FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 14, 2009

Athletics Canada announces 2009 Award Recipients at Awards Gala

VANCOUVER – Athletics Canada announced today the winners of its annual awards at the 2009 Awards Gala presented by Mondo. Held in Vancouver, BC, the ceremony coincides with the 2009 Technical Congress. Congratulations to all recipients, finalists and nominees.

Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, Whitby, ON

· Jack W. Davies Trophy – Outstanding Overall Athlete of the Year

· Phil A. Edwards Memorial Trophy – Outstanding Athlete of the Year in Track Events

· Cal D. Bricker Memorial Trophy – Single Outstanding Performance of the Year

Priscilla’s incredible performances throughout the year, highlighted by her silver medal at the IAAF World Championships in the 100 metre hurdles, aided her in capturing these three awards. She was the world leader for over a month (May 8 to June 20), as well as bettered her own personal best on numerous occasions. To close her season Priscilla placed fourth in one of athletics’ most competitive events at the World Athletics Final in a race where 2nd through 5th place registered identical finishing times.

Sultana Frizell, Perth, ON

· F.N.A. Rowell Trophy – Outstanding Athlete of the Year in Field Events

Sultana started the outdoor season with a bang breaking and then bettering her Canadian Record. Her strong performances took her to her first World Championships where she finished 10th and was the first Canadian women to ever make it into a World Championship hammer throw final.

Diane Roy, Hatley, QC

· Outstanding Para-Athlete of the Year – Wheelchair Award

Three-time Canadian Champion in 2009, Diane Roy, a T54 classification wheelchair racer captured the national titles in the 400, 800 and 1500 metre events. Diane also won bronze at the Boston Marathon, silver medals at the Swiss Open (in the 400m, 800m, and 1500m) and captured gold and bronze medals at the Daniela Jutzeler Memorial in the 400m and 1500m respectively.

Brianne Theisen, Humboldt, SK

· Combined Events Athlete of the Year

For her first time ever on the World stage Brianne Theisen took on seven events in the Heptathlon at the World Championships, finishing 15th and setting three event personal bests along the way. For the University of Oregon Brianne captured the bronze at the NCAA Indoor Championships, and Gold while setting a personal best at the NCAA Outdoor Championships; she holds four records for Oregon including the Heptathlon, Pentathlon, 60 metre hurdles and 100 metre hurdles. She is the 2009 Canadian Champion in the Heptathlon.

James Steacy, Lethbridge, AB

· Dr. Fred Tees Memorial Trophy – Outstanding Athlete enrolled in a Canadian University

The highlight of Jim’s year was stepping on the podium at Summer Universiade (FISU) with a silver medal hanging from his neck; Jim was also the Canadian team flag bearer for the opening ceremonies. His strong season included two Canada West Championships gold medals in the shot put and weight throw. Jim was undefeated in the weight throw for his entire University career and undefeated in the shot put this season, he went on to capture the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) titles while breaking another meet, provincial and school record in the weight throw. He was the 2009 Canadian Champion in the hammer throw.

Reid Coolsaet, Hamilton, ON

· Fred Begley Memorial Trophy – Outstanding Athlete of the Year in Off-Track Events

Running in his first marathon ever Reid captured the 2009 Canadian Marathon title. Qualifying as a member of the World Cup team competing in Berlin at the World Championships, Reid set a new personal best finishing 25th overall and was the top Canadian finisher in the marathon.

Alister McQueen, Calgary, AB

· Outstanding Para-Athlete of the Year  – Ambulatory Award

At the IWAS World Junior Championships Alister took centre stage in the T44 amputee classification winning three gold medals, setting one Canadian Record (100m), and three World Junior Records (100m, 200m, 400m). Alister is the 2009 Canadian Champion in all three events, as well he holds all three Canadian Records.

Derek Drouin, Corunna, ON

· Eric E. Coy Trophy – Outstanding Junior Athlete of the Year

Derek captured gold at the Pan American Junior Championships in the high jump while setting a new Canadian Junior and Meet Record. He is the 2009 Canadian Junior High Jump Champion and Canadian Senior Championships silver medalist. Competing for Indiana University, Drouin captured the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships silver medal, was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and bettered the 35 year standing Indiana State High Jump Record.

Aaron Brown, Toronto, ON

· Myrtle Cook Trophy – Outstanding Youth Athlete of the Year

At the 2009 IAAF World Youth Championships Brown ran four strong races in the 100 metres; first he bettered the Canadian Youth Record in the quarter-final and then went on to capture the silver medal.  Brown’s strong season continued winning gold at the Legion Canadian Youth Championships.

Anthony McCleary, Pickering, ON

· Coach of the Year

This year’s recipient of the Outstanding Coach of the Year is Anthony McCleary. Anthony is the head coach at Elite Edge Club as well as the personal coach to Olympic Bronze Medalist and World Championships Silver Medalist Priscilla Lopes-Schliep.  McCleary also coaches Canadian female 100m champion Toyin Olupona.

Jennifer Campbell, Winnipeg, MB

· Official of the Year

The National Officials Committee recognized Jennifer Campbell as the 2009 recipient of the Official of the Year Award. Athletics Canada is extremely proud to have worked with the National Officials Committee in recognizing this very deserving recipient for all of her contributions to officiating and the sport.

For more information regarding Athletics Canada’s Annual Awards please visit: www.athletics.ca/page.asp?id=54.

-AC-

Emily Hooper
Coordinator, Public Relations and Corporate Services
Athletics Canada
(613) 260-5580 Ext. 3332
ehooper@athletics.ca

Athletics Canada names 2009 Award Finalists

Monday, October 26, 2009

OTTAWA – Athletics Canada announced today the three finalists for each awards category as a lead in to the 2009 Athletics Canada Awards Gala. The finalists and winners are chosen by Athletics Canada’s Awards Committee, the winners will be honoured at the Gala to be held Saturday November 14th in Vancouver, BC.

2009 Award Finalists

Tickets for the Awards Gala, which include a cocktail reception beginning at 6:00pm followed with dinner at 7:00pm are now on sale now for $50.00. To purchase your ticket please contact Chris Woods at (613) 260-5580 Ext. 3315 or cwoods@athletics.ca.

For more information on Athletics Canada’s Awards please visit: www.athletics.ca/page.asp?id=54.

- AC -

Connor Clerke Photo by Jon Murray

By Howard Tsumura, The Vancouver Province
SURREY — By the very nature of its November date, it’s normally wet and mucky conditions and its virtual stampede of humanity, the Subway B.C. High School Cross Country championships always manage to provide storylines galore.
The 2009 edition, run Saturday morning at Surrey’s Crescent Park, was just such a race.
From the absolute dominance shown by Vancouver’s St. George’s Saints in the boys team event, to the duel between top boys runners Justin Kent and Connor Clerke, to the potential emergence of B.C.’s next great middle distance star in the girls race.
Like we said, Saturday’s race had it all.

see ace photographer Jon Murray’s picture gallery by clicking here.

BOYS TEAM
The Saints not only arrived quicker to the finish line than the rest of their competition, they arrived beyond their years on Saturday.
St. George’s placed four runners in the top 15, finishing a full 64 points ahead of second-place Oak Bay of Victoria.
Grade 11 Will Cliff finished the 6.5-kilometre race in 22:20.6 to take third overall. Grade 10 Christian Gravel was seventh (22.57.4), Grade 11 Dennis Brown 13th (23.08.5) and senior Azar Chatur 14th (23.13.3). Grade 11 Max Douglas was 41st.
“Will and Christian both have the ability to deliver on a big day and it’s great to know that they will both be back next year,” said Saints’ head coach Chris Johnson. “The guys delivered today. The understood the importance of what we were trying to do and it means a lot to me that they all pushed through the pain and came through.”
Kwantlen Park of Surrey finished third.

Connor Clerke is congratulated by David Ling PHOTO BY JON MURRAY

BOYS INDIVIDUAL
It was the second head-to-head duel in a week for Surrey-Kwantlen Park’s Justin Kent and Kelowna’s Connor Clerke.
Last Saturday at the B.C. junior men’s cross country championships on Saturday at Stanley Park, Kent (22:24.60) topped Clerke (22.27.05) as the pair finished second and third respectively over seven kilometres as juvenile-age runners competing against older competition.
On Saturday, Clerke (21.41.8) found the kick he needed over the latter stages of the race to edge Kent (22.01.1) for the high school title.
“He ended up taking a bit of a lead,” said Clerke of Kent, the Fraser Valley champ. “And then with a lap to go I slowly started to reel him in. Coming into the last kilometre we were neck and neck but with about 400 metres to go to the finish line, I just took off. I didn’t look back. I just ran as hard as I could to the finish.”
Clerke admitted that his pre-race No. 2 ranking versus Kent’s No. 1 was to his advantage.
“It inspired me,” Clerke continued. “It made me look like the underdog. I was able to come in with no expectations and that worked perfectly for me. Right now, this feels pretty unbelievable. I couldn;t be happier winning this race in my last year of high school.”
Oak Bay ninth grade Lehm McGuire was 12th (23.05.8).
GIRLS TEAM
The Oak Bay girls repeated as B.C. champs with Vancouver’s West Point Grey Academy finishing second for the second straight year.
Once again, quality throughout its ranks lifted the Bays to the team title.
Oak Bay’s highest finisher was Grade 11 Courtney Roskelly who finished 16th. Ninth grader Elise Butler was 29th, 10th grader Bree Neale 42nd, Grade 11 Erin Haight 50th and Grade 10 Heather Van Tassel 51st.
Van Tassel wound up being the story of the day for the Bays.
When Grade 10 Maddie Secco, the team’s third runner, was forced to stay in Victoria with a bout of the flu, Van Tassel helped her team score some important points.
“She collapsed, then crawled over the finish line,” said Butler.

ALEX SIEMENS number 215 winnner of women's title PHOTO BY JON MURRAY

GIRLS INDIVIDUAL
Abbotsford-W.J. Mouat Grade 9 phenom Alex Siemens gave notice that she may be treading on some pretty hallowed ground over the next four years.
Siemens was four second faster than second-place Tanya Humeniuk of Vancouver’s Killarney Secondary, winning the 4.4-kilometre race in 17.07.1.
Oak Bay’s Justine Johnson placed second in the race in 2004 and 2005 in her eighth and ninth grade years, then won it three straight years.
Is there a similar story line brewing with Siemens?
Girls Team

1.    Oak Bay 86
2.    West Point Grey Academy 101
3.    Semiahmoo 159

Boys Team

1.    St. George’s 36
2.    Oak Bay 100
3.    Kwantlen Park 126

Individual Girls
1    Siemens    Alex    WJ Mouat    17:07.1
2    Humeniuk    Tanya    Killarney    17:11.3
3    Ridenour    Christine    Cowichan    17:13.4
4    Hooper    Allison    Claremont    17:26.7
5    Benson    Fiona    Electronic ED    17:37.8
6    Butterworth    Lindsey    Handsworth    17:43.8
7    Williams    Allison    Semiahmoo    17:44.6
8    DeSchiffart    Erica    Nanaimo Christian    17:49.1
9    Balaze    Emma    Kelly Road    17:51.2
10    Regan    Leah    Maple Ridge    18:00.2
11    Butterworth    Alycia    Ballenas    18:04.4
12    Schoch    Sasha    Kelowna Secondary    18:04.4
13    Regan    Jacqueline    Little Flower Academy    18:05.5
14    DeSchiffart    Marita    Nanaimo Christian    18:07.7
15    Wille    Hilary    Claremont    18:10.5
16    Roskelley    Courtney    Oak Bay    18:12.6
17    Carruthers    Tessni    Vernon Secondary    18:16.1
18    Sim    Emilyn    Shuswap Middle    18:16.4
19    Mackenzie    Kansas    Prince of Wales    18:20.7
20    McInnis    Shauna    Stelly’s    18:22.3
21    McCulloch    Kaileen    Smithers    18:25.4
22    Wiebe    Devon    Lord Byng    18:26.1
23    Cho    Rachel    Semiahmoo    18:26.6
24    Stone    Kala    South Kamloops    18:29.5
25    Potter    Erin    West Point Grey Academy-T    18:29.7

Individual Boys
1    Clerke    Connor    Kelowna Secondary    21:41.8
2    Kent    Justin    Kwantlen Park    22:01.1
3    Cliff    William    St. Georges-T    22:20.6
4    Riva    Thomas    Kwalikum    22:22.6
5    Lawrence    Mo    Howe Sound    22:30.9
6    Palmer    David    Lakes District    22:32.6
7    Gravel    Christian    St. Georges-T    22:57.4
8    Powell    Brook    Claremont    22:59.2
9    Hall    Evan    Westsyde Secondary    23:01.0
10    Therrien    Cody    St Andrews Regional    23:01.7
11    Minaker    Gord    Mt Boucherie    23:01.7
12    McGuire    Lehm    Oak Bay    23:05.8
13    Brown    Dennis    St. Georges-T    23:08.5
14    Chatur    Azar    St. Georges-T    23:13.3
15    Miles    Austin    West Van    23:15.5
16    Humeniuk    Anton    Killarney    23:18.1
17    DeSchiffart    Joel    Nanaimo Christian    23:18.8
18    Van Woerden    Jeremy    Abbotsford Christian    23:20.1
19    MacLean    Nicholas    Correlieu    23:24.0
20    Roots    Logan    Shawnigan Lake    23:27.2
21    McDougall    Robby    DP Todd    23:28.5
22    Bruchet    Jake    Elgin Park    23:29.3
23    Slade    Alex    Elgin Park    23:29.5
24    Zosiak    Kyle    Oak Bay    23:29.7
25    Bancroft    Nathan    Nechako Valley    23:31.8

Priscilla Lopes-Schliep captured a silver medal in the 100-metre hurdles at this year’s world championships in Berlin. (David J. Phillip/Associated Press)

Track stars Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, Perdita Felicien and Gary Reed are the finalists for the 2009 Athletics Canada overall athlete of the year award.

Lopes-Schliep, of Whitby, Ont., won a silver medal in the 100-metre hurdles at this year’s world championships. Felicien, of Pickering, Ont., made it to the final but clipped a hurdle and finished last.

Reed, of Victoria, won a silver medal at the 2009 world athletics final.

The Jack W. Davies Trophy will be handed out at a gala in Vancouver on Nov. 14, Athletics Canada said in a release Monday.

The trio is also up for the Phil A. Edwards Trophy for track athlete of the year.

In addition, Lopes-Schliep and Reed are up for the Cal D. Bricker Memorial Trophy for the single outstanding performance of the year. Julie Labonte of Ste-Justine, Que., is the other nominee. She broke a 45-year-old Canadian junior record in the shot put at the national junior championships.

Labonte, Sultana Frizell of Kamloops, B.C., and Jim Steacy of Lethbridge, Alta., are the nominees for the F.N.A. Rowell Trophy for field athlete of the year.

Coach of the year nominees include Anthony McCleary of Pickering, Ont., Dave Scott-Thomas of Guelph, Ont., and Brenda Van Tighem of Calgary.

McCleary coaches Lopes-Schliep and sprinter Toyin Olupona. Scott-Thomas is a coach at the University of Guelph and Speed River Track and Field Club. Van Tighem is a coach at the University of Calgary and also handles personal coaching duties for Sam Effah and Amonn Nelson.

The finalists and winners in the 12 award categories are chosen by Athletics Canada’s awards committee.

Coach’s influence ‘critical’

By Don Fennell – Richmond Review

Diane and Doug Clement

WHAT MAKES A great coach? One of Canada’s most revered track and field leaders says it is helping an athlete become “the best person and athlete they can be—in that order.” Doug Clement credits his coach at the University of Oregon, BillBowerman, for having a profound influence on his life. A star athlete at Vancouver’s King Edward High School, Clement attended Oregon on a track scholarship in 1952. That same year he was a member of Canada’s 4×400-metre relay team at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. But Bowerman, who introduced jogging as a health benefit to North Americans leading to him co-founding Nike, saw in Clement more than just an athlete. He encouraged his pupil to not only teach physical education (which was Clement’s initial intent) but to expand horizons and consider a career in medicine. Clement heeded the advice and in 1955 enrolled in the University of B.C. medical school. Graduating in 1959, he set up a general practice in Richmond and became a leading proponent of exercise in preventing heart disease. In 1962, he and his wife Diane founded the Richmond Kajaks, which became the top track and field club in Canada. Clement’s coaching and influence produced such future Olympians as Charmaine Crooks and Lynn Williams. At a recent coaching conference in Richmond, Clement noted that Williams (bronze medallist in the 3,000 metres at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics) went through a flat period early in her career, following an injury, when she didn’t have the belief in herself to realize what her potential was. “You have to be careful not to close the doors on people,” Clement said. “Some of the best discipline comes from those athletes nowhere close to the international level. It’s important then to recognize that it’s not just the performance that counts, but it’s the person.” It is “critical,” said Clement, to understand that a coach may become, for a time at least, the most important person in a young athlete’s life. Though sport as a competitive career is only a small period of a person’s life, that coach can help shape who that athlete ultimately becomes, he said.

Richmond School District administrator Glenn Kishi was also a strong athlete in high school. And like Clement, he says former coaches greatly influenced him. “Sport teaches you about life and you get bits and pieces from everybody,” said Kishi, whose high school coaches included Ian Anderson, Kent Chappell and Charlie Phipps. “Ian was known for his strategy and because I later coached with him I learned to appreciate the time he put into preparation. To do that you’ve got be well organized. Charlie was also so disciplined and Kent always promoted values.” Kishi often assumed a leadership or captain’s role on his teams. He was never much of a rah-rah player, but tried to be a good example by demonstrating the qualities he admired in the coaches. He later, as a coach himself, showed and passed on those qualities to his players. “On a team everyone has a role and needs to understand that role,” Kishi said. “Not everyone can be the quarterback, but every role is equally important. When I was coaching I was not just teaching them a sport but life lessons.”

Clement spent several years in the 1990s as the medical doctor for the Vancouver Canucks. Despite the fact hockey was now a job for the players, money did not enter into their approach because they all bought into the sub-culture of it still being a game, he said.

“When you’re directing a program you want to teach through positive reinforcement,” Clement said. “(The athletes) know they’ve done well or not.” Many coaches believe the target should be just ahead of what an athlete can achieve. But Clement said it should be exactly where they can achieve it. While coaching with the Kajaks, Clement used a system in which a target was established every workout. But it was all but ensured the target would be reached, he said. “The same principles are used for the next step and that becomes infectious,” he said. “The athletes come to believe they will make it and there’s nothing like success to breed success. Don’t put the carrot just out of reach.” Ironically, while stressing the enormous influence a coach can have on athlete, Clement said his goal was to be superfluous. “The critical component is to ensure you’ve prepared for athlete(s) to work without you,” said Clement, adding that the best athletes will seek your support when and if they need it. Speaking from a medical perspective, Clement also said one ongoing dilemma that coaches struggle with globally is understanding how far to “push” athletes without having them sustain injuries because of over-using their muscles. “A stress-fracture is an over-use injury,” Clement said. “It’s the process of imbalance that leads to the fracture.”

2009 Alberta Race Walk Championships, Edmonton, AB, September 12 ,2009

Dunfee and Gomez

Men 10k masculin
1.            Inaki Gomez, 43:36

Men 20k masculin
1.            Evan Dunfee, 1:29.13 (Personal Record)
Note : This is the fastest time posted at this distance by a junior athlete in Canada.

Rudisha and Reed at WAF photo by Getty

Gary Reed of Kamloops won the silver  medal today at the World Athletics Final in Thessaloniki, Greece before a crowd of 27,500.  David Lekuta Rudisha of Kenya took the gold in 1:44.85 after a tactical 53.0 second first lap of 400m. Rudisha leads the world in 2009 with his 1:42.01 clocking this season. Gary was lying in 7th spot with 200m to go but delivered a tremendous closing finish to pass world champion, Mbulaeni Mulaudzi of South Africa and Olympic champion, Yuriy Borzakovskiy of Russia. Reed improved on his 4th place at the 2009 Beijing Olympics and equaled his 2007 silver medal at the World Championships with his 1:45.23.

Priscilla Lopes Schliep and Perdita Felicien hit the line in the 100m hurdles in a blanket finish where 2nd through 5th place recorded identical times of 12.61.  The world champion, Brigitte Foster-Hylton of Jamaica lead with 12.58 while Dawn Harper of the US, Delloreen Ennis -London of Jamaica were awarded the silver and bronze medal positions after prolonged inspection of the photo finish. This gave Priscilla and Perdita the 4th and 5th spots.  Needless to say, this event is perhaps the most competitive event in the IAAF schedule. Priscilla took the bronze in Beijing and the silver medalat the World Championship in Berlin.

Dylan Armstrong of Kamloops struggled in the shot put recording 19.61m in 8th place behind Christian Cantwell of the US who won with 22.16m

Sultana Frizell of Ottawa threw 68.07m for 6th place behind winner Betty Heidler of Germany in the women’s hammer throw.

Nate Brannen of Ontario came 9th in the 1500m in 3:40.12 as William Tanui of Kenya took the gold in 3:35.04