��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ becoming hub for elite athletes

trevor.kenney — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 22:09:08 +0000

With three Olympians and another athlete headed to the Paralympics, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will be extremely well represented in London. And rather than this occurrence being a blip on the radar, Horns Athletics track coach Larry Steinke (BA '94) says it is an emerging trend.

"We're a small community and I think in some ways that gives us a lot of positives in being able to support the athletes that are here," says Steinke, the Athletics Canada Throws coach who will also attend the London Olympics. "You don't get lost in the masses here as you would in some of the larger centres."

Jim Steacy and Heather Steacy will represent the U of L and Canada at the London Olympic Games.

The 1^st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness, coupled with the Community Sports Stadium and a developing sports medicine clinic make the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ a very attractive destination for aspiring athletes.

"We're a very unique facility, especially for the throwing events, where you just don't have this capability in the rest of Canada. Every day I have to remind our athletes that this is not able to be done everywhere else," he says, referring to individual training sessions twice per day and access to both indoor and outdoor facilities. "It really is becoming a destination place."

Jim (BASc '09) and Heather Steacy did not have to go far to access the U of L, they are Lethbridge products, but they understand how lucky they are to have the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ as their home base and Steinke as their coach.

"I can guarantee you I wouldn't be here if not for him," says Jim. "I would have tried to play basketball and been done university in five years and out in the work world by now. There is no way Heather and I would be here without him, he's hands down the best technical coach in North America for the throwing events."

His sister Heather echoes that sentiment, saying she was offered opportunities to train elsewhere but never wavered in her commitment to stay home.

"I never considered going to the United States for school because I wanted to stay with Larry and I couldn't have made a better choice," she says. "I have a lot of friends who took that route and trained with people who didn't have the knowledge base he has. I couldn't take that chance and I'm really grateful he's as patient as he is and willing to put in the hours he does, it's fantastic and I'm really excited he gets to come to London with us."

Steinke says that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has attracted a number of graduate athletes from DePaul ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, another from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Washington and still more from the Canadian Olympic Development Team. Liz Gleadle, a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia javelin thrower, took a year off from her studies to come to the U of L and train with Steinke.

"I needed to go somewhere with a more focused environment and a coach that could spend time with me full time," she says in advance of her first Olympic appearance. "I knew I wanted to make it to the Olympics and that I could make it happen here."

Steacy siblings triumph

trevor.kenney — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 21:02:28 +0000

Jim and Heather Steacy added to their impressive track resume this past weekend, winning both the men's and women's Canadian Senior hammer throw titles in Calgary.

Jim Steacy, a 2008 Olympian and former Pronghorns star, completed more than a year long road to recovery and claimed his seventh Canadian Senior title with a throw of 76.27 metres. Steacy missed the entire outdoor season with a pair of injuries that required surgeries to both legs.

Having achieved his second 'B' standard throw of the season at the Canadian Championships, Steacy has qualified for his second World Championships later this summer in Daegu, South Korea. Steacy finished 13th at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan. He is the Canadian record holder in the hammer throw with a distance of 79.13 metres.

"I am very happy to be at the level I am at after only four months of training," says Steacy. "To have qualified for the Worlds is a huge step along the path towards the London Olympics next year."

Heather Steacy, a four-time CIS medalist, earned her first Senior National title in Calgary beating out the Canadian record holder and former Olympian Sultana Frizell. Steacy edged out Frizell with a throw of 70.86 metres.

Her throw on Saturday was just shy of her personal best of 70.98 metres but was also her second 'B' standard of the season. It will now be up to Athletics Canada to decide if she will compete at the World Championships, as Frizell has achieved the 'A' standard, automatically qualifying her for the Worlds. If she does get named to the Canadian team it would be her first trip to the World Championships.

Both Jim and Heather will get a good test in Edmonton this week at the Edmonton International Track Classic. American Kibwe Johnson, who broke the 80-metre mark for the first time this season, will travel to Edmonton, while the second ranked female in the world, Kathrin Klaas of Germany, will also compete in Edmonton. Johnson has the second furthest throw this season in the world with a mark of 80.31 metres.

The World Championships will run August 27th to September 4th in Daegu, South Korea.

UNews - the London Olympics

��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ becoming hub for elite athletes

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Steacy siblings triumph

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��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ becoming hub for elite athletes