Christine Laverty - Middle/Long
Adam Betzelt - Power/Speed/Multi-events
Derrick Johnston - Power/Speed/Sprints & Hurdles
Ed Moore - Junior Development
Elisha Gordey - Junior Development
Jason Lindsay - Middle/Long
Kim Cousins - Power/Speed/Multi-events
Lou Girardo - Junior Development
Marnie Temple - Coaching Co-ordinator
Melissa van Hal - Junior Development
Robin Barclay - Junior Development
Nikki Barlow - Cheetah Coach
Blair Bateson - Cheetah Coach
Christine Laverty - Middle/Long distance Group
Christine Laverty’s track career began in 1969 where she raced competitively on the Quebec provincial team in events ranging from the 400m through to the Mile for over five years. Christine began coaching with CALTAF in 1999 as a junior development coach and later, in 2001 together with Jason Lindsay, began co-coaching the CALTAF middle/long distance group.
Christine’s track and field coaching experience and general sporting involvement is extensive. After over 16 years of coaching track and field, soccer, volleyball and basketball at a regional and High School level in Quebec and Ontario Christine moved to Alberta where she began concentrating on coaching track and field. She has held many athletic positions throughout her career including Track Meet Director for the Greater Montreal Interscholastic Athletic Association (1976-1987) and the Meet Director for the Jurassic Classic Gymnastics meet (1995-present). In the past six years Christine has held many coaching positions for both provincial and national track and field teams. In 1999 Christine started her relationship with the Royal Canadian Legion as the distance coach for the Alberta provincial team of that year. This was followed with her being named Head Coach for the same Alberta provincial team in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004. Through Athletics Alberta Christine has worked with a number of provincial teams including the Midget Dual team as coach (1999 - 2001), the senior Tri-Province team as distance coach (1999-2001), the senior Espoir team as distance coach (2002 - 2003), the senior Espoir team as Head Coach (2004) and Western Canada Summer Games as Team Manager (1999). On a national team level, Christine was Team Canada’s distance coach for the World Youth Championships in Sherbrooke in2003 and the Czech Republic in 2007, the NACAC Championships in 2004, World Cross Country Championships in both 2005 in St. Etienne, France and 2006 in Fukuoka, Japan, World Junior Championships in Poland in 2008 and most recently the First Youth Commonwealth Games in Pune, India in October 2008. In both 2001 and 2006, Christine was named the Athletics Alberta Developmental Coach of the Year.
Christine holds a level 4/5 National Coaching Certification in Athletics. She also has a BSC in Biology and Physical Education and a Bachelor of Education all from Concordia University, Montreal, PQ.
Christine loves working with young athletes and believes that sport offers every athlete an opportunity to perform and improve him or herself. Christine’s coaching philosophy also demonstrates her belief that an athlete’s only true opposition is themselves and that what an athlete puts into sport determines what the athlete will get out of it. These simple principles of sport carry over into the life skills of each and every athlete Christine works with.
More about Christine and Jason’s program and their
philosophy behind it
Adam Betzelt- Junior Development
Adam has 13 years of experience as a Combined Events athlete. Durign this time Adam was a part of several Provincial teams and competed for Canada at an international Combined Events Dual meet in 2003. As a coach, Adam has been coaching with Caltaf for a total of seven years and was named as a National Legion coach in 2001. Adam has NCCP level 3 jumps and level 2 throws.
While attending school to become a Registered Dietitian Adam spent three years working as a flying trapeze coach in Toronto, Ontario.
Adam belelives in helping every athlete achieve personal success through hard work and perseverance. He enjoys helping young athletes work to be the best that they can be.
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Derrick Johnston - Power/Speed
I have been coaching sprints and hurdles since 2000 and that continues to be my event focus. As an athlete my range was 100-400 and the 400m hurdles, with an emphasis on the latter. Coaches have had a tremendous influence on my life and that is what motivated me to continue with the sport after competing. I expect nothing but the best of my athletes and will do whatever I can to ensure that they perform to the best of their ability. I offer a great deal of respect and expect the same in return. I recognize that every athlete is different, from their goals and what motivates them to differences in strengths and weaknesses. My coaching is tailored around this recognition and each of my athletes can be assured they will get personalized attention allowing them to reach whatever goals they have set for themselves.
I have a degree in Kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario. Since moving to Calgary in 2006 I’ve been the sprints/relays coach for the 2007 Alberta Midget Team, head coach of Zone 3 for the 2008 Alberta Summer Games and coached my first athlete to a National Team.
A mother of one of my athletes once told me that hurdles was helping their child learn life lessons. Having the mindset to not let obstacles (hurdles) get in their way. It’s stuck with me ever since. We coaches are doing more than just making your kids better athletes, we are making them better people.
“People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success, because they don’t know when to quit. Those that succeed, are determined to”-unknown
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In his 35+ years with the club Ed Moore has been an athlete, a coach, an official and a club executive member. We are delighted to welcome him back in a regular part-time coaching gig with our Junior Development group!
Ed started coaching with CALTAF in 1979, in the Garth Huck and Dave Peyto years, and has worked with athletes running distances from 60m to 10K, hurdlers, jumpers and even the occasional thrower. He has NCCP certification at Level 2 in all four event areas. He has served on team staff assignments at the Alberta Summer Games and the National Legion Camp. He has helped organize countless Calgary track meets, including not only the biggest ones but the smallest ones too. At most meets recently, since computerization came to the sport, Ed has been the glue that holds the phototiming and results systems together. Simply put, he’s a fixture on the Calgary track scene.
Coaching Philosophy:
“I truly believe that track and field is the greatest sport on earth. It’s full of challenges, nowhere else will you find the diversity and the depth that you find in Athletics. There is certainly something here for everyone. Working with the younger athletes in the club is extra special because I get a chance to help these kids (and their parents!) discover for themselves the power of sport. To me success is not measured by just who wins the race, it is also measured by who tries the hardest and who performs to the best of their ability. Track and field lends itself to the pursuit of personal goals better than any other sport. That’s why it’s so great; in our club everyone can be a winner!”
More about the Junior Development program and the philosophy behind it
Elisha Gordey- Junior Development
Elisha has been participating in the sport of track and field for over 15 years as both an athlete and a coach. She began her efforts as an athlete competing in a variety of events ranging from the throws to combined events. Now, as a coach, she spends the majority of her time helping young athletes develop their interests in the area of throws in the Caltaf Junior development group. Elisha is as keen a coach as she was an athlete.
During her years as a coach, Elisha was a team coach for Western Canada Summer Games 2003 and 2007, and Canada Summer Games Coach 2001 and 2005.
Elisha holds Bachelors Degrees in Kinesiology and Education, as well as Track and Field specific coaching certification as a Run, Jump, Throw Certified instructor, fully certified NCCP level one Track and Field, level three Throws and level two Sprints and Hurdles and partial NCCP certification in level two jumps and level two distance (technical and theory certifications).
Elisha enjoys seeing the excitement in an athlete’s eyes when they accomplish something great. It is the awe of what the human body can do.
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Jason Lindsay - Middle/Long distance Group
Jason Lindsay’s running career started with Calgary Track West in 1983 where he was an active middle distance runner in events ranging from 400m to 3000m Steeple Chase and 400m Hurdles. He began coaching in 1994 with Calgary Track West and moved to CALTAF in the fall of 1999.
In his fifteen plus years as a coach he has been a successful junior development and middle distances coach. Through his program Jason has had the good fortune and opportunity to work with some of the finest people. Since 2001, he and Christine Laverty have co-coached the CALTAF Distance group. Together, they have helped athletes achieve their goals and have encouraged and fostered their pursuit of excellence in athletics and academics.
Jason is a fully certified (N.C.C.P. Level 3) distance as well as sprints and hurdles coach. Additionally, he has a B.Sc. in Geography and a Masters of Teaching Degree from the University of Calgary and is employed with Calgary Arts Academy Society where is he is the Athletic Director.
Jason’s coaching career took him outside of the CALTAF ranks and was team and head coach for the 1995, 1997 and 1999 Alberta Summer Games. He was Team Alberta coach to the National Youth Championships, first in 1996 to Sherbrooke, PQ and then to Prince George, B.C. in 1998 and lastly in 1999 to Sudbury, Ont. Also in 1999 (Prince Albert, SK.) and 2003 (Selkirk, MB.), Jason was named as Distance coach to the Western Canada Summer Games. He added to this when he was named Distance coach to the 2005 Canada Summer Games in Regina, SK. In 2006, he was named, Development Coach of the Year and most recently, he was granted his first National Team assignment to the NACAC Championships in Cape Canaveral, Florida in March of 2009.
To say the least, Jason is an active member of the track and field community (outside of coaching). Locally, he created the #1 Athletics Series in Western Canada – the New Balance Athletics Series. Also, he co-founded in 1997 the Youth Athletics League – an introductory track and field league for youth. He was the Meet Director for the Provincial Cross Country Championships in 1998 to 2000 and also 2007. He served as Vice-President and President of the Calgary Track Council from 1996 to 2001. Provincially, Jason was a Member-At-Large of the Board of Directors for Athletics Alberta from 1997 to 2001 and since then has been the Vice-President of Programs. In 2000, he was the Meet Director for the National Youth Championships.
Jason believes that through balance, consistency, patience and hard work, personal growth is possible in all aspects of life.
“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. -Aristotle”
More about Christine and Jason’s program and their philosophy behind it
Lou Girardo - Junior Development
Lou is a wealth of experience in track and field with his 14 years of experience as an athlete in the Combined Events and most significantly the 400m hurdles. Lou began coaching with Caltaf in the fall of 2007 as a member of the Junior Development coaching staff. His has largely contributed in the area of hurdles.
Lou has his Level 1 NCCP certification and works to build a strong technical base in the sprint and hurdle events for the Junior Development athletes to work from both now and in the future.
Having learned much in his years as an athlete, Lou is eager to pass on as much as he can to this new generation of young athletes.
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Melissa Van Hal- Junior Development
Melissa Van Hal first became involved with Caltaf in 1999 as an athlete under the coaching of Kim Cousins (current power and speed coach with Caltaf). She competed in multi-events at the national level for 7 years and then returned to the club as a coach in 2007. She specialises in coaching high jump but has knowledge of a wide range of events given her background in heptathlon. Melissa believes the key to success in sport is to have fun doing it and hopes to convey this to her athletes. As well, she admires the strong sense of community within CALTAF.
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Robin Barclay - Junior Development
Robin was named the 2008 Alberta Junior Development Coach of the Year at the Athletics Alberta Awards Ceremony, which was held in Edmonton on 17th January 2009.
Robin Barclay first competed in track and field in high school back in the late 1960s, in events ranging from sprints and middle distance to high jump. In addition, she competed in many other high school sports including basketball, volleyball and badminton. In university, in the 1970s, she switched focus and competed for the Trent University fencing team. Upon graduation, she returned to her first love, running, and has been running now for over 30 years. She continues to compete in local road races.
Robin’s daughter, Laura, competed for CALTAF for six years, first in the Junior Development Group and then with Christine and Jason in middle and long distance. This has given Robin a good appreciation of a CALTAF parent’s perspective.
Robin enjoys sharing her passion for track and field with young athletes. Her focus is on teaching the fundamentals of the sport, while encouraging good work ethic and sportsmanship. She offers her athletes much positive reinforcement for effort and attitude, and stresses the idea that success involves much more than just where an athlete places in a race.
Robin joined CALTAF as a Junior Development Coach in January, 2006, and attends each of the group’s four weekly training sessions. She holds a level 1 National Coaching Certificate in Track and Field.
More about the Junior Development program and the philosophy behind it
