Ostertag makes rapid
rise to star status in heptathlon
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| Nicole Ostertag set to throw a javelin. |
When it came to the sport of track and field, it wasn’t love
at first sight for Nicole Ostertag.
Despite the fact both her parents competed in the sport at
an elite level, Ostertag initially wanted to take part in a team sport. She
didn’t take up track and field under her Grade 12 year at Holy Cross High
School in the 2017-18 school year after her basketball season wrapped up with
the Holy Cross High School Crusaders Senior Girls’ Team.
“I didn’t really like it (track and field) at the start,”
said Ostertag. “I thought it was kind of boring.
“I wanted to play a team sport. Now that I have kind of dove
a little deeper into track I love it. It was a definitely a good decision.”
Before she entered her Grade 12 year, Ostertag wasn’t
focused on pursuing anything in the sports world. Her passion was ballet
dancing. During her Grade 11 year, Ostertag was at The Rock School for Dance
Education in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Over a period of about four years leading to the start of
her Grade 12 school year at Holy Cross in September of 2017, she attended
ballet schools in Calgary, Toronto, New York and Philadelphia. She ultimately
decided to return home after losing her passion to do ballet and was trying to
figure out what direction she wanted to go in next.
Her older brothers Evan and Daniel played for the University
of Saskatchewan Huskies Men’s Basketball Team in the early 2010s, so Nicole
tried basketball first.
Her father, Dave, was a member of the U of S Huskies Men’s
Track and Field team in the early and mid 1980s along with playing for the U of
S Huskies Football Team in 1985, and her mother, Lesia (Pillipow) Ostertag, was
a member of the U of S Huskies Women’s Track and Field Team in the middle of
the 1980s.
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| Nicole Ostertag recently set a personal best in shot put. |
Thanks to her parents’ backgrounds in track and field,
Nicole decided to give the sport a try. While her first impression of the sport
wasn’t the most upbeat, Ostertag won gold in high jump at the Saskatchewan high
school provincials along with a bronze in hurdles and gold in the girls’ 4 X
100-metre relay.
Ostertag caught the eye Jason Reindl, who is the head coach
of both U of S Huskies Track and Field Teams, and was recruited to follow in
her parents’ footsteps. Her meetings with Reindl went so well that she decided
to join the U of S Huskies Women’s Track and Field Team.
“I had been living away from home throughout high school,
and I wanted to be at home for a while,” said Ostertag, who stands 5-foot-8.
“It set up really well when Jason (Reindl) recruited me, because I knew I
wanted to go to the U of S.
“When I first started, it was kind of just for fun and
something to do. I started working at it a little more and had some success
early on and just kind of built from there.”
Ostertag quickly found success in the U Sports ranks. During
her rookie season with the Huskies in 2018-19, Ostertag finished third in the
Canada West Conference in the women’s pentathlon, which includes the 60-metre
hurdles, the 800-metre run, high jump, long jump and shot put.
Besides earning a bronze medal in the pentathlon, Ostertag
helped the Huskies win the Canada West Conference women’s title for a second
straight year.
At the U Sports Track and Field Championships that season,
Ostertag against finished third in the women’s pentathlon.
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| Nicole Ostertag lands in the long jump sandpit. |
In her second season
with the Huskies in 2019-20, Ostertag took home the Canada West title in the
women’s pentathlon helping the Huskies Women’s Team win a third straight Canada
West Conference crown.
At the U Sports Track and Field Championships that season,
Ostertag claimed second in the women’s pentathlon.
“It was almost meant to be,” said Ostertag. “It was an
interesting transition going from like full on ballet into track.
“Some things transferred well, and there were definitely
some skills from ballet that helped me out. There were definitely some habits I
had to break as well. There were some challenges.”
While she takes part in her events as an individual,
Ostertag enjoyed the team environment and the positive vibe the Huskies Track
and Field teams have.
“There is the team aspect, but at the same time, you’re also
competing against your teammates,” said Ostertag. “It is a little bit of a
weird dynamic that way.
“Having the Huskie community is really helpful, but the
outdoors it is much more individually focused. We work hard, but we have fun
and we keep it light. That is kind of what you have to do to keep doing this
for a long time.
“If you aren’t enjoying it and you are super serious all the
time, you’re not going to last in this sport.”
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| Nicole Ostertag builds speed on her long jump approach. |
Studying in the College of Kinesiology, Ostertag has been an
Academic All-Canadian every year that she has been with the Huskies. During her
third year in 2020-21, Ostertag earned the college’s undergraduate academic
award as the top student in her third year of study with a 96 per cent average.
During the fall and winter terms of 2021-22, she continued
to excel in the classroom posting a 95 per cent average.
Following the 2020 U Sports Track and Field Championships,
the world came under the grips of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic causing
shutdowns to occur in North America starting on March 11, 2020.
The 2020-21 Canada West Conference season and the U Sports
Championships for that campaign were cancelled. Ostertag spent her time
focusing on her training, while she continued her university studies.
A lower leg injury sidelined her for the 2021-22 U Sports
season. She got back more into the swing of things with training and attending competitions
this past April.
When Ostertag competes outdoors when she is not representing
the Huskies in U Sports competitions, the 22-year-old takes part in the
heptathlon. The women’s heptathlon includes the 200-metre race, the 800-metre
race, the 100-metre hurdles, high jump, long jump, shot put and javelin throw.
“I’ve always kind of been like an all-around athlete,” said
Ostertag. “I’ve kind of been OK at a lot of things.
“My dad did the decathlon, so it was just kind of a natural
fit. I started out hurdling, and then I tried a bit of the jumps too. Those are
kind of the main events that you need to be solid in to succeed in the combined
events.
“The throws took a little longer to develop, because I had
never thrown anything. I didn’t play ball growing up or anything like that. We
didn’t use our arms in that way in ballet, so the throws were an adjustment.”
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| Nicole Ostertag gets airborne in the long jump. |
Finishing second in the women’s heptathlon at the Bryan Clay
Invitational in Azusa, California, in April, Ostertag earned the opportunity to
represent Canada at the Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association
(NACAC) Combined Events Championship that was held this past May in Ottawa,
Ont. That marked the first time Ostertag represented Canada in her track and
field career.
At the NACAC Combined Events Championship, Osterag placed
second in the women’s heptathlon setting personal bests in the 200-metre race,
the 800-metre race, the 100-metre hurdles, high jump, long jump and javelin
throw.
She proceeded to take part in the Canadian Track and Field
Championships, which ran June 22 to 26 in Langley, B.C.
Unfortunately, Ostertag had to pull out part way through the
women’s heptathlon due to a hamstring injury. Before getting injured, Ostertag
completed the 200-metre race, the 100-metre hurdles, high jump and shot put.
She set personal bests in the 100-metre hurdles and shot put
topping the women’s heptathlon field in those two disciplines.
Now, Ostertag has her sights set on competing at the Canada
Games that will run August 6, to 21 in Niagara, Ont., before returning to the U
of S to rejoin the Huskies and continue her academic studies in kinesiology.
She has three years of U Sports eligibility remaining.
Ostertag plans to remain in track and field for a longer
term, and enjoys training with U of S Huskies alumna Michelle Harrison.
Harrison repeated as Canada’s women’s 100-metre hurdles champion at the
Canadian Track and Field Championships, and she will represent Canada at the
World Athletics Championships that run July 15 to 24 in Eugene, Oregon.
The two athletes train under Reindl’s coaching guidance, and
Reindl has a number of different coaching roles with Athletics Canada. Ostertag
hopes they all can keep representing Canada internationally in track and field
for some time to come.
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| Nicole Ostertag wants to keep representing Canada in track and field. |
“It is exciting having kind of a group of us from Saskatoon
excelling in the track world,” said Ostertag. “I think it is exciting for Jason
(Reindl) too.
“It is an accomplishment to represent Canada for sure.”
If you have any
comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them
to stankssports@gmail.com.
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