New Program in Place to Vet High Performance Coaches and Leaders
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OTTAWA, ON (February 23, 2023) - With the 2024 Paris Olympic Games less than 18 months away and buoyed by the Olympic qualification performance from the Women’s team at the 2022 World Championships, Gymnastics Canada is pleased to announce the establishment of the technical leadership team for the national women’s artistic gymnastics (WAG) high performance program leading into the Games. Mr. Christian Gallardo and Ms. Kyna Fletcher will lead the overall strategic and operational planning for the program, while Ms. Lorie Henderson will continue in her role as the Junior National Team Lead. “The combined knowledge and experience of these leaders will provide value and direction to assist high performance athletes and coaches across the country” said Cory Paterson, Athlete Representative to the Gymnastics Canada Board of Directors.
Mr. Gallardo has been a member of the USA Gymnastics women’s high performance coaching team since 2011 and has been the personal coach to multiple US Olympic team athletes. Ms. Fletcher has over thirty years of Canadian high-performance gymnastics coaching and management experience, including being Gymnastics Canada’s WAG National Team Director from 2011-2014. Ms. Henderson has over fifty years of Canadian gymnastics experience and was most recently the technical lead for the 2022 World Championship women’s team. These individuals will work closely together and with the national team athletes and personal coaches to maximize performance opportunity for the team at upcoming World Championships and the 2024 Olympic Games.
The recruitment of Mr. Gallardo and Ms. Fletcher comes after the completion of an extensive technical and character assessment protocol, part of the new Safe Sport process at Gymnastics Canada to vet high performance leaders. The process goes beyond social media to extensively interview individuals associated with the candidate. Once these leaders are in place, an on-going confidential process for athlete and personal coach feedback will be established to ensure that the program maintains its strong commitment to a safe and welcoming environment for all participants.
Key Responsibilities:
Christian Gallardo – National Team Lead (Technical)
Kyna Fletcher – National Team Lead (Operations)
For more information, contact:
Mary DeGrasse
Gymnastics Canada
mdegrasse@gymcan.org