For U of T Scarborough alum Greg Danko, his memories of campus extra-curricular activities will always be special.
“I did pretty well in school, but I enjoyed and found more success in doing extra-curricular sports and events than I did in getting good marks,” says Danko (HBA, 2011), a graduate of the Human Geography and City Studies programs.
Since graduating Danko has contributed to several athletic initiatives in Canada, using his rich working and academic experiences to make a difference in sports through events like the Invictus Games Toronto 2017 and the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games (TO2015).
Much of those rich experiences are part of Danko’s legacy at U of T Scarborough. After starting his undergraduate studies in 2006, Danko quickly joined UTSC Men’s Tri-Campus Hockey Team. There Danko connected with students actively involved in the Department of Athletics and Recreation through the then new club, the Scarborough Campus Hockey Players Association (SCHPA).
One of those individuals was SCHPA Vice President, co-founder and veteran teammate, Ryan Parker, who Danko says “pulled the association together,” doing all sorts of campus events that he enjoyed.
“Ryan and other leaders in Athletics and Recreations opened my eyes to what was possible on campus and the opportunities that were available,” says Danko. “I saw how you could use athletics to bring people together.”
In his third year, Danko became assistant coach for the Men’s Division 1 Hockey Team, an intramural team at U of T Scarborough. He was the Interhouse Ball Hockey League conveyor for two years, organizing a 14-team league across U of T campuses. In his fourth and fifth year at U of T Scarborough, Danko was SCHPA president. The group went on to win Scarborough Campus Student Union’s award for ‘Most Engaging Club on Campus.’
“For a club of almost 80 people that are mainly hockey focused, that was special and very unique,” says Danko.
During his fifth year, Danko was also inducted into the UTSC Hockey Hall of Fame and received a Letter Award from the Department of Student Life, a recognition of his significant contributions to campus life.
Earlier this year, Danko received a U of T Arbor Award in recognition of his volunteer efforts. Read more.
After completing his undergraduate studies in 2011, Danko started the Sports Business Management Postgraduate certificate program at Durham College. In the same year, he was promoted to head coach for the Men’s Division 1 Hockey Team head coach and hired as head coach for UTSC Women’s Hockey Team.
For Danko, an increasingly busy schedule was worth it, especially when the women’s team qualified for the Ontario College Provincial Championships for the first time during the 2014-2015 season. The team went on to win the silver medal – a feat that would be repeated in the following season.
“That’s something I’m really proud of because our women’s program had never seen that level of success before,” says Danko. “Having a part in leading them towards those achievements was really special.”
“That’s something I’m really proud of because our women’s program had never seen that level of success before,” says Danko. “Having a part in leading them towards those achievements was really special.”
Most of Danko’s nights are either spent at Centennial Arena for practices or Varsity Arena for hockey games, but from 2013 to earlier this year most days were spent working out of offices for TO2015 and then the 2017 Invictus Games.
From 2013 to 2015, Danko was first a Community Tour Team Lead and then Community Outreach Associate for the Pan Am Games. Before applying for the job, Danko already felt a connection to the Games – the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre (TPASC), where both major events were partly-hosted, is co-owned by the City of Toronto and U of T Scarborough.
In 2010, students voted in favour of a tuition levy that contributed approximately $30 million towards building the Centre. Danko assisted the Scarborough College Athletic Association (SCAA) with student outreach and education surrounding the benefits of financially supporting the world-class facility. To be able to work for two events with close ties to the Centre was a happy case of serendipity, says Danko.
“It was neat to see those paths cross several times with UTSC as one of the crown jewels of the Pan Am Games and the campus,” says Danko.
“It was neat to see those paths cross several times with UTSC as one of the crown jewels of the Pan Am Games and the campus,” says Danko.
In 2016, Danko joined the Marketing and Special Projects team for the 2017 Toronto Invictus Games. One of his many tasks included planning and coordinating the Invictus Games National Flag Tour, a ceremonial coast-to-coast tour meant to bring “the spirit of the Games to all Canadians.”
“It feels like things have come full circle, leading a team across the country and having majored in geography,” says Danko. “Much of the work that I did had a geographical spin on it from planning each day’s travel route to determining where we would rest.”
Danko, who continues to coach the UTSC Women’s Hockey team says his work with SCHPA also helps with event planning and “determining good event locations.”
“Looking back on it, it’s interesting how I’m still pulling from those experiences at U of T Scarborough,” says Danko. “I’m still doing similar tasks – on a much grander scale and with a bigger budget – but those ties are still there.”