2013 STL-TFC Annual Awards
October 4, 2013

STL athletes, coaches, and parents celebrated all the successes of 2013 at our annual awards banquet. We congratulate all the 2013 award winners:

• Best Bantam: Hayden Bell
• Best Midget: Rebecca Chouinard
• Best Youth: Noah Rolph
• Best Junior: Charles Nguyen/Riley Bell
• Best Senior: Matt Brisson

• Best Rookie: Rebecca Chouinard/Tanner Smyth
• Most Improved: Rachael Wolfs
• Sportsmanship: Jack VanDamme
• Jim Young Award: Kelly Bedek

• Female Athlete of the Year: Ally Gonzalez
• Male Athlete of the Year: Charles Nguyen

Some of STL´s notable accomplishments in 2013 were four National team appointments - Matt Brisson (2), Charles Nguyen, and Ally Gonzalez, as well as two STL athletes making the Provincial team for the 2013 Canada Summer Games - Riley Bell and Jill VanDamme. Charles Nguyen also doubled in Gold with both the Provincial and National Gold Medal in Jr. Men´s Hammer Throw. Also, Rebecca Chouinard in her first season with STL (and with Hammer Throw!) threw for a new Provincial record in the Midget Girls category. Congratulations once again to all our 2013 Award winners as we now turn our focus to the upcoming 2014 competition year.

Congratulations once again to all our 2013 Award winners as we now turn our focus to the upcoming 2014 competition year.

2013 Pan-American Junior Championships
Medellin, Columbia, August 23-25, 2013

Although the outdoor season is done for most of our athletes, two STL athletes extended their season by recently competing at the Pan-Am Jr. Championships in Medellin, Columbia.

Charles Nguyen made the Junior National team to represent Canada in the Men´s Hammer Throw. His previous experience at the World Youth Championships in 2011 helped him to throw well under the pressure of an International meet. Charles finished 8th place in his event and is now in Oklahoma on a full sports scholarship to begin the next stage of his educational and athletic development at Oklama State University.

Ally Gonzalez was in a very unique circumstance that also had her travelling to Columbia to compete. Ally was born in Columbia and immigrated to Canada as a young child with her family. Currently, Ally is still a Columbian citizen and as such she qualified for the Columbian National team in the Women´s 400m Hurdles.

With her extended family there for support, Ally rose to the occasion and won her heat with an excellent time of 59.36s. This time was a huge PB for Ally, a new club record, and a new Columbian Junior National record!

In the finals later that same day, Ally ran another solid race with a time of 1:00.23s, placing 4th overall. These 2 performances ranked Ally #1 in the Columbian Junior Women's standings for the 400mH and as a result, she has now been invited to represent Columbia again at the South American Championships being held this October. Ally will return home to Canada to continue her training and start her studies at Western University as she also keeps her focus on her next race this fall.

We congratulate both Charles and Ally for their successful performances and we wish them all the best with their new future endeavours.

2013 Canada Summer Games
Sherbrooke, PQ, August 12-17, 2013

The 2013 Canada Summer Games have come to a close and the athletes have all returned home after a very memorable week. It´s an event that only happens every 4 years - a week of competition, comradery, team spirit, and Provincial pride as Team Ontario challenges the other provinces for the coveted CSG National flag.

STL´s Head Coach Harry Stantsos along with STL athletes Riley Bell and Jill VanDamme spent the past week in Team Ontario uniforms, doing their part to help Ontario achieve success. Riley competed in both Long Jump & Triple Jump on the Men's team, while Jill helped the Women in Hammer Throw, Discus, & Shot Put. Harry served as Team Ontario´s Head Coach, to lead Ontario´s Track & Field teams to success and he did not disappoint.

Our Men´s team finished in 1st place to capture the Men's title. Our Women's team was not far behind with a 2nd place finish, behind a very strong Team Alberta. The 1st & 2nd place finish placed Team Ontario in 1st place overall in Athletics. These strong team finishes also helped Ontario to ultimately achieve Provincial success as Ontario was awarded the highest honour of the games - the CSG National flag.

We are very proud of STL´s participation on Team Ontario and we congratulate them on their success.

Canadian Youth Championships
Langley, BC, August 8-11, 2013

The outdoor season wrapped up last weekend for 3 of our younger STL throwers at the National Youth Championships held in Langley, BC. It was a very productive 4 days for all of our competitors.

Veteran Noah Rolph, competing on the Ontario Team, came home with a Silver medal in the Youth Boys Shot Put with new PB of 15.60m. Noah also competed in Hammer Throw and Discus placing 6th in both events. His toss of 46.31m in Discus was also a new PB for Noah and now ranks him #1 in Canada in the U-17 age class.

Jack VanDamme also had success at the championships with a 5th place finish in the Youth Boys Hammer Throw with a toss of 49.42m. This was a significant PB for Jack - a great way to end his outdoor season.

STL´s youngest National competitor, Rebecca Chouinard, competed in her first National championship in Midget Girls Hammer Throw, Shot Put, and Discus. She placed 7th, 8th, and 10th respectively. Rebecca PB'd in both Discus and Hammer Throw. Her performance of 40.17m in the Hammer Throw again achieved a new Ontario Provincial record which she broke just several weeks earlier at AOés Provincial Championships. What is even more impressive is that Rebecca is very new to the sport with only 3 months of solid training under her belt. We look forward to seeing what she can accomplish next year!

Congratulations to our young throwers for a very successful outdoor season as they now take a break to relax for the rest of their summer.

BMY Championships
Toronto, ON, July 27-28, 2013

We were looking into the future this past weekend at the AO Bantam, Midget, Youth Provincial Championships held at York University. It was a first time appearance for 13 of the 15 young STL athletes competing at the BMY´s.

STL´s future looks bright with the medal tally coming in at 15 - 4 Gold, 5 Silver, and 6 Bronze - many of these medals captured by rookies to the sport.

Leading the way was Rebecca Chouinard with a Gold medal, 2 Bronze medals and a new Provincial record in the Midget Girls Hammer Throw with a toss of 35.59m. Her Bronze medals came in Shot Put and Discus with performances of 10.07 an 27.55m respectively

STL medal performances:

Two other club records were also broken on the weekend. Cassidy Kent ran a time of 21.62s in the Bantam Girls 150m and Kyle Noviss ran the 1200m in a time of 4:07.98. Both performances ranked these athletes into STL´s club record performances.

Congratulations to all our young up and coming stars as most have finished their outdoor season. We look forward to seeing their continued development in 2014.

Rebecca Chouinard, Noah Rolph and Jack Van Damme are not quite done their 2013 outdoor season as they prepare to compete at the Canadian Youth Championships in Langley, BC, August 8-11, 2013. Good luck to our young throwers.

Gold Medal Repeat for Charles ...
July 2013

Two weekends, two different provinces, two Gold medals. This was the result of the past 10 days for Charles Nguyen. Charles was in Quebec last weekend where he competed at the Canadian Junior Championships. He came home with a Gold medal as the National Junior Champion in Hammer Throw. This weekend was a repeat performance in Toronto at the AO Provincial Championships where Charles was again successful in making to the top of the podium with a Gold medal performance in Jr. Men's Hammer Throw.

But he is far from done. His performance at the Nationals earned him a spot on the Canadian National Junior Team. Charles will be representing Canada next month in Hammer Throw at the Pan-American Junior Championships being held in Medellin, Columbia. With both Provincial and National titles under his belt, Charles is now focussed towards improving on his best performances to date when he enters the Hammer circle next month in his National uniform. We wish him continued success in his preparation.

STL athletes brought home a total of 4 Gold medals from the AO Jr/Sr Provincial Championships this weekend. Riley Bell jumped his way to 2 Gold medals in Jr Men's Long Jump and Triple Jump, while Ally Gonzalez made it to the top of the podium in Jr. Women's 400m Hurdles.

Jill Van Damme won the Silver medal in the Sr. Women's Discus with a throw of 41.34m.

Brent Bates also won the Bronze medal in the Sr. Men's 400m Hurdles running a seasonal best time of 52.88.

Brisson Heads to Russia
FISU - World Student Games
Kazan, Russia, July 9-15, 2013

STL´s Matt Brisson will be representing Canada next week at the World Student Games held in Kazan, Russia.

Matt is eligible for this National Team as a Western University Varsity athlete in sprint hurdles. He won the Gold medal during the indoor season in 60mH at the University National Championships (CIS). Matt then needed a qualifying time in the 110mH for a chance to represent Canada. He came blazing out of the blocks this spring to qualify early in May and solidify his place on the National Team.

Matt has since battled some back issues and it has been a struggle to maintain his top form. As a result it was difficult to defend his 2012 Championship title with Matt achieving a Bronze medal at the Canadian National Championships last weekend. He is not looking back and Matt is now focused on giving his best effort in representing Canada next week.

We congratulate Matt on his achievements to date and wish Matt all the best as we wait and watch for results from Russia.

Legion District A Championships
Chatham, ON, June 21-22, 2013

STL was well represented at the Royal Canadian Legion District A Championships held in Chatham last weekend. We sent 14 athletes to compete including some from our younger JD and intermediate groups. The result was 18 medals in total - 5 Gold, 8 Silver, and 5 Bronze.

From their performances, thrower Noah Rolph and jumper Amanda Milmine were successful in being selected to represent District A at the RCL Provincial Championships in Sudbury, July 6th & 7th. Noah will compete in Hammer Throw, Discus, & Shot put while Amanda will be competing in Long Jump & Triple Jump.

We are so very proud of all our younger athletes and we wish Noah and Amanda best of luck in the next round as they now compete to qualify for the Ontario Provincial Team which will travel to Langley, BC to compete at the Legion National Championships this August.

STL Brings Home more Gold at OFSAA
Oshawa, ON, June 6-8, 2013

The high school track & field season wrapped up this past weekend with the OFSAA Provincial finals held in Oshawa. Two STL athletes in particular stood out from the crowd.

Noah Rolph threw for 2 Gold medals at the 3 day meet. In the Jr. boys Discus, he won the Gold with a toss of 49.39m, while a distance of 17.38m in Jr. boys Shot put gave him his second Gold medal of the meet. With a 5th place finish in Javelin, Noah as an individual athlete accumulated enough points in the competition to single-handedly award Parkside Collegiate with the Junior Boys overall team championship title.

Riley Bell ended his high school track endeavours at the top of the podium by bringing home 2 more medals from the weekend. Riley won the Silver medal in Sr. boys Triple Jump with a distance of 14.24m and then finished on top in Long Jump with a jump of 7.08m to win the Gold medal.

Congratulations to all our athletes who experienced success in their high school season and we now turn our focus to our regular outdoor season as we continue to prepare for Provincial & National Championships.

Quest For Gold Awarded to STL Athletes

Five STL athletes were selected for Provincial government sponsorship for 2013.

Congratulations to:

• Brent Bates
• Riley Bell
• Matt Brisson
• Ally Gonzalez
• Charles Nguyen.

All made the list out of hundreds of athletes across Ontario. Charles had to decline the funding due to his intentions of pursuing post-secondary education in the United States this fall.

Quest for Gold Provincial funding is offered to Ontario developmental athletes based on performances in their previous competition year. It is unprecedented to have 5 eligible athletes all from a relatively small club such as STL and we are so very proud of their accomplishments and excited to see what 2013 holds for them.

2013 Outdoor Season Begins

Over the past several weeks, STL athletes have been starting their 2013 outdoor season with some impressive opening results.

Our senior athletes have been travelling to the States to find early spring competitions in an effort to be ready for National Championships in June and to post qualification standards for National teams.

Matt Brisson opened in California competing at 2 different track meets in the 110m Hurdles. With an opening time of 13.94s, Matt has already made standard for the FISU games in Kazan, Russia and is now eligible for a spot on the National team.

Our throwers have also begun their outdoor season in several local area meets. Charles Nguyen is concentrating on his hammer throw and with a toss of 64.59m he is currently ranked #1 in the country and has made standard for the Pan-Am Junior Meet in Columbia later this summer. It is performances such as this that have turned many heads across the border and after entertaining many offers from US colleges, Charles has accepted an athletic scholarship at Oklahoma State University for this fall.

Noah Rolph has also had some PB throws early in his season. Competing in club colours in Hammer Throw, Noah is now #5 in the National rankings with a toss of 44.80m. He is currently in his high school season as well and has been competing in all 3 throws in Parkside colours. Having already thrown over 56m in Discus, over 17m in Shot put, and over 48m in Javelin, Noah is well on his way to another successful season.

STL´s throws coach Josh Archer has also returned to the competition hammer circle after a 4 year hiatus. With early throws in the mid 50´s, Josh is currently ranked in the top 5 Nationally.

And let´s not forget our jumpers. Riley Bell opened up with huge PB´s in both Long Jump and Triple Jump. Riley broke both of Taylor Stewart´s records at the high school Forest City Prep Meet held late April with 7.13m in Long Jump and 14.86m in Triple Jump. Riley joins Charles in the hunt for a spot on the Junior Pan-Am National Team.

Wait for more impressive results in the weeks to come as other STL athletes begin to shine.

Achieving Goals at CIS
Edmonton, AB, March 19, 2013

Matt Brisson achieved his indoor competition goal last weekend representing Western University at the Canadian Interscholastic University Championships held in Edmonton, AB. Matt set his sights on the top of the podium last September when he began training for his indoor competition season and he was determined to settle for nothing less. Competing in the 60m hurdles, Matt earned the Gold medal according to plan - winning the Provincial title, leading the Nation with a time of 7.88s going into the National Championships, and achieving the fastest time in the heats heading into the finals. Matt further solidified his spot at the top of the podium, bettering his PB with a time of 7.86s leaving no question in anyone's mind about his #1 ranking. Congratulations Matt!

Jenessa Olson, also competing in purple & white, was a pivotal member of the Western women´s 4x200m and 4x400m relay teams. Western's 4x200m team won Silver, with the 4x400m relay team earning additional team points with a 4th place finish.

Matt and Jenessa now switch their focus to their outdoor season as they prepare to qualify for National team competition.

BMJ Indoor Provincial Championships
Toronto, ON, March 2-3, 2013

The AO Indoor Championships for Bantam, Midget, and Junior categories were held last weekend with STL bringing home 3 Gold medals and 1 Silver. Our team is smaller this indoor season, but that didn´t stop the medals from coming home.

Riley Bell achieved 2 of the Gold medals in Junior Men´s Long Jump (7.07m) and Triple Jump (14.22m). Both performances were indoor PB´s for Riley as well as new indoor Club records. Riley is now ranked #3 Nationally in the Junior category.

Charles Nguyen also brought home a Gold medal in the Junior Men's Weight Throw with a toss of 21.25m. Charles maintains his #2 spot Nationally in this event.

Rounding out the medal winners was Conner Hodgins with a Silver in the Junior Men's Long Jump with a new PB of 6.65m. Conner and Riley´s performance gave STL the top 2 spots on the Provincial podium.

Congratulations to all for a successful indoor season. We now switch our focus to outdoors as STL will pack their bags and head to Florida for our annual March Break warm weather training camp.

OUA Championships
Windsor, ON, February 21-22, 2013

Ontario universities were competing at the OUA Championships in Windsor, ON, February 21-22, 2013, for the Provincial title and qualification to the University National Championships being held in Edmonton, AB, March 7-9, 2013. There were some notable performances from our senior STL athletes currently competing in Western University colours.

Matt Brisson took top honours in the Mens 60m Hurdles with a blazing time of 7.88s. This performance, which was a new PB for Matt, placed him at the top of the podium in Ontario and maintains his position at #1 in the National rankings.

Jenessa Olson and Brent Bates were both pivotal members of the Western 4 x 400m relay teams. The Women´s team came home with the Silver medal while the Men´s were successful in bringing home the Gold.

The athletes will travel with the varsity team, along with coach Harry Stantsos who also serves as Western´s hurdles coach, to Edmonton next week for the CIS Championships. There are high expectations and we wish them all the best in their upcoming competition.

Olympians Pay a Visit

Our Junior Development (JD) group had the pleasure of meeting two Olympic athletes during track practice.

Jessica Zelinka, 2-time Olympian and current Canadian record holder in the Heptathlon, was home visiting family for the holidays and shared the track with our athletes of the future.

After a hurdle workout with head coach Harry Stantsos, Jessica hung around the track a little longer to visit with all our JD athletes, taking time for pictures and autographs.

It was an awesome and inspirational experience for the younger ones to not only see Jessica working out on the track, performing some of the same practice drills they are being taught, but to have the opportunity to get up close and personal with a local sport celebrity and role model.

Another local track hero Damien Warner also stopped by the track to pay a visit to our athletes. London native Damien competed at the 2012 Olympics, placing 5th in the Decathlon. Damien was the subject of a school project done by one of our JD athletes and he was honoured to pen his signature to the completed project

Special thanks to Jessica & Damien for sharing their time and smiles with STL´s future stars!

AO Youth/Senior Provincial Championships
Toronto, February 16-17, 2013

Noah Rolph continues to dominate the Youth Weight Throw as he threw 20.06m for a Gold medal at the AO Provincial Championships. He also captured a silver medal in Shot Put with a new PB of 14.91m.

Riley Bell, after competing earlier in the day as part of the Team Ontario Junior team, returned to his STL colours to place 2nd in the Senior men´s Triple Jump with a jump of 13.72m.

Mikeisha Bobb, another Junior athlete, competed in the Senior Women´s 60m Hurdles placing 8th in the final with a new PB of 9.27s.

This meet completes Noah´s season and he now turns his attentions to the outdoor Hammer Throw, Discus and Javelin events. Riley and Mikeisha are still gearing up for their Junior Provincial Championships held March 2-3, 2013, in Toronto. Congratulations Noah and good luck to all our Junior athletes.

Ontario vs Quebec – Junior Dual Meet
Toronto, February 16, 2013

STL´s Riley Bell, Conner Hodgins, and Charles Nguyen all represented Ontario in the Junior Dual Meet held in Toronto, helping Team Ontario win this year´s competition.

Riley and Conner both represented Team Ontario in the Long Jump competition. Riley won the competition with a jump of 6.87m while Conner finished 2nd jumping 6.40m.

Charles Nguyen Ontario vs Quebec – Junior Dual Meet

Charles won the Weight Throw competition with a new PB of 21.92m. This performance places Charles as #2 in the National rankings.

Ontario vs. Quebec & Maritimes Youth Indoor Tri-Meet
Montreal, QC, February 2, 2013

Team Ontario participated in a Tri-Meet this past weekend setting the stage for Ontario´s best youth athletes to compete against Quebec and a third team of the combined provinces Nova Scotia/New Brunswick.

STL´s Noah Rolph was among the 33 athletes selected to represent Ontario. Noah competed in both the Weight Throw and Shot Put and he did not disappoint. Noah threw for Gold in both his events with a mark of 14.39m in Shot Put and 20.21m in Weight Throw. Both performances were new PB's with a new Club record in Shot put as well. Noah is also now Nationally ranked #1 in Shot Put and #2 in Weight Throw in his age category.

Don Wright Team Challenge
Western University, London, ON, January 19, 2013

The Western University Varsity Track & Field program held their annual Don Wright Team Challenge track meet at Thompson Arena this past weekend with several STL athletes invited to participate.

Riley Bell won the Triple Jump with a jump of 13.98m. This was Riley´s first triple jump competition since the summer. It proved to be a successful start with a new Club record.

Charles Nguyen continued his productive season with another PB and Club record in Weight Throw with a toss of 21.76m.

Andrew Vandendool began his indoor season in the 60mHurdles, winning his heat with a time of 8.44s, and finishing 3rd overall in the finals.

STL also has athletes currently attending school at Western and competing in purple & white for the varsity track team. Matt Brisson was successful in defending his title from last year's meet to repeat his 1st place finish in the 60mHurdles. His time of 8.00s ranks him #1 in the CIS rankings. Matt also finished 3rd in the 60m with a time of 7.06s. Both performances were unexpected accomplishments as Matt is just returning to competition after sustaining an injury in the fall.

Two other STL athletes representing the Western Mustangs were also returning to competition from recent injuries and ran well. Jenessa Olson won the 300m with a time of 42.43s. Jenessa hasn´t run this particular race since 2010 and she is looking to improve on this time in the weeks to come. Brent Bates placed 5th in the 60mHurdles with a time of 8.73s as well as running the lead leg for the Mustangs in the Men´s 4 x 400m relay.

2013 Indoor Season Begins
Christmas Open
Windsor, ON, December 15, 2012

While most of STL's athletes are still preparing for their competitions to begin in 2013, our throwers have gotten a head start in a big way. Noah Rolph and Charles Nguyen officially opened their seasons at the Christmas Open in Windsor, ON, with some impressive throwing performances.

Noah, competing in Weight Throw for his first time, threw for a new Provincial record in the Midget category with a distance of 19.36m. He broke the previous record by almost 3 metres. Noah also competed in Shot Put achieving a new PB of 15.48m, 2.5 metres better than his previous mark. Both of Noah's performances also set new Club records. Noah moves up to the Youth category in January and we are excited to watch for his advancement and he continues to get stronger and develop in his events.

Charles placed 2nd in the Weight Throw in the Junior category with a new PB of 20.93m. This is also a new Club record. Charles will continue to compete in the Junior category in the New Year and with the start both of these throwers had, we look forward to following their throwing competitions throughout 2013.

Well done guys! We couldn't have asked for a better start to our indoor season.