Hi everyone – and Welcome to our October 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.
What happened this month?
Our Executive Director and Head Coach, Richard Johnston, reported that our cross country season was off to an exciting start with the successful hosting of the Capital XC Challenge at Mooney’s Bay on October 1st and 2nd. He also gave an update on the preparations that are underway for the 2021 Canadian Cross Country Championships taking place at Wesley Clover Park on November 27.
Did you know that there are several ways to get involved with the Canadian Cross County Championships? You can…
- Race in the Competitive u18, u20, Senior and Masters’ categories; or
- Take part in the Community 5km; and
- Volunteer!
You can register for one of the races AND sign up to volunteer online.
In other news, we are excited to report that our Club has been approved for the Ontario Trillium Small Business Grant! The hard work of our staff cannot be understated; congratulations to all those who contributed to securing this funding! Among other initiatives, this grant will be used towards hiring a part-time staff member, strengthening our safe sport policies, and upgrading some of our equipment.
The future is bright – our Club has applied to host several major events and are hoping to secure the NACAC championships in Ottawa in May 2022!
Tell me more!
Our annual audit will be taking place at the end of October and the audit reported will be released in time for our 2022 Annual General Meeting.
Last but not least, the first outdoor Ottawa Lions banquet was a HUGE success! Congratulations to all 22 athletes who were recognized for their outstanding performances over the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons and thank you to all who attended.
If you missed the banquet, you can find a copy of the President’s address below:
Forrest Gump once said that “Life is like a box of chocolates, because you never know what you’re going to get”. The past two years are certainly emblematic of that. Looking back to October 2019, the last time we came together to recognize and celebrate the success and accomplishments of our athletes, coaches and members, I don’t think that anyone could have predicted that a few short months later, we would be confronted by a global pandemic that would impact not only our ability to operate as a Club but also our day-to-day lives in an unprecedented way.
And yet, here we are. We truly have weathered this storm together. As athletes, coaches, parents, officials, staff, volunteers and members of the Board, we can be proud of what we have accomplished together – whether those accomplishments have been personal bests, Olympic successes, championship medals, the organization of a successful meet, congratulating an athlete after a practice and everything in between. Tonight’s Award banquet recognized these successes. We also took the time to recognize and honour the contributions and lives of those who are retiring from the Club or are no longer with us. You will not be forgotten and will be missed.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to congratulate all athletes for their accomplishments over the past two years. I would also like to recognize the continued dedication and commitment of all of our coaches, volunteers, officials and staff. To Richard, Connor, and Zach – you each have played an integral role in ensuring a safe return to sport for all of our members, athletes and campers – and we thank you. To our new staff members, Tim and Yolande, welcome to the team! We are excited to have you on board.
And lastly, to Jessica, who will be moving on after more than five years as our Office Manager, will we miss you. On behalf of the Board of Directors, thank you for ensuring that our Club ran smoothly, for always having a smile on your face when you welcomed us to the track, we’ll miss you – but we wish you the best of luck in your new adventures.
Congratulations again to all members and to tonight’s award recipients!
That’s it for this month! Have a wonderful rest of October and a Happy Halloween!
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)