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By Jacqui Priolo
Athletic Director & Co-Curricular Coordinator
The sailing program hosted another successful regatta. Alumni Bill Morris ‘71 volunteered to be on the committee boat, and you could sense the pride he had to see our school putting together a truly memorable experience for sailors. The main event was sailing, of course, but what’s more is the environment that is created by our generous parents who bring yummy food, music and propane heaters for the dock. Thank you to coaches Mr. Salt, Mr. Istvan, Mr. Leavitt, and our parent volunteers throughout the season (special shout out to Chris Adams and Stephanie Adams for infusing the regatta with joy and taking on the event leadership).
The RLC golf team continued to connect with RLC alumnus Will Pugliese ‘98 at The Diamond on Old Parry Sound road, the most beautiful executive course in the area. We added another keen golfer and alumnus Zoyer Clayden Tabobondung ‘14 to our coaching roster: he generously volunteered his time and shared his lessons in golf and life with our youngsters. Ms. Walker was our main coach and ensured the students got to and from golf safely and on time, thank you for taking on this new challenge for our students. A shout out to Jordan ‘28 for making it to the CISAA Championship and putting up an impressive score. We are certain you will continue to represent RLC well at these tournaments, and soon others will be joining you!
The soccer team demonstrated significant growth over the course of the season, not only making improvements on the scoreboard, but also learning life lessons as they faced more experienced teams but did not give up. The soccer team was made up of young and new players guided by a handful of veterans to the sport. Our brand new goaltenders had to step in after our starting goalie suffered an unfortunate season-long injury. It takes courage to play a brand new position, especially in goal, and that is a testament to the players’ support of one another. Thank you to our many coaches: Mr. Lines, Mr. Walker, Ms. Meredith and Mr. Hedges for your work this season in bringing together our passionate soccer players.
The cross country running team celebrated many individual successes, personal bests and Will ‘28 making it to OFSAA in Ottawa. What stood out to me was how the leadership of our senior runners created a space for the youngest runners to thrive. Coach Sheppard encapsulates the season with “This year’s team was a great mix of enthusiastic newcomers and seniors who’ve been building the school’s running culture for several years. The team dynamic allowed all runners to thrive and improve. They never failed to impress us with their effort or attitude.” This article wouldn’t be complete without acknowledging the incredible leadership from Mr. Smith, Ms. Sheppard (OFSAA XC alumni), and Ms. Rand for the season. Ms. Rand, ran a 80 km trail ultra in September, and a 104 km trail ultra in October. That is some pretty inspiring stuff! Mr. Smith continues to endure the amazing newborn marathon, and deserves equal credit!
The field hockey team has done it again! The 2024 team earned another CISAA DIII Championship title! For a large portion of the team this was a back-to-back championship. Once again what stood out was how the 2023 Grade 12s fostered a culture of positivity, high expectations and support. The 2024 leaders continued this tradition by creating an atmosphere that encourages passion and perseverance, the ingredients of GRIT. Most of our players start their field hockey careers at RLC, and for the new girls to join a team that has had recent success could be intimidating, but it is the players who inspire one another to come learn the sport and dig in to develop their skills. Ms. Pakozdi, Ms. Brynn, and Ms. Quinn embodied what it means to hold standards high and give incredible support to their large roster of players this season.
Each of these teams will now have an opportunity to take on the staff in our end of season fun. Check out the schedule by clicking here.
Our recreational sport offerings will also challenge the staff, and their seasons have been equally as valuable.
Canoeists enjoyed Lake Rosseau and Shadow River well into October where they took on a more games oriented approach, which led to numerous (intentionally) flipped boats and developing self-rescue skills. Mr. Kerr, our resident paddle pro, welcomed the energy of Ms. Dykstra and Ms. Newnham to the crew, and flip boats they did! Thank you canoe coaches!
Lacrosse players took over the back field as their numbers continued to grow. What started as an idea for a handful of students to try it out turned into 65 students with sticks in hand when the waterfront closed and those athletes moved up to the back field. John Dinner’s vision was to make this an environment for all and it is a truly special thing to witness to many students engaged in a sport they have never played, developing difficult stick handling skills, and skills for life! Mr. Dinner was joined by Mr. Byrne, Mr. Priolo, and Ms. Burney in the pursuit of getting lacrosse sticks in half of the student body's hands!
Yoga has been a wonderful challenge for our students that not only benefits them physically but mentally as well. If you haven’t had the opportunity to take one of Tasha Forster’s yoga classes, you should make a point to do so. She is able to create a peaceful environment that welcomes challenge by choice and attracts students seeking mindfulness at the end of their days.
Archery and rock climbing have really just started, when the waterfront closed athletes could select one of these opportunities (or lacrosse). We have so many archers we don’t know what to do, other than purchase more bows, arrows and targets. Students are drawn to the environment that Mr. B creates and they are learning that an archer has a lot more to it than meets the eye. You will notice there is a staff vs. student competition for this sport as well, and I am eager to see who the sharp shooter is. Mr. Beaulne is supported by Ms. Choi’s Katniss Everdeen-like enthusiasm. Thank you for making archery safe and fun!
Rock Climbing will continue throughout the remainder of the year. This is a growing sport, and it does require traveling to Climb Muskoka in Bracebridge and paying the membership fees. From what I have witnessed it is certainly worth the time as Ms. Fan creates an encouraging space for students to truly challenge themselves. Ms. Fan will also be organizing and hosting the first ever CISAA Invitational Rock Climbing Competition! Stay tuned for more information on that.
It goes without saying that we are truly grateful to our fall sports coaches for their time and commitment to the Timberwolves. It has been an amazing season for all, thank you.
As the cold weather approaches we turn our attention to the Winter Sports Season, which will officially kick off after Rhythm for Rosseau.
Students are reminded to start collecting the appropriate gear for the sports of their choice. Our snow sports are always popular and with the exception of Nordic (cross country skiing) we do not provide equipment for these sports, so parents and students are reminded to acquire this ahead of the winter season. We look forward to rolling out our court sports in the new gymnasium soon!
Winter Active Options (December - March)
Performance/ Competitive
Recreational / Semi Competitive
And last, but certainly not least, thank you to the parent guild as a whole for making the Timberwolves experience unforgettable. I can still hear the cowbells from the fall. Thank you to Jill Wilson who has taken on the leadership of the supportive sport crew and ensures athletes and spectators alike are fed, cheered on, and supported through signs, speakers, pom poms, and genuine spirit. I love when I go to the general store after a game and they ask me what is going on at the school because they could hear the cheering!
Let’s go Timberwolves!
