2022 Royal City Track & Field Club Awards Night Banquet & AGM

Dress to celebrate!

Huge huge Congratulations to all the Athletes and Coaches on a season full of accomplishments, including personal and team wins as well as personal best achievements.

Friday December 2nd
6:00 pm to 9:00 PM
Sapperton Pensioners Hall, 318 Keary Street, New Westminster
No cost to attendees
Tickets are for Athletes and one guest

Link to Book Tickets:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rctfc-banquet-agm-tickets-450694849427 

Banquet Volunteers!

Huge huge Congratulations to all the Athletes and Coaches on a season full of accomplishments, including personal and team wins as well as personal best achievements.

RCTFC Board of Directors

The club is currently in need of a few more helping hands on the Board. Please email communications@royalcitytrack.ca for more information or to put your name forward. It is essential we have enough Board volunteers to help run the Club.

There are roles available on the Executive such as Secretary & Communications.

If you cannot commit to a specific position, consider joining as a “Member at Large” for assisting current members with activities throughout the season. We have a great group of Athletes and Coaches and we need to have a voice to best support them.

BANQUET & AGM

Due to the capacity of the banquet room, JD athletes and Senior Athletes can each bring one parent or guest with them to the Banquet. Dinner included.

AGM will occur part-way through the evening’s program

Please RSVP to this invitation so we can plan for food and numbers!

GIFTS FOR COACHES 

Several years ago many of our clubs families asked about donating to a year end group gift for our coaches who are all volunteers.  We are fortunate to have one of the largest contingents of volunteer coaches in the province which is what allows us to keep our fees so low, the lowest of any lower mainland club. Our coaches all enjoy wine so we started a tradition of collecting cash donations from our families towards wine purchase for our coaches which we present at the awards banquet to them.   

We greatly appreciate any donations towards this gift. If you are interested in contributing please let us know. Drop-off arrangements can be made with RCTFC Board Member Celina Wong, or funds transferred to celina.w2@gmail.com.  

THANK YOU !

If you have any questions at all, feel free to email communications@royalcitytrack.ca

RCTFC is very proud of all of you!

All the best as you embark on winter training for your 2023 Competition Season!

Winter Training (14+ years old)
There will be winter training for Athletes 14 + in throws, pole vault and sprint. Email the following coaches to express interest and to find out more: 

cristina@royalcitytrack.ca (pole vault)
kevin@royalcitytrack.ca (throws)
my.yo.fit@gmail.com (sprints)

Cross country season
Cross country is on hiatus for 2022 due to shortage of available volunteer coaches.

Please email cristina@royalcitytrack.ca if you are interested in learning about becoming a coach. 

It is with great sadness, but also incredible admiration and respect, that we acknowledge the loss of Don Steen, a man recognized for his talents as an athlete, coach and builder of BC’s and Canada’s sport community. Don passed away peacefully at home with his wife Courtney at his side on the morning of July 25th, 2022. A consummate planner, Don somehow managed to schedule his departure from this world the day after the closing of the World Athletics Championships held at Hayward Field at his alma mater, the University of Oregon. He was 87 years young. Don last coached at the Royal City Track and Field Club until his retirement.

A lifelong resident of BC, Don grew up in Vancouver, but has been a resident of Burnaby since he was 17. In high school, Don was a standout track and field, rugby and basketball player, claiming he hid his schoolbooks in the family’s washing machine so he could tell his parents he had no homework and spend more time doing sports. He snuck into UBC’s War Memorial gym to practise shooting hoops so often the janitors finally gave up on telling him he wasn’t supposed to be there. That fierce commitment to excellence and persistence would be a lifelong trait of Don’s and more than a few people have heard him say “Don’t tell me why we can’t. I want to know how we can.”

Don helped Burnaby South win the 1953 High School Championships and was named a tournament MVP. Don turned down a basketball scholarship to the University of Washington to accept a track and field scholarship at the University of Oregon as a decathlete. Coached by Bill Bowerman and a teammate of Phil Knight, the co-founders of Nike, Don achieved All-American status and remained a proud Duck throughout his life.

In 1956, Don qualified for the Melbourne Olympic Games, but was unable to attend when Canada decided to only send four sprinters who could compete in both individual and relay events. In 1972, Don attended the Munich Olympic Games as one of three track and field coaches for Canada.

After completing his degree, Don returned to Burnaby South as a science and PE teacher, but his true passion was coaching wrestling and track and field. Deciding his high school track team needed a way to take advantage of summer training and competitions, he founded the Burnaby Striders Track and Field Club in 1958 and acted as the club’s head coach for the next twenty years. During this time, the club averaged more than 100 athletes per year and was Canada’s strongest club for athletes aged 16-18.

Under Don’s direction, Burnaby Striders produced numerous provincial, national and international competitors including Olympians Ian Gordon (400m) and David Steen Junior (decathlon), Commonwealth Games medallists, Allan Kane (pole vault) and David Steen Senior (shot put). Other notable Striders athletes that went to contribute to sport were individuals such as sport medicine doctor Jack Taunton and Burnaby Central teacher/track and field coach Ken Taylor who went on to be the province’s winningest high school track and field coach.

In 1967, Don accepted the position of inaugural head coach for track and field at Simon Fraser University. During his tenure, he developed and conducted the first two BC high school provincial track and field championships as a recruiting strategy and to demonstrate SFU’s province-wide interest in athletics. He also initiated and developed SFU summer sports camps as a community service intended to provide camp opportunities for children interested in sport and recreation. As a professor in the School of Education, Don also initiated, developed and conducted an approved university-level track and field course.

In 1978, Don became the executive director of BC School Sports where he expanded both the reach and calibre of high school sports by increasing the number regional associations and sport commissions, bringing more high school sport competitions, including provincial championships, to more areas of the province. From 1980 to 1986, he also sat on the Sport Medicine Council of BC board of directors as the representative of high school sports. During his tenure, Don inspired the idea of developing a cohesive sport medicine centre, leading to the creation of the Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Centre.

After leaving BC School Sports in 1988, Don created the BC Athlete Career Centre as a place for high performance athletes to develop job search skills and network with employers. Don also developed the Centre’s Athletes Motivating Excellence (AME) program where athletes could be booked to speak in school and corporate settings to speak about their athletic careers to inspire others.

Between 1992 and 2012, Don continued to coach athletes from the high school to Paralympic and Olympic level. He was named a Team Canada coach for athletics at four Paralympic Games (1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004) as well as multiple World Championships and Pan Am Games teams. Notable Paralympic athletes coached by Don include Jason Delesalle (javelin, discus, pentathlon), Courtney Steen (née Knight, discus, shot put, pentathlon), Dustin Walsh (200m, 400m) and Blair Miller (800m, 1500m), all of whom were medal winners at major international events. In 2012, Curtis Moss, an athlete Don started coaching while Curtis was still in early high school, finished 12th at the London Olympic Games in the men’s javelin.

Don was a board/committee member for groups too many to list, but included Athletics Canada, BC Athletics, Canada Games, BC Games, Sport Medicine Council of BC and Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame. During the mid-1960s, Don was a member of Canada’s national rugby team and spearheaded the committee that built the Burnaby Lake Rugby Clubhouse at Burnaby Lake.

You would be hard pressed to find anyone who has been more passionate about sport than Don. Don always loved to support athlete development at all levels, whether it be through facilities or program development, increasing competitive opportunities or coaching future and current elite athletes. Don was also a trailblazer by pushing for inclusion of BC’s athletes with disabilities into mainstream track and field competitions, helping BC become a leader in para-athletics.

Don was still actively coaching, albeit at a more casual level, up until a stroke sidelined him in 2017, but prior to the pandemic, Don still enjoyed going to local track meets to give athletes technical pointers to improve their performance. Don did not care how much talent an athlete or coach had, he only cared about how committed they were to being better. If you were willing to work hard, Don was willing to mentor. Many athletes coached by Don will likely recall him saying, “You can’t train a racehorse on Coke and doughnuts” or “Last rep and it’s back to the barn!” and “We are going to go there to chew bubble gum and to kick butt, but by the time we arrive, we’ll be all out of bubble gum so we’ll just have to kick butt.”

If you were to ask Don what his life motto was, he would quote George Bernard Shaw and say “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” Don took that quote to heart so when he was not at the track coaching, he would be out fishing, cycling, skiing. golfing or spending time at Secret Cove on the Sunshine Coast. And because he could never have too much sport in his life, he enjoyed watching track, basketball, rugby and football on TV and cheered on the Seattle Seahawks, the University of Oregon and any team playing Oregon State. He also enjoyed spending time with friends and family and was often the life of the party.

With his magnetic personality, Don will be dearly missed by both friends and family too numerous to count. He is remembered by his brother David, sons Mark and David, daughter Sheri, grandchildren Kory, Jordie, Jacey, Jack, Darra, Jamie, Michelle, Josh, Matt and Sydney as well as his wife Courtney, his life partner and soulmate for more than 24 years. Don will also be deeply missed by Honey who brough many moments of joy to Don’s life over the past two years while helping care for him with unparalleled kindness.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date to allow word of Don’s passing to travel far and wide as there are people around the world who know Don Steen. On more than one occasion, Don has been approached in an airport, bus, train or on a track thousands of miles from home by someone who says “Well, if it isn’t Don Steen”. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to BC Athletics, KidSport or a sport organization of your choice.

Congratulations to Royal City athletes Cayden Arnold, Kate Stewart-Barnett, Jarett Chong, and coach Cristina Weir for being named to Team BC for the Bell Canadian Championships in Langley June 23-26.

Other Royal City athletes competing alongside Canada’s best include Ella Foster, Kairo Chiang, Gurshaan Gill, Ethan Foster, Nathalie Flood, Kate Hwang, JV Patry-Smith, Zuzanna Liniewski, Kaitlyn Hanger, Bryan Cortes, Marty Bajarunas, Matt Dheilly-Sturrock, Grace Fetherstonhaugh, and Lindsay Goudron.

Get your tickets now to watch our athletes as well as Andre DeGrasse, Aaron Brown, Regan Yee, Alysha Newman, Damian Warner, and more compete for their spot on Team Canada for the World Athletics Championship in July.

Full weekend passes and VIP passes (includes food and beverage, and parking) can be purchased here:

https://www.showpass.com/o/2022-2023-canadian-track-and-field-championships/

Discounted daily tickets can be purchased by emailing  ian@royalcitytrack.ca by 9 PM Monday June 20th.

RCTFC’s very own Coach Jason, was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame today for his accomplishments in Para Athletics. As he was described in the ceremony, “one of Canada’s best ever Paralympic athletes,” Jason won a silver medal in the javelin (B3 class) at the 1992 Paralympics in Barcelona. In 1994, Jason won a gold medal in the pentathlon at the IPC World Athletics Championships in Berlin. The highlight of his career came in Atlanta in 1996 where he set a Paralympic record in the pentathlon. He also won a bronze medal in the discus (F12 class.) He went on to claim more silver medals in both the pentathlon and javelin at the 1996 IPC World Championships and competed at the Paralympics in Sydney in 2000. He won his final international athletics medal in 2003 in the discus at the IBSA World Championships in Quebec City.

It goes without saying that the RCTFC family offers its immense congratulations to Jason on his induction to the BC Sports Hall of Fame and we are proud to have such an accomplished athlete as a coach in our JD, as well as senior throws programs!

Join us on Tuesday June 7 for our end of season events!

5:30pm – End of Season Whole Club Team Photo (for all club members)

Please wear your team gear if you have it and bring your biggest smiles!
We want to get as many of your smiling faces as possible. See you at 5:30pm on the dot!

7:00 pm – Track Rascals Mini Meet

Open for all our Track Rascal members for a fun event to cap off our season.

Upcoming Track Meets

Please take note of the upcoming track meets. Registration links provided below.

Get local meat delivered to your door (yes – free shipping!) and give us a hand reaching our RCTF fundraising goals! From June 1 – July 1, a portion of all purchases will go directly to supporting our athletes with track & field, and strength & conditioning equipment.

There are 5 different boxes to choose from, all with a variety of pre-selected contents with 3 different price points – so you’re guaranteed to find something your family will love! Even friends and families in Alberta and Ontario can help too so spread the good news!

For more information on how to get started: https://trulocal.ca/fundraisers/185/royal-city-track-and-field-club3

We are thrilled to announce that Cristina Weir has accepted the position of Head Coach of Royal City Track and Field Club for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. 

Currently coaching pole vault at both UBC and Royal City, as well as being a Learning Facilitator for BC Athletics, Cristina has been with our club for 10 years.  Cristina is a pole vault pioneer in Canada, having held the National Junior indoor and outdoor records in 1996.  She previously worked with our JD’s and athletes 14+, specializing in horizontal jumps, sprints, strength and conditioning before assuming the lead on our pole vault program 4 years ago.  With her diverse athletic background and proven teaching methods Cristina will become an even more valuable asset to our club with her new responsibilities. 

Upon her appointment she said “I am looking forward to collaborating with returning and new coaches, and helping the club build back after 2 years of the pandemic. While we will miss Sean’s leadership, expertise, and positive attitude at the track, I am excited to do my best to carry on his vision for the club and continue the expansion of programs and numbers that he worked so hard to achieve. I am also thankful to returning and new board members who have worked with the senior coaches to ensure that we can have a full and successful outdoor season.” 

Please join us in welcoming Cristina to her new expanded role to help lead us forward into the future.  We will see you at the track on March 29^th!

Hello everyone,  

We hope that 2022 is treating you well and handing you no more than you can manage.

You haven’t missed it…

You have one more week for Early Registration for Members to the 2022 RCTFC Season.  

 The online registration link is here:

Register on Trackie.com

Returning members from the 2021 track season with a BC Athletics number are eligible to register at this time. Before you begin your online registration, be prepared to enter your BC Athletics number (and you can look it up here) and also have your BC Care Card number ready.

Returning members who were not registered in 2021 and new members to the club will be eligible to register, beginning at 7:00 am on January 14, 2022.

Note: The Track Rascals program was canceled in 2021, so any family wishing to register their child in Track Rascals this year will be considered “new” this year and will be required to wait until January to register.

If you are a post-secondary student or a coach who is planning to register yourself or your child(ren), then please contact registrar@royalcitytrack.ca before you begin your registration.

If you have any questions about registration, please contact registrar@royalcitytrack.ca