• Our high calibre coaches Besnik and Tatjana have been training junior development athletes since starting the JD program with the Royal City Track and Field Club (RCTF) in 2000. Their success continued with RCTF until February 2007, when many of the athletes and volunteer parents who had been involved in RCTF decided that they wanted to work with the Meces in a new direction, and the New West Spartans club was born.
• Head Coach: Tatjana Mece
• Tatjana,  has 35 years coaching experience from elementary school to university level, 18 of them  in BC, where he started on 1998 – 2000 as a volunteer coach in New Westminster schools.
• With the invitation of the New West community, she started to coach at Royal City Track and Field Club on 2000, initiated the Junior Development Program, and also  training in the area of expertise of  Jumps, Sprint and Hurdles and Combined events.
• She  started training at UBC as a track and field  assistant coach for jumping with varsity team  since 2008, after  her many years experience of teaching  PE at University of Tirana – Albania.
• During all those years, Tatjana has demonstrated outstanding dedication and volunteered numerous hours for the benefit of the track and field programs.  She is very knowledgeable, positive, and  has made an invaluable contribution to the  varsity teams  of  UBC and Douglas College Running Club.
• Tatjana,  was initiator and builder of many track programs in BC, including New West Spartans, VOC Douglas College Running Club, and Harry Jerome Outreach program. Training and connected very well with the track community, she brought at UBC team the elite of the athletes as Devan Wiebe, Tamara Harris, Katherine Tourigny,  Mihailo Stefanovic, Bogdan Pavel, Manisha Kandola, Damanpreet Rai,  etc, who are  the medal  winners  in the major Provincial and National championships.
• Over the years, Tatjana contributed with extended time in co-organizing and  co-managing varsity events in track and field and cross country at UBC as the 2003 NAIA Regional Cross Country Meet in Jericho Beach in Vancouver as well and for other cross country competitions and  co-technical meet director for UBC hosted competitions for the last few years  and many VOC Elementary Track Meets.
• Started the rebuilding the VOC on 2005,her hard work and knowledge, leads the athletes of Olympic  Development  competing  successfully up to the semifinals in World Youth Championships, and winning 52 medals at Canadian Championships with 29 Champion titles, many of them ranked # 1 in the country.
• On 2013, two of her athletes, competed successfully  at World Youth Track and Field Championship in Donetsk – UKR, were Stephanie Cho, was ranked 12th in the world in 400mH, and Mihailo Stefanovic, ranked 21st in the world in 110mH.
• On 2015, two other athletes prepared by Tatjana Mece, competed successfully at World Youth Championships in Cali, COL, were Nina Schultz, was  ranked # 10th in the world in Heptathlon with new Canadian record of 5406 points, ranked # 1 in the country in High Jump for Youth and Junior, and Jasper Schiedel, was ranked # 20 in the world in Decathlon, with new Canadian record of 6526 points.
• Many of his athletes, are awarded  as the BC Athletics Awards winner and  Athlete of the Year.
• Tatjana was an international level athlete and  National Champion in High Jump (1975-1979) and Pentathlon. She was member of the Albanian National Team 1975-1980, competing in HJ, Pentathlon  and the 4x100m relay  in many international track meet including and European Championship.
• She is  graduated from University of Sports in Tirana- Albania with a bachelor degree in PE and T&F.
• Tatjana, has the completed level  2 certificate in sprint hurdles and middle long distance and level three Technical  in middle and long distance.
• She was a 2007 BC Award winner of JD Excellence in Coaching, and was awarded “2013 BC Excellence in Coaching” for senior coach category.
• Tatjana was  BC Provincial Coach for Jumps and Combine events at 2013 and sprint and hurdles coach at 2014 Canadian Legion Championships.
• Tatjana,  has 35 years coaching experience from elementary school to university level, 18 of them  in BC, where he started on 1998 – 2000 as a volunteer coach in New Westminster schools.
• With the invitation of the New West community, she started to coach at Royal City Track and Field Club on 2000, initiated the Junior Development Program, and also  training in the area of expertise of  Jumps, Sprint and Hurdles and Combined events.
• She  started training at UBC as a track and field  assistant coach for jumping with varsity team  since 2008, after  her many years experience of teaching  PE at University of Tirana – Albania.
• During all those years, Tatjana has demonstrated outstanding dedication and volunteered numerous hours for the benefit of the track and field programs.  She is very knowledgeable, positive, and  has made an invaluable contribution to the  varsity teams  of  UBC and Douglas College Running Club.
• Tatjana,  was initiator and builder of many track programs in BC, including New West Spartans, VOC Douglas College Running Club, and Harry Jerome Outreach program. Training and connected very well with the track community, she brought at UBC team the elite of the athletes as Devan Wiebe, Tamara Harris, Katherine Tourigny,  Mihailo Stefanovic, Bogdan Pavel, Manisha Kandola, Damanpreet Rai,  etc, who are  the medal  winners  in the major Provincial and National championships.
• Over the years, Tatjana contributed with extended time in co-organizing and  co-managing varsity events in track and field and cross country at UBC as the 2003 NAIA Regional Cross Country Meet in Jericho Beach in Vancouver as well and for other cross country competitions and  co-technical meet director for UBC hosted competitions for the last few years  and many VOC Elementary Track Meets.
• Started the rebuilding the VOC on 2005,her hard work and knowledge, leads the athletes of Olympic  Development  competing  successfully up to the semifinals in World Youth Championships, and winning 52 medals at Canadian Championships with 29 Champion titles, many of them ranked # 1 in the country.
• On 2013, two of her athletes, competed successfully  at World Youth Track and Field Championship in Donetsk – UKR, were Stephanie Cho, was ranked 12th in the world in 400mH, and Mihailo Stefanovic, ranked 21st in the world in 110mH.
• On 2015, two other athletes prepared by Tatjana Mece, competed successfully at World Youth Championships in Cali, COL, were Nina Schultz, was  ranked # 10th in the world in Heptathlon with new Canadian record of 5406 points, ranked # 1 in the country in High Jump for Youth and Junior, and Jasper Schiedel, was ranked # 20 in the world in Decathlon, with new Canadian record of 6526 points.
• Many of his athletes, are awarded  as the BC Athletics Awards winner and  Athlete of the Year.
• Tatjana was an international level athlete and  National Champion in High Jump (1975-1979) and Pentathlon. She was member of the Albanian National Team 1975-1980, competing in HJ, Pentathlon  and the 4x100m relay  in many international track meet including and European Championship.
• She is  graduated from University of Sports in Tirana- Albania with a bachelor degree in PE and T&F.
• Tatjana, has the completed level  2 certificate in sprint hurdles and middle long distance and level three Technical  in middle and long distance.
• She was a 2007 BC Award winner of JD Excellence in Coaching, and was awarded “2013 BC Excellence in Coaching” for senior coach category.
• Tatjana was  BC Provincial Coach for Jumps and Combine events at 2013 and sprint and hurdles coach at 2014 Canadian Legion Championships.

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Technical Director: Besnik Mece

Besnik,  has 42 years coaching experience from elementary school to university level, 18 of them  in BC, where he started on 1998 – 2000 as a volunteer coach in New Westminster schools.

• With the invitation of the New West community, he started to coach at Royal City Track and Field Club on 2000, initiated the Junior Development Program, and also  training in the area of expertise of Middle and Long Distance, and Sprint and Hurdles.
• On 2001, Besnik  started training at UBC as a assistant coach of track and field and cross country varsity team,  after  his experience as the General Secretary of the Albanian Athletics Federation led by him successfully  for many years, towards international results. He is knowledgeable, positive,  and as a result, Besnik, has made an invaluable contribution to the varsity teams. Since his first year at UBC, he demonstrated  outstanding dedication and volunteered numerous hours for the benefit of the teams.
• He is the  initiator and builder of many track programs in BC including New Westminster Junior Development Program, New West Spartans,  the VOC , Douglas College Running Club and Harry Jerome Outreach program. Training and connected very well with the track community, he brought at UBC team the elite of the athletes as Shannon Elmer, Nigel Hole, Karry Kazuta, Nicola Evangelsta, Devan Wiebe, Tamara Harris, Mihailo Stefanovic, Bogdan Pavel, Katherine Tourigny,Manisha Kandola, Damanpreet Rai,Simran Rai, etc.,who were the top quality athletes  for  the UBC  T&F and Cross Country  victories.
• On February 2012, Besnik was coaching UBC team at the Chiba Cross Country Invitational in Chiba, Japan and also contributes to varsity athletics through extended time spend organizing and managing events. In 2003 he was the meet director for the NAIA Regional Cross Country Meet in Jericho Beach in Vancouver, as well he was a meet director for other cross country competitions. Since UBC developed own track and field facilities, Besnik has been appointed  the meet director for UBC hosted competitions for many  years and also as VOC Elementary Meet, and  UBC  Elementary Championships.
• Besnik  was a 2010 BC Award winner in JD Excellence in Coaching.
• He was  the coach of  the BC Provincial Junior Cross Country Team in 2005,  BC Junior Provincial middle  long distance  at 2011 Canadian National Championships, 2013 BC Cross Country Junior Team coach, and BC Provincial coach for distance at 2014 Canadian Junior Championships.
• Many of his athletes, are awarded  as the BC Athletics Awards winner and  Athlete of the Year.
• Starting the rebuild of VOC in 2004,from 2007, his hard and quality work and knowledge, indicated  in  winning of  52 medals in Canadian National Championships, 29 of them as Canadian Champions.
• As a technical director of the VOC and New West Spartans Athletics Program, he  leads to high level of the Olympic Development,  9 athletes representing the Canadian National Team, who  competed successfully in international meets and  World Youth and Junior Championships, and ranked # 1 in the country, breaking many Canadian Records.
• He  has the level three Technical coaching certificate in middle and long Distance and completed level 2 certificate in middle long distance and sprint / hurdles.
• As an athlete, Besnik was a National Champion in 3000m Steeplechase and member of the Albanian National Team 1973-1975 competing internationally  in middle and long distance.
• He was graduated from University of Sports in Tirana- Albania with a bachelor degree in PE..

Coach: Gurchet Kandola

Gordie is one of the pioneers of coaching Junior Development Program in New Westminster.  He is the Junior Development Coordinator, fitness and jumps coach.  Gordie enjoys training with the kids and helping and watching them grow over the years.

 

Coach: Milijanko Stefanovic

Milijanko has 6 years of coaching experice with Junior Development, Midget, and Youth programs in the Spartans Track & Field Club.  He is focusing on jumps and hurdles.

 

 

Honarary President, Life Member and Masters Head: Don Benson

A former Mr. Sport and both soccer and lacrosse Coach of the Year, New Westminster’s Don Benson is a founder of both the Royal City Track & Field Club (1996) and the New West Spartans Track & Field Club (2007) and Honorary President of the latter for life.

A person with varied interests, Don is Canada’s first Poet Laureate Emeritus, the author of three books and an accomplished Masters Pentathlete in the 75-79 age division. In 2007 he was awarded the British Columbia Community Achievement Award by the Lieutenant Governor for outstanding contributions to athletics and the written arts.

In 2008 at the Canadian Masters Championships held at Regina, Don made history by winning the bronze medal in the Outdoor Pentathlon (200m, 1500m, long jump, discus, javelin) and winning the gold medal in the Throws Pentathlon (javelin, discus, shot put, hammer, weight throw) completing the total of ten events in a mere six hours as the schedules for the two very different Pentathlons overlapped.

Don Benson was selected by VANOC to be the final New Westminster torch runner and to light the 2010 Winter Olympics cauldron at Queens Park before 10,000 cheering citizens.

Ass. Coaches Milena Stefanovic and Manisha Kandola – information to follow,,,