UNews - George Gemer

Alumnus Linder carving out niche as Olympic host team coach

trevor.kenney — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 17:12:01 +0000

Alumnus Florian Linder (BSc ’00) has carved out quite a reputation in the international bobsleigh community. For the third consecutive Olympics he will serve as a technical coach for the host nation’s bobsleigh programs – this time the South Korean contingent. One might even call him a sled whisperer.

“This will be my third host nation, which is a fairly unique experience,” he laughs. “We’ve been successful as host nation coaches so far and I have high expectations for this team as well.”

Florian Linder works with the Korean team on start technique.

How a Lethbridge College instructor, and former kinesiology student and sprinter on the Horns track and field team, assumed the role of technical guru for Canadian, Russian and now South Korean bobsleigh programs is a tale of seizing opportunity. At no point during his U of L educational journey did Linder foresee such a future, and it wasn’t until years after graduation that he specifically applied his acquired kinesiology knowledge. Nonetheless, his time at the U of L set the foundation for everything that would follow.

“I really enjoyed my time here and my time with the track team. Larry (Steinke) and George (Gemer) gave me the base through which I was able to go into bobsleigh, so it all started here and gave me quite an experience,” he says.

Upon graduation, Linder still had hopes of running track at the highest level, so he moved to Calgary to continue training. He took jobs as a personal trainer and worked on his dream. A year later, he got his break, but rather than it being on the track, it came from a bobsled coach who spotted him at a shared indoor training facility. They talked off and on for the next year before Linder agreed to take part in a bobsled testing camp in the summer of 2002.

“I did fairly well, I guess, because I got picked up by the national team and competed for Canada for the next four years,” says Linder.

Racing in both two- and four-man events, Linder travelled the world as a bobsled athlete, culminating with his inclusion on Canada’s 2006 Turin Olympic Team. Following Turin, he retired from competing, but a year later he was back, this time as an intern technical coach with Bobsleigh Canada.

He coached for the next four years, taking Canada through the 2010 Vancouver Olympics before again leaving the sport. His sojourn was brief though as he was summoned out of retirement by a good friend, Canadian bobsleigh legend Pierre Leuders. The most decorated driver in Canadian bobsleigh history, Leuders had been approached by the Russian Olympic Federation to coach their bobsleigh team in preparation for the Sochi Olympics. Linder signed on and then repeated the cycle with Leuders for 2018 and Pyeongchang, joining the Korean contingent in May 2017.

Linder’s expertise comes from his sprinting background and his responsibility is the explosive start of each race.

Linder, pictured here far left, represented Canada at the 2006 Turin Olympics.

“I’m a technical starts coach and performance analyst, so I’m responsible for the first 60 metres, the actual push,” he says, adding he was enthused to apply his kinesiology education when he got into coaching. “I work with them on push technique, how they get into the sled and how they sit. I also do some sprint training with them and then analyze the data of the group going down the track, their acceleration and deceleration, and where we can find time for them throughout the run.”

Over the years, Linder also worked with Swiss luxury watch giant Omega, which operates virtually all the timing mechanisms in high-level sport. He helped develop data boxes, currently implanted on every bobsled, that track a litany of measurements that allow coaches to analyze how a sled moves down a track.

He readily admits that bobsleigh is not for everyone and he didn’t exactly fall in love with the sport his first few times in a sled.

“I remember getting out at the bottom of my first run and I didn’t know what happened,” says Linder. “I still have a hard time describing to someone what it’s like because there really isn’t anything to compare it to.”

He says the fear factor is real and something that motivates athletes to stay focused.

“The danger is always in the back of your mind. You never know when you might crash, accidents do happen and you have to have respect for the sport,” he says. “All the athletes respect what they are doing. It’s when you think it’s easy and it gets routine, that things can go wrong, and it’s not pleasant.”

Still, the sport has shaped virtually every aspect of his life. He met his wife Jill, the 2002 Salt Lake City two-woman Olympic bobsleigh gold medalist, through the sport and together they have two children, Bergen (six) and Anelise (five). They moved to Lethbridge in 2014 following Linder’s second retirement. He’s been an instructor in exercise science and physical education at Lethbridge College since.

Having just turned 40, Linder says he’s always open for future coaching appointments should they arise. He’s excited about Korea’s chances, despite the country being relatively new to bobsleigh.

“They’ve been fairly strong the last couple years and I have high expectations for them,” he says. “To be honest, I wouldn’t have taken the position if they weren’t going to do well. For me, the Olympics aren’t about just going to compete, it’s about doing well on the biggest stage.”

He’ll then return home with more Olympic memories tucked away, all the result of seizing an opportunity and making the most of an experience.

U of L celebrates Fall 2011 Convocation

trevor.kenney — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 20:05:04 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Fall 2011 Convocation ceremony takes place Saturday, Oct. 15 in the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness, beginning at 10 a.m.

Among the honoured guests at this ceremony are the 358 graduands eligible to convocate, along with Honorary Degree recipients George Gemer and Dr. John Kloppenburg and Alumnus of the Year Michael Miltenberger. Admission is free and the public is welcome to attend.

Convocation will be streamed live on the internet for those not able to attend the ceremony. View a live webcast of all convocation ceremonies by following this link to the Convocation website. The web link is live approximately 10 minutes prior to the ceremony.

Following are brief biographies of our special honourees.

Dr. George Gemer, Doctor of Laws, honoris causa

A well-known Lethbridge track and field and fencing coach, Gemer is also an author and survivor of Second World War prisoner of war camps who fled Hungary for Canada in 1956. Gemer has coached and officiated at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and other world-class sporting events while retaining close ties to the Hungarian community in Lethbridge and beyond.

Read George Gemer's full Honorary Degree citation at this website.

Dr. John Kloppenborg, Doctor of Arts, honoris causa

A ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge graduate (BA '74), he is a professor and Chair at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto's Department and Centre for the Study of Religion. Kloppenborg is well-known as a researcher of the origins and sources of early Christian texts such as the Q document, a lost book of the New Testament.

Read Dr Kloppenborg's full Honorary Degree citation at this website.

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AWARDS DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR HONOUR

Michael Miltenberger, (BA '75) Alumnus of the Year

J. Michael Miltenberger is the MLA for Thebacha, NWT, Deputy Premier and environmental advocate. He has been described as a northern visionary and a protector of northern values. His clear and thought-provoking approach has significantly impacted a variety of projects in areas ranging from health services to wildlife and endangered species.

Read Michael Miltenberger's complete Distinguished Alumnus of the Year citation at this website.

First MMus graduate -- Acacia Doktorchik (BMus '09 distinction, MMus '11)

The U of L will also welcome the first graduate of a Master of Music program. Acacia Doktorchik has performed as a soprano soloist in Handel's Messiah and Bach's Magnificat with the Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra, as well as being an accomplished pianist, cellist, and Celtic and Highland Dancer. She is currently teaching in Medicine Hat, Alta.

Read more about Acacia at this website.

Honorary Degree nomination deadline approaching

trevor.kenney — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:13:48 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Senate is collecting nominations for the Spring and Fall 2012 Honorary Degrees, and is appealing to southern Alberta community groups to nominate individuals who have made a local, regional or worldwide impact on society.

"Our honorary degrees act as a mirror. We're looking to show the face of the region, the nation and the international community by honoring the best of what people give to their fellow human beings," says Alex Hann, Chair of the Honorary Degree Search Committee.

"Our recipients are those people who work hard to make a difference, through involvement in the community and charitable organizations. These extraordinary individuals are a vital part of the convocation process, as they celebrate alongside our own graduands and show them what is possible for those who seek to make the world a better place."

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ will honour two individuals at the Fall Convocation ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 15. They are from vastly different walks of life, but share a common interest in helping people.

Dr. John Kloppenborg, who works on the origins of Gospel narratives in the New Testament, has fundamentally reshaped New Testament studies and the history of early Christianity. He will be honoured along with Lethbridge resident George Gemer, who survived World War II prisoner of war camps to become a skilled draftsman and internationally acclaimed track and field coach and official.

To be eligible for Spring and Fall 2012 Convocations, nominations must be received by Nov. 1, 2011 at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Senate Office (A767), 4401 ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Drive, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 3M4.

To obtain a nomination form, please call the Senate Office at 403-329-2482.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Senate selects recipients from nominations provided by members of the general public and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community. The Senate is empowered to confer honorary degrees by the Universities Act of Alberta.

Additional information is available at the Senate website: http://www.uleth.ca/sen

Senate selects honorary degree group

trevor.kenney — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:17:51 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Senate has confirmed six deserving individuals to receive an Honorary Degree at Convocation ceremonies taking place in the spring and fall. Following are short biographical sketches of this year's honorees.

Maude Barlow
Barlow is a widely published author, leader in the International Water Justice Movement, senior advisor on water to the 63rd president of the United Nations General Assembly and the founding member and national chairperson of the Council of Canadians.

Clint Dunford
Dunford is a business consultant and four-term member of the Alberta Legislature (Lethbridge West) who was instrumental in the creation and launch of Campus Alberta and WorkSafe Alberta, among other initiatives. A cancer survivor, Dunford served as the honorary chairman of the Canadian Cancer Society's Walk for Life.

George Gemer
A well-known Lethbridge track and field and fencing coach, Gemer is also an author and survivor of Second World War prisoner of war camps who fled Hungary for Canada in 1956. Gemer has coached and officiated at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and other world-class sporting events while retaining close ties to the Hungarian community in Lethbridge and beyond.

John Kloppenborg
A ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge graduate (1974), he is a professor and Chair at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto's Department and Centre for the Study of Religion. Kloppenborg is well-known as a researcher of the origins and sources of early Christian texts such as the Q document, a lost book of the New Testament.

Kim Phuc
Phuc is a noted humanitarian and subject of the famous photograph of a young Vietnamese girl fleeing her village after a horrific napalm attack. Phuc founded the Kim Phuc Foundation and is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for a Culture of Peace.

Gordon Semenoff
A Pincher Creek-born theoretical physicist, Semenoff is a professor of physics at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia. He was the 2010 Bertram Brockhouse medal winner and is a renowned expert on quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, statistical mechanics and string theory.

For a look at the March issue of the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

UNews - George Gemer

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