2008 in Review

Junior Development

Track & Field 
2008 was another spectacular year for VOC junior development athletes!  Our JDs won 155 medals including 53 gold.  The impressive medal haul was led by Stephanie Cho (31 medals), Megan Picken (18 medals), Katherine Tourigny (16medals) and Heather LePard (15 medals).  Our JDs competed in eight track and field meets this year including the Jack Brow in Kelowna and the JD Championships in Nanaimo. 

VOC owns two B.C. records!  Number one in B.C. are Megan Picken for her age in 60mH and Katherine Tourigny for 300mH. 

Four VOC athletes achieved Top Ten B.C. Records.  At this year’s B.C. Athletics JD Awards ceremony held in October, Stephanie Cho received four awards and Katherine Tourigny received three:  Stephanie for 60mH, 60m, 200mH, and 1500m and Katherine for 300mH, 400m, and Pentathlon.  Megan Picken received an award for her 60mH performance and Sophia Pauls received an award for 60m.  Vancouver Olympic Club was again a top club with its nine JD awards.  Honourable mention goes to Roderick Moy for making the TJ award standard but due to a technicality, did not receive an award. 

Nineteen of our athletes received B.C. Athletics Achievement Crests for their 2008 track and field accomplishments.  Gold crests go to Stephanie Cho, Heather LePard, Megan and Ryan Picken, Katherine Tourigny, Jessica Hanson, Sophia Pauls, Cassie Cannon, Roderick Moy, Kristen Miller, Lillian Fu, and Sophie Dodd.  Silver level crests go to Samantha Cho, Brooke Cannon, Siena Teti, and Jessica Siu.  Bronze crests were earned by Alexa Krouger, Julia Renier-Smith, and Yonden Goparma.  

 
Cross Country
Our athletes competed in the five cross country races this fall that comprised the B.C. Championship Cross Country Series.  An athlete’s top three races are used for scoring.  Again, VOC shone!  Winning the series gold for their age categories are Stephanie Cho and Cassie Cannon.   Samantha Cho, Jessica Hanson, and Thomas Nobbs took the series bronze with Jessica winning the B.C. Championship race.   Other VOC athletes with impressive series results were Madeleine Pringle (4th) and Heather Berringer (6th).

Congratulations to all our young VOC athletes who competed this year! 

The Vancouver Olympic Club Junior Development athletes are coached by Besnik and Tatjana Mece.

Senior Athletes

Despite the dwindling number of VOC athletes this year, our athletes managed to score some significant successes. We were represented at the Senior National Championships in Windsor by Ira Thompson and Zaria Stoffman , both of whom performed commendably. Zaria, in her first year as a senior athlete, made the final in the 100 m Hurdles, and placed seventh in a time of 14.67, behind eventual Olympic bronze medallist, Priscilla Lopes. Earlier in the year she had recorded a personal best of 14.59.  Ira made the semi-final of the 200m in a personal best time of 21.72, ending up 12th overall.

Our other athletes Adam Street, Greg Hatswell, and Janessa Chin Aleong also performed creditably, with the latter winning a bronze medal while recording a personal best of 25.30 in the 200m of the BC Championships in Kamloops.

The Vancouver Olympic Club Senior athletes are coached by Richard Hillson.