Former Mount Allison swimmer settles into his first season with Dalhousie
By Corey LeBlanc
His ability to make a splash in the swimming pool has taken Noah Mascoll-Gomes around the world.
The most recent stop on his international athletic journey is Halifax, where the former Atlantic University Sport (AUS) champion is now a member of the powerhouse Dalhousie Tigers program. “I have trained with many clubs, but this has been one of the smoothest transitions,” he says of joining the perennial conference contenders after two campaigns with the Mount Allison Mounties.
The move from Sackville, New Brunswick to Nova Scotia’s provincial capital—one covering just more than 200 kilometres—may be the shortest one. Born in Montreal, he grew up on the small Caribbean island of Antigua—the home of his father—while his mother is from Barbados.
Although he always swam, Mascoll-Gomes didn’t hit the pool competitively until he was 11. “The rest has been history,” he says, with a laugh, noting that he earned his first spot on a team after one of the swimmers ahead of him on the depth chart broke an arm.
Mascoll-Gomes says he was drawn to the sport because of how quickly he improved. “It just grabbed me,” he says, noting his ever-improving results—along with travel opportunities to compete—were key ingredients in fuelling that passion.
One of those memorable excursions took him to Barbados, where he swam in front of his maternal family. “It was an amazing experience,” Mascoll-Gomes says.
“I am happy to say that I kind of grew with the sport,” he says of the development of swimming in Antigua. During that time, his country started to bring in expertise from other countries, such as Canada, which has helped not only athletes improve, but also benefited in the build-up of coaching infrastructure.
Olympic experience
Just more than six years after starting to compete, the budding athlete was on the largest stage for his sport, representing Antigua at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
“It didn’t happen overnight,” Mascoll-Gomes explains of the work involved over a three to four-year period to reach that level. His preparation included competing in the Caribbean, Central and South American Games. He says his Olympic experience was “kind of surreal.”
“I was so focused that I don’t know if I stopped to realize [what I was part of].”
Although he competed in a variety of disciplines, Mascoll-Gomes focused on the 200-metre freestyle for the Games. He notes that many of the memorable moments at the Olympics came “behind the scenes.”
“It was eye-opening,” he says of seeing and learning about the effort put in by so many athletes that “you don’t see on TV.” Mascoll-Gomes proudly notes that the legacy of his Olympic opportunity includes friendships from around the world.
“I will never forget it.”
Back to Canada
Getting back to how an Antiguan swimmer ends up in rural New Brunswick, Mascoll-Gomes explains that his grandmother had a friend who attended Mount Allison.
“Word of mouth,” he says, explaining his path to the Canadian university.
Although he enjoyed his time as a Mountie, Mascoll-Gomes often made trips to Halifax, where he had many friends who shared his Caribbean background. After the COVID-19 global pandemic set in, which curtailed his beloved visits, he starting thinking about making a move.
“I just wanted a change,” he says, noting how much he missed those “familiar faces.” Mascoll-Gomes now lives with a group of Antiguan friends, which helps ease his pining for Caribbean food, culture and music that is now more readily available to him—the comforts of home.
He also found a welcoming home with the Tigers.
“Everyone has been so great,” Mascoll-Gomes says. Although he is donning different team colours, nothing has changed in the pool; he remains one of the top swimmers in the conference.
He credits the veteran Tigers head coach, Lance Cansdale, for making his transition as seamless as possible. “He gives everyone the room to shine,” Mascoll-Gomes says.
“We are very, very lucky to have him,” Cansdale offers of his student-athlete. Describing him as a “super guy,” he reflects on the “immediate impact” Mascoll-Gomes has had on Tigers.
“I have been nothing but impressed—Noah has set such a tremendous example for our team,” he says.
Noting his “natural leadership,” Cansdale adds, “Noah takes nothing for granted.”
Although his main goal is to help lead the Tigers to another AUS crown—and success on the U SPORTS stage—Mascoll-Gomes is also focused on continuing to improve on his times this season, which has already put him on the cusp of a handful of conference records.
“It is all about team success,” he says. As part of that effort, Mascoll-Gomes is shooting for securing spots in a couple of U SPORTS-level races.
Along with his contributions in the pool—both in individual and team disciplines—Cansdale points out his accomplishments in the classroom. “He is a perfect example of what a student-athlete should be,” he adds of his Academic All-Canadian.
‘Going with the flow’
Mascoll-Gomes is working on a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Dal’s Rowe School of Business.
“I am really looking forward to that opportunity,” he says of the program’s cooperative education component—one of the few of its kind in Canada in commerce. Mascoll-Gomes notes that a career in sports marketing and management would be his “dream field.”
As for his future in swimming—beyond his time as a Tiger—he offers that he is “going with the flow,” and that he is not putting an “expiration date” on his athletic career. “I will go as far as I can,” he says.
Nevertheless, his academic pursuits remain his “main goal,” which he plans to balance with any opportunities to compete at the international level.
Although he can’t do anything about the cold weather (he admits he still hasn’t adjusted to the climate) there remains much more to keep him in Canada.
“It is the right place, right now,” Mascoll-Gomes says.