Sarnia Athletics Southwest Track & Field Club
Sarnia Athletics Southwest Track & Field ClubJoel Skinner knows his way around a map. When he is not coaching the Sarnia Athletics Southwest Track & Field Club, he is teaching Geography and Physical Education at Great Lakes Secondary School. This knowledge has proven helpful as he travels around the globe. "I’ve taken certification courses. I’ve attended clinic after clinic. It has been a great way to connect with other coaches. When you work with very talented athletes, you always need to keep ahead of where they are at," Skinner explains.
The Track & Field Club was formed in 1996, and Skinner has been involved for the last 15 years. "We started out as a small club, run by Mark MacDonald, that originally focused on long-distance running. When I came back from university, I inquired about coaching, and was supported from the outset." Skinner began by putting together a team of javelin, shotput and discus throwers, as well as a group of jumpers. "We had a lot of good throwers around this time and we won several Ontario and international medals. The club has had some very successful athletes." One notable club member is Olympic high-jump gold-medalist Derek Drouin. "Derek has been a big influence, continues to be a member, and supports the club."
Skinner is also very proud of the current coaching team. "Evan Stevens is our distance coach. He went to the University of Guelph and is still an elite distance runner." Maggie Mullen coaches the throwers alongside Skinner. "She went to The Ohio State University on scholarship and was a Big Ten Conference champion. It is so nice to see my athletes go through the program and come back as coaches." Jillian Drouin is training and assists with the club administration. "There is more than just coaching, and we share a lot of the club duties." Irene Payne was the club administrator for a very long time, and now Sarah Luttrell is taking over that role.
Leslie Cadwallader and Cindy Dubois have organized the fundraising bingos, while Tom Coyle is responsible for the summer students. "We wouldn’t be able to function as a club without the help of great people." Skinner aims to keep raising the bar that Pat Brown has set for the facility and the club. "Pat continues to fundraise and maintain the Sarnia Central Athletics Facility, and is truly one of the most respected, hard-working individuals in the history of Sarnia-Lambton athletics." Bob Newman has also played a huge role with the club through coaching, donations, website maintenance and officiating.
The club’s ultimate goal is to give the participants an excellent experience. "As a coach, I want to help athletes understand their options and to get a great education." Skinner is also looking forward to his newest role. "I am the head coach for the World Junior Under 20 Championship team, which has certainly been a dream of mine. This is my tenth national team and my first head coach position. To be recognized as a national team head coach gives me confidence that people see value in track and field in Sarnia-Lambton."
Related Stories
Caryl Baker Visage
Caryl Baker Visage has serviced thousands of faces since it opened in Sarnia's Bayside Mall almost forty years ago. The store’s current owner, Jennifer Crawford, has carried on the tradition in her current Lambton Mall location. C...
Preferred Towing
Tammy Vandenheuvel admits that even now, some 25 years after she and her husband Gary first opened the doors to Preferred Towing, the ringing of a phone at the company's Indian Road South headquarters comes with a sense of uncertainty. "We never really know what's on the other end of the phone, but
Silhouettes Boutique
2001 was a big year for Lori Mitchell. It was the year she became a breast cancer survivor. It was also the year she purchased an established mastectomy and medical compression garment facility. "I went through breast cancer, so I thought this was something I could do, wanted to do, and needed to."
Bluewater Health Foundation
Bluewater Health Foundation is grateful for the businesses, organizations, and individuals in Sarnia-Lambton who have provided millions of dollars of financial support to aid in the purchase of equipment and provision of patient, staff and family programs for Bluewater Health since 2003. We are f
Related Stories
Paddy Flaherty's was established in 1996. At Paddy's you can expect the best in both food and drink in an amazing atmosphere. Owners Scott Dargie and Angela Smolders started working at the pub in 1999, and purchased it four years later. This location feels like it has always been an Irish Pub
Nobody would ever say it out loud, but in a strange sort of way, the vandals who stole the rifle from the statue, atop the Sarnia Cenotaph in Veterans Park may have done those that cherish the park a favour. This project all started because a gentleman named Tom Slater was receiving a donation f
Bad Dog Sarnia
Jason Winter, an experienced nightclub owner, and his wife Margo, a culinary arts graduate from Lambton College, felt their talents and experience complimented each other, and would be a perfect fit for the restaurant business. “W...
In 1955, Ron Fenwick and Sam Beatty opened a Texaco service station. Three years later, the service station was lost to a fire, and the friends opened Beatty and Fenwick Garage at 836 Ontario Street. "My dad always enjoyed Volvos....
Own a local business in Sarnia-Lambton?
Your neighbours already want to spend money here. We just make it easy.
Become a #local Partner and we pay you 100% of every gift card members spend with you. It costs you nothing to join.
Free. Takes about three minutes.
