Our Coaches

Dylan Armstrong

Head Coach

Throws Coach

Dylan is a two-time Olympian and won a Bronze Medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Dylan has been a member of the Kamloops Track and Field Club (KTFC) since 1991, starting when he was nine years old. He has competed at many local, provincial, national, and international track meets. He has won numerous provincial and national titles, and still holds some BC Junior Development (JD) records to this day. One of his greatest achievements was winning the IAAF Diamond League in Shot Put in 2011.

It is our pleasure to have Dylan return to work with our club athletes in this capacity as the Throws Coach, and to share his knowledge with them on a daily basis. He is passionate about giving back to the sporting community in Kamloops.

As Head Coach, Dylan provides guidance to the other coaches of the Club and is the liaison between the Club and the City of Kamloops.

Dylan has competed in many countries around the world in Shot Put, however the included image provides a list of the international medals that Dylan has received. Dylan has helped put the Kamloops Track and Field Club and the City of Kamloops on the global map!

Achievements

Christine Yamaoka

Sprints and Hurdles Coach

Christine works with our older athletes (13+). She is an accomplished athlete, working with some top-class coaches during her formative years (Calgary Spartans), and in university, at UBC. Christine has been involved in coaching track and field since she was in grade 12, helping to assist her high school coach with sprints. She joined the KTFC as a coach in 2016.

Christine enjoys expanding her knowledge and continues to challenge herself to learn new techniques and concepts around the biomechanics or the science behind sprinting and hurdling, through a variety of courses mixed with certification. She believes the more she learns, the better she can coach individual athletes to reach their full potential.

Christine is dynamic and works to get the best out of her athletes. She certainly keeps them interested in the sport, and encourages her athletes to work hard and do their best, looking for improvements in performance at each practice and meet. She believes every athlete brings something important to our Club and loves the diversity of it.

Christine is a teacher and coach in the Kamloops School District.

Dr. Anatoliy Bondarchuk

Throws Coach

Dr. Bondarchuk is a Doctor of Pedagogical Science (University of Kiev) who came to Kamloops in 2005. Dr. Bondarchuk has put over 40 years of research into programs, and is a master in periodization. He has helped over 31 high performance athletes reach podium performances in World Championships and Olympic Games. One of them being KTFC member Dylan Armstrong who won a bronze medal in Shot Put in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Dr. Bondarchuk also put four athletes on the Canadian Olympic Team in 2012 in London. A Canadian coach has never put that amount of athletes on an Olympic team from the same city!

Today Dr. Bondarchuk helps coach throws when possible and provides assistance where needed.

Derek Peregrym

Distance Coach

Derek has a Bachelors of Physical Education Degree from the University of Alberta with a heavy emphasis on exercise physiology. After graduation, he moved back to his hometown of Castlegar, BC where he coached the local Selkirk College Cross Country Running team for 3 years in what was then called the British Columbia Collegiate Athletic Association (BCCAA). During those years he also coached the local high school’s track and field team in the spring after the collegiate cross country season was over. Selkirk won the league championship in 1995 during his last year coaching them. During his time in Castlegar, while coaching, he also worked part-time for the BC Ambulance Service. He eventually got hired into the BC Ambulance Service full time and due to having to move to Vancouver for this, and an inconsistent shift work type schedule, he had to stop coaching.

From the late 1980’s to the late 2000’s Derek was a very competitive triathlete. He completed the Ironman Canada on 7 different occasions (1991-1995, 2000, and 2002) and qualified for and ran the Boston Marathon in 1994. He also qualified for the Olympic Distance World Championships on 3 different occasions in 2002 (Mexico), 2004 (Portugal), and 2009 (Australia).

Upon moving to Kamloops from the Lower Mainland in 2017, Derek’s son has become a very established distance runner in the Kamloops Track and Field Club. His son’s presence in the club has renewed his interest in coaching and since then, he has completed many BC Athletics courses including the club coaching course which is specific to middle and distance running. He has also established himself as a level 3 track umpire. Derek has recently retired from the BC Ambulance Service and now looks forward to the time he can put into coaching the middle/distance running group of the KTFC. As a coach in the past and now in the present for the KTFC, Derek has based his coaching on a very strong philosophy, “Everybody, no matter what their ability level, is to have a positive experience.”

Mike Kern

JD, Jumps, Pole Vault Coach

Mike has been a school teacher in the Kamloops School District for many decades. He has been actively involved with the KTFC for this entire time span. In the past, he has been appointed to numerous regional and provincial teams as a coach in several event areas. He has acquired coaching certification in many disciplines – including the completion of level three NCCP certifications and acquiring national certification modules beyond this level.

Mike coaches all of the track and field events and coaches a wide variety of age groupings. Mike also has a coaching background in volleyball, basketball, gymnastics, and several other sports. He has led and conducted numerous workshops in several different athletic disciplines over the years. Mike is constantly trying to better himself and those around him.

Miriam Dziadyk

JD and Masters

Miriam Dziadyk has been coaching with the KTFC for the past five years, and coaching children in other disciplines for ten years. Miriam started as a JD coach when all three of her boys were in the 9-12 age group. The JD group is still a very special group to her as she believes in the importance of building physical literacy and love of sport.

As Miriam’s sons have gotten older, she has expanded her interest in working with athletes 13+, gaining the NCCP Club Coach certification in endurance running. She put her new credentials to the test by being a BC provincial coach at XC Nationals in 2019. Recently, Miriam also attained the NCCP Club Coach certification in jumps. In addition, Miriam is a track and field official and has taken an interest in “starting”. She is looking forward to the future to gain experience both locally and provincially.

Miriam has had a life-long love of sport in many disciplines. Currently, she competes in both running races and triathlons. She is an NCCP certified triathlon coach, as well as an NCCP certified swim coach.

Miriam has recently taken on our Masters group as well!

Dayl Dhaliwal

Track Rascal Coach

Dayl has been working with the Track Rascals program since 2010. She is one of our volunteer coaches, and is on the Executive Board of our Club as the Vice President. Dayl has taken the Run, Jump, Throw course through BC Athletics and uses those skills and practices while coaching the 6 to 8 year olds in the Rascals program. Dayl does an outstanding job. She loves working with young children and teaching them to be the best they can be. Dayl’s focus is on having fun with this age group. She incorporates game-based learning into all of her sessions.

When the Club hosts track meets, Dayl promotes the participation of the Track Rascals in the 60 meter fun run race indoors and outdoors. She also hands out the ribbons and medals at every meet. Dayl tries to run at least 3 Track Rascals sessions each year, and if there is demand and enough interest, she adds another session. She encourages all of her Track Rascals to become Junior Development athletes.

Dayl is a dedicated volunteer and our unsung hero!