GUELPH, Ont. – Throughout the 2020 fall semester, the University of Guelph Department of Athletics will be highlighting various members from our Gryphon varsity teams as part of our "BioSteel Student-Athlete Spotlight." This week's edition features
Tyra Boug, a human kinetics major and 60m hurdles standout with the Guelph Gryphons track and field program.
INJURY SETBACKS IN HIGH SCHOOL NO OBSTACLE FOR HURDLES SPECIALIST, TYRA BOUG
At an early age, it was clear that Tyra Boug had the potential to be a star in the world of track and field sprints and hurdles.
Tyra's mother, Tamiko, who was a former track athlete herself during her days as a Western Mustang, would regularly bring home hurdles equipment after working at Avenue Road Public School in Cambridge, where she teaches physical education.
Tyra Boug (middle) winning gold at OFSAA T&F Championships
Throughout Tyra's middle school years, it was not uncommon to find her practicing hurdles behind the house. Those practices paid immediate dividends for Tyra, who would take home an OFSAA gold medal in the girls 80m hurdles (as well as OFSAA gold in the girls 200m race), a feat she accomplished during both her Grade 9 and Grade 10 years at Huron Heights Secondary School. With both of her parents having competed at the varsity level (mom – track at Western, dad – football at Western), clearly the athletic genes had been passed down to Tyra.
But when it came time to select a university, the colour purple was passed up for the red, black and gold.
"In my recruiting trips to U of G, I just remember being so impressed by the overall team environment, and specifically the comradery that existed within the girls on the track team," says Boug, who is now 20-years-old and in her third year at the University of Guelph majoring in human kinetics.
"I was always leaning towards choosing a university that was somewhat close to home, but what separated Guelph from my other options was a combination of my academic program as well as the national championship-environment which existed with the track and field program."
Since arriving on U of G campus in the fall of 2018, Tyra has made some big contributions in helping the Gryphons women's track and field program add to their OUA and U SPORTS winning tradition. As a rookie, Tyra reached the podium at the OUA Track and Field Championships, earning bronze in the women's 60m hurdles. Tyra's memorable rookie season in 2018-19 was capped off in style when she was named the recipient of the Dr. Mary Beverley-Burton Award as the female rookie of the year across all Gryphon varsity sports.
During her sophomore season in 2019-20, Tyra made yet another trip to the podium at OUA Track and Field Championships, this time taking home silver in the women's 60m hurdles. Her success at the collegiate level came as no surprise to Gryphons track and field head coach, Jason Kerr. But her road to success at the varsity level was a long and winding one at times.
After standout performances at the OFSAA Track and Field Championships in both her Grade 9 and 10 years, Tyra found herself on the radars of several university track programs, both north and south of the border. However, the Kitchener native would see her Grade 11 and 12 years derailed by injuries as she battled chronic hamstring issues.
The injury setbacks came at the worst possible time as far as collegiate recruitment is concerned. But for U of G head coach, Jason Kerr, who witnessed Tyra's impressive gold medal performances at the OFSAA Track and Field Championships in Windsor during her Grade 10 year, there was already more than enough proof that Tyra belonged with the elite hurdlers in the country.
"I remember (Gryphon head coach) Jason Kerr was really supportive and encouraging in our conversations, which made it really comforting for me to commit to Guelph," says Boug, who was crowned a U20 national champion in the women's 100m hurdles at outdoor nationals in Montreal a summer ago.
"This year has obviously been tough for everyone, but we're all still working really hard and showing the same commitment as years past. Hopefully by the summer of 2021, we're able to resume outdoor competitions and get back to somewhat of a normal routine."
For Tyra, the goals for the summer of 2021 include potentially representing Team Canada at the FISU Games in China. The human kinetics major has also mentioned that one of her goals as a varsity athlete would be to break the school record in the women's 60m hurdles, a record which currently belongs to 2017-18 U of G Female Athlete of the Year, Sarah Hammond (someone who Tyra lists as inspiration in her decision to come to Guelph). For now, Tyra's focus is on her academics, where she has achieved U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian status in each of her first two seasons, as well as on her training, which is happening three times per week on top of twice-a-week weight training. In what spare time she has remaining, Tyra commits to
MealCare chapter at the University of Guelph, a national organization dedicated to both reducing food waste and tackling food insecurity by redistributing leftover food from campuses across the country to those in need. While the immediate future remains uncertain due to the coronavirus pandemic, the long term future remains bright for Tyra Boug, who in her short time at the University of Guelph, has already established herself as one of the best in the country, both on and off the track.
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