Darl Sutherland, who won multiple medals in Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Cross-Country Running, will be inducted into the CCAA Hall of Fame in the Athlete Category.
Sutherland twice earned CCAA All-Canadian honours, winning bronze medals at CCAA Championships in 2002 and 2004. He also led the Fleming Knights to team silver in 2004 and team bronze in 2005.
His fondest memory was his first CCAA Championships, held in Red Deer, AB, in 2002.
“The day before the event it was beautiful, green grass and warm temperatures and the next morning, we all awoke to minus temperatures and snow up to our ankles,” said Sutherland. “And during the women’s race, one athlete ran into a moose.”
Many leads were exchanged during his race, and Sutherland remembers the yelling, screams, and cheers like it was yesterday.
“In the final straights we had our last climb of the race with every coach from Ontario screaming ‘you’re going to medal; just don’t slow down, they are right behind you,’” said Sutherland. “Even now it brings chills.”
He appreciated how the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) runners came together at Nationals, where they were no longer just representing their institutions but their conference as well.
“We were one team and no longer multiple teams and we all cheered and supported one another,” said Sutherland.
The comraderie between the OCAA student-athletes would lead into other events afterward. Sutherland created relay teams based on their experiences at CCAA Championships. On several occasions, the runners traveled to the East Coast to compete in the Cabot Trail Relay.
“This would not have happened without the comradery we gained competing together at the CCAA,” he said.
Sutherland believes the OCAA and CCAA both played critical roles in helping him discover himself. As a young student-athlete, Sutherland struggled with confidence and never fully realized his full potential. He was quiet, shy, and lacked focus.
“During my time and experiences in the CCAA my dreams grew, I became more confident and became a fiercer competitor,” said Sutherland. “This would aid in becoming Nationally ranked and winning marathon titles that I would never have dreamed of prior.”
The skills learned by his experiences in the CCAA would allow Sutherland to set new goals and push his mind and body in different ways to become successful. This would eventually help him with academic success, and later in life as an educator in the secondary school sector.
“I truly believe my experiences in the CCAA has allowed me to be a better educator, coach, husband, and father,” said Sutherland.
Sutherland’s commitment to the sport has gone well beyond his accomplishments as a student-athlete, according to Greg Jefford, Director, Student Experience and Athletics at Fleming College. This includes his leadership as coach of the Fleming Cross-Country Running team from 2000-18, and his outreach as a community partner to ensure Fleming student-athletes are well supported in their pursuit of academic success and athletic excellence.
“Fleming College commits to being a welcoming place for all and appreciates CCAA’s commitment to the principles of integrity, fair play, equity, and diversity,” said Jefford. “Darl’s commitment to these principles, compassion for teammates and respect for his competitors was evident throughout training and competitions.”
Sutherland was inducted into the OCAA Hall of Fame in 2013.
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The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) enriches the academic experiences of student-athletes by providing leadership, programs and services that foster development through high-level competitive opportunities in intercollegiate sport.
Contact médias
Rodney Wilson (rodney@ccaa.ca)
Responsable des communications et des événements
