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." First up, is
Avery Cameron, a bio-medical science major and member of our Guelph Gryphons women's varsity wrestling team.
IN THE CLASSROOM & THE COMMUNITY
Since she was a child, Avery Cameron has always dreamt about one day becoming a doctor. To help make that dream a reality, the now 20-year-old is pursuing an undergraduate degree in bio-medical science at the University of Guelph, with the goal of applying to medical school come the fall of 2021.
A native of Springwater, Ontario (located just outside Barrie), Avery has excelled in the classroom thanks in large part to her passion for medicine. That same passion has also led to her making a pair of memorable trips throughout North and South America.
The summer prior to her first year at Guelph (June 2018), Avery traveled to southern Mexico (San Cristóbal de las Casas), as part of a
Medical Ministry International team, which focused on the execution of a
vision care program. During the course of her one-week stay in Mexico, Avery assisted a team of ophthalmologists, optometrists, opticians, technicians, nurses, and support personnel, to usher in nearly 800 patients through their doors in the span of just seven days.
A year later, it was time for another memorable trip, this time to Bolivia in June of 2019. There, Avery helped run a general health and
dental care program. Her role in Bolivia included working alongside a pharmacist to help prescribe, amongst other medications, anti-parasitic medication to local residents.
In May of 2020, prior to her plans being cancelled due to the arrival of COVID-19 and travel restrictions, Avery had been planning for a month-long trip to Africa, where she was scheduled to stay with relatives in Angola while job shadowing a doctor at one of the local hospitals.
ATHLETICS
For the past two seasons (2018-19 & 2019-20) Avery Cameron has competed on the Guelph Gryphons women's wrestling team, narrowly missing the podium at the 2020 OUA Wrestling Championships on her home mat.
Competing in the women's 63kg weight class, Avery earned a 4th-place finish at the conference level, before making a second straight trip to the U SPORTS Wrestling Championships.
For the product of Barrie North Collegiate Institute, the 2020 varsity wrestling season was one which was sidetracked by injury, with a shoulder issue forcing Avery to miss a significant amount of time during her sophomore season at U of G. But the bio-medical science major is quick to point out that all the time training, rehabbing, and competing as part of the varsity wrestling team is well worth it, even when balancing a demanding academic workload.
"I'm someone who likes to be busy, so for me, I find that being involved with the varsity wrestling team is such a great stress reliever," says Cameron, who is now in her third year at the University of Guelph. "I actually find that being involved with wrestling helps with my overall productivity and allows me to focus better when it is time to turn my attention to my studies.
Wrestling is something I fell in love with after my very first practice back in high school. It has the perfect balance of physical and mental demands for an athlete, and the team culture and community here with Gryphon wrestling is amazing. I'm definitely missing it this fall and can't wait to get back on the mat."
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