Scott Oldershaw is the son of prolific canoeing competitor Bert Oldershaw, the only Canadian to have ever reached three successive finals in Olympic paddling competitions. With a heritage like this, Oldershaw was inevitably set to become one of Canada’s athletic greats—it was programmed into his DNA.
In the mid-1980s, Oldershaw became a member of the Canadian National Kayaking Team, where he competed as a sprint kayaker. He was a member of the team for 16 years, during which time he competed at 12 world championships and the 1984 Olympic games. He made it to the semifinals of the 1,500-metre race, marking him as a competitor to watch.
Oldershaw became a coach—a position he has held for nearly three decades. He is known as one of the leading trainers in the sport, having coached at four Olympic Games. In 1990, he was appointed head coach of the Burloak Canoe Club, and has since led the club to four National burgee titles (1997, 1998, 2000 and 2007). He has coached several disciplines of the National, Provincial and developmental teams, and was also the personal coach of Adam van Koeverden, who won gold and bronze medals at the 2004 Olympics and a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics, He also coached his own son, Mark, who won the bronze medal in the C-1 1,000m at the 2012 London Summer Olympics.
Petro-Canada Coaching Excellence Award. In 2008, Scott wa appointed National Coach for Canoe Kayak Canada. He has become the most decorated coach in Canadian Canoe Kayak history.
