibilities - the University of Virginia, the University of Oregon and Oklahoma. And while she admitted she had a favourite right from the outset, the intoxicating lure of campus visits only served to muddy the waters.
Oregon in particular, a veritable mecca of NCAA track and field athletics, showcased a complex that is both world class and extremely alluring. "The facilities kind of brainwash you", laughed Ehrhardt. In the end, she turned to a couple of very grounded sources in helping her find her path - long-time coaches Jim Taylor (Track North) and David Gallant (Espanola Secondary).
"Both Jim and Mr Gallant played a significant role in this decision", said Ehrhardt. In fact, she recalled that shortly after a visit Jeremy Fischer made to the Espanola homestead of the Ehrhardt clan, that she, Taylor and Gallant sat around the dinner table, looking at each other and exclaiming: "He's the one."
In early December, during one of many conversations at school, Gallant would ask Ehrhardt point blank which of the coaches she had met she felt could best help her reach her athletic goals. At that point, the decision was made. Originally born in Seoul (Korea), Jeremy Fischer is currently in his fourth year with the Sooners program and the results have been nothing short of remarkable.
In 2008, Oklahoma jumpers recorded new program bests in the men's indoor and outdoor triple jump as well as the women's outdoor triple jump, picked up five All-America honours and added Big 12 titles in both indoor and outdoor triple jump along with an NCAA Midwest Regional triple jump title and a meet record.
Fischer has worked closely with Oklahoma star jumpers Shardae Boutte and Tydree Lewis, with Boutte ranked number one for the majority of the indoor season while Lewis managed a second place finish at the NCAA Indoor championships. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Fischer was an All-American high jumper and is a Level 3 certified member of the U.S. Track Coaches Association.
While the trip to Oklahoma may be a long one for family and friends, Ehrhardt already finds herself right at home. "Norman (Oklahoma) reminds me a lot of Northern Ontario." Over the next nine months, Ehrhardt will continue to work closely with coach Taylor as Fischer has provided a great deal of latitude to her workouts leading up to her time as a Sooner.
With Jim Taylor a mainstay of her training sessions since roughly Grade 5 right through her four year high-school career, Ehrhardt certainly does not plan to lose touch with her long-time mentor. "We plan on staying very close - he'll keep coaching me until August or so." While she knows that she is 100% committed to coach Fischer from a technical and training standpoint come next fall, Ehrhardt expects that she will continue to receive valuable pointers from Taylor with regards to the mental approach to her jumping.
Excitement - nervousness - trepidation - all will surely come into play as Caroline Ehrhardt embarks on the next step of her track and field career. "It's going to be a major transition", she acknowledges. But for this ultra-talented teen, it could not happen "Sooner".
