Bonita Joe
Camosun College
Vernon’s Brady Stead gets a kick out of winning golf tournaments.
The Camosun College Charger (Victoria) and business school graduate took the Johnston Meier Insurance Vancouver Open amateur title in July, shooting rounds of 76, 69 and 69. He was sixth overall.
Over his five years with the Chargers, Stead rose to stand as one of the most successful student-athletes to come out of Camosun.
Since walking on to the Chargers men’s golf team in 2011,
Stead played a major role in helping the program add nine medal finishes to its list of achievements including winning both the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) National Championship title and the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) Provincial Championship this past season.
In his final two years with the Chargers, Brady amassed an impressive list of awards including the CCAA All-Canadian, CCAA National Scholar Athlete, CCAA Athlete of the Week, PACWEST Player of the Year and PACWEST First Team All-Star.
During that period, he was also recognized as a Team Leader and Team MVP.
In 2014-15, Stead earned the prestigious President’s Cup for his outstanding achievements in academics and athletics.
“I actually exceeded my expectations,” said Stead, when asked if he had achieved all he wanted at Camosun. “Initially, I came to Victoria because you can golf here in December. When I tried out for the Chargers, I barely played my way on to the team but I guess John (head coach Randle) saw something in me.
“I always believed in myself though and even though I was far from being a shoe-in player, at the start of every year, I told John that I wanted to win conference player of the year. And for the first four years, it didn’t happen. In fact, it was far from happening … but in my final year it happened, so it was kind of like icing on the cake.”
Known for his dedication to good causes and tireless work ethic, Stead spent much of his spare time and summers in the community helping coach golf at his former high school (Vernon Secondary School), refereeing minor hockey and raising money for charity and research.
Stead is staying planted in Victoria and aims to keep connected with the program as he sets course on his post-intercollegiate journey.
“For now, I want to stay in the golf industry,” he said. “I think it gives me the best chance to play and it allows me to be around the golf course a lot more. I’m currently working at the Royal Colwood Golf Club and I hope it will work into a professional position in the future. I’d also like to remain involved with the Chargers program, whether it’s helping out with coaching or helping out in any way I can with the athletics department.
“Overall, I learned a lot about hard work and perseverance while I was at Camosun. I experienced a lot of failures while I was on the team, not getting the results that I wanted, but finally in the final year, being able to be a leader and pulling off a huge victory for the school and the program, it was a big thing for me.”
Stead credited coaches Randle and Dale Broughton for helping him with game, and also gave props to North Okanagan-Shuswap golf pros Jesse Crowe, Sean Richardson and Brad Jones.
A lot of support came from his family: parents Dave Stead and Sandy Spinks, and from his role model, his grandfather Dave Stead Sr.
“He was the person who introduced me to the game of golf,” said Stead.
“He’s someone that I’ve always really looked up to. He gave me a lot of confidence and always told my family that I’d be a great golfer one day. I take the lessons that he gave me with me every time I’m out on the golf course and think about how lucky I am to be playing the game.
“I want to see how far the game of golf can take me as a player. I’m going to continue to keep learning as much as I can along the way and following the dream that has never left since I was a junior golfer.”