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Hi everyone!

It’s time for the next edition of our President’s Corner. As always, the goal of our President’s Corner is to give you a glimpse of what’s happening within the Club and behind the scenes, to inform you about what our Board of Directors is working on, and share what we discuss at our monthly meetings.

Athlete Success

At the June meeting of the Board of Directors, our Executive Director and Head Coach Richard Johnston highlighted the success of our high school athletes at OFSAA this year. There were some stellar performances and personal bests, and athletes captured 14 medals, including 4 gold!

Our athletes carried their success into the Ontario Championships in Toronto, capturing over two dozen medals across the U20 and open categories. Congratulations to all! We look forward to seeing their successes continue at the Canadian Track & Field Championships on June 22-26 in Langley, B.C.

Don’t forget that our Twilight meets are happening this summer! We look forward to seeing our athletes and their fans at our Twilight meets this summer, every Wednesday this summer until August 10^th!

Safe Sport

As you might have read in our April President’s Corner, in May our President, Jenn Dumoulin, participated as a panelist at the Sport for Life Summit (Ottawa Summit). The focus of the panel, and really an entire day of the conference, was Safe Sport. Jenn provided a summary of her participation and reflected on the Summit during the Board meeting:

• The first thing that we need to think about when we talk about Safe Sport is… what exactly do we mean by “Safe Sport”? The definition of Safe Sport is evolving as our understanding of safety in sport deepens. Until recently, for example, it may not have included or emphasized PPE, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, that became really important.
• When is sport safe? At its most basic level, sport is safe when it is free from BAHD behaviours (Bullying, Abuse, Harassment, and Discrimination). But this is not enough to ensure safety in sport. Sport is safe when it takes place in properly maintained facilities, using the proper equipment and when it is overseen by trained coaches and officials. Safety is sport is also a social and economic issue; sport should be inclusive and welcoming to athletes, coaches and volunteers from diverse backgrounds.
• There is no single solution to achieve safety in sport and it cannot be achieved by one person alone. We all have a responsibility to make sport safer.

Putting Lessons Learned into Action

Our Club and Board are committed to encouraging a supportive sport environment and respectful workplace that is free of all forms of harassment, abuse and sexual misconduct. This is articulated in our Vision, Mission, and Values and our Statement of Expectations.

We would like to acknowledge media coverage in May of a historical complaint by a former Ottawa Lions’ athlete against their former coach. We understand that this can be very difficult for our members and alumni. Should they be needed, a list of local mental health resources can be found on our website.

We firmly believe in the work that we are doing as a Club and as a Board to ensure that our athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and all of our staff have a positive sport experience. We’ve come a long way together, although, of course, there is more work to do.

A few initiatives that we’re working on at the moment include:

• An independent review of the Club’s Policy on Harassment, Abuse and Sexual Misconduct and complainant handling procedures;
• Increasing the profile of and formalizing our equipment donation program (Did you know that we take in spikes?); and
• Developing and implementing a key dates calendar to recognize important dates and events that matter to the diverse communities that we serve.  

That’s it for this month! Please reach out to share your ideas or let us know if you are interested in helping out with the Club.

Jennifer Dumoulin

President, Board of Directors

Ottawa Lions Track & Field Club

president@ottawalions.com

(prepared jointly with Zeena Rashid, Secretary, Ottawa Lions Board of Directors)

Hi everyone – and Welcome to our first President’s Corner of 2022!

It’s been a minute since our last update. That’s because we’ve been working on some big things! As always, the goal of our President’s Corner is to give you a glimpse of what’s happening within the Club and behind the scenes, to inform you about what our Board of Directors is working on, and share what we discuss at our monthly meetings.

Before we get into that…

Congratulations to our varsity athletes who took part in the OUA, RSEQ and USport Championships.

• University of Ottawa athletes picked up two medals at the OUA Championships and the Carleton Ravens brought home three more from RSEQ the same weekend.
• Alex Telford had another podium finish at the USport Championships, finishing third in the 60m hurdles.
• Several former Lions also competed at USport – and we enjoyed seeing the unofficial Club reunion take place online via social media and livestream.

We are so proud of all our varsity athletes, who overcame many challenges this season – from restrictions to a hiatus mid-season, and adjusting to new training facilities. Well done Lions!

And now for our regular programming…

At our April meeting of the Board of Directors, our Executive Director and Head Coach Richard Johnston reported that our Club has some exciting plans for the outdoor season. The season will be packed with exciting events, with Ottawa hosting the NACAC Combined Events Championship, high school East Regional championships, and Twilight Meets from May through to August. In addition, registration for our outdoor programs and spots are already filling up for our summer camps!

What else is going on?

Following our Annual General Meeting, which took place in February, the Board of Directors developed a strategic planning initiative that identified six key priorities to focus on for the 2022 year. Our goals for the coming year include:

• Working with partners to continue strengthening our Safe Sport policies and practices;
• Ensuring our amazing staff and passionate coaches have access to the resources they need to fulfil their responsibilities and succeed in their positions;
• Understanding how to ensure consistent access to our principal training facilities in the city; and,
• Reviewing our existing by-laws and policies to clarify vague processes and definitions.

We have already begun taking steps toward achieving some of these goals and we look forward to updating you on our progress

Our Board has also had lengthy discussions on vaccination policies and mask mandates, in light of the ongoing pandemic and changing public health guidelines. We expect all members to follow public health guidelines and to respect the rules and procedures of the facilities that we use. We also believe that members who want to continue to wear masks, in the absence of a mask mandate, can do so without fear of reprisal or discrimination.

But wait, there’s more!

ICYMI Board member and Club coach Gordon Cavé was named as Assistant Coach for the NACAC Senior Championships in the Bahamas this summer! Congratulations Gordon!

And, last but not, least, Jenn Dumoulin (our Club President) will be a panelist at the Sport for Life Summit (Ottawa Summit) taking place in May 2022.

We always welcome your feedback; you can reach us via the President’s email account (president@ottawalions.com) or through info@ottawalions.com.

That’s it for this month! Looking forward to seeing you on the track!

Jennifer Dumoulin

President, Board of Directors

Ottawa Lions Track & Field Club

president@ottawalions.com

(prepared jointly with Zeena Rashid, Secretary, Ottawa Lions Board of Directors)

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)

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)