Coaches

Al Johnston

Al has been coaching for 20+ years at all levels. His coaching career started in Saskatchewan in the early 1980’s and continued when he moved back to Vancouver Island in 1994 to attend the National Coaching Institute in Victoria specializing in Middle Distance. He has produced champions from the local to the International level. He has also been involved in coaching blind and paraplegic athletes who have medaled at international competitions.

Al has coached on several provincial teams and national teams. At the Provincial level he has been a team coach on all Provincial teams, from Zone teams to Canada Games Team. He was recently named to Team BC for the 2009 Canada Games team in Prince Edward Island. At the national level he has been a team coach on the Francophone Games team, World Junior Championship team, World Youth Team, World Championships as well as the World Cup of Race Walking, Head Coach Pan-Am Cup of Race Walking and Pan Am Jr. Cup of Race Walk.

A NCCP Master Coach in middle distance he is also a certified NCCP Theory Facilitator for
Part A & B and Level 3. A Technical Course Conductor for T & F level 1, 2 & 3 and a Master Facilitator for the RJT program. Al also holds the unique distinction of being a certified IAAF level 2 Distance/Race Walk Course Conductor as well as a certified IAAF Level 2 Race Walk coach.

At present he is involved in coaching at Wellington Secondary School, Nanaimo Track and Field Club, member of the BCA Senior Technical Committee and is the acting President of this Club.

Mike Viers

Mike has coached midget to masters aged sprinters with the club since 2004. Mike is a former competitive sprinter who spent time with the Kamloops Track and Field Club, Coquitlam Cheetahs, University of BC, and Sims including the National Legion Camp, Canadian Junior and Senior Championships, Olympic Trion Fraser University teams. Mike has competed at numerous
national level eventals, Canadian Indoor Championships, Western Canada Games, Canada Games, and the Canadian University Indoor Championships.

Mike also represented Canada on several national teams. He competed for Canada at the 1991 Pan-American Junior Championships in Jamaica (6th in 100m final), the 1993 World Student Games in Buffalo (4th in the 4x100m relay), and the 1994 Francophone Games in Paris (ran in semi-finals for 4x100m team that eventually won gold). Mike lists his main motivations for coaching as passing along the knowledge that his former coaches gave to him and helping athletes strive for personal excellence. Mike has been a physiotherapist since 1998 and currently works at Summit Injury Management at the Nanaimo Aquatic Centre.

Jeannie Isbister

Jeannie Isbister is a certified Level one coach and RJT coach, and a level two official. She started coaching track and field in 2000. She is a former sprinter, hurdler and long jumper.