MINTO – Harriston native Finn Oxby is yet again making waves in the swimming world – this time by competing for Youth Athlete of the Year.
The competition, open to Americans and Canadians, is for athletes aged seven to 17 and hosted by Colossal Impact, a nationally registered professional fundraiser.
The champion takes home $25,000 and appears in a 3BRAND advertisement in Sports Illustrated.
3BRAND is an apparel brand that donates three per cent of sales to the Why Not You Foundation. It was created in 2014 by American football star Russell Wilson.
The competition also acts as a fundraiser for the V Foundation for Cancer Research and the Why Not You Foundation when votes get bought.
Oxby joined the title race in July after his mother signed him up.
“It’s nerve-racking and I’m happy for all of my supporters who are helping me,” he said.
Oxby is currently in the quarter finals thanks to public voting, which ends on Sept. 18 to gear up for the semi-finals, beginning on Sept. 19.
“[I’m] hopefully going to win,” he said.
The 11-year-old has been a swimmer since he was five and spent most of his days at the Harriston Kinsmen Pool.
“We lived in Harriston his whole life and the town pool is right behind us so Finn could just go to the pool,” Oxby’s mother Lace told the Advertiser.
“The lifeguards watched him grow up.”
“I swam for the Minto Minnows (Swim Club) and the lifeguard told my mom I was good at it,” he said.
After some research Oxby attended a tryout for the Region of Waterloo Swim Club and “they placed him in the competitive stream right away,” Lace said.
Five days a week Oxby was driven to Waterloo for two-hour practices.
Oxby, along with the rest of the world, faced obstacles during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“He had to get changed in our van at six in the morning in the middle of winter,” Lace said. “He’d come out with his parka and wet bathing suit on …”
During lockdowns, Oxby participated in dryland and virtual training.
“He definitely overcame a lot and I think that really helped him with his self-discipline and his motivation to continue the sport,” said Lace.
This month, Oxby said goodbye to Harriston and moved to Hanover, where he now swims at the Hanover Swim Club after five years with Waterloo.
“I’m very proud of myself for how far I’ve come,” he said. “I’ve tried to do my best and it’s a hard sport.”
Finn Oxby competed at the Scarborough Pan Am Invitational at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre from May 9 to 11. Submitted photo
Expensive sport
“Swimming is definitely not a cheap sport so [winning the competition] would go a long way towards his training,” Lace said.
Oxby takes a month and a half break from training during the summer but soon he’ll be training year-round as he continues to develop as a swimmer.
“It’s a group sport but it’s also an individualized sport,” she said. “There’s lots of individual coaching that goes into it.”
Lace noted her surprise at the cost of not just training, but equipment as well.
“There’s quite a bit of equipment needed especially since chlorine eats away at the swim suits and they’re not cheap,” she said.
Though Oxby’s goals come with a price tag, Lace is still “very happy to support that dream for him.”
Past achievements
Asked how he would feel if he won, Oxby said, “It would mean a lot and I’d be really excited about it.”
He’s no stranger the pressures of competition, as he’s been sitting in Canada’s top swim rankings since he was eight.
Two huge accomplishments stand out as most significant in Oxby’s swimming career thus far.
The first was earning two silver medals during the Ontario Swimming Championships in July for 100 metre and 200 metre breaststroke.
The second was swimming the second fastest time for 200m breaststroke as an 11-year-old at the Scarborough Pan Am Invitational in May.
“My main goal is to swim for Team Canada when I’m older and my goal for next year is to try and become the best in Canada,” Oxby said.
Those interested in voting for Oxby to help him get into the semi-finals can click here.
Semifinals will run from Sept. 19 to 25, followed by the finals from Sept. 26 to Oct. 2.
Public voting will determine which finalist will become the youth athlete of the year. The winner will be announced on or before Oct. 17.
