Six Simon Fraser University Clan Track & Field athletes named to USTFCCCA All-Region Team

New Orleans, LA – The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) has named All-Region honorees for the 2012-13 Division II outdoor track & field season and six Simon Fraser University track and field athletes have earned a spot.

The top five from each region in individual events and each member of a relay ranked in the region’s top three have earned the All-Region distinction for this season.

Helen Crofts (West Vancouver, BC) earned the recognition for top five finishes in four different events while Lindsey Butterworth (North Vancouver, BC) place in the top five in two as did Sarah Sawatzky (Chilliwack, BC).

Meanwhile Chantel Desch (Abbotsford, BC) earned a spot for as a member of the Clan’s 4×400-metre relay team as did Michaela Kane (Robert’s Creek, BC) while Jade Richardson (Nanaimo, BC) was named to the team after a GNAC Championship performance in the discus.

Full article: http://athletics.sfu.ca/news/2013/5/17/WTRACK_0517132010.aspx?path=general

BC Athletics recognized as One of Nine Resident Sport Partners to Make the Move to the Fortius Athlete Development Centre

BC Athletics President/CEO Brian McCalder, and BC Athletics Chair, Greg White receive recognition from Dr Jack Taunton, Fortius Director, Sport Medicine and BC Athletics Hall of Fame Member. 

Nine Resident Sport Partners Make the Move to Fortius Athlete Development Centre

…Burnaby hub to serve as single largest sport cluster in British Columbia with six Provincial Sport Organizations, two MultiSport Organizations and soccer academy

VANCOUVER (Monday, May 13th, 2013) – Fortius Sport & Health today announced an inaugural roster of Resident Sport Partners spanning six sport-specific organizations and a soccer academy.

The inaugural group of provincial sport organizations and multisport organizations will represent the single largest sport system cluster in British Columbia.

The group is led by Premiere Founding Partner SportMedBC, the provincial network of more than 600 sport medical practitioners and paramedical professionals in British Columbia, and BC School Sports, the provincial governing body for inter-scholastic sport.

It also includes BC Athletics, Curl BC, Canoe-Kayak BC, Karate BC, BC Water Polo and Synchro BC.

The eight provincial organizations are joined by the Roman Tulis European Soccer School of Excellence, an internationally-recognized soccer academy established by the late Roman Tulis, Sr. in 1993.

“Our vision is to collaborate with like-minded individuals and organizations who believe in the power of sport to transform lives,” said Scott Cousens, Founder & Chair of Fortius Sport & Health. “That’s why it’s only natural for us to have provincial sport organizations dedicated to the development of athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers share in the canvas that is the Fortius Athlete Development Centre.”

 

Read full release here: http://fortiussport.com/news/nine-resident-sport-partners-make-move-fortius-athlete-development-centre

Rostam Turner to join brother with U of T Blues

Kelowna Capital News – May 10, 2013 - With the likes of Olympic medalist Dave Steen and former Canadian decathlon champ Mike Smith among the school’s alumni, Rostam Turner will soon join a track and field program with a winning tradition.

Add in the fact that his older brother and fellow decathlete, James, is already a member of the University of Toronto Varsity Blues and Turner’s post-secondary choice was an easy one to make.

“They have a great program there and a great coach in Andy Higgins, so that will help a lot,” said Rostam Turner, who committed to U of T last fall. “It’ll be good to be together with (James) on the same team and at the same school. We’ve always helped each other out for training and things like that, so I think it’s going to work out. He knows the campus and the team and all that, so he’ll be able help ease me into things.”

Kelowna’s Turner brothers are among the best multi-event athletes ever to come out of the Okanagan. James won the Canadian junior decathlon (10 events) title in both 2011 and 2012, while Rostam struck gold in the octathlon at the Canadian youth track championships last summer in PEI.

Read full article: http://www.kelownacapnews.com/sports/206652651.html

Four BC Race Walkers named as Athletics Canada’s Panamerican Race Walking Cup Team

OTTAWA - Athletics Canada announced four athletes that will travel to Guatemala City, Guatemala to compete at the Panamerican Race Walking Cup on May 25 and 26. Connolly, Dunfee, Gomez and Thorne will all head south to compete in the 20km race walk which takes place at 4:00pm local time (6:00pm eastern time) on Saturday May 25.

“Canada’s Senior Men Race Walkers are ready to show the rest of the western hemisphere that we are once again contenders for the top spots”, comments Gerry Dragomir, Head coach of the contingent heading to Guatemala City. “This team representing Canada is the strongest senior men’s 20km race walk team that has ever been sent into competition. These young men have trained together since they were juniors and know the event, as well as their competitors, better than most. Up to now we have only been shown a few promising glimpses of what these athletes are capable of. This is a challenging event for us with the altitude, heat and long travel; a set of good finishes here will create a lot of excitement for the bigger events to come.”

The team will be led by Vancouver, B.C.’s Inaki Gomez whose international experience is highlighted by his 2012 Olympic debut last summer in London, England. Gomez set a new Canadian record at the Games with a time of 1:20:58 over 20km and this time also registered him a standard towards making the 2013 International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Championships team.

Also heading to Guatemala is Creighton Connolly of Vancouver, B.C., who represented Canada last year at the IAAF World Race Walk Cup in Saransk, Russia registering personal best performances in both the 10km and 20km race walks.

Richmond, B.C.’s Evan Dunfee won gold at the NACAC U-23 championships last season over 20000m (on track) race walk. He also clenched the 2012 National title in the senior 10km race walk.

Benjamin Thorne of Kitimat, B.C., is competing in his first senior year. As a junior last season Benjamin won both the Canadian 10km and 20km race walk Championships while setting new Canadian Junior Records of 40:26 and 1:21:55 in the two events respectively.

The Panamerican Race Walking Cup course is located in the Simeon Canas Avenue which has a one-kilometre closed loop. 45 countries are expected to compete.

For more information visit: http://www.athletics.ca/page.asp?id=686.

Eugene Reimer will be inducted into the Athletics Canada Hall of Fame

Reimer to be Inducted 

The Abbotsford/Mission Times - May 9, 2013 - Wheelchair racing legend Eugene Reimer of Abbotsford will be inducted into the Athletics Canada Hall of Fame.

Though Reimer passed away in 2008, he leaves behind a legacy of advocacy and excellence that has paved the way for today’s Para-lympians.

“Every wheelchair athlete competing today owes a debt of gratitude to Eugene Reimer,” said Gail Hamamoto, executive director of BC Wheelchair Sports Association.

“He wasn’t content to just win medals. He wanted to build a more inclusive society. Right up until his death, he remained passionate about promoting wheelchair sports.”

During his storied wheelchair sports career, Reimer amassed 50 national medals, 22 international medals, and 10 Paralympic medals.

Read more: http://www.abbotsfordtimes.com/sports/Reimer+inducted/8359590/story.html#ixzz2SopW2WKp

Jade Richardson named Red Lion athlete of the week

April 30, 2013 – Simon Fraser University track and field athlete Jade Richardson was named the Red Lion athlete of the week in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

The Clan junior set a NCAA Division II provisional national qualifying standard in her first throw in the discus at last Friday’s Western Washington University Twilight meet.

Her distance of 48.68-metres ranks her eighth nationally among NCAA Division II athletes and is second on the conference all-time top 10 performance list. The throw also broke the 30-year old SFU record in the event.

Full article from Burnaby Now 

VOTE today for Maureen de St Croix – Connecting the Community Award – YMCA Women of Distinction

The recipient of the Connecting the Community Award is determined via a public online voting system. The nominee with the most votes receives the Award and Scotiabank will donate $10,000 to the YWCA program area of the recipient’s choice. Voting closes at noon on May 17th.

Help vote for Ocean Athletics’  Head Coach Maureen de St Croix – VOTE HERE 

Spartans duo tops divisions at Sun Run – Langley Advance

April 25, 2013 – Trinity Western’s Alison Jackson and Joel De Schiffart both hit lofty standards in Sunday’s 10-kilometre Vancouver Sun Run, with Jackson finishing first amongst females in her age group (19-25) and De Schiffart crossing the line as the top junior-aged (16-18) competitor.

Read the full article in The Langley Advance 

2013 Wheelchair Athletics Practice Sessions

Track nights for Surrey begin April 23, 2013

Tuesdays from 4 – 6 pm at Holy Cross High School, Surrey

Contact James Hustvedt for more information: 604.616.7106 or james@bcwheelchairsports.ca

*New and Experienced athletes welcome!

Experience Canada’s only Remembrance Day run

By Christine Blancette, Richmond Review

Remembrance Day is one of the most important holidays of the year as we honor those who gave their lives so that freedom won is celebrated by all Canadians today.

Many will pay their respects at Royal Canadian Legion branches and Army Navy Air force units across the True North Strong and Free.  But for those who would dare to combine a grueling eight-kilometre cross country race with all the traditions and respect that go with a typical Remembrance Day happening, you are left with a truly unique event—the only one of its kind in Canada.

The 34th annual Remembrance Day 8km Run/walk will be held, as always, at Brockton Oval in Stanley Park on Sunday, Nov. 11.  The run features a Masters (35 and over) race that starts following a moment of silence at 11:01 a.m. The Open category then takes to the start line at 11:11, embarking on what is a very challenging one loop course in beautiful Stanley Park.  Afterward, the sense of brethren and camaraderie from all of the participants is unique—with a discernible difference from any other race throughout the year.

In a recent interview with race director and accomplished runner, Jerry Tighe, he said, “The event was started in 1979 by the Alta Lake Sports Club, (which was) a club of runners, cross country skiers and triathletes.”  Tighe, in his 25th year as race director, adds, “Besides starting the Remembrance Day Run, they also started the first cross country ski marathon in Whistler.”

After the moment of silence at 11:01 a.m., a fellow runner trumpets the Last Post near Brockton Oval in Stanley Park. At the same time the 21 Gun Salute echoes across the water from Victory Square on Hastings Street.

“Participants are of all ages and various talents. This is an event for all plodders, joggers and those who have just discovered the wonders of health and fitness, as well as the fleet of foot.”

Registration and more information: www.hersheyharriers.com.

Read more: http://www.richmondreview.com/lifestyles/178236281.html

London Olympians Headline GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon Speaker Series

Two-time Olympian Simon Whitfield, track cycling bronze medalist Tara Whitten, and 1500-metre runner Hilary Stellingwerff are among the speakers at the GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon Speaker Series, to be held on Saturday October 6 at the Marathon Race Expo. The Speaker Series runs from 9:00 am – 3:30 pm and will be held at the Victoria Conference Centre, Level 1 in the Auditorium.

Whitfield, Whitten and Stellingwerff will be sharing their Olympic memories with race announcer Steve King. Also featured in the speaker series is CBC broadcaster Paul Kennedy, who with GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon Race Director, Rob Reid, and runner and humanitarian John Carson will be explaining their reasons to stage the Rift Valley Marathon in Kenya next spring, and discussing the mythical training trails in the area that constantly produce the best runners on the planet.

Greg Marchand will be recounting how he struggled to recover from heart surgery and brain damage after suffering a heart attack at the finish line of the Pioneer 8K in 1998. Ultra-marathoner Niobe Thompson will be showing a special presentation of his film, The Perfect Runner, physiologist Trent Stellingwerff will discuss how to optimize recovery after a race by strategically consuming protein and carbs, and 19-timer Canadian champion Lucy Smith has a light-hearted look at how running has changed over the years.

“Our Speaker Series continues to grow, and we continue to offer participants high quality sessions from internationally renowned presenters,” say Race Director Rob Reid.

The 33^rd Annual GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon takes place Sunday, October 7^th, 2012. For the fourth year in a row it will host the 2012 BC Marathon Championships. The total purse available in the Dairlyland Elite Athlete Program, including incentive bonuses, is $38,800. In 2011, three new course records were set. Thomas Omwenga set a new men’s Marathon record in 2:14:33; Lucy Njeri broke the 22-year women’s Marathon record in 2:37:56, and Natasha Wodak set a new women’s Half Marathon record in 1:15:27. For more details, visit www.runvictoriamarathon.com.

Surrey Welcomes Worlds Oldest Marathon Runner

The Surrey International World Music Marathon is thrilled to welcome fleet footed centurion Fauja Singh, holder of the remarkable honour of being the world’s oldest marathon runner. And, much to the astonishment of the global racing community, at the grand old age of 101 Singh is showing no signs of slowing down.

“Fauja Singh is an inspiration to millions as a symbol of longevity, athleticism and the power of having a positive attitude,” says Race Director Tim Hopkins. “It’s an honour to have him participating in our event.”

Singh developed his love of running while working as a farmer in his Punjabi homeland, where he was born on April 1^st, 1911. It was more than a half century later when Singh moved to Great Britain that he began running in earnest.

Since taking up the sport Singh has achieved a number of accolades; one of these includes the world record for the men’s over-90 category after completing the 2003 Toronto marathon in five hours and 40 minutes.

“Having Mr. Singh participate in the Surrey Marathon is incredibly exciting,” says Councillor Tom Gill. “I encourage the people of the lower mainland to come out and participate alongside this inspirational individual.”

“Mr. Singh’s sheer amazing endurance and commitment is an inspiration for millions,” says Councillor Barinder Rasode. “We are honoured to have him join the first annual Surrey International Marathon.”

Fauja Singh will participate in the Mayors 5K Walk/Run alongside Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts and a number of Surrey City Councillors. Individuals of all ages and abilities are encouraged to register to participate in the 5K event by going to www.surreymarathon.com.

 

Celebrating Sports Day in Canada on Monday with Run Jump Throw

B.C. Minister of Finance Michael de Jong,  London 2012 Olympic medalists and B.C. Sports Hall of Famers team up to support Sports Day in Canada in Vancouver 

B.C. Minister of Finance Michael de Jong, London 2012 bronze medalists Brent Hayden (swimming), Christine Girard (weightlifting) and Emily Zurrer (soccer), B.C. Sports Hall of Famers Thelma Wright (athletics) and Andrea Neil (soccer), ParticipACTION’s Kelly Murumets and True Sport’s Karri Dawson join local children as they participate in a Run, Jump, Throw obstacle course to celebrate Sports Day in Canada, and the power of sport in your community and among family.

Monday September 24 at the BC Sports Hall of Fame

 

About Sports Day in Canada

Sports Day in Canada, on Saturday, September 29, 2012, is a national celebration of sport, from grassroots to high-performance levels, in communities across Canada. Sports Day in Canada caps off a week of more than a thousand local events and activities, such as community-wide festivals, try-it days, open houses, games, competitions, meet-and-greets, tournaments, fun runs, spectator events and pep rallies, and includes a special television broadcast on CBC Sports. Sports Day in Canada is presented by CBC Sports, ParticipACTION and True Sport, working with national sporting organizations and their networks of coaches, athletes and enthusiasts across the country. Sports Day in Canada is generously supported by Sport Canada, Subway Restaurant and New Balance Canada and is expanding its reach in British Columbia thanks to a first-ever provincial partnership with B.C.’s Ministry of Health.  For more information about Sports Day in Canada, please visit: http://www.cbcsports.ca/sportsday

 

Media information, contact:

Axelle D’Anglemont

Hill+Knowlton Strategies

Phone: 604-692-4230

Email: Axelle.DAnglemont@hkstrategies.ca

RCL National Youth Championships 2013 Newsletter

RCL National Youth Championships
Langley, BC
August 7-13, 2013

The Local Arrangements Committee for RCL National Youth Championships 2013 has published the first issue of its newsletter. Read about planning, partnerships, and a unique opportunity for young people to participate in a training course associated with the Championships. Twelve youths will be trained in Burnaby by Shaw to produce, shoot and edit short films about the athletes and the Championship legacy. The newsletter also includes complete results for BC team athletes from the 2012 Championships.

The full newsletter is posted on the BCA Officials Webpage under News – CLICK HERE 

GemStone

By Marty Hastings, Kamloops This Week

The Kamloops Track and Field Club has a diamond in Kala Stone. Raw and uncut, but a gem, nonetheless.

The 17-year-old South Kamloops Titan won three medals — gold in the under-18 girls’ 1,500-metre, silver in the 800-metre and bronze in the 4X400 relay — at the Legion Canadian Youth Athletics Championships, held this month in Charlottetown.

Stone has won gold four years running in the 1,500-metre — her favourite event — at the B.C. High School Championships.

Her mother described the blossoming athlete as a wee bit stubborn — a girl who “knows what she wants” — and her KTFC coach, Bruno Mazzotta, agreed.

“Kala is opinionated in the sense that she is strong-minded about what she wants to do,” said Mazzotta, the club’s middle- and long-distance coach. “Sometimes, if she doesn’t see a real tangible reason to do something, she will question that. I like that. I like having that dialogue with my athletes.”

Read more: http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/sports/167620215.html

Langley’s Dolfo ready to run for Canada

By Gary Ahujo, Langley Times

While representing your country means something special to every athlete, it holds a little added significance for Braedon Dolfo.

Born in Kingstown, St. Vincent, an island country in the Caribbean Sea, life could have turned out very differently for Dolfo. Dolfo was adopted at 18 months old by Brent and Diana Dolfo, with the family first in Coquitlam before settling in Langley.

As a toddler, Dolfo developed cataracts and chronic uveitis. He was later diagnosed with glaucoma, an eye disease which over time damages the optic nerve and impairs vision. It can deteriorate to the point of complete blindness.

His vision now is best described as peering through a straw, unable to see what is on either side of him.

“Representing Canada means a lot,” the 18-year-old said following a recent training session at North Surrey Secondary. “Being adopted and coming to Canada, it just brings a lot more meaning.”

Dolfo left  for London on Tuesday, where he will represent Canada at the Paralympic Games. The Games run Aug. 29 to Sept. 12. Dolfo will run in the 100m, 200m and 4×100 events. The latter event features another local runner, Dylan Williamson, the guide runner for Dustin Walsh, who is completely blind.

Read more: http://www.langleytimes.com/sports/167093785.html

Walsh running off to London

By Gary Ahuja, Black Press

The first time Dylan Williamson watched New Westminster resident Dustin Walsh and his guide runner in action, he was amazed at the synchronicity between the two men.

Guide runners are used for visually impaired or blind athletes, with the two either running in unison by holding either end of a short tether, or with the guide runner running behind the athlete, giving verbal instructions as they make their way around the track.

The athletes must be within 50 cm of one another and the guide runner cannot pull their runner or cross the finish line first.

Williamson, a 22-year-old from Langley, was being brought in as a potential replacement for Steve Walters, Walsh’s guide runner of the past seven years.

The 29-year-old Walsh was left blind at birth by glaucoma.

“You obviously need a good physical match so you can run in stride,” explained Walsh, following a brief break in a recent workout.

“It was amazing to me how quickly I meshed with him,” added Williamson. After about four or five practices, it became obvious that this partnership would work.

For Walsh, who grew up in Coquitlam and now lives in New Westminster, this is his third Paralympic Games.

He competed in Athens in 2004, placing fifth in the T11 400m race and was 11th in Beijing four years later. Walsh was 11th in the 400m race after suffering through a hip flexor and quad injury.

Walsh is running two events in London: the 4×100 relay—alongside Braedon Dolfo—and the 400m, and he feels good about his chances.

Read more: http://www.newwestnewsleader.com/sports/167209105.html

Golden summer for Ellingson

By Tim Fitzgerald, Maple Ridge News

If the summer of 2012 will be remembered for one thing, it will be the enduring memory of Olympic athletes triumphing over the odds to realize their dreams.

Years of endless hours of training, where sleep is sacrificed for early morning workouts, culminate in one brief moment where the hopes of Olympic glory can be decided by the smallest of margins.

While not all do not come home with medals, every athlete who  made their way to London this summer will take the experience of representing their country as  one of sport’s greatest achievements.

For 15-year-old Jordan Ellingson, the road to the Olympics may have just opened as the six-foot two Maple Ridge Christian School student added two javelin gold medals in the span of just more than a month.

Ellingson, who is a member of the Langley Mustangs track team, won gold last month at the B.C. Summer Games. Proving that was no fluke, the Grade 10 student took top honours in the Youth Under 16 division at the Legion Royal Canadian National Youth Track and Field Championships in Charlottetown, P.E.I. on Aug. 17.

Read more: http://www.mapleridgenews.com/sports/167255315.html

At 82, Burnaby sprinter has yet to hit his performance peak

By Yvonne Zacharias, The Vancouver Sun

Norm Lesage, ranked sixth in the world among 80-to 84-year-olds, can run 100 metres in 15.6 seconds and figures he can still improve

There is no doubt that a certain cheeky, brash Jamaican is the fastest runner over 100 metres (and 200 metres for that matter), but an 82-year-old man from Burnaby has designs on becoming the Usain Bolt of the octogenarian set.

Norm Lesage, who is competing this week in the B.C. Seniors Games in Burnaby, has run 100 metres in 15.6 seconds. Not bad for a guy who ran his first race at the age of 68.

A late bloomer, the interesting thing about Lesage is his times keep getting better. In the last few years, he has bettered his personal best three times.

An aw-shucks kind of guy with a hearty laugh, Lesage sounded very much like a man who is a little pleasantly surprised at himself as he sat in the stands in Swangard Stadium where he is competing as part of the annual games for the 55-and-over set. He started running more out of boredom than anything. He didn’t like all the walking he had to do to stay in shape so he decided to take up sprinting to get the job done faster.

Success wasn’t instant. He finished dead last in his first competition – the Arizona Senior Olympics.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/Burnaby+sprinter+performance+peak/7138737/story.html

Would-be Olympian still inspired to race

By Yvonne Zacharias, The Vancouver Sun

Maureen De St. Croix missed the Montreal Games, but continues to train hard for her 800-metre event

Sitting in the stands at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, Maureen De St. Croix remembered a day 36 years ago when she sat in the same spot, her feet in an ice bucket, watching the 800-metre race go by.

The B.C. athlete was supposed to be running. She had qualified for the 800-metre race in the 1976 Montreal Olympics. This was one of her last races leading up to what was supposed to be the pinnacle of her running career.

She was going nowhere. She could barely walk, let alone run. Her Achilles tendons in both legs had chosen this spot to give out.

“Basically, I thought my running career was over,” she said.

Surgery to repair torn Achilles tendons was in a developmental stage at the University of B.C. It took a while to get it. “By the time I got healed, I was past those prime years.”

She says this without a trace of sadness. Today, De St. Croix, now 59, will compete in the 800-metre race in the B.C. Seniors Games.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Would+Olympian+still+inspired+race/7132155/story.html