Leslie Estwick Coaching

Estwick named 1 of 12 mentors for Inaugural Black Female Coach Mentorship Program

by linkinbioNational

HIGH ACHIEVERS: Stay-Safe Edition

Respected Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club coach Leslie Estwick has been named one of 12 mentors for the inaugural Black Female Coach Mentorship Program for 2020-21. The Black Female Coach Mentorship Program is the next step in the Coaching Association of Canada’s Women in Coaching program, which also includes the Enhanced Female Mentorship program.

Coaches mentoring coaches exists because of funding support from Sport Canada and the federal government’s priority of gender equity in sport by 2035. The Black Female Coach Mentorship Program will focus on three areas:

  1. Provide Black female mentorship;
  2. Advance coach professionalism through mentors and mentees;
  3. Provide a sustainable model of mentorship to increase accessibility, support, leadership development for Black coaches.

The 12 mentors represent 4 provinces – Ontario (7), Quebec (2), Nova Scotia (2), British Columbia (1) and 8 sports – basketball, flag football, ice hockey, field hockey, track and field, volleyball, rugby, swimming.

The Black Canadian Coaches Association contacted Estwick, looking to expand its network of coaches beyond basketball. Estwick, a Chartered Professional Coach granted by the Coaching Association of Canada, was interested and agreed to be a mentor. “The mentorship opportunity is a great idea,” Estwick said. “It would have been really useful for me 30 years ago.”

Estwick has been a volunteer coach with the Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club for more than three decades, starting when she was a high jumper. “Coaching is still a male dominated activity. There are not a lot of paid coaching jobs for women and women of colour,” she added. “We need more coaches in all sports, all levels, more female coaches, more black coaches.”

Over the next year, Estwick and the other 11 Black Female Coach Mentorship Program coaches will assist coaches (mentees) with their individual needs in a variety of sports to empower, guide and assist them move forward.

“The coach may want to learn more skills, mental training, some sport specifics, coaching specifics or networking help,” said Estwick, adding it may be easier for a coach of colour to learn from another coach of colour.

“It’s good to have a coach to talk to for experience to climb the ladder, write a resume or develop a path to follow. There’s a confidence building aspect to it. Yes, you are capable of doing this,” Estwick said.

————

This story was originally posted as a series of tweets by journalist Martin Cleary

Mike Woods 2003 OFSAA XC Renfrew (2)

Lions Top 10 OFSAA XC Performers: #6 Mike Woods (2000-2003)

by High Schoollinkinbio

Number six on our list of top OFSAA cross country performers goes to Mike Woods of Hillcrest High School – one of only two men in Club history to come home from the provincial championships with a medal every time.

While a “work to rule” occurrence in Mike’s first year of high school prevented a run in the high school championships, a gold that fall at the Ontario club championships hinted at he would be a force to reckon with.

After having sat dormant for a number of years, Woods was the driving force behind the revival of Hillcrest’s cross country program in his grade 10 year. Personally leading the recruiting efforts, Woods corralled five teammates to join him on the Hawks team and he began his push to OFSAA gold. The 15 year old Woods was a comfortable winner over the five-kilometre midget boys race at the Hornet’s Nest in 17 minutes and 56.2 seconds, nearly 10 seconds ahead of  second place Lucas McAneny and almost 40 seconds ahead future Pan Am Junior teammate Mark Steeds in third.

Returning a year later in search of another gold medal, Woods was part of the lead pack that broke away early on, creating a more than 30 second gap on the rest of the field. However, it was Braden Novakowski of Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute, an individual Woods would battle countless times on the track, that would emerge victorious on the day. Woods would take bronze, 28 seconds clear of fourth.

It would be bronze again for Woods a year later in his final year of high school cross country race. In a tough battle with Henok Lechebo of West Toronto Collegiate Institute for gold, Woods went with Lechebo as the pair broke free of the field early on. However, near the halfway mark of the seven-kilometre race Woods was over taken by Club mate Joshua Karanja while Lechebo continued to expand his lead.  Lechebo would win by a minute over Karanja while Woods would cross another 21 seconds later.

At the conclusion of his high school career, Woods accepted a scholarship to run for the University of Michigan where he would study English. After his freshman year he would set Canadian U20 records on the track in the mile and 3000 metres that still stand. After his senior season at Michigan was cut short by injury, Woods would spend the next four years trying to find a way back to top form and reaching his goal of representing Canada at the Olympic Games. During successive setbacks Woods’s cycling rehab evolved into a labour of love, and the rest, they say, is history. Since joining the professional cycling circuit, Woods has represented Canada at the Rio Olympics, taken home bronze from the 2018 World Championships and last season became the first person in history to have run a sub four minute mile and compete in the Tour de France.

Danelle Woods in the senior girls 3000m at the 2007 OFSAA Ontario High School Track and Field Championships in Ottawa.

Lions Top 10 OFSAA XC Performers: #7 Danelle Woods (2003-2006)

by High Schoollinkinbio

Ranking in at number seven on our list is the first of three Hillcrest High School graduates to make the grade, Danelle Woods. The owner of one OFSAA crown, Woods was always fighting for the podium in the fall championship, never finishing lower than seventh.

After being recruited to join the Hillcrest team by her older brother Mike in grade nine, Woods would win her first of four straight NCSSAA championships to qualify for the provincial championships where she would place seventh in the midget girls event.

With a year of training under her belt, Woods would return to OFSAA and find a spot on the podium, taking the bronze on the 4km course, just four seconds behind future Olympian Sheila Reid. A year later, it would be Reid in front of Woods again on the podium. However, in their first year in the senior ranks it was Reid’s Sacred Heart team that would best Woods’ Hawks of Hillcrest by a mere point – 198 to 199. The difference, Reid’s silver medal run put her three spots ahead of Woods in 5th.

In her final OFSAA run, would get the one title that had eluded both runners – OFSAA cross country champion. Woods was the class of the field that day in Thunder Bay as she would run to victory over the five-kilometre course in 19 minutes and 7.15 seconds – more than 10 seconds ahead of Reid in second.

After graduating from Hillcrest, Woods accepted a scholarship to the University of Illinois where she would run for the Illini and study economics. During her time in Urbana-Champaign, Woods won Big 10 Freshman of the Year in cross country and helped the Illini twice qualify for the NCAA Championships. She also garnered All-America honours indoors as part of the distance medley relay. Following graduation, Woods tried her hand at the marathon, posting a lifetime best of 2 hours 49 minutes and 33 seconds. She currently works as a customer management manager in Chicago.

(Ottawa, Canada---13 October 2017) Joe Fast of Ridgemont High School (winner) clears the hay bales at the end of the beach during the boys Junior Varsity High School Capital Challenge Cross Country Race in Ottawa, Canada. (Photo by Sean Burges / Mundo Sport Images)

Lions Top 10 OFSAA XC Performers: #8 Joe Fast (2016-2019)

by High Schoollinkinbio

Clocking at number eight on our countdown off the top ten Lions performers at the OFSAA Cross Country Championships is the most aptly named runner in the sport – Joe Fast. The recent graduate of Ridgemont High School was a always a threat to be on the podium and ended his high school career with two gold medals from the provincial championship.

Fast burst on the scene in grade nine, running his way to victory in every competition he entered that fall. After a dominating 25 second victory over club mate Zachary Meredith at the city championship, Fast entered OFSAA as a favourite to walk away with a medal. After sitting on the early race leader past the half way mark of the 4km race, Fast used his trademark kick to pull away from the field and strike out on his own. He would cruise to a comfortable 11 second victory over Meredith.

They say history has a way of repeating itself and a year later in Petawawa, the junior boys race at OFSAA certainly had a familiar feel about it. While the crowd around him was different, Fast again held in with the lead back through the bulk of the race before making his move away from the field. Although one runner did attempt to stay with him, the best he could hope for was keeping Fast in eyesight as Joe picked up his second gold in as many years, winning by 12 seconds.

It wasn’t all sunshine and lollipops for Fast though. After encountering the effects of some over training at the start of the grade 11 season, Fast and his coaches made the decision he would drastically cut back on his training. However, Fast maintained his desire to run cross country with his Ridgemont teammates. So, on his grit and speed, he helped lead his team back to OFSAA for a third straight year where he finished 49th overall.

After allowing his body to recover, Fast made one final run for the OFSAA podium last fall in Sudbury. Turns out when he got there, he may have been better prepared had he brought his skis than his spikes. Nonetheless, Fast ended his high school running career with a top five finish, 19 seconds off the podium.

Fast is currently in his first year of studies at Princeton University. While COVID-19 has meant virtual learning for the Ivy League school, we hear Fast is doing his online schooling from London where he is training with fellow Princeton Tiger Josh Zelek and Stanford’s Evan Burke in preparation for his eventual return to competition.

Sean Kaley Brookfield Track

Lions Top 10 OFSAA XC Performers: #9 Sean Kaley (1989-1993)

by High Schoollinkinbio

At number nine on our list of the top ten all-time Lions performers at the OFSAA Cross Country Championships we have Brookfield’s Sean Kaley. After spending his first two years running for Lo Ellen Park High School in Sudbury, Kaley’s family moved south to Ottawa and he joined the Blues of Brookfield.

It didn’t take the 16 year old Kaley long to make a name for himself as he bested Club mate and defending midget boys OFSAA Champion Chris McGregor by 0.62 seconds in the first elimination race of the 1991 season to capture the junior boy’s title at the Ottawa Board Championship. Kaley would capture his first OFSAA medal less than three weeks later, finishing second to Alex Hutchinson to take silver.

A year later in grade 12, Kaley was again engaged in a close battle with a local runner on the path to OFSAA. This time it was Club mate Kevin Lee of St. Paul’s who put up the fight and relegated Kaley to silver at the National Capital championship. A week later at OFSAA, Kaley was bested again by Lee (who took bronze) but did manage to finish 10th in a strong field topped by Kevin Sullivan.

In his final year of high school competition, Kaley again kicked the season off with another narrow victory over Chris McGregor at the Ottawa Board championship before besting him again a week later at the National Capital championships to secure his OFSAA berth. A week later in Woodbridge, Kaley would again find himself on the OFSAA podium taking bronze, a mere one second behind silver.

Following high school, Kaley would accept a scholarship to attend the University of Arkansas where he would earn All-American honours three times in cross country and help the Razorbacks to two NCAA team Championships. While Kaley would represent Canada six times at the World Cross Country Championships, he is best known for his exploits on the track where he is the Club record holder at both 5,000 and 10,000 metres and was a member of Team Canada at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Kaley currently resides in Arkansas where he is a practicing psychiatrist. He was inducted into the Lions Hall of Fame in 2013.

Claire Smith of Glebe CI competes at the OFSAA Cross Country Championships in Waterloo Ontario, Saturday, November 1, 2014. Mundo Sport Images/ Geoff Robins

Lions Top 10 OFSAA XC Performers: #10 Claire Smith (2011-2014)

by High Schoollinkinbio

Ten days from now high school runners from across the province were supposed to be toeing the line at the OFSAA Cross Country Championships in London. However, with this year’s championship cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Club has decided to put together a top ten list of the best OFSAA harriers in Club history. Since its inception, Lions athletes have captured more than 50 medals from one of the most competitive championships in North America.

Kicking off our list at number ten is Claire Smith of Glebe Collegiate Institute, who ran for the Gryphons from 2011 to 2014. During her career at Glebe, Smith was the top scorer on her team all four years, leading them to team titles in the junior and senior girls’ races and never finishing worse than fourth overall.

Smith opened her high school career with a modest 19th place finish in her first year of competitive running. However, a year older and with a year’s worth of training under her belt, we began to see what the future may hold for Smith as she ascended up to 5th on the leaderboard in the junior girls race.

As a first-year senior, Smith continued her ascension up the results with a silver medal after a tough battle with Charlotte Prouse of London Central. The pair had separated themselves from the field early on and played out a game of cat and mouse through to the finish where Smith fell nine seconds short of victory on the five-kilometre course in Sudbury.

Smith capped off her high school cross country career with an individual sixth-place finish behind multiple teammates from the Canadian U20 Cross Country team. However, she led her Gryphons to one of the most dominating performances in OFSAA cross country history as they amassed a paltry 68 points – the lowest total by a senior girl’s team in more than a decade. Furthermore, the win also set a record for the largest margin of victory in the team event as Westdale of Hamilton finished 207 points behind Glebe in second.

After graduating from Glebe, Claire Smith accepted a scholarship to study international relations and run for the Cardinals of Stanford University in California. After graduating from Stanford in 2019, pursued graduate studies in Global Governance and Diplomacy from the University of Oxford where she graduated from earlier this year.

Glebe_OFSAA_XC_CHAMPIONS

Lions Top 10 OFSAA XC Performers: #BONUS Kirk Dillabaugh

by High Schoollinkinbio

In the absence of another OFSAA Championship, we are taking the days leading into what would have been the 2020 OFSAA Cross Country Championships to have a look back on Club success on the annual championship.

Before we begin the ten day countdown of our all-time list we felt it best to recognize someone from the Lions pride for their outstanding performances at OFSAA XC – coach Kirk Dillabaugh.

Since his first day at Glebe Collegiate Institute on January 31, 2000, Coach Dillabaugh has brought an enthusiasm for physical fitness and running unrivaled in most high schools.  That enthusiasm coupled with his experience and knowledge in the sport has turned a program that had sporadic success to a perennial provincial powerhouse.

Since his arrival, Coach Dillabaugh has coached an impressive 69 teams to an appearance at the provincial championship – 38 girls teams and 31 boys teams. While he had teams finish in the top 10, it was not until the Championship returned to Ottawa in 2011 when things really hit their stride. That year’s midget girls became the first under Dillabaugh’s tenure to breach the top five with a fourth-place finish and combined with Yves Sikubwabo’s senior boy’s individual gold served as a catalyst for the success that has continued for the Gryphons the last nine years.

In the eight seasons that have followed, Glebe has qualified an impressive 41 teams to OFSAA with more than 65 percent of them cracking the top five. Of those teams, a staggering 18 reached the podium resulting in six team titles, six aggregate titles, and five individual medals including two OFSAA champions. While not officially awarded any longer, Glebe has also captured the grand aggregate title (boys and girls combined) at each of those eight championships.

Dillabaugh summed up the mentality of his Glebe Gryphons quite well in an interview with Ottawa Sports Page last season saying, “It’s always exciting to have the hard work you’ve put in rewarded, but what’s really fulfilling for us is we’re there competing for that overall title every single year now.”

Terry Fox Aerial

Newsletter for October 2020

by adminCOVIDlinkinbio

Dear Members ,

As November approaches we head into the final week of our fall programing.

This has been unlike any other fall and the club continues to show its resiliency as we navigate the constantly changing environment COVID-19 imposes on us.

Halloween

Only lands on a Saturday every few years and we want to take advantage of it this year during our October 31st morning practice. We invite athletes to come out in their creative attire to celebrate and enjoy the spooky day. The club will have prizes for the best costume or ensemble costumes.

Outdoor extension & Indoors

While we continue to work with various indoor facilities to create a sustainable and safe environment for our athletes, the City of Ottawa has agreed to keep their doors open for club use into late November. We hope to post details regarding membership extensions this week.

I understand that all members are anxiously awaiting news on indoor venues and I ask that you remain patient.

Cross Country Updates

The hope to salvage a bit more cross country is still alive.

Locally, our November 6th-7th event will be cancelled. This is upsetting news after the success of Capital XC Challenge earlier this month, however, the event lies too close to the projected end of the modified stage 2 Ottawa is under.

Provincially, the Athletics Ontario Championships have moved from Kingston to St. Catherine’s to Peterborough and now look to be contested in a regional sense (Eastern, Central and Western Championships) taking place on November 14th-15th. Once again, we look to have details shared this week.

I encourage athletes and coaches to remain focused and determined to put forward a strong effort on the 2nd weekend of November.

Women Can Summit Series

An excellent virtual seminar is taking place during the afternoon of Saturday November 7th.  Comprised of an incredible panel of coaches, athletes (including our very own Melissa Bishop-Nriagu), professors and professionals in various fields of mental performance, nutrition and physiology.

Registration is still open https://www.bordercityac.com/summit-series-women-can.html

COVID-19 Safety

The reminders are still there and even more important as the warnings from by-law are disappearing. Physical distancing inside and outside the Terry Fox Athletic Facility is a must, casual on lookers outside the facility cannot tell the difference between siblings or roommates. During practice we ask that even those who live in close proximity keep the 2m in mind.

Ottawa remains in a modified stage 2 that limits gatherings to 25. This must be maintained inside and outside the facility at all times.

25 in the Main Stadium
25 in the North Field
25 in the West Field

Clear separation of groups in the park so that we do not exceed 25 in one area.

Take the extra couple seconds to sanitize coming into the facility and when leaving.

Everyone has done a great job with their masks when entering Terry Fox but this is a reminder that they are needed when entering the washrooms.

 

This pandemic has brought delays to training and non-traditional competition throughout the summer and fall. Yes, under normal circumstances we would be moving indoors this week and starting our winter programs but nothing here is normal. We must continue to adapt and be flexible with scenarios and opportunities that are available.

Please take care and remember to bundle up as the temperature and weather changes.

Richard Johnston
Executive Director

 

covid-19-update2

Comment on Government of Ontario announced COVID-19 restrictions

by COVIDlinkinbio

Dear Members,

In light of the recent announcements by the Government of Ontario that Ottawa will see modified stage 2 restrictions, our practices will not be impacted at this time. Training will continue as planned; however, this action by the Government does serve as a cautious reminder to our athletes, coaches and staff:

  1. Follow the physical distancing guidelines throughout practice and respect the capacity of each training area shown in our clubs return strategy.
  2. Continue to wear your masks in washrooms and when passing through the Terry Fox Athletic Facility building.
  3. Continue to self-monitor and complete your health questionnaire before practice (on or off site).

Outside of COVID-19 news, this is a reminder that the Terry Fox Athletic Facility will be closed on Monday October 12th.

We hope everyone enjoys the long Thanksgiving weekend in a safe a manner.

Richard Johnston
Executive Director

Ottawa’s Maeliss Trapeau awaits the start of the 600m at the 2020 OUA Track and Field Championships in Toronto Ontario, Saturday, February 22, 2020. Mundo Sport Images/ Geoff Robins

2020 season ends with silver lining for Trapeau

by Internationallinkinbio

A little over six months after stepping off the track at the USports Championships in Edmonton, Maeliss Trapeau was back in  Championship form this past weekend in the 800 metres at the French Open and U23 Championships. While Trapeau stepped off the track in Albi with another fourth place finish, this one had a silver lining.

In a tactical final, Trapeau, coming of back to back personal bests, made a push for the medal podium with a surge with 250 metres to go. Despite entering the home stretch in bronze medal position, Trapeau was out kicked over the final 100 metres by Lena Kandissounon and was fourth across the line in a time of 2:05.79. However, Trapeau did receive the silver medal in the U23 category behind Kandissounon.

Despite the two fourth place finishes in these big championships, they have given her the motivation to work harder in the year ahead. “The pandemic situation taught me a lot on both the physical and mental aspects of my sport,” said Trapeau on Instagram. “I acquired new experiences which made me stronger, faster, and more confident in myself. I now have a clear idea of what I want and I will do everything possible to achieve it.”