UCAC coaches assist athletes in developing to their full potential. They are responsible for training athletes by analyzing their performances, instructing relevant skills and by providing encouragement. They are also responsible for the guidance of the athlete in life and their chosen event(s).
Coaching Focus Definitions
- Speed & Power
- Sprints between 60m up to 400m, sprint hurdles, jumping field events.
- Middle/Long Distance
- Distances greater than 400m
- Combined Events
- Athletes focus on training for combined events competitions, such as the pentathlon, heptathlon, and decathlon.
- Throws
- Shotput, javelin, discus, hammer throw, weight throw.
Dale Schoenthaler Head Coach
Sprints, Hurdles
NCCP Performance Coach Sprints & Hurdles
With more than 20 years of coaching experience, Dale continually strives to: “help athletes become the best they can be; to reach their full potential, in sport and in life.” He, like many other coaches, enjoyed a successful track career at the national level before coaching to give back to a sport that empowers its athletes both on and off the track. As such, Dale takes the time to make sure his athletes keep focused on all of their goals, whether athletic, academic, or otherwise.
Athletes who train with Dale receive the benefit of his focus on developing the best possible technique and conditioning through workouts that challenge limits and deliver performance results. His technical focus, an especially important consideration for hurdlers, comes from his own days as an alumnus of the Regina Athletic Track Club and the Calgary Spartans, where he perfected his own hurdling technique until he earned the nickname “the Technician”.
Dale spends countless hours at the track, whether coaching, building equipment, or coordinating equipment at meets. His selfless dedication helps make Calgary’s Track & Field scene a better place for athletes. The real value of sport is not the actual game played in the limelight of applause but the hours of dogged determination and self-discipline carried out alone, imposed and supervised by an exacting conscience. The applause soon dies away, the prize is left behind, but the character you build up is yours forever.
When Dale is not at the track, he operates D and S Creations, specializing in home and office renovations and designing and building track and field equipment.
Dale is a valued member of the Calgary Track Council as Equipment Manager and Vice-President.
Doug Lamont
Distance
NCCP Performance Coach Middle & Long Distance
Doug started coaching track & field in 1977 with the Calgary Board of Education. He taught Junior High Physical Education for over 20 years and, during that time, coached school and club track & field athletes. Doug coached with Calgary Spartans, Calgary Track West and now works with UCAC. Doug was also active at the provincial and national levels as an event coach and a head coach for several provincial and national teams.
Doug retired from teaching in 1999 to become the Director of the Southern Alberta Track & Field Centre.
Steve Adams
Distance Coach Track & Field / Cross Country | UCACTrack & Field Club
ChPC (Chartered Professional Coach)
NCCP Performance Coach (Level 3) Distance \
NCCP Performance Coach ( Level 3) Sprints & Hurdles
Major Coaching Assignments
- 2009 CANADA SUMMER GAMES (Head Distance Coach for Team Alberta)
- 2008 WORLD CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS (Personal Coach representing Team Canada)
- 2007 YOUTH LEGION NATIONALS (Head Track & Field Coach for Team Alberta)
- 2006 YOUTH LEGION NATIONALS (Head Distance Coach for Team Alberta)
Major Coaching Accomplishments
- 50+ Individual Provincial Club Champions during coaching tenure with the Calgary Spartans in both (Cross Country and Track & Field)
- 1 National Canadian Junior Men’s 1500m (2008 Canadian National Championships)
- 3 Athletes Named to Canadian (2008) World Cross Country Team
- 10 Athletes granted NCAA &/or CIS Athletic Scholarships during coaching tenure with Calgary Spartans in both (Cross Country and Track & Field)
- 2012 Qualified Men’s team for CCAA National Championships (1st ever for St. Mary’s University)
- 2009 ACAC Provincial Women’s Cross-Country Team Conference Champions
- 2009 CCAA National Women’s Cross-Country Team Silver medalist
- 2009 CCAA National Women’s Cross-Country Individual Silver medalist
- 2008 World Cross Country Championships Personal Coach (Edinburgh Scotland)
- 8 Individual Alberta Provincial Record Holders over an 8-year period
- Have had at least two or more athletes within my group continuously ranked in the top 5 or better Nationally from the 800m to the 10,000m, from midget level to Senior level from 2006 to 2013
Les Gramantik
Combined Events
Speed/Power events
NCCP Certified Level 5
Chartered Professional Coach (ChPC)
Les Gramantik was born in Transylvania, Romania and began his athletic career in the Sports School System in Romania. Continuing with his passion for athletics and sports, he turned to coaching where he has now accumulated over 40 years of international coaching experience in Romania, Israel and Canada.
He has coached over 50 Canadian National Champions and medalists in a variety of speed and power events. Since 1984, he has been selected to coach with the Canadian National team in various roles including: six Commonwealth Games, three Pan American Games, eight Olympics/Paralympics and eleven World Championships. He was selected as the head coach the Canadian National team for the following events:
- 2008 Beijing Olympics
- 2003, 2007, 2011 Pan-Am Games
- 2006, 2010 Commonwealth Games
- 1999, 2001, 2007 World Athletic Championships
Les possesses a BA in Education, BA in Physical Education and Masters of Coaching Science from the University of Bucharest and holds all levels of coaching education from NCCP to NCI. He has lectured at the University of Calgary and at numerous clinics around the world for both coaches and athletes. He is a leader of developing education programs, writing the Competition Development curriculum for athletics and a key member among a group of experts in developing the Long-Term Athlete Development model for Athletics Canada.
Personal Achievements
- 1991 CIS and six time Canada West Coach of the Year (Head coach of Athletics at the University of Calgary from 1987-2005)
- 11 time Alberta High Performance Coach of the Year
Taran Schubert
Long Jump and High Jump
MCoach (Master of Coaching)
NCCP Club Coach (Level 2) for Jumps
Taran grew up in Trenton, Ontario and played many sports throughout his childhood and adolescent years. He discovered a love for track and field in elementary school and went on to compete as a jumper in high school and university, as part of the Western Mustangs varsity track and field team. His career was derailed by a foot injury after his rookie season, but once he completed his studies at Western, he returned to track and field as a volunteer coach for his old high school team, the East Northumberland Blue Dragons in Brighton, Ontario. There he coached the jumpers and sprinters, and helped a good group of small-town athletes to qualify for the OFSAA provincial championships (no small feat in Ontario track and field).
Understanding that there is always more to learn, Taran decided to pursue further coach education at the University of Alberta in the Master of Coaching program. There he gained a wide breadth of experience through coursework, practical experience, and as the primary instructor of the Instruction of the Basics of Athletics course (a course he has taught 3 different times). He has helped with logistical operations at track meets such as Golden Bear Open and Warm Up to Worlds, and has coaching experience at the varsity, development, and para track and field levels. He also has extensive research experience in coach education and sport psychology, and is currently pursuing certification as a Mental Performance Consultant.
Taran recently moved to Calgary and is excited to work with athletes in the area. His coaching philosophy is to combine research with practical experience, and to collaborate with athletes to create a training plan that they will want to follow and a training environment that addresses their physical, technical, mental, and emotional needs.
Jane (Cox) Kolodnicki
High Jump, Long and Triple Jump
NCCP Certified Performance Coach (Level 3)
Jumps
Coaching Association of Canada – Registered Coach
Jane has coached High School Track & Field for 15 years in Ottawa and Calgary, both as a Jumps Coach and Head Coach at several schools.
She began working with the long and triple jumpers at UCAC and the University of Calgary Dinos in the 2015-2016 season.
As an athlete, Jane started with Calgary Track West and then competed for the University of Alberta Pandas from 1989-1991. A three-time All-Canadian, she is a former CIAU (now U Sports) record holder in Women’s Long Jump and a Canada West/CIAU medalist in the 60m, Long Jump and 4x200m relay.
Ricardo Greenidge
Sprints
NCCP Club Coach Sprints & Hurdles (presently working on his Level 3)
A former Nationally ranked athlete in Track and Field as well as a member of the Canadian Bobsleigh Team, Ricardo Greenidge comes with an extensive background representing Canada in high level sport. Achieving recognition as a multiple Canadian Sprints Champion in Track and Field as well as competing in the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan for Bobsleigh, Ricardo developed a solid foundation of experience as an athlete that he now brings to his role as a coach.
Beginning as an Assistant Coach overseeing the Sprints program with the Airdrie Aces Athletics Club (AAAC) in 2011, Ricardo then went on to take over the position of AAAC Head Coach in 2015. During his time with the Aces Club, Ricardo has coached many athletes to medal wins both at the Provincial and National level.
At the start of the 2017/18 indoor season, Ricardo was offered the position of Assistant Coach (Sprints/Hurdles) of University of Calgary Dino’s Track and Field Program and he now brings his knowledge and enthusiasm for sport and coaching to his University level athletes.
James Holder
Combined Events, Pole Vault
NCCP Certified Performance Coach Jumps
Raised in Calgary, Alberta, James was introduced to sport at a young age, becoming a competitive soccer, hockey and badminton player, and golfer. Prior to entering university, he discovered the sport of Athletics, and excelled in all the speed and power events, and specifically the decathlon.
James competed internationally in the decathlon for Canada for 11 years. After his retirement from competition in 2007, his passion for the sport evolved into coaching, and he has been guiding young athletes since 2008. James has coached the decathlon, the heptathlon, and the pole vault for men and women internationally, including the 2022 World Championships of Athletics in Eugene, Oregon.
Professionally, James is a Senior Analyst at Sport Canada, the branch in the Department of Canadian Heritage responsible for the advancement of sport across the country. His responsibilities include managing the relationship and funding framework for the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network, collaboration and delivery of four Sport Legacy Funds, and High Performance Coaching Education in Canada.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Calgary and a Masters degree in Human Kinetics from the University of Ottawa.
Kristian Watson
Throws
NCCP Certified Club Coach
Kristian was born and raised in Calgary and after playing baseball for a few years he
began throwing heavier things in the 8th grade. He quickly fell in love with the sport of
track and field, in particular the throws. He joined a club and went on to win many
Provincial high school championships in the shot put, discus and javelin. After high
school he received track scholarships at the College of Southern Idaho and Southern
Utah University going on to win numerous conference championships and All-American
honors. After university Kristian began working in the restaurant/bar industry and has
been doing so ever since. He can currently be found serving great food and craft beer
at a local micro brewery and taproom in north Calgary.
After stepping back from the sport for a few years Kristian began coaching the throws
at Crescent Heights high school in 2013. Over the next eight seasons the program grew
to over 50 athletes producing numerous individual city and provincial champions. The
throwers also led the school to dozens of division banners and 8 consecutive overall
point titles at the city championships.
Kristian is really looking forward to his increased commitment to track and field in
Calgary with the UCAC. He knows that anyone has the potential to throw far and have
fun. He also knows that throwing REALLY far is REALLY fun! Kristian also coaches the
University of Calgary Dinos, many practices will be integrated with the varsity program,
allowing novice athletes the opportunity to train alongside high performance athletes.
Kristian seeks to increase the number, caliber and diversity of the throwers in Calgary.
His holistic approach to throwing far is rooted in keeping aware of the latest
developments in technique, conditioning and lifestyle from around the world. While at
the same time taking into account the individual athletes physical and emotional
reactions to prescribed training and constantly adjusting programs to suit needs of the
individual athlete.
Major athletic achievements
Western Canada Games Team 91,95
Canada Games Team 93 & 97
Pan-am Junior Team 1993
CAN-USA Dual Meet 1992
NJCAA- 6 time All American: Shot, Disc, Hammer 1994-96
NCAA Div I- Mid Continent Conference Newcomer of the year and 5 time conference
Champion 1996-99
Senior boys City high school discus record: 49.91m, 1991, retired 2015
Senior Boys Provincial High school discus record: 49.51, retired 2015
Southern Utah University Weight throw school record: 19.76, 1999-present
Event bests
Discus-54.97m
Shot-16.08m
Hammer-57.90m
Weight-19.76m
Javelin-57.81
