Long jump specialist Caroline Ho is campus promotional material gold.
The fourth-year public policy and sociology major is a Varsity Blue track and field athlete, a 2025 U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian, co-president of the Trinity College chapter of the World University Service of Canada (WUSC), and the one and only Sports Editor this year at The Varsity.
Beneath this unique student-athlete journey is Ho’s unwavering dedication to community. In an interview with The Varsity, Ho discussed joining the Blues as a walk-on, managing the balance between sports and academics, and her unique insights into Varsity Blues sports as an athlete and editor.
The leap of faith
From the starter’s gun, track and field has always been about community for Ho. “I started [track] when I was pretty young… and I mostly just joined because a lot of my friends were doing it.” The Vancouver native explained that track and field was first and foremost “just a fun thing for me… It wasn’t really something that I had anticipated [doing] going into university.”
While most university-level athletes are recruited with a guaranteed roster spot before they even graduate high school, Ho pursued the far more unconventional process of walking on to the team through a tryout. “I’m definitely not the strongest athlete on the team,” laughed Ho. “I tried out in my first year, knowing that I didn’t really hit the standard for being a walk-on. I was basically just on the cusp.”
Unfortunately, Ho did not make the official roster in her first two attempts. “I got cut in my first year, and that was pretty disappointing,” she admitted. Instead, Ho trained for two years as a ‘redshirt athlete’: a student who practices with the team but does not compete to represent the University.
“I was really fortunate that Carl Georgevski, the track and field head coach, let me train with the team as a redshirt in my first and second years,” explained Ho. “Having that group of people around me, and that continuity [in something that had been a part of my life for so long]… was something that I think I was very lucky to be able to do.” Additionally, Ho lauded the talent of her teammates. “I think I have been really privileged in that I’ve been able to train with some really talented [athletes].”
What came next was two seasons of grueling training. Yet, the community of athletes around her made the experience joyful. “Track continues to be something I look at as [something fun]. I enjoy training. I enjoy getting a good workout in,” she explained. “When I made the team my third year and fourth year, I was really excited and just really happy to be able to represent U of T [alongside my friends].”
Ho credits the veteran Varsity Blue coach for both her personal development and the success of the program. “[The U of T coaches are] a big draw for a lot of athletes and recruits. Carl, the head coach, he’s been here for over 30 years… he’s coached many very talented athletes. He’s a great coach,” she explained.
Georgevski first became head coach of the Varsity Blues track and field team in the 1995–1996 season. Remarkably, the U of T alumnus and former Varsity Blue has won the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Women’s Track & Field Coach of the Year on three separate occasions, in three separate decades (1998, 2004, and 2015).
Reflecting on her time with the program, Ho believes there’s something unique about the track and field community at U of T. “With track, it’s interesting because… a lot of events are individual. You have [athletes from different] sports coming in to train… so you really get a very cool mix of people [with] very [unique backgrounds and interests],” she explained. “And that’s a kind of diversity that I don’t think you see in many other sports.”
“I didn’t have the best [results],” she joked. “But everyone else [was] so friendly and welcoming, even before I made it onto the team officially. When I was just training as a redshirt, everyone [was] very supportive and encouraging. To have that camaraderie and supportive team environment is a big strength.”
Reflecting on her Varsity Blues career, Ho leaves with “a lot of really close friendships” and mixed memories of the ups and downs. “My favourite Varsity Blue memory?… Falling down [Riverdale] hill, and spraining my thumb,” she laughed. “No, I would say… the bus rides… you don’t always get to meet people who you don’t train with [in other event groups]. Bus rides give a good opportunity to meet different people… when everyone’s tired and hungry and delirious, coming back from a meet in a snowstorm at 1:00 am… things get entertaining [and] funny.”
(The) Varsity double threat
In addition to the Blues, Ho is also a vital piece of another Varsity community. After joining The Varsity as a sports associate in 2023, Ho was elected as Sports Editor for the 2025–2026 academic year. She is the first Varsity Blue to hold this position since women’s rower Laura Ashwood in 2021. “I feel like it’s kind of a full circle moment,” said Ho. “It’s weird to be on the receiving end of questions.. I think I’m used to asking them a lot more.”
At the helm of the sports section, Ho has emphasized celebrating the stories of her fellow athletes. “I’ve been able to cover a lot of very talented athletes,” she said. “I think that athletes do appreciate having a chance to speak about their journey [and] their experience at U of T.” As a member of the Blues, Ho has leveraged her connections to elevate the section; “I think a perk of being part of the track team is that I’ve been able to connect writers with athletes,” she explained.
Ho’s coverage of campus sports has ranged from her track and field teammate and Olympic athlete Luka Stoikos to the ongoing efforts of U of T’s BIPOC Varsity Association (BVA). “We’re lucky that… the Varsity Blues communications team is very diligent in maintaining [the] relationship [with The Varsity],” she said. “I think it’s very cool that U of T has The Varsity as its own platform.”
Looking into the future, Ho is prepared for the next chapter in her life. She is planning to pursue a master’s in education policy analysis next year. In terms of track and field, she feels that her prime time is over. “It’s just been a very big part of my life for a very long time. But I also feel that I am ready to retire,” she said.
One of the standard questions for Ho’s athlete profiles is “What is your advice for prospective athletes and U of T students?” When asked the very same question, Ho responded, “Just… take as many opportunities as you can… just put yourself out there… [the] U of T [experience] is what you put into it.” From a student athlete who has done exactly that, these words carry a lot of weight.
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