Hi everyone – and Happy (very early!) October! Welcome to our September President’s Corner!
The monthly President’s Corner is an opportunity to see what’s happening within the Club, to hear about what our Board of Directors is working on, and to learn about what we discuss at our monthly meetings.
Ottawa Lions Board of Directors’ September 2021 Meeting
During the September 13th Board of Directors’ meeting, our Executive Director, Richard Johnston, spoke to the exceptional performances of our athletes in the Ontario U20, U18 and Open Championships. Our Twilight Meets, which wrapped up in August, were also a huge success! The Board of Directors would like to thank and recognize Richard, Jess, Zach, and Connor, as well as all of our volunteers, coaches, officials, and athletes, for putting the effort in to ensure safe and successful meets throughout the summer.
Heading into the fall season, Richard announced that our youth and competitive programs have great numbers, including a strong contingent of varsity athletes from both the University of Ottawa and Carleton University. There are also several events to look forward to in the coming months! On October 1st and 2nd, many of our athletes competed at the Capital XC Challenge at Mooney’s Bay Park. If you weren’t competing, we hope that you were able to come by and show your support!
This year will also mark the first time in history that the Canadian Cross-Country Championships will be held in Ottawa. Mark your calendars – the event will take place at Wesley Clover Parks on November 27, 2021. We will continue to share more information about this event as it becomes available.
The Board of Directors also has some exciting projects on the go!
- Our President, Jenn D., has been working to create a partnership with the Algonquin College Sports Business Management program to provide student interns with on-the-ground experience working with local sport organizations.
- Jenn D. has also volunteered as the Safe Sport Champion for the Ottawa Sport Council’s Slack Workspace. Participating in the OSC Slack Workspace will strengthen our Club’s relationship with other local sports organizations and will help grow safe sport initiatives in the City of Ottawa.
- James and Jen P. made recommendations to streamline our Club’s donation process.
Athlete and Coach Recognition
As a Club, we have much to celebrate since the last President’s Corner update. In late July and early August, several Ottawa Lions represented Canada at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Congratulations to Melissa Bishop-Nriagu, Lauren Gale, Tim Nedow and Glenroy Gilbert, who made us proud as they competed on the world stage!
We would like to offer our best wishes to Hugh Conlin who has announced his retirement from coaching. Hugh has been with the club since 1976 as a sprints and hurdles coach.
The Board of Directors would also like to recognize the loss of former athlete Steve Nkusi and would like to extend its deepest sympathies and condolences to Steve’s family and friends.
Staffing Changes
In September, we also said goodbye to Jessica McRae as she moved on from the Ottawa Lions after more than five years as our Office Manager. Her tireless efforts in ensuring the club ran smoothly while always having a smile on her face as she welcomed us to the track will no doubt be missed, and we wish her the very best of luck in her new adventures.
With this in mind, we would like to welcome two new staff members, Yolande Jones-Grande and Tim Nedow! Yolande has joined our team as our Executive Assistant & Registrar and Tim as our Manager of Youth Programs.
Ottawa Lions Banquet
Finally, we are so excited about the Ottawa Lions Banquet, that was held on October 2nd, 2021, at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Starting at 5pm, this outdoor event was a night to honour our members and all their hard work from the past 2 years.
It was great to see so many of you there!
Jennifer Dumoulin
President, Board of Directors
Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club
president@ottawalions.com
(prepared jointly with Zeena Rashid, Secretary, Ottawa Lions Board of Directors)