The Kajaks Track and Field club have a new head coach – Byron Jack, who has been with the club since 1980.
Jack joined the Kajaks in 1980 and began coaching with the club in 1985.
“The Kajaks have had a long and storied history,” Jack said. “I feel honoured and excited to help guide the Kajaks in the positive direction in which it has been going, and to continue to grow and advance the club.”
Jack reached the national level as a triple-jumper. As a youngster, he competed in jumps, sprints, hurdles and middle distance at Grauer elementary, Burnett Junior High, Richmond High, UBC and with the Kajaks.
Jack was a two-time B.C. high school champion in the triple jump.
While at UBC, he won several Canada West and CIAU medals. He was both an athletic and academic all-Canadian.
Jack also competed at 20 straight senior national track and field championships, including five Olympic trials, where he was a medalist and finalist on several occasions.
Jack is currently the lead coach with the Kajaks intermediate sprints and jumps group.
In addition to Kajaks, he teaches physical education at Lord Byng Secondary in Vancouver and coaches cross country and track and field, winning 10 consecutive city track and field championships from 2010 to 2019.
He also coaches with the Vancouver Thunderbirds and UBC.
Byron has coached many BC High School Championship, BC Club Championship and Canadian Championship medalists and helped many of his athletes to athletic scholarships in Canada and the U.S. He has coached, managed and chaperoned many BC Summer Games, Canadian Legion, BC Junior and BC Senior teams.
In 2021, he was the recipient of the Mike Alina Award for coaching excellence with the Vancouver School Board.
Jack takes over from Garrett Collier who was head coach for almost a decade.
“All of the excellent work he has done, like his father Richard, before him, means that there are huge shoes to fill,” Jack said.
Byron Jack is the son of former Kajaks coach Moseley Jack, who passed away two years ago.
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