Archived News
Leaside Hall of Fame
ROBERT MOORE | Distance Running (1940 –)
Robert (Bob) Moore was born in England and following university came to Canada in 1967. He and his wife Jane bought a home in Leaside where they have lived ever since.
Bob was introduced to running when he was at university and saw an ad for a free meal in exchange for helping out at track meets. Shortly afterwards he himself started training. Throughout his remarkable career, Bob came fifth at his first Boston Marathon in 1969 and followed up with three seventh-place finishes. He placed second a remarkable six times at Hamilton’s Around the Bay Road Race and represented Canada at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. Bob has run more than 1,760 races from the 1,500 metres to marathons. He continues to train regularly and runs in 15 to 20 races a year in his late 70s. Bob has also given back to his sport by organizing races, officiating at events and mentoring many younger runners.
Inductees were honoured at the annual induction ceremony and community reception on Friday, November 17, 2017, at Leaside Gardens Arena.
(Left to Right) Dave Gardner, Hockey; Robert Moore, Distance Running; Shawn O’Sullivan, Boxing; Phil Stein, Hockey and Builder; and Athlete of The Year: Mariah Hinds, Hockey Player
Jerry Kooymans into New Age Group
Jerry Kooymans has recently reached 60 years of age. Jerry is, without doubt, our best Masters runner ever. He has been an outstanding competitor for a long time.
Most of Jerry Kooymans’ best times were set in the period 1977-87. Jerry joined TOC in the early 1980s.
- 800 m 1:57.3 (1987);
- 1500 m track 3:55.3 (1977);
- 3 km 8:11.15 (1987);
- 5 km track 13:59.12 (1985)
- 10 km track 29:08.4 (1984);
- 10 km road 29:10 (1981)
- 10 miles road 48:27 (1987)
- half marathon 1:06:31 (1981)
- marathon 2:19:01 (1978)
- Jerry was part of the team that won the Jasper to Banff Road Relay in 1984
- 26 records in the M45 to M55 age groups and still holds 21 of these records
Unlike most excellent masters runners, Jerry did not take a significant break from competition. There were injuries during the years but Jerry recovered and returned to competition soon afterward.
Jerry Kooymans has held many age-group records on the track and on the roads, at least 15 at one time, and, by moving into a new age group, there is the potential for more to be earned. There have also been cross-country championship victories.
Jerry was President of Toronto Olympic Club during the 1985-90 period and Treasurer after that. During this time, he authored a handbook for members which is still referred to today.
Paul Poce Featured on CBC’s The National – Nov. 28
Toronto Olympic Club’s 60th Anniversary
Toronto, ON (October 25, 2014) – There was an excellent party on October 25th to celebrate the Toronto Olympic Club’s 60th Anniversary. Click here for more photos.
Over 90 people attended, including Don De Savigny from Switzerland, the Coburns from Victoria and the Lewis Family from Halifax.
Master of Ceremonies was John Craig. A slide show put together by Rachel Sinasac of recent photographs of club members in action was interesting and admired. There was a welcome by Greg Purkis.
TOC Wins at Full and Half Marathons
Toronto and Mississauga, ON (May 4, 2014) – Rachel Sinesac, running a personal best by 11 minutes, won the GoodLife Fitness Toronto Marathon today with a time of 2:55:16. Other TOC marathon finishers include:
Marathon
4th Driss Dacha 2:41:49.7 (1st 50-59)
280th Cynthia O’Halloran 3:33:50 (3rd 50-54)
Liza Howard, running in the Half Marathon, took 2 minutes off her personal best and finished 3rd overall woman, while Ian Sinclair finished 4th overall in the 5k and 1st in the male 40-44 division.
Half Marathon
16th Liza Howard 1:21:31.4 (3rd woman)
5K
4th Ian Sinclair 17:11.8 (1st 40- 44)
At the Mississauga Half Marathon, Nelson Njeru Ndereva won the overall race and also the 40-49 age division.
Mississauga Half Marathon
1st Nelson Njeru Ndereva 1:13:06.2 (also 1st 40-49)
For complete results of all races, see www.sportstats.ca.
Toronto Olympic Club Elects New President
Toronto, ON (January 18, 2014) – Greg Purkis is the new President of Toronto Olympic Club. Larry Longo stepped down as President after more than ten years in the leading the team and Greg Purkis was voted in to succeed him.
TOC President Greg Purkis
The Executive and Board of Directors for 2014 are:
President: Greg Purkis
Vice-President: Rachel Sinasac
Secretary: Lorraine Poce
Treasurer: Bruce Clarkson
Executive Director, Membership: Paul Poce
Coaches: Paul Poce, Kevin Smith, Greg Purkis, Rob Grebe, Kevin Dillon
Website: Larry Longo
Newsletter Robert Moore
Projects: Bruce Clarkson
Social Activities Coordinator: Rachel Sinasac
Director at Large: Maureen Griffith
TOC Holiday Handicap Race
Sat. Dec. 7, 2013
High Park
Mostly Cloudy
-1ºC
Helpers and spectators who braved the cold were Paul Poce, Bob Finlay, Lorraine Poce, Berhanu Degefa, Irina Klinaeva, Marie Klinaeva, Thomas Sinclair, Greg Purkis, Laura Portis and the family Portis. Thank you.
Athletics Ontario 2013 Hall of Fame Inductees
The Athletics Ontario Hall of Fame inductions will take place at a banquet on September 28th.
One of the former TOC athletes to be honoured is Grant McLaren. He held the 2 mile indoor record, outdoor 2000 m, 3000 m, 3 miles, 5000 m and steeplechase records during his athletic career. Grant was a member of the 1971 and 1975 Pan American Games teams, the 1970 and 1974 Commonwealth Games Teams and the 1972 and 1976 Olympic Games teams.
Grant was at the University of Guelph carrying out doctoral research in the arctic on Lapland Longspur reproduction during some of his competitive career. When he stopped competing and bird watching he went back to the family farm in Drumbo. For a time, he headed and was spokesman for the Ontario Dairy Cattle Association.
Don Domansky, TOCs fastest 400 m runner, is mentioned again this year as part of a men`s 4×400 m relay team that competed in 1976. The team was Leighton Hope, Brian Saunders, Ian Seale and Don Domansky. The team finished 4th in the 1976 Olympics in a time of 3:02.64 which is still the Canadian record.
Others to be inducted in 2013 are Ian Anderson (builder), Cal Bricker (long and triple jump), Bob Hancock (builder), Arthur Morton (builder), Larry O`Connor (hurdler), Alex Oakley (walker), Glenda Reiser (1500m) and Bruce Simpson (pole vaulter).
The ceremony is to take place at the Toronto Don Valley Hotel and Suites. If you would like to attend get in touch with Athletics Ontario.
Some of Grant McLaren’s fastest times are:
3000 m 7:50.48 (1975)
3000 m steeplechase 8:55.4 (1970)
5000 m 13:25 (1973). This is 2nd on the TOC all time personal best list.
Toronto Olympic Club Awards Banquet
Toronto, ON (Apr 6, 2013) – The Toronto Olympic Club Awards Banquet held last night attracted a large gathering of members and guests for a fabulous evening of fun and good food. Special thanks to Treasurer Bruce Clarkson as well as Social Activities Co-coordinators Monica Lau and Rachel Sinasac for all their hard work in setting up the fun-filled evening.
The list of winners can be seen by clicking here.
Click here for more photos courtesy of Bill Peel
In other news, Kyle Ferguson has resigned as Vice President of the club and will be moving to Ottawa immediately to take up a new job opportunity. He indicated he will continue to wear TOC colours while racing in the Ottawa region. We wish him all the best. Rachel Sinasac will be replacing Kyle as she was unanimously voted in by the Executive as our new Vice President. We welcome Rachel to the Vice Presidency and look forward to her continuing contributions to the club.
And the winner of the Club Handicap is…
Kyle Ferguson…Congratulations!
Click here for results
TOC Wins!
TOC Juniors Solid at OFSAA
Pictured right is TOC member Maddy Hilliard and her Leaside teammates who were 4th the Junior Girls’ race.
Fourteen TOC Juniors cracked the top 30 list in their respective races yesterday at the OFSAA Cross Country Championships, on a slick and technical course.
Mithchell Cauchi led all with his 8th place finish in the JB race. Caroline Lampard was 9th in the MG race. Other top 30 finishers include the following:
Cassie Durgy, Lindsay Tramble, Louis Sanger, Josh McGillivray, Nadya Gill, Maddy Hilliard, Yousuf LaHaye, Bobby King, Katherine Lampard, Katerina Cirone, Matt Stephenson and Isaac Dobos.
Congratulations to all. For complete OFSAA results, please click here.
Record Number Qualify For OFSAA Cross Country
Thirty-nine TOC junior members qualified this past week for the OFSAA Cross Country Championships. The event will be held at Heart Lake Conservation Area next Saturday, November 3. Included in the TOC contingent are four regional champions, Allie Anderson (Metro MG), Nadya Gill (TDCAA JG), Yousuf Lahaye (LOSSAA JB), Matt Stephenson (LOSSAA SB), and another eight individual medallists! Congratulations to all!
Allie Anderson
For further information on the OFSAA Championships, please use the link below.
TOC Junior Olympians Dominate City Finals
Kylee Raftis
Etobicoke, ON (Oct 18, 2012) – The depth and talent of the JOP was on full display today at the TDSB City Finals for Cross Country. In the grade 7 girls race TOC placed 5 in the top ten. They were led by Julia Elliot’s 4th place result. In the grade 7 boys race, we had 3 in the top 7 including gold and silver medallists Ryan Madigan and Will Randall. The grade 8 girls were crazy good! We place 7 girls in the top 8! They were led by gold medallist Kylee Raftis with Emily Cohen taking the silver. And, not to be outdone, the grade 8 boys were led by Christopher Wyslobocki’s winning performance. Duncan McKendrick was 4th and Wil Brawn 6th. Congratulations to you all!!
TOC JOP’s Dominate at Ken Lake Invite
A small contingent of Toronto Olympic’s Junior Olympians raced the Ken Lake Invite cross country meet on Saturday, September 29, in Burlington, Ontario. The club fielded 3 teams, Atom Girls (DOB 2000), Bantam Girls (1999) and Bantam Boys. Both the Bantam teams won the team title and the Atom Girls were second team! Congratulations to all!
For complete results, click here.
Good Start to XC Season for TOC Juniors
The high school cross country season is well underway. With two early season meets complete, TOC juniors are showing well. Last week at the Peter Morris Invitational, Allison Anderson won the MG race, Carter Wood was 3rd in the JB and Quinlan Hickey 7th in the SG.
For complete results click here.
Yesterday at the Colts Classic, TOC Juniors turned in 6 top 10 finishes including 2 medallists. Congratulations to Caroline Lampard the MG individual champion and Josh McGillivray the MB individual silver medallist. Other top 10’s included Cassie Durgy (4th MG), Bobby King (6th JB), Maddy Hilliard (7th JG) and Matthew Schmidt (10th JB) Congratulations to all.
For complete results for the Colts Classic, click here.
Hashi Finishes 2nd in LDS Circuit
Canadian Senior and Olympic Trials bronze medallist (5,000 m) Hussein Hashi placed second in the M & T Printing Group Long Distance Circuit. The series featured four of the Runners Choice London Distance Series meets, with bonus points from the Canadian Track & Field Championships; May 12 − 10,000 m, May 23 − 5,000 m, June 10 − 3,000 m and July 6 Forest City 5,000 m. Points were awarded to the top-10 per gender from Long-Distance races, scored as: 12 (1st), 10 (2nd), 8 (3rd), 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (10th). Bonus points were awarded to athletes placing in the top-5 at the Canadian Track & Field Championships in either the 5,000 m or 10,000 m (not both), scored as: 10 (1st), 8 (2nd), 6 (3rd), 4 (4th), 2 (5th). Finishing second wins Hussein $250 plus 1 pair of shoes, shorts, and socks.
Congratulations!!
Lucki and Avalos at Provincial Legions
Oshawa, ON (July 7, 2012) – Congratulations to Alex Lucki and Miles Avalos for their performances at the Ontario Legion Championships. Alex finished 2nd in the 1,500 m with an unofficial time of 4:42.45. Miles running in the 1,200 m and 800 m events, posted times of 3:34.50 (8th) and 2:08.74 (7th).
Congratulations all!!
TOC Milers PB at RCLDS 1,500 m Night!!
London, ON (June 22, 2012) – Eleven TOC middle distance runners raced to personal best performances last night at the Runners Choice London Distance Series 1,500 m Night. The annual event is devoted entirely to the 1,500 m. Last night there were 18 sections, including 1 Invitational Mens, 3 High Performance Mens and 2 High Performance Womens sections. Congratulations to the following TOC members who posted new personal best times: Maddy Hilliard, Katerina Cirone, Allison Anderson, Caroline Lampard, Chardae Henry, Alex Lucki, Josh McGillivray, Patrick Farrell, Miles Avalos, Matt Stephenson and Hussein Hashi.
For complete results, please click here.
Medal Haul At City Track Finals
Toronto, ON (June 12, 2012) – Congratulations to all the JOP’s who competed at yesterday’s TDSB City Finals for track and field. In total, the kids won 10 medals; 4 gold (including 2 records), 2 silver and 4 bronze. Allison Anderson and Emily Cohen led the way with 2 golds, and a new meet record (in the grade 8 and 7 girls 1500m event) each. It was a very exciting day for all.
Well done!
JOP’s Rock Elementary School Track Meets
Toronto, ON (June 4, 2012) – At today’s TDSB elementary South Conference Track & Field Finals, TOC’s JOP’s rocked the house!! Congratulations to all the following:
In the grade 7 girls 800m, Kasha Mansour, Kylee Raftis and Natali Robinson, finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd and Emily Cohen won the grade 7 girls 1500m and 400m. In the grade 7 boys 800m, Duncan McKendrick won the gold medal and was second in the 1500m. His TOC Teammate, Harrison Wood, was 5th in the 1500m. Allison Anderson, did the double, winning both the grade 8 girls 800m and 1500m. Not to be outdone the grade 8 boys finished 1st and 2nd in the 1500m; Josh McGillivray taking gold and Louis Sanger the silver. In the grade 8 boys 800m, Matthew Schmidt won the silver medal. All have advanced to the City Finals at Birchmount Stadium, June 12.
Earlier this month (May 23) at the West Conference Finals, Taylor More finished second in the grade 7 girls 1500m, Chris Wyslobocki won the grade 7 boys 1500m and Lindsay Tramble completed the double, winning both the grade 8 girls 800m and 1500m races. Congratulations to all and best of luck next week at the City Finals.
On the same day, Caroline Lampard and Miranda Thompson competed in the Independent School Championships. Caroline was second in both the girls <14 800m and 1500m, posting new personal bests of 4:49 and 2:21. Miranda was also second in the same races for girls <13.
Wow!!TOC @ OFSAA TRACK & Field
Congratulations to the following TOC athletes who will be representing their schools at the upcoming OFSAA Track & Field Championships, June 7-9 in Brockville.
Miles Avalos MB 800m, Rachel Bronsovich SG 800m, Katerina Cirone JG 1500m & 3000m, Isaac Dobos JB 1500m & 3000m, Chardae Henry MG 1500m & 3000m, Alex Lucki JG 800m & 1500m, Chris McGowan JB 800m, Riley Olesky SB 3000m, Alison Smegal SG 1500m S/C, Matt Stephenson SB 1500m & 3000m, Hilary Stone OG 1500m S/C and Paula Zonneveld JG 3000m.
Congratulations to all and good luck!!!
Paul Poce and Rachel Sinasac at the Ottawa Marathon.
For complete Ottawa Race Weekend results, click here.
Metro Regional Championships Results
With the conclusion of the Metro Regional, the final qualifier for the OFSAA Track & Field Championships (Brockville, Ontario, June 7-9), the list of TOC competitors has begun to form. Moving on are Metro Champions Miles Avalos (MB 800m), double gold medallist, Alex Lucki (JG 800m & 1500m), silver medallist Hilary Stone (1500m steeplechase) and Paula Zonneveld (JG 3000m). Other regionals, featuring TOC athletes from the Oshawa and Oakville areas, will surely see the list multiply. Congratulations to all!
For complete results from the Metro Regional, click here.
Saheed Khan finishes 4th in the Men’s 1500m race
Saheed Khan finished 4th in the Men’s 1500m race at the Cayman Invitational yesterday. Held in the Cayman Islands, the meet is part of a new four meet series in the Eastern Caribbean, to be run annually. Saheed’s time of 3:48.12 is a seasonal best.For complete meet results please click here.
Khan Finishes 7th at NACAC Cross Country Championships
Saheed Khan finished 7th in the North America Central America and Caribbean(NACAC) Senior Mens 8k Cross Country Championship held in Port of Spain, Trinidad. He was third amongst all Canadian Senior men. The race was held at the Queens Park Savannah course, this past Saturday. Daytime temperatures hit 39 degrees Celsius. Saheed’s time of 25:08.24 was a remarkable feat considering the environmental stresses of high heat and humidity.
Congratulations Saheed!!
For complete results, click here.
It Was Raining PB’s
Toronto, ON (March 3, 2012)TOC Juniors and Junior Olympians were simply terrific at the just concluded Athletics Ontario Bantam, Midget and Junior Indoor Championships. Twenty-four athletes competed for TOC. Collectively, they turned in 20 personal best performances! There were 15 top ten performances, including 7 top five’s and 3 bronze medals. Congratulations to Wil Brawn (Bantam Boys 800m), Chardae Henry, (Midget Girls 1200m) and MacKenzie Lemieux (Junior Girls 1500m) for their bronze medal performances.
A terrific meet for all!
Congratulations!
With the BMJ’s completed, the Juniors enter a brief transition period, otherwise known as March Break. However, upon their return, we begin to fine-tune for the outdoor competition season. The performances from this past weekend suggest it may be just as exciting.
For results click here.
Florida Training Camp Begins Under Conditions
The TOC Florida training camp began today in Clermont at the National Training Centre (NTC). Temperatures in the mid to high 20’s contributed to an excellent first workout for all.
TOC Results From Around the Track – February 10/11
Cirone, Smegel and Lemieux Lead All TOC Juniors at Birchmount Invitational
Katerina Cirone and Allison Smegel finished 1st and 2nd respectively in the Sr. Girls 1500m at the Birchmount Park Invitational on Friday evening at York University. Mackenzie Lemieux, racing in the Jr. Girls 800m, took the bronze with a winning time of 2:23.18. Other top ten performances include, Emma Rogers and Thea Petsis in the Jr. Girls 800m, Katherine Lampard in the Sr. Girls 800m, Miles Avalos in the Mid. Boys 800m, Bobby King in the Mid. Boys 1500m, Jack Kennedy and Dave Delazzari in the Jr. Boys 800m, and Allan Hetherington in the Sr. Boys 1500m. Congratulations to all!!
Click here for complete results.
JOP’s Heating Up For AO BMJ’s
Twelve TOC Junior Olympians competed in the Bullets Indoor Games yesterday at York University. The Bullets meet is one of the most competitive Minor Track Association events, particularly in the distance events. The results were very encouraging. Here are the highlights. Allison Anderson won the senior girls 800m with a new indoor personal best time of 2:27.49. All three TOC girls, racing the 800, placed in the top 12. Josh McGillivray lead the way for the boys, finishing 2nd in the senior 1500m with a personal best time of 4:44.97. All 5 TOC boys entered, finished in the top 20. Caroline Lampard and Lindsay Tramble finished third and fourth respectively, in the senior girls 1500m. Caroline ran and indoor personal best time of 5:08.86.
Congratulations to all!!
Click here for complete results.
Khan & Hashi Run PB’s at GVSU Big Meet
Toronto, ON (January 20, 2012) – Many of the Junior Olympians and Juniors opened their 2012 indoor racing season at the Fred Foot Classic Friday evening. Their performances were very encouraging. For complete results, click here .
Saheed Khan and Hussein Hashi competed in the Grand Valley State University Big Meet, in Allendale Michigan on Friday evening. Saheed finished 3rd in the INVITE section (fastest heat) with a time of 14:16.81. Hussein, running in the second fastest section posted a time of 14:53.83. Both times are new personal bests. Congratulations!
For complete results of the GVSU Big Meet, click here.
Toronto, ON (December 11, 2010) – Twenty three of TOC’s finest and bravest athletes, both young and old, risked their reputations in the annual West Side Handicap. The course is a 2.86 mile brute which includes hilly sections on Ellis and Ellis Park Roads. The handicap, which is designed to have a mass finish, usually crowns the “best liar”. A certain Englishman, not Bob Moore, has lobbied hard in the past to garner the win. Congratulations to this year’s winner MacKenzie Lemieux, who by no means fits the mold of handicap champion.
Second place went to Gary Westgate, who does fit the mold, with Brent Scheibelhut taking third.
Congratulations to all and thanks to AJ Mundie for putting on the event including the refreshments following. It was a lot of fun!
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