Guyson Kuruneri: Sports Gave Me Focus
The self proclaimed "Jack of All Trades" has dedicated
his life to living with focus - and so should you
Connect with Guyson on LinkedIn
_______________________________________
RESUME IN A FLASH:
University of Guelph, B.A. Political Science - George Brown Sports & Event Marketing - Sponsorship, City of Toronto - Track and Field Coach, University of Guelph
BACKGROUND:
Guyson is a self proclaimed jack of all trades and a master of few. He has been involved in sports his entire life - namely cricket, rugby, track and field and cross country. He was born in Zimbabwe and attended boarding school there before moving to England to live with his mother. After seven years in England, he moved to Canada to finish high school and attend the University of Guelph. Guyson is currently a track and field coach for the University and is looking to use his motivational talents to lead a talented group of track and field athletes to new heights.
Guyson, you certainly have a very interesting background, what brought you to Canada in the first place?
A: In all honesty, I didnt understand at first, but my parents said it would allow me to have better opportunities in life and a provide a bit of focus for me. At the time, they had made the suggestion that I should stop playing sports all together and shift to music production, acting and writing. My parents were concerned that I would not finish high school and attend university due to the friends and motivations I had at the time. I look back now and think that this was probably the best decision my parents ever made for me.
Did you ever find that focus?
A: It took a while, being a 17-year-old living alone in a strange place. It provided a lot of temptations and I made a few bad decisions along the way. Thankfully, about a year after moving to Canada, a good friend of mine convinced me to try out for the track and field team at John F. Ross High School in Guelph, ON. At the time, I hadn't run for about five years and he immediately challenged me to a race to see what I could do. I lost the race fairly easily. It was the first race I had lost in as long as I could remmember which lit a fire underneath me to become the best at this sport as I could. I would eventually become a sprinter at the Guelph Track & Field Club which is where I met my coach Zoltan Tenke, whom I considered my mentor and my adopted "father" as my mother would call him. Upon meeting him, I found my focus and drive in life. It was in sports.
Mentors are incredibly important to an individual's development. How did Zoltan Tenke help your development?
A: Under his tutelage, I was able to remove most of the distractions that had been getting in the way of my growth as a person. We discussed the potential of attending university and how I could use my talent to leverage that opportunity. Eventually, with the help of some great people at the University of Guelph, I got my grades up and recieved conditional acceptance to Guelph.
Zoltan helped in many other ways and maybe in some that he never truely realized. It's because of him that I became a track and field coach. About three years into my career, Zoltan and I teamed up to guide a young female athlete to some substantial success - this is where I found my passion, helping others succeed. The rest is history.
As a young man, with not much family around, training with Zoltan six days a week really helped me grow as a person. Track and field was not just training for a sport, it taught me a lot of life lessons that cannot be taught in a classroom. In order to be successful in life you must have focus, passion, dedication, competitiveness, commitment and a vision. All those skills and more are tranferable to every aspect of life. I could go on and on about how else he helped me but I feel I've covered the major points.
How did this lead up to you getting involved in events and marketing?
I have actually been involved in events and marketing long before I even knew that I was doing it. It started in my first year of university, I was looking for a part-time job and I was referred to a contact, Joe Varamo. He gave me my first job in event support. This led to me getting further involved in events as I later became a game day manager and the special events DJ.
After I graduated from Guelph, I decided I wanted to turn this into a career so I decided to look into post-graduate programs in the field and ultimately wound up in George Brown's Sport and Event Marketing program. It was exactly what I needed to get myself in position to make this a career. Not only did I excel academically but I was able to combine both my passion for sports and creativity into one.
So you've graduated, what's next?
(Laughs) that's the dreaded question that I get asked by almost everyone. I had a few great interviews with some big companies in Toronto right off the bat from graduation. I managed to get some work at my alma mater with the Gryphons marketing and communications department. It's been a great experience working with them in the past few months. The Gryphons have had a spectacular fall season, we hosted a lot of major OUA and CIS events including our first ever Mitchell Bowl - the largest sporting event the Univesity has ever hosted to date.
Additionally, since I have re-located to Guelph for the near future, I am using a lot of the skills I have acquired to work on building myself as a brand, coach and young professional. I am currently learning some graphic design skills to enhance and grow my skill set while also upgrading my coaching education to performance coach. This will allow me to be a candidate for national team selections. Essentially, multiple small projects going on that can help me leverage and prepare me for the right opportunities down the road.
You've mentioned your personal brand, how important is that to you?
Branding is huge! It's about creating and building an identity that represents your mission, your vision and your destination. In order to develop a strong brand it has to be relatable to your target market. It's not just about a cool and visible brand, it has to represent your shared beliefs and the personal relationshop that your market has to you and you to them. Whether it is personal branding or professional branding you have to always ensure the messaging is consistent, relevant and relatable. The most famous brands out there today have been able to maintain this consistensy across all boarders.
Regarding my own personal brand, I believe in being consistent and being a visionary. That requires strategy and planning, and always reviewing and making sure that whatever I do follows that path. In order for people follow you and believe in you need to have these things to be clearly defined and established. Developing a personal brand is an everyday thing, not just a onetime action.
I could go on about this forever, but this pretty much sums it up – “what will I remembered for at the end of the day?”. Keep that in mind – think about who you want to be, and work towards becoming that person every day.
What motivates you?
Honestly, I am motivated by a lot of things. First and foremost, the pursuit of excellence. If I believe I am working towards something I believe in I am relentless in the pursuit of achieving that.
I am motivated by the athletes that I coach on a daily basis. The constant effort and hard work they do every day on the track, in the pits and in the gym make it very easy to show up and coach them. I am driven to make them the best athletes that they can be at the end of it all. So they can walk away a better athlete and a better person.
I am motivated by failure. I am truly very afraid of failing – I have never enjoyed it when I have failed, but luckily in life I had more successes than I had failure thus far. As much as I fear failing, I do believe it’s an important part of our growth as human beings. If you are capable of using that failure as a lesson then you can achieve great things. Through failure you can learn to succeed.
I am motivated by the history of my parents and family. They all came from humble beginnings and have worked very hard to make a life for myself and siblings.
Lastly, I am motivated by the dream, the vision I have of the life I could lead if I work hard and smart enough to achieve these things.
