Canadian Olympic bronze medalist champions indoor training facility in Caledon
Before the 2024 Paris Olympics, few knew about the elite pole vault club in Caledon. But, when Alysha Newman soared to new heights, clinching a bronze medal and setting a new Canadian record height of 4.85 m, the name “Bolton Pole Vault” gained notoriety.
“We are on the radar thanks to Alysha,” said Doug Wood, founder and coach, during a celebration event for Newman at Caledon C3 quarry in August. “What she achieved from what is accessible and available to us is truly amazing.”
The Making of an Olympian
Anyone watching Newman’s Olympic performance couldn’t help but notice her cherry-red lipstick and the happiness and calmness radiating from her. She credits her sense of well-being to letting medal placement, deciding instead that she would be content regardless of the outcome. This mindset followed the heartbreak of previous Olympic experiences.
Newman made her debut in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, vaulting 4.45 metres and finishing 17th out of 36 competitors.
In Tokyo 2020, still recovering from a concussion, she missed all her qualifying attempts.
“I realized I’m lucky to be competing at the Olympics at all – few can say that. I approached Paris as if it might be my last, so I chose to enjoy the experience,” she said.
Newman drew her calm and clarity from her coaches – Wood and Zeke Krykorka.
“When I huddled with them, we didn’t focus too much on the technical aspects. My hands were shaking on the pole—something I’d never experienced before. Doug kept saying, ‘It’s a good thing. You’re supposed to be nervous.’ Their confidence helped me stay relaxed and enjoy it.” And it worked. Not only did Newman set a new Canadian record, but she also became the first Canadian woman to win an Olympic medal in pole vaulting.
“Great things come from a small group doing something exceptional,” said Barrie Shepley, who is also an Olympic coach and founder of C3 training club. “Bolton Pole Vault is a perfect example of that.”
The modest training facility operates outdoors for six months before relocating to various industrial buildings for the winter. After graduating from the University of Miami, Newman, who grew up in Delaware near London, began training in Caledon.
“It was the right fit,” she said, adding that she saw immediate improvements in her performance within just two weeks of training with local coaches.
However, she believes the facility is “just not enough.”
To leverage her recent success, Newman and Bolton Pole Vault have launched a crowdfunding campaign to build a year-round indoor training facility in Caledon.
Humble Beginnings
Wood founded the pole vault club in Caledon, “almost by accident”, he joked. His children were taking gymnastics classes at Twisters in Orangeville when the head coach’s daughter learned of his background as a vaulter and mentioned it to his wife.
A notable figure in Canadian pole vaulting, Wood was a member of the 1992 Olympic team and a silver medalist at the 1991 Pan Am Games in Cuba. He held the Canadian men’s record for highest jump at 5.55 meters from 1989 to 2014 and was recently announced as a new inductee into Caledon’s Sports Hall of Fame for 2025.
After raising some funds for “ten poles and a pole vault mat”, Wood reached out to Scott Skimming, head coach of 310 Running in Bolton to collaborate.
Skimming was initially skeptical.
But, at the 2012 OFSAA, he watched a grade 12 girl named Newman break the senior girls’ pole vault record.
It which prompted him to Google “Doug Wood.”
“Olympian and Canadian pole vault record holder for the last 20 years. OK, he is the real deal,” Skimming recalled.
He decided to give the idea a chance.
Over the first two years, Wood recruited athletes, secured indoor training space for the winter, and continued fundraising for equipment. Since then, Bolton Pole Vault has nurtured elite athletes like Newman, Pierce LePage and Damien Warner, OFSAA champions alongside newcomers to the sport. They also host high school meets, offering equipment and resources that are not available anywhere else.
“Fast forward 12 years and Alysha Newman is an Olympic medallist, Doug has become the godfather of Canadian pole vault and Caledon is at the epicentre of it all,” Skimming said.
Outdoor training is limited by Canada’s climate, forcing the program to function without a permanent home and move every six months. During warmer months, the athletes train on the tennis courts next to Humberview Secondary School, also making use of the artificial turf track that was built in 2019 in partnership between the Town of Caledon and Peel District School Board.
In winter, finding adequate indoor space is a constant challenge. The group has rented space in local warehouses and spent several years at the crowded facility at York University.
For Newman, helping her sport progress in Canada and building a home for athletes is a “passion project.”
“Everyone goes to the U.S. to train,” said Newman, noting she is currently the only athlete on Canada’s track and field team training in the country. “How do you expect people to train with no facilities?”
The goal of the fundraising campaign is to establish a track and field training centre in Bolton that supports both high-performance athletes and grassroots development in the community.
“Having seen how resourceful Doug is, how resilient Alysha is and how dedicated they both are, the fact that they are spearheading an effort to build a game changing track and field facility in Bolton is no surprise,” Skimming said. “And since Doug is the master of making something from nothing, I am 100 per cent confident that they will succeed.”
An indoor facility, combined with enhancements to the existing track amenities at Humberview, would elevate Caledon to one of Canada’s premier track and field hubs.
“I am so excited for what this will do for the sport I love in the town I have called home for almost 50 years,” Skimming said.
Shepley was equally enthusiastic.
“Knowing what Doug and Zeke and Alysha have done with very modest resources and training facilities, one can only imagine Caledon and Canada in a decade if they have a newer, more appropriate place to train,” he said. “Count me in to be the first to make a donation to a future training centre based in Caledon.”
For more information about Bolton Pole Vault visit: boltonpolevault.ca
Or the fundraising campaign: www.gofundme.com/f/bolton-pole-vault-build-a-training-home
