Caroline Ehrhardt was a track star. Then, after a serious ankle injury, suddenly she wasn’t.  

She sprained it badly playing softball with her family, just three months after breaking a 16-year-old Canadian record in triple jump. Months of rehab and surgery couldn’t restore normal function.

“Triple jump was very much my identity. It's how I gained a lot of my confidence. It's something I knew I was good at and it's how I felt good about myself.”

Her track career was over – and the identity she had built.

“So much of my day-to-day was focused on this pursuit and reaching my goals. When that was stripped from me, I didn't know what to do with myself. It felt like I was on the outside of my life, looking in like I had no control. I was watching this train fall off the tracks.”

That turning point eventually brought Caroline back to the sport she loved, but in a new way.  

She had done some coaching in the past, so she dove back in as a volunteer coach with the Mustangs track team and quickly rediscovered how much she loved it — and how a personalized, empathetic approach could deliver real results.

“Ninety per cent of coaching is being socially agile and being able to coach the person in front of you and to show up for them.”

Take, for instance, Caroline’s strategy with one athlete who struggled with competition anxiety during championships. “I couldn't talk the fear out of her – we just had to learn how to do it afraid. I was transparent that I also have anxiety. There's a lot on the line here, and we've worked hard for this – that's why we're feeling this way. I remember saying to her, ‘Fear can be in the car, but you can't let it drive. It needs to be in the passenger seat.’”  

The athlete went on to deliver the performance of her life at the national championship, helping the team secure the title.  

But for Caroline, coaching is not just about guiding athletes to jump further or run faster; it's also about helping them prepare for life outside of, and after, sport.

“At first, it was really fun to see the athletes set personal bests and jump further or run faster than they ever had.” Then she began to see her contribution could be deeper. Coaching, she realized, was about more than performance — it was about helping athletes grow as people. Her compassion, patience and optimism came to the forefront, and she began focusing on building her athletes' confidence, resilience and perspective.

“It's very easy to make sport your entire identity. And that's why, as a coach, I like to teach student-athletes values and competencies that transcend sport. Teach them things that will be helpful for them in whatever they choose to do next. Because really, this window of opportunity in sport is so short-lived. You want to set them up for the rest of their lives.”

Now the Mustangs’ head coach, Caroline is eager to bring in new ideas and leave her mark on the storied program. Best of all, she knows she’s exactly where she’s meant to be.  

“I love coaching; it’s kind of addictive. What’s interesting is that this life pivot, which I had no say in, ended up being exactly what I wanted – and even more.”