Holland College’s Daniel Cudmore fulfills passion for sports in coordination role

"It’s an unattainable goal to match the professionals, but you can always try to get as close as you can."

Holland College athletics coordinator Daniel Cudmore works away in his office before an interview for an upcoming story.

(Reegan MacAulay)

Daniel Cudmore was in his ninth year working as a golf professional on Prince Edward Island.

He'd had a life-long passion for sports ever since he was young, watching his family play sports and him playing mini-stick hockey in the living room with oven mitts on his hands and a bowl on his head.

“It was just something you did, something you were surrounded by, something you were exposed to.”

After graduating from Holland College’s golf management program in 2004, Cudmore was living what he called an “exceptional experience” both as a professional golf player and instructor.

“I got to play as a varsity athlete, got to play and study, go to different national events, interact with people from all over the industry, and then transfer into a full-time career.”

In January 2013, he was scheduled to return for another season at the Fox Meadow Golf Course, but he began to question if the golf industry was too much of a grind.

“It was a tough way to make a living, especially for somebody who wants to kind settle down and be able to have kids and a family.

“The idea of working down south in the winter and coming back for the summer wasn’t intriguing to me.”

Luckily, there was a job opening for a coordinator at a familiar place – Holland College.

“I was familiar with their sports department because, at the time, I had already been managing and coordinating a men’s hockey team for the college anyways, and it was a blast.

“I was eager to get the job, so I was certainly a bit on edge over the interview process. Being able to coordinate sports and get paid was a dream.”

He was offered the position and he accepted.

Ten years later, Cudmore continues to work in the Holland College athletic recreation department as the Athletics Development and Communications Coordinator for the Holland Hurricanes program.

When looking back on the experience, he recalls the transition from his involvement in golf and hockey to working with a variety of sports.

“I was very much in the service industry to the public, where you’re greeting guests and you’re having them come to your facility, play on your course, get your lessons, etc.

“Here [at Holland College], it’s totally different, being behind a computer and constantly pumping out social media content.

“It’s crazy how much social media has grown since when I had started.”

For the nature of Cudmore’s work, a yearly athletics season is, as he puts it, a roller coaster, especially when working with so many sports.

“It’s always busy from the get-go. You’re trying to gather the content you need for the upcoming season around August, and then when the winter season arrives, you have an overlap there where it’s exceptionally crazy.

“For a two-year school, you’re getting new athletes constantly, so it can be a bit hectic.

“It’s a fun time when we’re in the championship part of the season because sports are starting to cool down and you can have a bit of time to breathe.”

With so many different sports and so many different results, Cudmore has been through it all in the past decade.

“I think we’ve been very fortunate in achieving everything we’ve achieved with our sports. If they’ve (the teams) not been winners, they’ve always been extremely competitive.

“It’s interesting to be a part of because, for instance, this year's men’s basketball team won the championship, but the women lost in the semi-finals. You feel bad for the women, but you’re super excited for the men at nationals. It’s tough. It’s constant winning and losing.

“We went through a stretch a few years back when it seemed like we were winning everything, but ever since, we feel like we’ve really underachieved in terms of the number of banners we’ve taken home.

“It’s constantly up and down, and you have to appreciate the wins when they happen.”

Over the past few years, one thing that has satisfied Cudmore is how he’s been able to shape and mold the Holland Hurricanes program.

“What I’ve enjoyed the most is getting to take what I see professional teams do. I could see the Toronto Blue Jays doing this really cool thing online, or I see a place with video screens in their gym, and I can almost say, ‘Oh, they’re doing that? I’m going to do that with us.’

“People will notice and call us legit. They’ll see an identity.

“It’s an unattainable goal to match the professionals, but you can always try to get as close as you can.

“My ability to control the Hurricanes brand online with a professional look and feel has been impressive.”

Cudmore finds it hard to pick one memory as his favourite from the past decade, but a few come to mind.

“I think it was in 2012, I coached the women’s golf team. We finished second in the national championship in Ontario and lost by a single shot. That was a lot of fun to be a part of.

“Everything I did for (men's) hockey, that started as nothing, it didn’t exist. But being able to come up with the team, structure everything and coordinate all of that, it was something I was satisfied and proud with.

“But overall, I think it’s all been fun. There’s been lots of different, enjoyable moments.”

The biggest learning curve along the way has been managing schedules better, Cudmore said.

“When I started, I was keen, I was so excited, and I wanted to pour my whole life into the job, 24/7. I would be at work all day and then I would go home, eat and put the kids to bed. And then it’s back to working.

“Constant house calls, constantly doing stuff at work, and I was excited about what I was doing and what I was creating. But that wore me down and it consumed me.

“It helped that, thanks to social media, I could do my posts and scheduling ahead of time having good technology at home. It allowed me to hop on and kind of effortlessly do a little bit of work and then upload it quickly.”

If there is anything Cudmore wishes he could’ve done differently, it was his mindset when beginning the Holland College job – his gratitude.

“I do think that when I had taken on the job, I could’ve relaxed a little bit and enjoyed it a bit more. I was very on edge in terms of doing a good job. I had to work hard, everything had to be perfect. I wanted to be the perfect employee.

“I was so invested, but I was putting unnecessary stress on myself. I had to relax, enjoy things more, and not stress over every little detail.

“All of that was also me in the golf industry. It was something I loved as a kid. But by the time I got out, I didn’t love it. I was sick of it and I hated it because I had put too much pressure on myself.

“Looking back at myself from, say, 10 years ago, I would’ve told myself, ‘It’s going to be fine. If you miss one thing or something doesn’t turn out exactly perfect, it’s going to be fine. Enjoy the ride.’”

Cudmore had one tip for people who may consider a similar journey to his – be open to where the road may go.

“Chances are, you don’t have to pick your sort of forever career today or within your first job. For me, I went into the golf industry, and now it’s taken me to here. I wouldn’t have called that.

“Find ways to improve yourself and set yourself apart from your coworkers.”

A career change anytime soon? Nope, Cudmore said.

“At my age, [37], I’m kind of at that point where I have a solid foundation of my career. To have something like this, I’ve been here for 10 years, and it’s a great place to work. There are valuable things like a pension, collection benefits, and lots more.

“It’s like, why would I want to leave those things? I foresee this as my career and I enjoy it. I’m part of a great team with a great boss in a great place, and this is where my family is.”

Reegan MacAulay,

March 14, 2023