2025 OUA Swimming Spotlight Series

The 2025 OUA Championships are coming up February 7-9 in Markham! Meet some of the Ontario University swimmers competing in this new series!

Whether it’s for training or competition, count on Robin Vadeika to never making the trip to the swimming pool alone.

Read on and you’ll see that the focus of this story is about a bright young and devoted woman. Her coaches and teammates are special, but it’s also a lot more personal.

Vadeika is a talented, skilled and a determined athlete. To describe her, is to use the words audacious, strong willed and resilient. Listening to her talk on the phone about the time and effort devoted to the sport, and it becomes quite apparent, and understandable, that she’s loaded with optimism, and has the power of confidence and mental toughness.

Like most people, she has also had setbacks in past. However, today is today. Confidence is mixed with elation, pointing to a bright future.

Sharing her success in the aquatic sport, Vadeika believes that a great deal of it is inherited from her swim family. There’s some positive athletic sibling rivalry with an older brother in track and field and cross country at McMaster University. Her father, a McMaster grad, also competed in swimming in his post-secondary days. As for mom, she was a Canadian Olympic Trials finalist.

Those swim genes can go a long way.

Enough with the family for now. Let’s shine the spotlight on the 19-year-old, from Mount Albert, who is excelling in her second year of studies, and is focussed on a degree in Kinesiology at Western University in London, Ont.

And there is something else that takes up her time – swimming.

Without the bathing cap, you can spot her natural red hair. She’s also the jovial one with lots of positive ideas and thoughts. She’s not one who requires a constant boost of motivation to excel in water. Vadeika has plenty of that. Her success is the fuel from passion.

Her life has had its share of various forms of anxiety, stress and tension.

In the pool, she vividly remembers when, as an 11-year-old competing for the Uxbridge Swim Club, she experienced one of those full circle moments. Here’s her explanation.

“It was during a 200-metres butterfly race that I just stopped, choked, nerves kicked in and I was done – no other way to explain it,” she said referring to a race at the Markham Pan Am pool. “I was quite capable of finishing – but just stopped and, of course, was disqualified. It was not one of my finer moments.”

That flash has been on her mind for years. In February of 2025, she returns to the same pool. Family, friends and others will be watching from the spectator section as she competes in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships.

“I will finish the race this time and hope for the best,” said Vadeika, referring to her goal of a personal best and maybe even a trip to the medal podium. “This will be a big deal for me. Just do my best and with that I’ll always remember three words shared with me, by my mother – mind over matter.”

Vadeika says her mother’s words remain embedded in daily travels to the pool and classes.

“When battling swim problems and issues, my mom reminded me that I was a strong person and capable of success,” added Vadeika. “And she’s correct. Thinking of it, also makes me smile and feel happy.”

Thinking of Vadeika reminds me of words from Steve Backley, a retired and former British world record holder in the javelin. That’s an event in the world of track and field.

“The challenge for you is to decide not what is important, but what is most important and then focus your attention on that.”

Vadeika also thinks about the inspiration she gets from her 88-year-old grandmother, Joyce, who lives in Montreal – and, yes, swims for enjoyment.

“She’s a great role model, gives me great encouragement and enthusiasm,” said Vadeika. “Swimming will be with me long after my competitive days and I’m just very fortunate to have super mentors.”

That bring us to her father. As the big cheerleader in the family, he’s made efforts to watch his daughter at many events. It may not happen at the OUA finals this time as he deals with health concerns.

“He’ll be on my mind - and I will do well for him,” said Vadeika. “My family always has smiles, and I know what that means to me. It’s meaningful and with it comes support and words of reassurance.”

Long hours of training and gym workouts has led to personal best times – and 2024 was big for Vadeika. In the 400-metres individual medley, she had a personal best time of four minutes, 54.71 seconds earning a silver medal at the OUA finals in St. Catharines.

Later that year, she swam a personal best in the 200-metres butterfly. She was clocked in 2:17.50 at a meet hosted by Western. Rounding out her three primary events is the 800-metres freestyle and another personal best of 9:06.19 recorded in 2022 at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.

Her collection of medals added another three silvers last year. One was as a member of the Western 4x200-metres freestyle relay at the OUA finals, the individual in the 400-metres individual medley and as a member of Western’s second place finish in the Ontario university championships.

Former Australian swimmer and Hall of Famer Kieran Perkins has a way of describing challenges and pressures.

“Being your best is not so much about overcoming the barriers other people place in front of you as it is about overcoming the barriers we place in front of ourselves.”

Vadeika has come a long way since those early days of swim lessons and what would follow at age eight - her first competitive race. With no swim team at her high school, she would find a swim home with the Markham Aquatic Club where she remained until it was time to leave for university.

Very active in gymnastics as a youngster, it became a challenge juggling two sports. Her parents recommended she settle on one. Swimming won out.

As for what lies ahead, comfort and courage mean a great deal to her. Vadeika is leaning to more school. This time, enrolled in Teacher’s College.

“I taught swim, have worked with kids with disabilities – found it interesting, rewarding and catering to people’s needs,” she said. “It would be nice to teach high school.”

“Success isn’t final, failure isn’t fatal, it’s courage that counts.”

Alicia Coutts, Australian Olympic swimmer

Swim Ontario, in conjunction with the OUA, values the commitment to the sport by athletes, coaches and officials in Ontario and Canadian universities. This story is part of a series that has the spotlight shining on a variety of individuals, and their post-secondary institutions, who excel in academics, swimming and community life.

David Grossman is a veteran multi award-winning Journalist and Broadcaster with some of Canada’s major media, including the Toronto Star and SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN, and a Public Relations professional for 50+ years in Canadian sports and Government relations.