COACH OF THE YEAR JANE
LEE Written by: Carla Difilippo
How does a teacher instill the love of Ultimate in all of her athletes? How does a teacher take a small Ultimate program and build it to be one of the best high school programs in the country? Meet Jane Lee, the dedicated, enthusiastic and passionate coach of the Northern Knights.
Jane started playing Ultimate in 1996 with teams in the Ottawa area. Upon starting teaching in the Toronto area, her passion for Ultimate and teaching came together in coaching Northern Secondary School’s Ultimate team. Jane has built an Ultimate program, which dominates the city of Toronto. Sports such as rugby and football are extremely popular at Northern, yet Jane has managed to make Ultimate the sport that all the athletes want to play! Under her expertise, she has lead the Northern Knights to five city championships, one provincial championship and three podium-finishes at high school nationals including a gold medal performance in 2013.
Like a true teacher, Jane always wants to learn more. As a result, Jane paired up with the competitive girls’ club team out of Toronto, OverDrive, who finished with the bronze medal at 2013 Canadian Nationals. Jane was instrumental to the success of OverDrive. She brought a high level of professionalism to the team as well as fresh ideas for training. Jane’s best quality is her ability to instill a love for the game in all of her players. Win or lose, her athletes are playing with a smile on their faces. It’s this love for the game that has encouraged many of her athletes to play at the next level.
This is evident when looking at this year’s junior national teams. An incredible FIVE athletes from Lee’s Northern Knights have been selected to represent Canada at the World Juniors Championships this July in Lecco, Italy. It was Jane who encouraged these athletes to play Ultimate and helped them develop a true love for the sport.
Lee’s Northern Knights, CHSUC 2013 Champs Photo: Jane Lee
Jane is an amazing role model for her athletes. She is positive, enthusiastic and has a genuine love for the game. This year Jane will continue coaching Northern and has paired up again with the newest Toronto juniors club - Toronto Elites. She will be coaching the junior women’s team. Congrats Jane on an amazing season last year and for helping develop the sport of Ultimate in Canada.
AWARDS
Ultimate Canada Magazine -
www.canadianultimate.com
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