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.”

(Ottawa, Canada---08 July 2017) Maeliss Trapeau competing in the U20 800m semi-finals at the 2017 Canadian Track and Field Championships. (Photo by Sean W Burges / Mundo Sport Images).

Trapeau in top form ahead of French Championships

by InternationallinkinbioUncategorized

It was a week to remember for 800 metre specialist Maëliss Trapeau as the fourth year University of Ottawa student made her final preparations ahead of the French Championships, including back-to-back lifetime best performances.

Following a personal best time in the Lyon suburb of Decines on the final weekend in August, Trapeau made her Continental Tour debut Friday in Marseille with an impressive two minutes and 3.20 second clocking to finish seventh in the international calibre field.

Friday’s race was won by multiple world medalist Laura Muir of Scotland in 2:00.16.

Trapeau did her best to not let the strength of the field affect how she ran her race, as she maintained her focus despite hitting the bell at the back of the pack. “I knew that the girls were faster than me and that they were going to start really fast. Going threw in 60 seconds is perfect for me, so I wasn’t panicking,” said Trapeau after the race.

After hitting the 500 metre mark, Trapeau began her push towards to the line, picking of runners in the crowded 12 person field. “When it’s a big race like this I prefer to be at the back because I’m not surrounded by the girls and I can make a move whenever I want,” Trapeau said of her tactics.

The biotechnology student has not been surprised by her recent success on the track despite being sidelined at the beginning of August due to sickness. “Surprisingly, I got back on my feet quicker than expected and I managed to do a couple of great workouts. Therefore, doing those two PBs wasn’t a big surprise, I knew something good was going to come up from training hard, I just didn’t know when,” explained Trapeau over Instagram direct messages.

Trapeau’s previous best of 2:04.82 had been set back in 2018 when she qualified for the World U20 Championships at one of the Twilight Meets. Before getting sick, her single performance of the early season in July certainly indicated she was in prime shape as she opened the outdoor season with a 2:05.02 clocking.

Next up for the 20 year old will be the French Championships, which will take place this coming weekend in the town of Albi, an hours drive north-east of Toulouse. Trapeau enters the event ranked fourth and will open the competition with the 800 metre heats. The final will follow on Sunday afternoon.

OTTAWA - August 19, 2020: Caitlin McMann at the fifth Ottawa Summer Twilight Series meet of 2020, held under COVID-19 protocols at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility.

Lions close out 2019-20 season on high note

by adminlinkinbio

Dear members.

It is with a mix of emotions that the Ottawa Lions closed out the 2019-2020 season this past Saturday.

There is no question that something was missing this year and amongst the emotions that go with the unknown as the world changed in mid-March, the excitement and eagerness of our return to training on June 18th wiped the table clean. The time came to officially hit the reset button and with the announcement of our Competitive, Masters, Aspire, Foundation and Youth programs returning we were able to adapt and get “back on track”. Thank you to the Ottawa Lion coaches who showed their dedication in the athletes development during what can be simply described as a challenging season.

Practices were scaled back in size, travel was eliminated and major competitions were missing but our summer camps and twilights successfully returned.

A record setting 300+ campers joined us at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility across the 7 weeks of summer camp. A massive thank you to the camp counsellors (Alison Adams, Fabrice Nonez, Megan Ethier, Keito Newman and Quinn Lyness) who took on the important role of re-introducing our youth back into an active/social atmosphere while providing a safe, fun and enjoyable experience on the track and in the field.

Twilights looked a lot different but allowed us to reconnect with our competitive edge and challenge ourselves after what may have been a very different training environment during the spring months. With the assistance of the City of Ottawa we managed our gatherings and adapted the format of our traditional twilight layout to run the event in a safe environment. Being able to offer twilights for a 32nd consecutive year would only have been possible with the assistance of our volunteers and officials who are the backbone of event hosting. Thank you again for taking time out of your evenings.

We are well aware that COVID-19 is still here and the safety guidelines we have been following continue to help limit the spread. The health and well-being of our athletes, coaches and officials is of the upmost importance and it is with that mindset we will continue to adapt to our new normal when it comes to fall programs.

Youth, Foundation, Aspire, Competitive, Varsity and Master’s program registration is now open with the first practice set for Saturday, September 12th. As we head into the fall cross country season and base season please remain patient and considerate of the safety guidelines in place to minimize the spread of COVID-19 (physical distancing and wearing masks indoors will continue). As the summer twilight series looked different, so will our fall cross country events set to take place in October!

Our club’s return strategy will continue to be adapted for the fall months and then again for the indoor season. At this time, we will only be opening registration for the fall programs. Please keep an eye open for Winter registration as we continue to plan and work with our partnered indoor facilities.

Enjoy a safe and healthy end to the summer. Do not hesitate to visit any of these helpful COVID-19 resources.

Public Health Agency of Canada
Province of Ontario Resource Page
City of Ottawa Resource Page
Ottawa Public Health

 

Sincerely,

Richard Johnston
Executive Director
Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club

 

MRR_OTTL_2020Twilight#3_0221

Bishop-Nriagu and Crew highlight Twilight #3

by linkinbioNational

When Melissa Bishop-Nriagu toed the line at Wednesday night’s Twilight Meet it marked the first time the two time Olympian had competed in the summer series in more than a decade. Her last appearance was July 18, 2007 when the then 18 year old Bishop-Nriagu won the women’s 800 metres in two minutes and 10.51 seconds, completing her final preparations before heading to BC the following week to capture Canadian gold at the U20 Championships.

Competing under entirely different circumstances Wednesday, Bishop-Nriagu was still the class of the field. Winning the women’s 400 metres in 56.77 seconds, the Twilight meet environment presented the Nike professional a unique opportunity. “I had a lot of fun,” declared the Canadian record holder at 800 metres following the competition. “It was kind of back to old times. You know the atmosphere obviously isn’t the same, but I think everyone is doing their best to kind of keep it as hype as they can.“

While returning to competition has meant adjustments for everyone in terms of sanitizing and social distancing, professionals are also adjusting to competing without stands full of fans. The last time Bishop-Nriagu toed the line in Ottawa was during the 2017 Canadian Championships, where the bleachers were overflowing with cheering spectators and stadium attendance topping 3000 people.

However, with COVID protocols limiting capacity at Terry Fox to a total of just 100 athletes, coaches, and volunteers, the environment forces you to refocus your approach to the situation. “A lot of the time the crowd can create an extra boost of adrenaline and we just don’t get that here, so you really have to find it from within to compete hard,” said Bishop-Nriagu. 

Shot putter, and fellow Nike professional, Brittany Crew echoed those feelings after she won her event Wednesday night. “I try to do a lot of mental prep before,” said the Canadian record holder of her approach. Crew’s winning throw of 17.50 metres, was more than a meter off her seasonal best, but still nearly six meters ahead of Beckwith Athletic Club’s Erin Sweeney in second.

“Usually we have an atmosphere and we got fans and we got competitors, but today, obviously, I’m kind of competing against myself,” said Crew, acknowledging there was more work to do in a Twilight Meet environment. “It’s definitely hard to get amped and pysched up for a tiny little meet, but I’m just glad we can compete.”

Both women also acknowledged the opportunity a Twilight meet provides to inspire the younger generation of athletes who you are competing alongside. “I think it’s nice for the young throwers to actually see me compete because I’m usually not around,” described Crew, who largely competes in Europe.

However, both athletes confessed they thought many of the younger were hesitant to approach them. “I think a lot of them are too shy,” said Bishop-Nriagu who regonized her competition demeanor may have kept some away. Nonetheless, she admitted, with a smile, she still managed to pose for eight socially distant selfies with some young fans.

The Ottawa Summer Twilight series will continue tomorrow, Saturday, August 14th, where for the first time in history the series will take place outside of its regular Wednesday night schedule For all those present, please make sure to complete your health questionnaire before arriving at the facility.

 

Terry Fox Aerial

National team members highlight Twilight #3 start list

by linkinbioNational

For shot putter Brittany Crew, a meet on August 12th would have likely taken place somewhere in Europe, falling in the twilight of a long competitive season that began way back in February. However, with the bulk of the competitive season scrapped as a result of COVID-19, the Canadian record holder finds herself in Ottawa tonight for Twilight #3, competing in just her second meet since that early season trip to New Zealand.

Crew is a leader among a small contingent of Team Canada athletes venturing to Terry Fox for tonight’s competition. The two time world championship finalist will be joined by two members of Canada’s men’s 4×400 metre relay team – Phillip Osei and Daniel Harper. Osei was a member of Canada’s silver medal winning mixed 4×400 metre team at last year’s World Relay Championships while Harper has donned the red and white at both the Pan Am Games and NACAC senior championships.

All three Team Canada athletes are scheduled to compete in their marquee events. Crew’s shot put competition is scheduled for 7:30pm while the Osei and Harper will duel it out over the one lap race around 8pm.

The full schedule of events for tonight’s Twilight is available at ottawalions.com/schedule and live results can be found at liveresults.ottawalions.com

Please remember to complete your health questionnaire before arriving at Terry Fox.

MRR_OTTL_2020Twilight#1_00869_web

Alexis nearly sets world masters record

by linkinbioNational

It’s not every day you come out to the track and almost see a World Record set. Well, for the small number of athletes and coaches in attendance at Wednesday night’s Summer Twilight #2 that’s exactly what they got.

For as long as Wendy Alexis has been around a track, she’s been one of the fastest women in the race. With enough medals to fill a closet and her fair share of records, there has been one that has eluded the retired elementary school teacher – a world record. For a brief moment Wednesday night, she thought she had it.

Running the 100 metres in a heat with competitors up to 52 years her junior, Alexis showed she’s still got what it takes, winning in 13.91 seconds. As the time was announced over the loud speaker, there was a veritable eruption of euphoria just beyond the finish line as Alexis reacted to what would have equaled the current world record in the W65 100 metres held by fellow Canadian Karla Del Grande. Unfortunately, for Alexis the wind gauge had registered a positive 3.0 metres per second to nullify any possible record (the acceptable limit is 2.0 m/s).

Wednesday night’s competition was the second Twilight Meet of our COVID shortened season, and the first open to the athletes from outside the Club. Exactly 100 athletes took part across 17 events, as they ventured to Terry Fox from as far away as Guelph to the west and Montreal to the east.

Those who peaked out at the long throws were treated to some impressive performances in both the javelin and hammer throw. Club Sisu’s Jared Skeath was victorious in the men’s hammer throw. The former USports champion hurled the 16 pound ball out to an impressive 60.07 metres – easily eclipsing the longest distance at any Twilight Meet in recent years. Skeath’s club mate Ashley Pryke had a similar performance in the javelin as she took victory based on her first throw of the competition. The University of Memphis graduate’s best throw of 51.97 metres, was well short of her seasonal best 57.38 set back in February, but was the closest anyone has come to Cheryl Coker’s 1990 meet record of 54.07 metres in some time.

Twilight Meet #3 will take place next Wednesday, August 12th at 6:30pm at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. For more information, please visit ottawalions.com/schedule.

 

TFox Twilight

Ottawa Summer Twilight Series to kick off next week

by linkinbioNational

While originally slated to start back in early June, the Ottawa Lions are excited to announce the 32nd season of Ottawa famous Summer Twilight Series will kick off next Wednesday, July 29th at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility.

“After much work with valued stakeholders like Athletics Ontario, Athletics Canada, and the City of Ottawa, we as an organization are very excited to bring back some sort of normalcy to our members in the form of our long running Twilight Series,” said acting Executive Director Richard Johnston. “After much hard work behind the scenes, we were able to return to formal training just under a month ago, and the framework has been working well. Certainly, providing a safe competitive opportunity to our members was the next logical step for our organization.”

Next week’s event will be open to Ottawa Lions members only before the series expands to allow for registered athletes (both able bodied and athletes with a disability) from all of Canada’s provincial branches.

Given the ongoing risk mitigation strategies related to COVID-19, the Terry Fox Athletic Facility will be enforcing a 100-person capacity, including athletes, coaches, volunteers and meet organizers. Participants are to respect all physical distancing regulations put in place by Ottawa Public Health and those not competing or warming up will be asked to wear a face mask.

For a full list of events offered, series schedules and requirements to participate, please click the following link.

Graduation Clip Art

Congratulations Ottawa Lions High School Graduates

by High Schoollinkinbio

The past four months have altered nearly every portion of our day to day lives. Schools were closed, office space moved to the kitchen table, competitions were cancelled and training moved into homes. Our new reality still remains fluid and we are all learning how to adjust to our new environment.

The final year of high school and lead up towards the next stage of academia is period in life where many young adults establish and mold their future. As many adults can attest it can also be one of the most enjoyable periods of your teens. Wrapping up secondary school with childhood friends, putting everything on the line to make OFSAA (for some that even includes putting off Prom), making mom & dad proud walking across the stage to receive your diploma and the excitement leading up to starting at a new school and a world of new experiences.

This is not the ideal sendoff but the Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club wish all the best to our graduating high school athletes as they prepare to begin their post-secondary education. Many of these talented athletes have developed through our club’s youth, foundation and aspire programs before making their mark in the National Capital Region as a competitive athlete. Competitively the graduating class earned nearly 200 regional, Provincial and National medals since the fall of 2016, we can only imagine what was in store for this talented group this spring and summer.

While your competitive drive will be bottled up until they dawn the team kits of your respective post-secondary institution. The Ottawa Lions congratulate you and offer encouragement as you continue to navigate the extraordinary circumstances that have already transformed the way schools operate across all levels.

David Adelye – University of Toronto
Roselynn Barrett – McMaster University
Zachary Bryant – Algonquin College
Hervey Chateau – Algonquin College
Kate Collings – Dalhousie University
Carter Demars – University of Ottawa
Joe Fast – Princeton University
Colby Frost – University of Ottawa
Jeremy Fourtier – University of Ottawa
Vanessa Lu Langley – McGill University
Shea McHale – Algonquin College
Erin McInerney – University of Ottawa
Zachary Meredith – University of Ottawa
Katie Newlove – University of British Columbia
Fabrice Nonez – University of Ottawa
Nelson Odutola – Western University
Doyin Ogunremi – University of Ottawa
Coralie Ostertag – University of Ottawa
Skye Pellerin – University of Ottawa
Thomas Pollok – University of Ottawa
Paulina Procyk – University of Toronto
Jackson Roy – University of Ottawa
Mathieu Rustom – University of Ottawa
Adam Sanger – McGill University
Callum Saravabmuttoo – University of British Columbia
Yared Tareke – St. Francis Xavier University

Terry Fox Aerial

Lions to resume training June 18

by COVIDlinkinbio

After 97 days away, we are happy to report that today, June 18th, we will finally return to the track. While we can appreciate everyone’s excitement at this news, it is important to note that much like other avenues, our return to the track will include some necessary adjustments to the way we work as we continue to live through this COVID-19 pandemic.

“The return to training plans we have implemented is with the utmost care for the health and safety of those directly affiliated with our club (members, coaches, officials, and families),” explains acting executive director Richard Johnston. “We owe it to our partners at Athletics Canada, Athletics Ontario, The City of Ottawa, University of Ottawa, and Carleton University to carry out a plan that is simple yet safe for everyone to return to the sport we love so much.”

The Ottawa Lions are thankful to both Athletics Ontario and Athletics Canada for their collaborative development of the “Back on Track” task force, which produced the general framework we will be operating under during this next stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we get back on track, it is imperative all show patience and understanding as we navigate this new terrain. Please respect those around you by practicing physical distancing, ensuring proper hygiene and sanitization, and wearing personal protective equipment where necessary.

Our COVID-19 strategy is seen as a brief outline of what can be expected when resuming training with the Club and within the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Inside the linked document, you will find details about new training times and max capacity as well as adjustments to program schedules.

If you have any questions about the return to training, please contact Richard Johnston at 613-247-4886 or rjohnston@ottawalions.com