New era for the Niagara Olympic Club
The Niagara Olympic Club is ready for a new chapter and it’s urging athletes to come grow with it.
In recent years, there has been a desire at the club for a reset but circumstances got in the way.
“It was surviving COVID and then Randy McDougall, myself and members of our board were very involved with the Canada Summer Games. We were busy during that time and a lot of things that were important to us slid away,” said NOC president Sharon Stewart. “We have our energy back, we have recovered and we have our motivation back.”
Stewart has been with the NOC since it built its facility in 2001.
“I have watched the ebb and flow of membership, coaches and members on our board of directors. Our structure and governance keep NOC strong and dedicated to Athletics Ontario’s Safe Sport guidelines. Kids come first.”
The club has built its team into seven coaches, who offer great programming and consistency for the athletes.
Returning from hiatus is Bill MacDonald, who was busy working on program development and teaching at Niagara College.
“It is great to have him back as he has the coaching education, knowledge and experience working with highly successful distance athletes,” Stewart said. “We also love his sense of humour.”
New to the NOC is Sam Bazely, who discovered the club last spring after moving back to her hometown with her family.
“She brings her love of coaching and experience as an athlete at Augustana College in Illinois,” she said. “Sam is leading the sprint, jumps, throws group.”
Bazely is also the spark behind the NOC’s new chapter with its website and social media, with her business Bazely Creative.
“Bazely Creative and Stephen Leithwood’s photography have made us shine on our website and on our social media,” Stewart said.
Other members of the coaching staff are Steve Moran, Emily Hughes, Mike Luska and Sean Quinn.
Moran is an assistant distance coach at McMaster University.
“This takes much of his energy, but he continues to share his knowledge and expertise with us.”
Hughes, an NOC alumnus, ran with the Queen’s Gaels during her university career.
“She is a great role model for our girls,” Stewart said.
Luska and Quinn are secondary school teachers, who bring personal running experience and coaching experience at the high school level.
The NOC’s program focuses on long-term athlete development with a lifelong love of sport and active life style.
“We have the right balance to develop physical, mental and emotional health. Athletes have to be physically ready to compete,” Stewart said. “They have to be happy and have fun doing all the hard work to get ready. We create that positive environment and develop the positive mental attitude to believe in yourself, trust your program and your coaches.”
Many athletes don’t realize there’s an indoor season to track and field and Stewart reminds them that it is time to get ready.
“It’s a great time for athletes not engaged in a winter school sport to get fit and ready for their outdoor school season and then beyond that to club competition at the provincial and national level. It’s about chasing dreams and personal bests.”
The NOC is now in its first full season indoors at the Canada Games Park, after doing a few test workouts at the end of the last indoor season.
“It is a bit squishy with some blind corners, but we appreciate the opportunity to have two indoor training sessions per week,” she said. “It’s great that we don’t have to drive to Toronto to find an indoor track as the winter weather does not always make the trek safe.”
The club’s third training session for the indoor season is Saturday mornings at its own track and field facility.
“As I tell the athletes, there is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing. We build strong character. And we get to make hot chocolate in our clubhouse to warm up”
The club loves having its own facility for the outdoor season.
“Having exclusive use during our training sessions gives lots of space for all the event groups, from sprints to jumps to throws and distance too.”
