After spending time cultivating his career at the University of the West Indies, various Olympic associations, and most recently at Carleton University, Dalton Myers is ready to step into the spotlight at Queen’s as Director of high-performance sport.
Myers brings a wealth of experience to his role and approaches it in a way that prioritizes each student’s experience. He joins Queen’s as a seasoned professional, equipped to carry the torch of high-performance sport and all its associated pressures for success.
In an interview with The Journal, Myers reflected on how his role in U SPORTS helps him adapt to the current needs of student-athletes.
“The landscape of sport has changed. As I grow, I’ve seen more and more where I can contribute to student-athletes and students in general just having a positive experience as they go through their university life,” he said.
Having witnessed a rapidly changing everything in one because of world of sport while in Jamaica and Ottawa, Myers was drawn to Queen’s due to its well-established sports programs.
His past experiences in sports administration has encouraged him to use his skills to better support student-athletes within elite programs, which will allow him to foster an environment within Queen’s Athletics to further promote their sports competing at the elite level.
“I started to hone more of those skills [in] leadership, communication, and just support administration,” he said. “I consider sport administration as both a talent, a skill, career, everything in one because of what it is and because of the different things it can do to create that positive impact on people’s lives.”
When asked about how he would support coaches and administrators at Queen’s, Myers said his primary aim is to help coaches get best out of the student athletes while developing their own leadership skills.
In terms of building and maintaining relationships with staff and students at Queen’s, Myers believes in first assessing the current framework.
“I think the inclusion, the safe sport, and to what extent our student-athletes are giving us great reviews, by and large in all of our programs, are some of what I see as important measures of success,” he said.
When evaluating the success of high-performance sport programs, Myers believes that wins are significant but not the sole indicator. Graduation and retention rates, as well as alumni support, reflect the overall stability and success of the program.
Aware of the challenges he faces in his new role, Myers acknowledges that Queen’s issues are not isolated, but are part of a much larger ecosystem of inconsistencies across post-secondary institutions.
Myers emphasized the importance of being proactive in addressing issues such as gender equity, inclusion, and anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism. By educating students, athletes, and staff, Myers aims to change the narrative surrounding diversity and safe sport participation at Queen’s.
“We are trying to change a narrative, and not everyone will be at the same level as everybody,” he said. “So it’s continuous education.”
By recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds and fostering an inclusive environment, Queen’s can lead the way in promoting diversity and equity in high-performance sport programs.
Myers remains committed to building a program that embraces diversity and provides both academic and athletic opportunities where student-athletes can excel.
“I have the lived experience, but I also have the academic and work experience in the area to drive this and to help drive it. It’s an amazing team, and it won’t just be me.”
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