Georgia Ellenwood

The Langley Mustang’s coach Kim Chapdelaine has some goals that go beyond the 2012 London Olympic Games.  Two of her athletes, Georgia Ellenwood and Carolyn Sutherland have been identified as potential candidates for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.  They are reaping the rewards of a successful 2011 track and field season. Both were recognized for making the qualifying standard for the Olympic Development Program.  Administered by Sports Canada, the program provides guidance, structure and financial resources to athletes.

Carolyn Sutherland photo by Mundo Sport

Sutherland made the 5.79 m standard in long jump with a personal best of 5.81 m and Ellenwood easily made the 4666 point standard in the heptathlon with her Canadian youth record of 5043 points. The Olympic development program targets athletes that will be 23 – 30 years old during the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. These girls are on the right track to fulfill their Olympic dreams.

Georgia Ellenwood

These 2 athletes will compete in the Vancouver Sun Indoor Track Classic set for Saturday February 4^th at the Richmond Olympic Oval (ROO).  Georgia Ellenwood will compete in the high jump and 60m hurdles while Carolyn Sutherland will run the 60m, both in the youth division.  Georgia hold the youth record in the ROO of 1.64m and with an outdoor mark of 1.70m, she may well create a new indoor record this year.

Tickets are $5 and sold only at the door.  The TELUS Jerome Outreach Elementary Relays start at 10am and the Vancouver Sun Harry Jerome Indoor Track Classic start at 11:20 with the opening ceremonies.  Further details at www.harryjerome.com

Brendon Restall

Brendon Restall confirmed today his participation in The Vancouver Sun Harry Jerome Indoor Track Classic on Saturday, February 4^th at the Richmond Olympic Oval.  Brendon startled the track world last year when he ran 47.26 in the 400m at the World Youth Championships taking 7^th place. He won the BC High School title in 47.39 in a close race over Hodson Harding’s 47.53 and Nathan George’s 48.78.

400m final at 2011 BC High School Championships

Brendon will graduate from high school this year and is reportedly headed for the University of Victoria this fall.  He is coached by Dacre Bowen  in Victoria who is a graduate of the University of Oregon.

Tickets are $5 and sold only at the door.  The TELUS Jerome Outreach Elementary Relays start at 10am and the Vancouver Sun Harry Jerome Indoor Track Classic start at 11:20 with the opening ceremonies.  Further details at www.harryjerome.com

Ruky Abduali

Ruky Abdulai confirmed today her entry into the second annual Vancouver Sun Harry Jerome Indoor Classic featuring the TELUS Jerome Outreach Elementary Relays set for Saturday, February 4^th at the Richmond Olympic Oval new track and field facility.  This event will be the first steps to the 2012 Olympic Games in London this summer.

Ruky was the winner of the National Championship Heptathlon in Calgary in June of 2011. She went on to represent Canada at the World Championships in Daegu, Korea where she recorded her personal best in the seven event challenge. Her performances of  24.50 (200m), 2:15.29 (800m), 13.60 (100mH), 1.80m (HJ), 6.30m (LJ), 11.72m (SP) and 46.35m (Jav) gave her a total of 6212 points.  This ranks the Simon Fraser graduate as 17^th in the world.

Ruky Abduali

Ruky will compete in the 60m hurdles at the Jerome Indoor Classic.  Her personal best is 8.54 seconds set in 2008 at the NAIA indoor championships.  She holds the Richmond Olympic Oval record for the 50m hurdles with her 7.72 mark set in 2011.

Tickets are $5 and available only at the Richmond Olympic Oval, 6111 River Road,

on February 4^th.  The TELUS  Jerome Outreach Elementary Relays start at 10 am

with the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Sun Harry Jerome Indoor Classic

set for 11:20 am

World first to take place in Canada; National Track League to share race bib with athletes
January 23

OTTAWA – A game changing world first in the sport of athletics (track and field) was announced today by the National Track League (NTL).  For the first time in the history of the sport, a competition, in this case a complete series, will share race bib inventory with the participating athletes.  This summer the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is celebrating its 100th anniversary, it is only natural that Canada, as one of the founding members, now helps the sport step into the 21st Century.

In his latest blog entry, Nick Symmonds, American 800-metre superstar talked about this innovative initiative, “Our neighbors to the north, who have brought us such world changing exports as Justin Bieber and poutine (I’m not ashamed to admit that I very much enjoy both), are about to do it again.  The NTL is partnering with Flotrack to deliver a series of media-covered events in which a predetermined portion of the bib will be available for athletes to recognize sponsors, support charities, raise money, or promote their websites.”

Symmonds, who founded a Facebook group in October to fight tight logo restrictions, adds, “This is the future of track and field.  You can try to fight it, or you can embrace it and be a pioneer, as the Canadians have chosen to be.  I encourage every athlete to check out the NTL’s 2012 calendar and see if they can fit one or more of these meets into their schedule.  I am currently working with my coach and agent to find a way to attend at least one.”

You can read Nick Symmonds’ full blog here.

Race bibs are used in all track and field and road racing events to identify athletes during the competition.  Bibs are often adorned with sponsors who are granted the right to display their name, logo or brand on the race bib.  In the coming weeks the NTL will finalize and make public the exact specifications of the race bib which participating athletes will own.

2012 NTL schedule

Harry Jerome International – June 10 – Vancouver, B.C.
Victoria International – June 13 – Victoria, B.C.
Donovan Bailey Invitational – June 16 – Edmonton, Alta.
Hub City Classic – July 5 – Moncton, N.-B.
Aileen Meagher Memorial – July 8 – Halifax, N.-S.
Toronto International Track + Field Games – July 11 – Toronto, Ont.

Dylan Armstrong, silver medalist at 2011 World Championships holds Jerome Classic meet record in the shot put

Dylan Armstrong confirmed for Edmonton

Last week the Donovan Bailey Invitational confirmed the participation of Dylan Armstrong, 2011 World Championship silver medalist and IAAF Diamond League champion.  The coming weeks will see a number of announcements from the NTL about confirmed Canadian and international track and field stars.  For more information on the National Track League and the 2012 series visit www.nationaltrackleague.ca.

-NTL-

Une première mondiale au Canada; la Ligue nationale d’athlétisme partagera le dossard de course avec les athlètes
23 janvier

OTTAWA – Une première mondiale qui pourrait changer la face du sport de l’athlétisme a été annoncée aujourd’hui par la Ligue nationale d’athlétisme (LNA).  Pour la première fois dans l’histoire du sport, une compétition, dans ce cas-ci un circuit complet, partagera l’inventaire du dossard de course avec les athlètes participants.  L’Association internationale des fédérations d’athlétisme (IAAF) célèbre son 100ème anniversaire en 2012.  Il est donc naturel que le Canada, comme un des membres fondateurs, aide maintenant le sport à entrer au 21ème siècle.

Les dossards de course sont utilisés lors de tous les événements d’athlétisme et de course sur route afin d’identifier les athlètes durant la compétition.  Les dossards sont souvent ornés de commanditaires qui reçoivent le droit de mettre leur nom, logo ou marque sur le dossard de course.  Dans les prochaines semaines, la LNA finalisera et rendra publiques les spécifications exactes  du dossard de course qui appartiendront aux athlètes participants.

Dans son dernier blog, Nick Symmonds, la super étoile américaine du 800 mètres, a parlé de cette initiative innovatrice : « Nos voisins du nord, qui nous ont donné des exportations mondialement bouleversantes telles que Justin Bieber et la poutine (je n’ai pas honte d’avouer que j’aime beaucoup les deux), sont sur le point de nous en passer une autre.  La LNA a un partenariat avec Flotrack afin de produire une série d’événements couverts par les média, dans lesquels une partie prédéterminée du dossard sera disponible aux athlètes, pour reconnaître des commanditaires, soutenir des charités, lever des fonds, ou promouvoir leurs sites Web. »

Symmonds, qui a fondé un groupe Facebook en octobre afin de combattre les restrictions serrées de logo, ajoute : « Ceci représente le futur de l’athlétisme.  Vous pouvez essayer de l’empêcher, ou vous pouvez l’adopter et être un pionnier, comme les Canadiens ont choisi de le faire.  J’encourage tous les athlètes à aller consulter le calendrier 2012 de la LNA, et voir s’ils peuvent incorporer une ou plusieurs de ces compétitions à leur calendrier.  Je travaille présentement avec mon entraîneur et agent afin de trouver un moyen de participer à au moins une. »

Vous pouvez lire le blog complet de Nick Symmonds ici.

Calendrier 2012 de la LNA

Harry Jerome International – 10 juin – Vancouver, C.-B.
Victoria International – 13 juin – Victoria, C.-B.
Donovan Bailey Invitational – 16 juin – Edmonton, Alb.
Hub City Classic – 5 juillet – Moncton, N.-B.
Aileen Meagher Memorial – 8 juillet – Halifax, N.-É.
Toronto International Track + Field Games – 11 juillet – Toronto, Ont.

Dylan Armstrong confirmé pour Edmonton

La semaine dernière, le Donovan Bailey Invitational a confirmé la participation de Dylan Armstrong, le médaillé d’argent du Championnat du monde de 2011 et le champion de la Diamond League de l’IAAF.  Au cours des prochaines semaines, plusieurs annonces seront faites par la LNA sur les étoiles canadiennes et internationales de l’athlétisme qui confirmeront leur présence.  Pour plus d’information sur la Ligue nationale d’athlétisme et le circuit de 2012, veuillez consulter www.nationaltrackleague.ca.

-LNA-

____________________________________________
Mathieu Gentès

Director, Corporate Services & Public Relations /

Directeur des relations publiques et services corporatifs

Athletics Canada /Athlétisme Canada

2445 St-Laurent Blvd, Ottawa, ON K1G 6C3, Suite B1-110

Phone: 613.260.5580 x3303

www.athletics.ca

The 2012 Vancouver Sun Jerome Indoor Classic will be held on Saturday, February 4th at the Track Zone of the Richmond Olympic Oval. British Columbia athletes should in sure their entry are submitted now.

Entry information can be found at www.harryjerome.com

It is expected that meet records will fall 7mm pyramid spikes will be allowed this season on the new Pulastic 200m flat surface of the Richmond Olympic Oval.

The Vancouver Sun Harry Jerome Indoor Classic Records 2011

Men Open

50m 6.16 Dennis Nicolas 89 Unattached

400m 50.63 Adam Paul-Morris 92 UBC

800m 1:55.90 Nigel  Hole 89 UBC

1500m 4:04.40 Jack Williams 93 Ocean Athletics

3000m 8:30.74 Jordan Smith 90 UBC

50mH 7.81  Jesse Lynch 93 Langley Mustangs

4x400m 3:34.22 Coquitlam Cheetahs

High Jump 1.95 Alvin Los 93 Langley Mustangs

Shot Put 12.73 James Turner 93 Kelowna

Women Open

50m 6.72 Shai-Anne Davis 93 Kajaks

400m 58.21 Devan Wiebe 93 Vancouver Olympic

800 2:22.58 Brittany Imlach 89 UBC

1500m 5:00.74 Heather Slinn 92  UBC

50mH 7.72 Ruky Abdulai 85 Valley Royals

3000m  10:45.58 Micha Gutmanis 92 UBC

4x400m 4:10.58 Vancouver Olympic

High Jump 1.75  Ruky Abdulai 85 Valley Royals

Shot Put 9.16 Keleigh McLaughlin 90 UBC

Men Youth 14-17 years

50m  6.35 James Linde 94 Coquitlam Cheetahs

400m  50.67 Hodson Harding 94 Coquitlam Cheetahs

800m 2:05.77 Mathew So 95 Vancouver Thunderbirds

1500m 4:24.70 Ephraim Tadesse 95 Unattach

3000m 9:20.88 Joel DeSchiffart 94 Unattach

50mH 7.59 Ethan Strome 96 NW Spartans

4x400m 3:51.43 NW Spartans

High Jump 1.75 Giovani Trasolini 95 NW Spartans

Women Youth 14-17 years

50m  6.95    Carolyn Sutherland 94  Langley Mustangs

400m 60.17 Georgia Ellenwood 95 Langley Mustangs

800m 2:32.34 Alison Williams 95 Ocean Athletics

1500m 5:11.91 Tessa Davis 95 Unattached

50mH 9.17 Miho McLaughlin 94 Strathcona Lions

4x400m 4:38.41 Vancouver Olympic Club

High Jump 1.64 Georgia Ellenwood 95 Langley Mustangs

Shot Put 6.19 Dianna Voloshin 97 Norwesters

Justin Rodhe of the National Throws Centre had a huge personal best in the shot put Saturday in the Golden Flash Gala at Kent State University in Kent Ohio taking the gold with  20.77. His previous personal best was 20.07. Justin Rodhe became a Canadian Citizen in October after moving here to train with Anatoliy Bondarchuk and is married to hammer thrower Megann Rodhe.

For further info, please check out the following website.

http://www.kentstatesports.com/sports/track/2011-12/files/galafinalresults.pdf

Training Talk: Shot Put With Justin

Rodhe

Published on 10 April 2011 in Training Talk |  5 Comments |

Bondarchuk is most well known for his legacy as both an athlete and a coach in the hammer. But his greatest success since he began coaching Western athletes has been in the shot put. His star pupil Dylan Armstrong increased the Canadian record to 21.58 meters and placed fourth in Beijing, just one centimeter off of the podium.

Often hidden in the shadow of Dylan is Justin Rodhe, and that’s something he hopes to change in the future. When Justin arrived in Kamloops in 2007, he had just graduated Division 3 Mt. Union College, where he was a consistent 16 to 17 meter thrower. During his last meet for the school, he threw 18 meters for the first time and won the NCAA D3 title. Since joining the group he has made quick progress: last year he threw 19.52 meters and this year he expects to be in the 20 meter range. Rodhe also married Megan VanderVliet in 2009, a Commonwealth Games participant for Canada in the hammer throw, and is deciding whether to compete for America or Canada in the future. The two recently launched RodheThrows.com. Justin has been kind enough to share some of what he has learned about the shot put from Bondarchuk and others.

Shot putter Justin Rodhe

About RhodeThrows.com

Martin: To start off with, tell us a little about RodheThrows.com and what you and Megann are trying to do with the new site?

Justin: RODHETHROWS.com is the platform from which Megann and I have found ourselves in a unique position to offer professional products and services as well as an information resource for the throwing community and our support groups as we endeavour toward the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.

The site offers blog updates concerning our nutrition, training research and competition updates. We also provide handmade leather products for sport performance, our signature product being the RODHETHROWS Shot Put Glove.

What Sets American Shot Putting Apart

Martin: Unlike the hammer throw, the U.S. has been able to stay on top of the world lists in the shot put. Why do you think the U.S. has been able to maintain such a high level of success in the shot put while success in the other throwing events has fallen?

Justin: I can think of two reasons that are very simple, but I feel often looked over. The first reason would be body positions and technique with regard to the implement’s distance from the athlete’s center of gravity.

Example 1: When a shot put and discus athlete are compared, distance of the implement from COG is much greater in the discus than shot put. If a technical error occurs, the law of amplitude suggests that the discus flight will be impacted with more significance. It is no secret that North American technique in discus, hammer and javelin is less efficient than the world’s top athletes.

The second reason considers exercise selection for event specific strengthening. Not all events or athletes are made equal. Exercise selection and categorization is different for all four throwing events. Athletes must become strong in their event specific nerve pathways. i.e. bench press has very little, if not a negative impact on hammer athletes.

Example 2: When a discus and hammer athlete are compared in the snatch exercise, the hammer athlete will have more benefit from close grip and the discus athlete more benefit from a wide grip based on the rule of event specificity. Because most exercises performed by North American athletes at dynamic speed occur with arms/hands close to the body, opportunity to develop proper strength systems is lost in many cases.

Martin: When watching an elite shot put competition, one of the first things I notice is the difference in technique between Europeans and Americans. The top Europeans still use the glide, while the top Americans favor the spin technique even though the vast majority of youth use the glide. Is there something that each continent is missing that keeps them from being successful at the other method.

Justin: European youth training is much different than North American. I work as a weight room supervisor and know immediately when an athlete has European roots because of their exercise selection. I think on the average, Europeans are more successful with the glide because they are better at training fast muscle fibre than North Americans. The other side of this argument is why are women still using the glide predominantly across the entire globe? Most women shot putters have no problem maximizing arm speed on the 4kg ball, thus the need for a longer implement path (spin) is irrelevant to top result. At the most basic levels, tall athletes with very fast muscle will usually excel with the glide technique.

Justin and his wife Megann Rodhe train together with Bondarchuk in Kamloops.

Shot Put Training and Technique with Bondarchuk

Martin: Now on to training with Bondarchuk. Watching him coach, I’ve seen some similarities in his technical approach in the shot put and his approach in the hammer. For instance, an emphasis on getting to the left in the entry, a long double support on the final, less focus on footwork, more focus on movements etc. Do you see some other similarities in his approach to these and other events?

Justin: Dr. Bondarchuk’s approach is similar in all 4 throwing disciplines. These 3 key items are the base for any throwing event. Some would argue that technique for the separate events are quite different, but when you revert to the laws of physics, there are many ways for apply force on an object, some just work better than others. A large advantage I believe Bondarchuk has found in coaching technique is he divides the body left/right side where many coaches separate the body legs/arms. In some cases, Bondarchuk has eliminated the legs completely when coaching technique. I think you know what I’m talking about here Martin!

Martin: To get an idea of how that is applied in the shot put, what are some technical cues that he will repeat the most?

I will consider the discus and shot put for this question. Dr. Bondarchuk says there are three major requirements for good technique.

• 1. A fast entry around left side.
• 2. An inactive right foot in power position.
• 3. A long finish forward and around the left foot.

He most often critiques an athlete for pushing and actively rotating their right foot in the middle position. When an athlete uses their right foot, the right side of the body rises in the middle of rotation, causing a deceleration of body speed and change of implement position in the hand. This leads to a less explosive and off center release of the implement: this is the biggest cause of hand injury in shot put. If you watch the right foot of Nelson, Hoffa and Cantwell in the center position, there is very little movement. Their right side is turning, but the foot and leg is not doing the work.

Martin: Very interesting. He also has a similar training approach: less focus on maximal and general strength, more focus on special strength, throws volume, and technique. However, there are some differences. You guys do upper body lifting. Sometimes you will throw just once a day. How would you say your training differs from the hammer group? How would it differ from your old training program or a typical North American approach? For example, what are the typical components of your training?

Justin: From my experience in Bondarchuk’s system, the daily volume for competitive exercise is higher for discus than shot put and shot put is higher than hammer. I believe the reason for this is the nervous system tax per throw in each event. The program has much higher throwing volume than any other North American system I know of. Throwing sessions of 100% intensity and dynamic lifting are 10 times per week. It is not uncommon to total on the year 10,000-15,000 attempts of full and special strength throws. Another big difference is that bar speed in the weight room is kept to a maximum. Average sessions find speeds of 2-2.7mps. Of course these statistics change with individual athlete peculiarities and all details regarding Bondarchuk programs can be found in his books.

Martin: Obviously an approach that focuses less on maximal strength will not be a problem for someone like Dylan that naturally has a lot of natural strength. Many critics say that his approach would not work on an athlete with normal levels of athletic ability. Care to comment on that?

Justin: In a recent online chat board I was referred to as a “mediocre thrower”; I suppose then, a personal testament would be appropriate for this question.

In November 2006 my best bench press was 120kg with chain for 1×3. At that time I couldn’t sniff at 150kg for a 1 rep max. The bar speed was slow and my shoulder was injured soon after. Dr. Bondarchuk took over my training in Feb 2008 and my next bench press program was October 2008 with 130kg. I continued the exercise 12 separate occasions untill November 2010 when I max effort tested for the first time in 4 years. Since October 2008 I had not completed a repetition over 140kg with 95% of attempts ranging 100-130kg. I tested 2 successful attempts at 185kg and 195kg. In this time my 7.26kg result grew 18.07m-20.15m. How did this growth occur without lifting heavy? To accelerate throwing implements muscle needs to be fast, not strong. Throwing power is developed more efficiently with dynamic attempts than slow, max effort attempts.

Thank you Martin for the time and interest in RODHETHROWS. I am grateful for the opportunity to talk and look forward to future possibilities.

Georgia Ellenwood

Achilles, a volunteer, non-profit organization was founded in 1964 to provide track and field events in Metro Vancouver to stimulate our youth to a physically active lifestyle and to stage international competitions at home for our Canadian athletes. The Achilles programs provide competition to elementary, high school, university students as well as Canada’s Olympic athletes.

For 2012 Achilles organized events are:

The Vancouver Sun Achilles Indoor Games on Saturday, February 4 at the Richmond Olympic Oval will involve elementary, high school and university students.                           Entry information at www.harryjerome.com

The Province Gran Forza Indoor High School Track Team Pentathlon on Saturday, March 10 at the Richmond Olympic Oval aimed at high schools and elementary schools.   Entry information at www.harryjerome.com

The Vancouver Sun Harry Jerome Track Classic on Sunday, June 10 at Swangard Stadium will be an Olympic qualifying event but provide opportunities for elementary and high school athletes

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

For Armstrong, improved consistency bodes well as London Games approach

Dylan Armstrong of Canada shot putting in the 2011 Pan American Games (Getty Images )

Related content

Maria Bernard leads UBC Thunderbirds to near top of NAIA

T-BIRDS SECOND AT NAIA CHAMPIONSHIPS Nov. 19, 2011

VANCOUVER, Wash. – The Thunderbirds came second in the combined women and men’s team results at the NAIA Cross Country National Championships at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, Wash. Saturday, with both teams bettering their pre-Championships rankings.

The women were ranked fourth in the NAIA, and moved up a spot, to third, while the men came from being ranked way back in 22nd, and raced to sixth.

“It was a quite successful competition for us, with such a young women’s team finishing third, we’ve got a bright future for the women’s team for the next few years,” said head cross country coach Marek Jedrzejek.

Women’s race

UBC’s women tallied 171 points, behind Azusa Pacific’s (Calif.) 91 points, and winners Cal St. San Marcos’ 82 points. A single point put the UBC women ahead of fourth placed Northwest Christian (Ore.), who scored 172 points. Obsie Birru, of Grand View (Iowa), won the women’s individual five-kilometre race in 17:15.

First-year Maria Bernard led the UBC women with a fantastic fourth place finish, in 17:46, earning her All-American honours. The only first-year to place in the top 15 overall, Bernard ran aggressively from the start, sitting in fifth for most of the race, before flying past the fourth placed runner in the last 400-metres and holding on until the finish.

“The race went out about as hard as I thought it would,” said Bernard. “Towards the end I was feeling good. On the last lap I got some momentum on the downhill and thought I could maybe catch the runner ahead of me on the uphill before the finish. I just drove my arms like coach Besnik [Mece] was telling me to do and passed her.”

“Maria ran an outstanding race as a freshman,” said Jedrzejek. “Placing fourth in that competitive field was an amazing performance.”

Jackie Regan got out strongly and placed 40th in 18:44, followed closely by Sarah Reimer, who moved up in the field the entire race to finish 47th, in 18:49.

Amelie de Fenoyl came on strong in towards the end and was 66th, in 19:08.

Not far behind were Micha Gutmanis, 72nd in 19:11, and Nelly Amenyogbe, 74th in 19:13, who – running in her final cross country race for the T-Birds – finished ahead of Northwest Christian’s fifth runner, and gave them the deciding extra point that resulted in their finishing behind UBC. What a way to cap off a career.

Heather Slinn, battling an illness, finished 162nd in 19:51

Luc Bruchet #284 UBC

Men’s race

Kennedy Kithuka, of Wayland Baptist (Texas), cruised through the eight-kilometre course in 23:15 to take the individual title. Oklahoma Christian took the team title, with 93 points. Next were Cal St. San Marcos, second with 188 points, Southern Oregon, third with 206 points, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho), fourth with 228 points, Wayland Baptist (Texas) fifth with 254 points, and UBC, sixth with 257 points.

The T-Birds men’s top finisher was Luc Bruchet, who was 33rd in 24:58.

Theo Hunt and Jordan Smith were the only graduating athletes on the men’s team, and closed off their cross country careers in style. Hunt was second on the team, finishing 66th, in 25:26, and Smith, running in pain the entire way due to a hip injury, gutted out a 76th place result, in 25:32.

Justin Kent was close behind, crossing the line 82nd, in 25:36, trailed by Tim Huebsch, who closed out the scoring with a 94th place result, in 25:42.

First years Jack Williams and Matt Galea placed 115th (25:51) and 228th (26:50) in their first attempts at Nationals.

“The whole team ran well,” said Jedrzejek. They came through on the day of the race, despite being ranked 21st. By placing sixth we proved the ranking wasn’t accurate nor adequate.”

“The leadership and contributions that Nelly [Amenyogbe], Theo [Hunt] and Jordan [Smith] have brought to the team will be missed next year,” Jedrzejek said. “We are very thankful for what they’ve done.”

Up next

The T-Birds’ cross country seasons aren’t over yet. Next weekend most athletes will be competing at the Canadian Cross Country Championships, at Vancouver’s Jericho Beach Park.

Information on the Canadian Championships can be found here: http://www.athletics.ca/Vancouver2011/