Laurel Creek Coaching Staff
Sprints
Head Coach and Program Lead: Bruce Glebe
Contact: (bglebe@rogers.com)
Bruce has been the sprints coach with LC since 1990. In addition, he serves as the club’s General Manager and Coaches’ Representative to the Board. He also serves as club liaison for the local road races for which LC volunteers.
Bruce has coached numerous OFSAA, Provincial and National medalists. The pinnacle of Bruce’s coaching career has been working with two time Paralympian Leah Robinson who competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Bruce also coaches relays at all levels and besides numerous championship teams, has led several to Ontario record-breaking performances.
Assistant Coach: Susan Merlau
Hurdles
Coach and Program Lead: John McLean, NCCP II
Contact: (johndsmclean@gmail.com)
Coach John is a former National level Junior athlete. John trained under Coach Hugh Conlin with the Ottawa Lions, competing in Canada and the US. John was also fortunate to receive coaching from Gerard Mach during Coach Mach’s time in Ottawa. Attending the University of Bristol on scholarship, John played quarterback for the football team, winning a BCAFL Bowl title. More recently, John is a past winner of the Waterloo 10k Classic, and also holds course records at several road races in the Waterloo region.
John is a NCCP certified level II and level III in-training Sprint-Hurdles coach. He has coached OFSAA, Provincial, and National Youth Champions and medalists. He works with not only high performance athletes, but beginners as well, focusing on technique, speed development, and form over both sprint and long hurdles.
Assistant Coach: Tanner Pollock, CAT
Assistant Coach, Combined Events: Katelyn Flemington
Assistant Coach, Combined Events: Jasmin Kerr-Dyck
Assistant Coach, strength and conditioning: Dan deMelo-Knapp
Middle Distance
Coach and Program Lead: Tom Fitzgerald
Contact: (tomfitzgerald.mrfitz@gmail.com)
With over 30-years of coaching experience working with mostly high-school aged athletes, ‘FITZ’ continues to lead the middle distance group. He has coached 100+ D8 conference championship teams in both cross country and track. He has coached many CWOSSA and OFSAA individual champions in events ranging from 400m, 800m, 1500, 3000m and high-jump. Highlights include leading a 4-year run as CWOSSA team champions. Also in that span was an OFSAA girls team title(2004) and a runner-up team(2008). He also has enjoyed OFSAA team championship success with the boys(gold-1986) and girls(gold-2003) as well as teams placing 2nd(SG-2000),3rd(JG-1998,2004). He also help guide the National Junior Men’s cross country gold medal run from 1999-2002 as well as the National Junior Women’s medal teams from 1999-2002.
Athletes from the middle distance group continue to succeed in the sport at the university level in both Canada and the US.
Assistant Coach: Bryan Stride
Bryan Graduated from John F Ross in Guelph where he ran track and Cross country, competing at OFSAA with a best finish of 4th in the Senior Boys XC and 4th in the Junior Boys 1 mile.
Graduating from Brock University in 1976 with a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and BEd in 1977, he ran track (indoors and outdoors) and cross country while at university, winning the OUA title several times and being named USport cross country champion in 1976.
Bryan competed for Canada at the 1975 Pan-American Games in Mexico, placing 4th in the 3000m steeplechase. From 1991-1994, Bryan was Canadian Masters Champion in Cross Country.
During his 25 year tenure as a high school teacher at Centre Wellington DHS in Fergus, Bryan coached both cross country and track, producing several individual and team champions at the OFSAA level. For six years Bryan was the cross country and middle distance coach at the University of Waterloo. The cross country teams competed at the USports Championships every year with the best result being 12th in the country. Bryan has been coaching with Laurel Creek TC since 2019.
Assistant Coach: James Porto
Jumps
Coach and Program Lead: Chris Timm, NCCP II
Contact: (cjtimm@yahoo.ca)
Chris is passionate about seeing athletes develop to their full potential regardless of the starting point. In the past he has coached numerous athletes to medals at OFSAA, provincial and national competitions as well as success at local competition. In addition he had the honor of coaching at the Ontario Summer Games (2022) and being on the coaching staff (alternate) for Team Ontario for the Canada Summer Games (2022). He was Jumps Coach for Team Ontario for an indoor interprovincial meet (2017, 2018, 2019, 2023) and Jumps Coach for the U18/U16 Team Ontario for the Canadian Youth National Track and Field Championships (2023).
Chris has seen a number of his athletes move on to post-secondary athletics in both the US and Canada while also preparing others for international competition. He has coached for over 25 years in a variety of contexts and positions, who besides his NCCP Athletics coach training, is also a Certified Personal Trainer devoted to lifelong learning and improving as a coach and person.
Join the jumps group and participate in the journey of seeing how far and how high you can go while discovering in the process more about yourself and what you’re capable of.
Assistant Coach: Jodi Rice
Developmental Group
Coach and Program Lead: Maryann Pierson
Contact: mpierson56@gmail.com
Coaching Opportunities with Laurel Creek
We’re always looking for coaches who are passionate about developing athletes to the fullest of their potential. If you’d like to join our team in either a full-time or part-time capacity we’d love to hear from you. Please contact our Head Coach, Bruce Glebe at 519-893-4361 or bglebe@rogers.com for more information.