Posts in category: Uncategorized

Canada’s largest indoor track and field meet is full of outstanding performances, and on day two of the McGill Team Challenge two in particular rose to the occasion. Middle distance runner Mohamed Souleiman and hurdler Sekou Kaba each proved they will be in the hunt for medals at this year’s CIS championships in March.
In what was likely a preview of the CIS 1500m final,battled tough for seven and a half laps before crossing the finish line in fourth in a new University of Ottawa record 3:49.24. The man known to many by his shorthand, Moh, has been on a tear the past couple weeks setting no less than three Gee-Gee records from 1000m through 3000m. The latter was the result of an endurance test. Moh will look to expand his reign next weekend as he steps down to the 600m as puts in some speed work ahead of the forthcoming OUA and CIS Championships where he will contest the 1000m and 1500m.
Over the 60m hurdles, 2012 CIS Champion Sekou Kaba showed he is ready to take back his crown after sitting out the 2013 season with an injury, running away with gold in a nation leading 7.98 second clocking. The win was Kaba’s fourth straight at the McGill Team Challenge as he out leaned York’s Ingvar Moseley by 0.05 seconds at the line.
The only other winner on day two was Michele Krech in the women’s pentathlon, who overcame a 127 point deficit heading into the final event to win with 3593 points. The victory was the second in as many weeks, as Krech captured the pentathlon title at the Saints Invitational last Friday night.
The Lions return to action next Saturday as they play host to the uOttawa WinterNational Invitational

Canada’s largest indoor track and field meet, the McGill Team Challenge, kicked off Friday night in Montreal headlined by two invitational events featuring Lions athletes. The marquee event, the men’s 300m, featured 2012 Olympic 400m silver medalist Lugelin Santos and Ottawa’s own Gord Frenke. Frenke, who produced a personal best 33.62 at this meet last year, held his own with Santos, running shoulder to shoulder through 150m before the Dominican athlete pulled away off the final corner. Frenke crossed the line in 34.04.

Competing in the evening’s other invitational event, the women’s 800m, was Olympian Melissa Bishop who was making her season’s debut at the distance. Coming off a 4:24 1500m performance last week in Windsor, Bishop was untested in victory, crossing the line in 2:05.18. Her nearest competitor finished nearly two and a half seconds back.

In the men’s 1000m, Mohamed Souleiman showed he could be a medal threat at this year’s CIS championships as he finished fourth in a new University of Ottawa record, 2:24.51. Chopping two seconds off his previous mark, Souleiman now also moves into third in the club’s all-time record list. He will see if he can again channel the speed Saturday as he moves up to the 1500m.

In the women’s shot put, Lion Ashley Connell claimed second spot with a best throw of 13.80m. Emma Galbraith was fifth in the 1000m in 2:50.96.

It was a record breaking two days for the Ottawa Lions in Canton, New York. On the heals of Michele’s Krech’s record smashing performance Friday night in the pentathlon, four more records fell by the wayside today.

The first record to fall on Saturday was the women’s 60m hurdles as Karelle Edwards was the top finisher in the prelims with a time of 8.62, shaving 0.15 seconds off clubmate Devyani Biswal’s old mark of 8.77 set last January. Karelle would drop the mark even lower in the final, winning in 8.44, more than a second ahead of clubmate Clara Phillips.

In the men’s 60m hurdles, Sekou Kaba claimed gold by more than half a second, winning in 8.10 seconds. The time was 0.01 seconds better than the old facility record, set by Kaba in 2012. Sekou is currently ranked second in the CIS.

In the men’s heptathlon, Mark Chenery took gold and the facility record with a score of 4466 points. Chenery’s victory came despite failing to register a mark in the pole vault. Teammates Zach Quevillo (4445pts) and Matthew Johnson (4256pts) rounded out the podium.

Pole vaulter Melinda Rock rounded out the list of record breakers, as she claimed victory with a clearance of 3.47m. The height added 1cm to the previous mark set in 2004. In the men’s pole vault, Olivier Gauthier-Kwan completed the sweep of the pole vault as he set a new personal best of 4.70m to win. The mark moves Gauthier-Kwan to second on the club’s all time list.

The Lions return to action next weekend at the McGill Team Challenge.

It was a solid day in Canton, NY as the club’s combined eventers competed in the Saints Indoor Invitational at St. Lawrence University. In the women’s pentathlon, veteran Michele Krech cruised to victory with a total of 3610 points, 667 clear of her nearest competitor. In their first ever combined events competition, first year University of Ottawa students, Bridget Hayes and Alannah McBride put up totals of 2885pts and 2422pts respectively. They finished in 3rd and 6th.
On day one of the men’s heptathlon, Mark Chenery proved to be the class of the field, claiming top spot in all four individual events – 60m, long jump, shot put, high jump. Chenery amassed 2904 points with performances of 7.17 seconds, 6.76m, 12.50m and 1.87m. He currently stands 430 points ahead of teammate Zach Quevillon. Matthew Johnson currently sits in 8th with 2184 points, but is sure to move up on day two where he is a favourite to win both the pole vault and 1000m

It was a successful first day of competition in 2014 for the Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club as they played host to the Super Saturday Series Meet #2 at the Dome @ Louis Riel this past weekend. The competition included a number of excellent results including a new Dome record set by youth athlete Claire Smith in the 1500m.
Smith, coming off an outstanding cross country season, showed she also has some speed in those legs, easily winning the women’s contest in 4:30.70. The old record had been set by former World Junior team member Jennie Biewald who ran 4:33.78 at the very first meet held in the Dome back on November 27, 2005.
A trio of 400m sprinters also posted national level performances. In the men’s 600m, veteran Michael Roberston led from the gun, taking victory in an impressive 1:18.55. The mark was just one tenth of a second off his own Dome record, set back in December 2008, but currently ranks him first in the country.
Following behind Robertson was first year junior, Matthew Bedard. A national youth silver medallist over 300m hurdles this past summer, Bedard showed he has the legs to move up to 400m hurdles this summer, as he crossed the line in 1:20.91. The time currently ranks him as the top junior in the country.
In the 300m, Gordon Frenke outclassed the large field, posting an excellent season opening time of 33.93 seconds to claim victory. Like his 400m colleagues, Frenke’s time also has him currently ranked first in Canada.
Mohamed Souleiman had a strong debut over 3000m, running 8:25.37 to edge club mate Joshua Karanja, who finished second in 8:25.49.
Running in Windsor, Olympian Melissa Bishop opened her season with a winning performance over 1500m, crossing the line in 4:24.52.
The Lions return to action this Friday and Saturday in Canton, N.Y., as they take part in the St. Lawrence University Invitational.

Please be advised the Dome @ Louis Riel be closed to training December 24 – 27 and December 31 – January 1. Outside of these times, training will proceed as usual. Should you have any questions, please contact your coach or the Lions office – (613) 830-1993 ext. 4
 

The Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club are pleased to announce they will play host to the 2014 Athletics Ontario Junior/Senior Championships July 19-20, 2014 at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility at Mooney’s Bay. Ottawa won the right to host the event Thursday night, beating out a bid from London. It will be a busy week of athletics for the nation’s capital in July as Ottawa will also play host to a High Performance Twilight Meet the evening of July 16 and the 3rd Panamerican Combined Events Cup/Canadian Combined Events Championship, which runs July 16-18. The combination of events, dubbed “Athletics Week in Ottawa” by Lions executive director Andy McInnis is expected to bring in more than 700 athletes and coaches to Ottawa.
These events are being made possible by support from Sport Canada, the North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletics Association, Ottawa Tourism, Adidas, Scotiabank, Athletics Canada and Athletics Ontario.
The tentative schedule of the week is listed below:
Wednesday, July 16, 2014

• Panamerican Combined Events Cup for Youth (U18) and Junior (U20) Ages – Day 1
• The Canadian Junior Combined Events Championships (U20) – Day 1
• High Performance Twilight Meet (7-10pm)

Thursday, July 17, 2014

• Panamerican Combined Events Cup for Youth (U18) and Junior (U20) Ages – Day 2 (conclusion)
• The Canadian Junior Combined Events Championships (U20) – Day 2 (conclusion)
• Panamerican Combined Events Cup for Open Division / IAAF Combined Events Challenge Series – Day 1
• The Canadian Senior Combined Events Championships – Day 1

Friday, July 18, 2014

• Panamerican Combined Events Cup for Open Division / IAAF Combined Events Challenge Series – Day 2 (conclusion)
• The Canadian Senior Combined Events Championships – Day 2 (conclusion)
• Panamerican Combined Event Cup & Canadian Championship Awards Dinner (City Hall) – 8:00 pm

Saturday, July 19, 2014

• Day 1 – Athletics Ontario Junior and Senior Track & Field Championships (10am to 9pm – 2 sessions)

Sunday, July 20, 2014

• Day 2 – Athletics Ontario Junior and Senior Track & Field Championships (10am to 5pm – 2 sessions)

This is in response to an article on the Ottawa Lions Track & Field Club that appeared in the Ottawa Citizen on December 7, 2013. ­­­­
Dear members,
We are proud to have been a participant in a process that eventually saw the City of Ottawa acquire a $2.3 million improvement to the Terry Fox Track & Field facility at an eventual cost to the City of approximately a sixth of the total price. This was possible thanks to the federal Recreation Infrastructure Canada (RInC) grant which provided two thirds of the funding from the federal and provincial governments. We commend the City’s vision in seeing this through. It is an excellent example of what can be done for the citizens of Ottawa when the federal and provincial governments, the City, and a user group – the Ottawa Lions membership – come together in partnership to improve an important City asset.
This project was a necessity for the future of the facility, as the track had deteriorated to an unsafe state, even with annual patchwork repairs. The City’s Parks and Recreation and Engineering Departments wisely chose a design and materials that will maximize the usage and the durability of the Terry Fox track.  The restoration of the track was conducted under contracts awarded by the City and supervised by its project manager and construction engineers. The Club fully supported the decision and the process.
The project represents a significant financial commitment for the Ottawa Lions. Our members, who ultimately pay the bills, are to be commended for the support they have shown for this project, for their sport and for the Ottawa community.  It is difficult to find another example in Ottawa – or elsewhere for that matter – where a not-for-profit sport club has committed to paying almost $400,000 to the rehabilitation of a facility which it does not own, does not control and for which the general public has full access.  The Ottawa Lions made this commitment to preserve our sport, both for our members and for the community at large.
Over the life of the new track, more than 100,000 Ottawa area school children, and many others, will use Terry Fox for a wide variety of events, including the series of elementary and high school track and field meets held each spring. In 2013 alone, more than 8,400 students, both elementary and high school, participated in track and field events at Terry Fox. The upgraded facility has also enabled Ottawa to host many prestigious events including two Panamerican Combined Events Cups, two Canadian Youth Championships and multiple provincial championships. In addition to providing Ottawa with the profile it deserves, these events bring in substantial tourist dollars to the city.
It is also important to note that while the Ottawa Lions is a significant contributor to the upgrade of the Terry Fox Athletic Facility, it continues to pay an annual rental to the City to be able to run its many programs and for seasonal use by its members, which is offset only in part by a sustaining grant from the City. This rent is determined on a basis comparable to what other sports clubs pay the City for enjoyment of City facilities.
As you may know our programs service more than 1,200 athletes of varying abilities from youth athletes (ages 7-10), who form the majority of our membership, through to our high performance members and even up to our world champion masters athletes. Our youngest member is seven years old, our oldest is eighty.  The large majority of our adult coaches are highly qualified and volunteer their time.  We offer integrated programs for both our able-bodied athletes and athletes with a disability. Did you know five members of our club represented Canada at the 2012 Olympics with a further 10 participating in the Paralympic Games, including double medalist Jason Dunkerley with his guide runner Joshua Karanja?  In 2013, Ottawa Lions athletes competed in the World Championships, the World Youth Championships, the World University Games, the World Masters Games, the World Masters Championships and the Jeux de la Francophonie as well as all Canadian championships.
Let us recognize the new and improved Terry Fox Track & Field facility for what it is: a positive step forward for sport and recreation in the City, available to every citizen of Ottawa.
Sincerely,

 
 
 
Mark Phillips
President
Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club

Its been one heck of a year for runner Claire Smith, and it ended with a bang on Saturday as the grade 11 student at Glebe Collegiate finished fourth at the Canadian Junior Cross Country Championship in Vancouver, BC. Crossing the line in 18:15.86, Smith finished 2.73 seconds out of bronze, but can take solace in the fact her performance has qualified her to represent Canada at the NACAC Cross Country Championships next February in Mt. Irvine, Trinidad and Tobago. Coach, Kirk Dillabaugh says Smith ran a very smart race, even leading through the first kilometre, but relinquished the lead to eventual champion Heather Petrick shortly thereafter. ” Claire went with the chase pack and they left everyone else pretty quickly.  She looked really good.  Claire moved up into third in the final 400m, but [Jamie] Phelan had a better kick down the final stretch,” explained Dillabaugh.