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■ London olympics
Local contingent cheering for Callahan Canadian wrestler grew up in Mackenzie, parents and former coach live in P.G. AListair McInnis sports@pgfreepress.com
Canadian Olympic wrestling team member Leah Callahan grew up in Mackenzie. But these days, her most loyal supporters may be just down the road from there. Parents Steve and Molly are Prince George residents who hold different positions within School District 57, while PGSS wrestling coach Louie Van Grootel was one of her biggest influences along the way. Van Grootel coached Callahan in her last two seasons of high school wrestling, leading up to her graduation from Mackenzie Secondary in 2005. Seven years have passed, and while she’s been living in Calgary since 2006, Leah still shows her appreciation for those who helped her meet her goal of qualifying for the Olympics. An example of that came following the Canadian Wrestling Qualification Trails in Winnipeg in December. After earning her spot on the Olympic team as Canada’s female 72-kilogram representative, Callahan signed a photo and gave it to Van Grootel during a visit back to Prince George. The photo of Callahan and Van Grootel was taken at the 2005 high school wrestling nationals in St. John’s, Nfld., the same city where Callahan was born. Callahan won a silver medal in St. John’s, something that may have been special at the time. These days, Callahan is aiming much higher. She’ll attempt to land a spot on the podium at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England at the qualifier and final on Aug. 9. Van Grootel felt honoured to get recognized by his former student after she qualified for the Olympics. “You do and you have that
piece, but I’d have to say for the most part I’m just really wanting to see her do well and perform when she gets there,” he said in an interview on Monday. “When it comes to Leah, she’s always been a motivator and just a really unique personality who I had the opportunity to coach, and I just want to see her perform well. “Sure she’s a phenomenal athlete and she’s motivated and trains 24/7, but the other piece that is there is that she never forgets people either. I think she’s very aware of the effort that she’s put in and has done, but I think she’s very aware of all the different support systems that she’s had.” Also playing a major role in Callahan’s development was Ken Barwise, who started the Mackenzie Secondary wrestling program during her Grade 8 year. Coaches in the region acted as a team and supported it. “But it was really Ken Barwise kind of taking it under his wing and giving it a try that kind of started things out for the Mackenzie program there,” Van Grootel said. Callahan joined the University of Calgary wrestling team in 2006, and has a long list of accomplishments since then. Notable feats include winning gold at the senior national championships in 2010, being a three-time Canadian Interuniversity Sport champion from 2009 to 2011, and a first-place finish at the 2011 Pan American Wrestling Championships. “She’s always had the drive, she’s always had the personality to kind of succeed and the motivation and the athleticism, so it was really the whole package for her,” Van Grootel said. Callahan’s path to qualifying for the Olympics is shared through an online documentary
known as the Sticking Place. The interactive film can be seen at
www.thestickingplacefilm.ca. More information on Callahan
is also available on her website at www.callahanleah.com.
Ph o to s ub mitte d
Canadian Olympic wrestler Leah Callahan signed this photo of her and wrestling coach Louie Van Grootel. The photo was taken at 2005 high school national championships in St. John’s, Nfld., where Callahan won a silver medal. Callahan is scheduled to compete at the Summer Olympics in London in the women’s 72-kilogram division on Aug. 9.
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