UNews - Ilsa Wong

Trinh assumes head coaching role, drops interim tag

trevor.kenney — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 16:41:12 +0000

Fred Trinh has had the interim tag removed from his title and will lead the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women’s soccer program moving forward. Longtime former head coach Ilsa Wong will remain with the program and move into an assistant coach's role.

“I am very pleased that both Fred and Ilsa have renewed their commitment to our program,” says Sport and Recreation Executive Director Ken McInnes. “Their leadership, and the removal of the interim coach title for Fred, will bring much needed stability to the program. Fred and Ilsa’s hard work and passion for the sport is clear and they have been instrumental in the development of women's soccer here at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.”

Last season under Trinh’s guidance as the interim head coach, the Horns went 2-9-3 and made their first playoff appearance since 2007. The club lost a one-game playoff to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan.

“It is with great joy that I am named head coach moving forward,” says Trinh. “Not only do I get to work with a great group of players and coaches (Gui Costa, Layne Hamilton, Jesse Dyck, Jared Evans and Chris Tuck) but we also get to welcome Ilsa Wong back as assistant coach after a year away from the sidelines.”

“In my opinion the real winners are the student-athletes as they gain the wisdom and experience of two excellent coaches,” adds McInnes. “I am looking forward to watching the coaching staff and athletes build on their quarter-final playoff appearance of last year.”

Trinh, a long standing member of the southern Alberta soccer community, holds a CSA National B license and in addition to his longtime role with the Pronghorns, he has been the head coach for the Sunny South District Soccer Association and led the Coaldale Thunder U10 team.

Trinh has also served as Learning Facilitator for the Alberta Soccer Association. Learning Facilitators (LF) play a key role in the LTPD Coaching Pathway. The LF takes on the responsibility for training and developing coaches who are looking to enhance their own individual experience and qualifications through formal training and certification programs.

Prior to last season, Wong decided to take a step back from the program after 15 seasons as head coach. The Horns made two playoff appearances during her 15 seasons at the helm of the program, with the last being in 2007 when the club lost in the Canada West quarter-final. Wong was also named the Canada West coach of the year that season.

“Ilsa will be a welcomed addition to our day-to-day coaching staff as she brings a great deal of experience," says Trinh.

The Horns will open training camp for the 2016 season in early August and the 2016 season will commence in early September. The finalized 2016 Canada West schedule will be announced in June.

Horns coaches to Go Shoeless for Right To Play

trevor.kenney — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 21:40:27 +0000

Whether it's a frozen hockey rink, cold outdoor stadium or chilly basketball court — it doesn't matter: All the coaches of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorn Athletics teams will be barefoot this weekend to support Right To Play’s ‘Go Shoeless’ campaign.

The Pronghorn Athletics group is part of a national effort involving 12 universities, seven high schools and two community initiatives. They have committed to going shoeless to raise awareness and funds to benefit Right To Play’s worldwide work, and to highlight the critical importance of access to safe play spaces and equipment for children’s education and development.

At home this weekend, men’s soccer head coach Randy Bardock and his entire coaching staff will coach without shoes on Saturday, Sept. 28 as their team takes on the Mount Royal ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Cougars.

“It’s a fantastic initiative and I feel that we, as coaches at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ level, need to do all we can to raise awareness for this program,” says Bardock. “I am proud to be involved in such a worthwhile endeavour.”

Kick-off for both Saturday and Sunday’s game is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Community Sports Stadium.

During the National Female Hockey Challenge being hosted in Lethbridge this weekend, head coach Chandy Kaip will go shoeless as she coaches the Horns during Saturday’s game versus Ryerson Polytechnic ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

On the road this weekend, women’s soccer head coach Ilsa Wong and assistant coach Fred Trinh will go shoeless for Saturday’s game versus the Saskatchewan Huskies in Saskatoon.

While Horns women's basketball has yet to enter its competitive season, women’s head coach Erin McAleenan and assistant coach Claire Meadows will be involved in the initiative on Saturday during their Junior ‘Horns Clinic.

Founded in Canada in 2000, Right To Play is a global organization that uses the transformative power of play to educate and empower children facing adversity. More than 13,500 local volunteer coaches lead Right To Play’s regular weekly sport and play programming, which reach one million children across more than 20 countries.

Visit the Right to Play website for additional information.

Horns coaches represent at Canada Games

trevor.kenney — Tue, 06 Aug 2013 16:19:28 +0000

After leading their respective teams through the grind of a Canada West season, two ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's coaches have had an equally busy spring and summer coaching Team Alberta's soccer and basketball squads at the Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Que.

Long-time women's soccer head coach Ilsa Wong is leading the Team Alberta U17 female soccer team in Sherbrooke. It is her first time representing Alberta at the Canada Summer Games, having previously represented Team Alberta at the 2007 Western Canada Games.

"We have a very strong squad with nine players from south of Red Deer and nine players from northern Alberta, but our toughest competition will be Quebec, BC, and Ontario," says Wong.

Following the completion of her first season with the Pronghorns women's basketball program, Erin McAleenan is back with the provincial program this summer. McAleenan was the head coach of Alberta's U17 team last summer and will lead the same age group in Sherbrooke.

McAleenan's squad is situated in pool C and faces Quebec and BC during pool play with the quarter-finals starting Aug. 14.

For more information and game results visit http://www.jeuxducanada2013.ca/en/

Horns coaches support Right To Play

trevor.kenney — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 16:29:44 +0000

This weekend, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorn coaches will join coaches from across Canada who are going shoeless to raise awareness and funds for Right To Play, an international organization that uses the power of sport and play to teach life skills and improve health.

Horns coachesare proud to support Right To Play this season by going shoeless to recognize children around the world who do not have access to sports and proper sporting equipment.

Women's soccer head coach Ilsa Wong will go shoeless for Saturday's game at home versus the Calgary Dinos, and has already raised $420 to donate to the Right to Play cause. Similarly, women's rugby coach Neil Langevin will also go shoeless Saturday in Calgary and has raised $230.

In Prince George on Sunday, men's soccer head coach Randy Bardock and assistant coach Daryl Moore will coach without shoes versus the Timberwolves. During the National Female Hockey Challenge being hosted in Lethbridge this weekend, Horns hea coach Chandy Kaip will go shoeless during Saturday's game versus Queen's ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

While Horns basketball has yet to enter its competitive season, both head coaches will be involved in the initiative Friday afternoon during regular scheduled practice time with the men's basketball team holding a intra-squad game at 4:30 p.m.

Right To Play is a global organization that uses the transformative power of play to educate and empower children facing adversity in more than 20 countries. A pioneer in its field, Right To Play uses sport and play as tools to build essential life skills and create social change, impacting 835,000 children each week. Programming in Canada includes the enhancement of education in priority schools, and the Promoting Life-skills in Aboriginal Youth (PLAY) program in Northern Ontario. Founded in 2000 by four-time Olympic gold medalist and social entrepreneur Johann Olav Koss, their programs are facilitated by nearly 12,000 volunteers.

Right to Play is expected to announce that more than 20 universities across the country and 40 coachesare joining the U of L in going shoeless.

It only takes $50 to enroll a child in weekly Right to Play programs for an entire year. If you would like to make a donation in honour of the Pronghorn coaches, visit this link to see our page and donate.

Scandinavian tour an eye opener for Horns

trevor.kenney — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 21:43:27 +0000

Scandinavia Tour 2011 – call it an applied study course for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's soccer program.

The Horns just recently returned from a 10-day trip through Denmark and Sweden, an invaluable experience of exhibition matches, training opportunities and sight-seeing trips that they expect will reap dividends once the ball is again kicked closer to home this fall.

"It was phenomenal," says Horns head coach Ilsa Wong. "We had the opportunity to see some top level professional women's soccer in Sweden, and for our girls to watch that level of play, I think it was a real wow moment for them. It was great for me to see their response to that incredible level of soccer."

Kathy Curtis, left, Janelle Groten, middle, and Jaclyn Groten atop the Spire on a cathedral in Denmark.

The tour offered the Horns three exhibition matches. They won the first, 5-1, over a 2nd division Swedish professional team, and lost the next two, including a 6-0 shutout at the hands of the Danish national U18 champions and a 3-1 decision to a Danish professional team's scout squad.

"It was a much better experience than the tour we had three years ago in England," says Wong. "It was a good level of soccer for them and nothing really outside of the level they'd participate in here in Canada. They were definitely challenged, especially against the youth squad. It's funny, to see them
before the game, they are just these skinny little blond girls and then they get on the field and all of a sudden they are these tough, fast amazing players. It was a very good experience."

That, in essence, was the goal of the trip, to give the Horns an experience they couldn't find here in Canada. It opened their minds to new ideas and new possibilities.

"It was quite eye opening to see the way they coach versus the way we're coached here," says Horns captain Kathy Curtis, who also took part in the English tour. "Then playing against the junior national team, some of them were 14 years old and they were so good. It was really neat to see that level of play in such a young team. These girls probably could have taken down any team in CIS."

Wong says that many of the girls came away with a new appreciation for their sport, and it raises the bar on their expectation level for what can be achieved.

"Seeing how other countries play your sport and the passion they have for it is invaluable," she says. "I think sometimes we can get complacent in thinking that post-secondary sport is something you just do as an activity. If we can show some of these student athletes that it's a way of life for some people, it raises the standard for them."

The Horns planned and fundraised for the excursion for the last two-plus years. They served as bleacher cleaners at Pronghorns home basketball games, provided the labour for the Books on Beds program offered by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Bookstore, sold scarves, ran booster club events and participated in Operation Red Nose.

For Curtis, a defender, she says the experience pushed her to a new level and she could see the rest of the team raise its play simply by virtue of trying to keep up to the competition.

"Playing the whole 90 minutes against a team the calibre of the junior national team really pushes you, but that's good. I always find my best games are when you're playing the best teams. I could see in the rest of the girls, that was like a light bulb that went off."

The only downside to the trip is that it couldn't be scheduled before the start of the Canada West season.

"We'd really love to bring a lot of that back and use it for next year but it's hard because now we have a break and we're not back again until the fall," says Curtis. "It'd be nice to go on that trip in July, get that experience and then go right into the season."

GET THE FACTS

• The tour took the club through Copenhagen and Kolding in Denmark, as well as Malmo, Sweden. The team visited castles and was able to dip their toes in the water at the Skagen Odde, where the Kattegat and the Skagerak seas meet.

• The Horns were able to train at the FCN Academy in Copenhagen. The professional men's team boasts Canadian star Patrice Bernier.

• Wong says the program offers an international trip every three years, something that serves as a strong recruiting tool. "The fact we do it every three years means players will get an opportunity to participate at least once if not more, and in a way it sort of shows them where some of their fundraising dollars go."

• A total of 26 people were on the trip, including some parents. Soon, they will begin planning their next excursion in 2014.

This story first appeared in the Legend. For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

U of L Long Service Awards

trevor.kenney — Fri, 07 May 2010 22:02:22 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is holding its annual Long Service Awards and Retirement Recognition Ceremony on Wednesday, May 5, at 1 p.m. in the Students' Union ballrooms. A total of 116 employees who have completed 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 years of service will be honoured, along with 20 retiring employees.

Following is a list of honoured employees.

Retirees

Hart Cantelon, Adrian Cooke, Hank DeRidder, Linda Gray, Rose Helmer, Bill Hennessy, Randy Joseph, Dave Kunimoto, Toni Nelson, Rita Nieuwenhuis, Fran Olivier, Joanne Overn, Frank Perrotta, Ralph Pollock, Kent Rolfson, Gloria Samuels, Jonathan Seldin, Dennis Thompson, Frank VandenHeuvel and Hafizah Yahya

Long Service Recipients

35 Years | Reg Bibby, Merle Christie, Richard Epp, Christina Lastuka, Leroy Little Bear and Ian Wells

30 Years | Lynn Arnold, Leslie Lavers and Timothy Pope

25 Years | Donna Court, Marion Eastman, Rita Law, Jennifer Mather, Ralph Pollock, Leslie Robison-Greene, Pamela Loewen and Charlene Sawatsky

20 Years | Scott Allen, Pat Anderson, Steve Calvert, Garth Copeland, Leslie Dawn, Karen Dow-Cazal, Barbara Dudley, Linda Embury, Kim Fowler, Rumi Graham, Ruth Grant Kalischuk, Linda Gray, Anthony Hall, Wendy Herbers, Pat Hodd, Shelly Hutchinson, Leona Jacobs, Tom Johnston, Cindy Kabelka, Stella Kedoin, Hadi Kharaghani, Al Kizuk, Vern Leckie, Patti Leeb, James McDowell, Ken McInnes, Mike McKenna, Glen Montgomery, Jane O'Dea, Fran Olivier, Joanne Overn, Debbie Payne, Margaret Rodermond, Catherine Ross, David Siminovitch, Jackie Slezina, Dan Sudo, Darlene Sutherland, Julie Tran, Nancy Walker, Wendy Westergreen and Pamela Winsor

15 Years | Nola Aitken, Heather Anderson, Katherine Chiste, Fred Del Cid, Susanne Garner, Linda Gilbert, Al Hill, Rebecca Johnson, Lyn Jose, Catherine Kanashiro, Terry Kirkvold, Marc Roussel,and Lorne Williams

10 Years | Amir Akbary-Majdabadno, Debra Basil, Michael Basil, Jasminn Berteotti, Brian Black, Jodie Black, Bill Cade, Jane Cahoon, Steve Craig, Brian Dobing, Anne Dymond, Richard Feenstra, James Graham, Arlene Grimes, Thelma Gunn, Erika Hasebe-Ludt, David Hay, Lynn Hopkins, Gordon Hunter, Tanya Jacobson-Gundlock, Mary Kavanagh, Dan Kazakoff, Abdie Kazemipur, Stefan Kienzle, Danny Le Roy, Becky Lore, Heidi MacDonald, Kevin Matis, Muriel Mellow, Richard Mueller, Brenda Nixon, Sam Ogita, Gail Postman, Drew Rendall, Kelly Roberts, Gongbing Shan, Kim Skura, Heather Stevens, Trent Takeyasu, Gwen Umeris, Paul Vasey, Cindy Venhuis, Mike Whipple, Ilsa Wong and Wei Xu

Celebrate Long Service Awards

trevor.kenney — Wed, 05 May 2010 17:01:14 +0000

Following is a list of honoured employees.

Retirees

Long Service Recipients

35 Years | Reg Bibby, Merle Christie, Richard Epp, Christina Lastuka, Leroy Little Bear and Ian Wells

30 Years | Lynn Arnold, Leslie Lavers and Timothy Pope

25 Years | Donna Court, Marion Eastman, Rita Law, Jennifer Mather, Ralph Pollock, Leslie Robison-Greene, Pamela Loewen and Charlene Sawatsky

Horns women's soccer adds two recruits

trevor.kenney — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:53:45 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorn Women's Soccer program has landed a pair of local products as it looks to strengthen its defensive posture for the 2010 Canada West soccer season.

Defenders Shannon Clark and Keagan Moch will join the Horns in the fall.

Clark, a multi-sport athlete growing up, committed solely to soccer at the age of 16 and has already played at the Alberta Major Soccer League (AMSL) level with the Lethbridge Football Club. She is also an exceptional student, receiving honours throughout her schooling.

"Our program has coveted Shannon for a long time now. She is a reliable, tough, stay-at-home defender who will present a challenge for those looking to advance the ball," says Horns head coach Ilsa Wong. "Shannon has a wonderful work ethic that puts her in a position to see valuable minutes in her first year; we look forward to seeing the impact that she will have on this program."

Also a product of the Lethbridge Football Club, Moch worked her way up through the Lethbridge club system, starting as a striker before moving back through the midfield to her current defender position.

"Keegan is another Lethbridge Football Club defender that has the potential to immediately step into the CIS game," says Wong. "She has composure on the ball and can counter-attack when the opportunity arises. Keegan will reinforce the strengths we have along the defensive line and has the potential to add depth in the midfield as well."

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge women's soccer program will host its annual Identification Session on Sunday, Apr. 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the U of L campus. All interested players should contact Wong (403-329-2232 or ilsa.wong@uleth.ca). Training camp for the 2010 season will open Aug. 23.

UNews - Ilsa Wong

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