Introducing Taylor Rogalsky - uOttawa GeeGee's Softball Player

            I like to think of myself as a motivated person with a passion for sports. That is why I have dedicated my last four years to studying and completing my undergraduate degree at the University of Ottawa in Human Kinetics. This program has allowed me to share my passion for sports along with learning a variety of new things that revolve around sports. These past four years have flown by and now I will continue to specialize my knowledge at Algonquin College in Sport Business Management, in hopes of having a career in that particular area of study.

            I am originally from a small town called Napanee, if you have never been, is about halfway between Ottawa and Toronto. I grew up there participating in almost every sport you can think of. As a child I tried soccer, gymnastics, swimming, track, softball, basketball, hockey, volleyball, and the list goes on. If there was a sport being played in the town, I played it at least once. I can’t thank my parents enough for letting me try all of those sports because it has allowed me to have a high degree of physical literacy and excel in many of them, in particular hockey and baseball. In my early teenage years, I specialized in hockey and softball and played elite level up until university. Once it came time to go to university I had to make a choice, which was one of the hardest choices I had to make, but I had to choose whether to pursue a university career playing hockey or softball. In my grade 12 year, I was scouted by the coaches of the University of Ottawa Softball Team at a tournament in Montreal. After meeting them, and hearing about their team and successes, I chose softball. Saying that, I played for the University’s Softball team all four years of my degree. During those four years our team experienced great success, winning a silver medal the last two years at the provincial championships, and one silver medal at the national championships.

            Outside of being an elite athlete and student, I also love to give back to the sporting world that I have long been a part of. I give back by helping out younger softball teams by giving catching or hitting sessions, and in the winter I referee hockey. I love that I still get to share my passion for two sports that have become a part of me, and at the same time pursue a career that lines up nicely with my passions.

 

            This year I did an eight month placement in the office of the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport), which is almost exactly what I want to eventually do. I worked along side the Manager of National Championships. Having that experience has confirmed that I made the right decision to attend Algonquin next year. While attending, I will continue to referee, and I hope to also help coach a women’s hockey team.