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For years, Calgary, Canada’s fourth-largest metropolis, lacked an elite middle-distance observe and subject program. Deon Flynn knew there was a void, and left his function as a coach with the Southern Alberta Institute of Expertise (SAIT) for a possibility with the Calgary Spartans.
Working has at all times been an necessary a part of Flynn’s life. He ran for Memorial College in St. Johns, N.L., and obtained into teaching naturally after he graduated and moved to Alberta 20 years in the past.
Whereas elevating a household in Fort McMurray, he took on native teaching alternatives locally, serving to as a working coach for a aggressive triathlon membership for 4 years from 2010 to 2013, earlier than he took on an assistant teaching function at Calgary’s SAIT in 2014. “Working has at all times given me a way of freedom, and training has offered me the chance to share my love and fervour for the game with different athletes,” says Flynn.
When Flynn began with the Spartans 5 years in the past, he solely had one athlete. Now he coaches greater than 30 middle-distance athletes and three of the top-ranked U18 feminine middle-distance runners in Canada: Mandeep Sangha, Sorcha Shiu and Charlotte Sinke.
The trio of feminine athletes led all Canadian U18s from 600m to 1,500m indoors. Shiu has private bests of two:08 for 800m and a couple of:46 for the 1,000m, which helped her earn a observe and subject scholarship to the College of Arizona. And Sangha, who has a 1,500m better of 4:26.92, additionally ran three private bests over the 2023 indoor season, receiving a scholarship to the College of Oklahoma for Monitor and XC.
Flynn says he didn’t anticipate the membership to develop this shortly, however now they attract younger middle-distance runners from everywhere in the province.
Shiu joined the crew in August 2022, drawn to the crew by Coach Flynn’s capacity to foster development in his athletes. “I recognize his consideration to element, and the way he at all times has a constructive outlook on issues,” says Shiu. “I really feel I’m studying a lot from every coaching session, and having fun with the method.”
Shiu says the mixture of onerous work and Coach Flynn’s data has helped her problem herself and enhance her psychological resilience. “Coach Flynn and I consider that being constant and specializing in the little issues could make a distinction over the long run,” says Shiu.
Though Coach Flynn voices that he’s at all times considering long-term, Shiu has aspirations of touchdown on the rostrum at this summer season’s U20 Canadian Monitor and Discipline Championships in Langley, B.C. “Subsequent yr is World Juniors, and I’d like to get the chance to earn a spot and qualify for my first nationwide crew,” says Shiu.
After 30+ years within the sport, Flynn nonetheless considers himself a lifetime learner and says that teaching permits him to do this–continue to learn. “Each athlete has completely different strengths and weaknesses,” says Flynn. “It’s my job to design particular coaching round your strengths to develop your weaknesses.”
These girls are simply three of many standout athletes within the Spartans’ middle-distance program. The group additionally has many younger athletes representing U Sports activities Monitor and XC groups throughout Canada.
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