ABOUT
COACH ALLY
TRACK & FIELD, CROSS COUNTRY COACH
coaches BIO
Ally joins ACTIV8TE bringing a wide range of athletics training and competition experience from grassroots development, High School & Community club programming, through to NCAA University levels in both the USA & CA, competing at a National level. As an active competitive athlete and with her own experience through the Athletic development stream Ally is a fantastic role model, coach and mentor, and we are thrilled to have her join the ACTIV8TE Team.
Ally is passionate about athletics, healthy athletic development, and is keen to use her experience as a platform to mentor and support athletes of all ages, and skill levels, build a life long love and healthy relationship with running and athletics.
EXPERIENCE
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High School
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3rd place BC High School Track & Field Championships 3000M (2013).
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University of Idaho (2013-2017) - Full Ride scholarship (academic & athletic)
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Simon Fraser University (2017-2018) w/ Teaching Degree
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Qualified and competed at NCAA DII Track & Field Championships in the 5000m
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Langley Mustangs Endurance (2019-present) Post-Collegiate elite distance running group.
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Team BC Athlete
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3rd Place BC Cross Country Championships (2019)
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10th Place Canadian Cross Country Championships (2019)
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Pacific Sport Provincial Development carded athlete.
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NCCP Trained Sport Coach in Athletics (2019)
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BC Athletics Run Jump Throw Wheel, assist program coordinator (2018)
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Earl Marriott High School - Assistant Coach track and field (2018)
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Earl Marriott High School - Head Coach track and field (2019-2021)
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Tamanawis Cross Country Assistant coach (2018)
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Coastal Track Club athlete mentor (2014-2019 Assistant Coach (present)
coaching philosophy
As and athlete, Ally has worked with 5 different coaches all with different training philosophies. This allowed her to see and experience a wide range of approaches to track and crass country training, and recognize that different programs work for different athletes.
In high school, Ally worked with a coach that focused on speed and low mileage.
At University in the US, the focus was on High Mileage and a lot of racing and her experience was that these coaches didn't focus on her individual athletic development as the training was a cookie-cutter model with every athlete doing the same program. Some athletes thrived, others like Ally did not.
Dealing with constant injury with that training environment she did not have the success that hoped for during her US College experience. With a redshirted year in the US, Ally still had one more season of eligibility when she left the University of Idaho. This allowed Ally an amazing opportunity to run track and field at SFU while completing her teaching degree.
The SFU was more focused on speed, and this brought a ton of success for Ally. Shaving 50 seconds off of her 5000m time by the end of the year, Ally made it to Nationals.
She learned that this type of training was much more suited to her personal development timeline as an athlete. It also allowed her to fall in love with the sport all over again and want to continue competing post-collegiately.
Through these experiences, adaptation and flexibility to find the "right fit" for the individual athlete became important pieces of her own coaching philosophy. What works for one athlete may not work for another, and it is up to the coach to be flexible and creative to best fit training plans for each athlete. The right fit in training allows the athlete to succeed, which in turn fosters confidence and a love for the sport.
