The OCF will hold its 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM), including the election of new Directors, at 1:00 pm on May 11th 2019 at Hub Climbing in Mississauga, Ontario. Please see our April 10th announcement for full details. We hope to see you there.
Below are introductions to the six (6) OCF members who are running for election to fill the four (4) Board of Director positions coming open as of June 1, 2019.
Shaun Hunter
Shaun started working in the climbing industry in 2006 at Toronto Climbing Academy where he began instructing youth in the recreational programs. In 2010 he moved to True North Climbing where he created the youth recreational program and competitive youth team. He was the head coach at True North until 2017, and was also the head route setter from 2013 to 2017. In the competition scene, he has been involved countless times as a route setter, competition organizer, problem judge, and as an open competitor. In 2015, 2017, and 2018, Shaun was selected to be an Assistant Coach for the Canadian Youth National Team. Shaun also represented Canada at 4 World Cups in the 2015 season. As a route setter, he has helped set over 50 competitions from the provincial to the national level.
Shaun has served two full terms (4 years) as the Secretary of the Ontario Climbing Federation as one of the Board of Directors. Shaun has been instrumental in big changes made over the past couple years to how the board organizes the competition season, standards for how gyms are selected to host, and introducing new ways to deal with the growth of athletes in the OCF series at competitions.
On top of all of Shaun’s volunteer work with the OCF he brings a unique point of view being an open athlete and the only board member and nominee with a vast amount of coaching and route setting experience at the national level which gives a lot of perspective and insight to the board.
Neil Felder
Neil became involved with climbing when a friend invited him to come out to a local climbing gym several years ago. He was drawn to the challenge and excitement of bouldering and has participated at different climbing gyms since then.
Neil’s experience as a risk and insurance advisor for the sport and recreation industry would provide the OCF with a board member that has experience implementing risk-management best practices in similar organizations and can play a vital role in the growth of the sport of climbing in Ontario. Neil would like to serve as a valuable member of the OCF board because he is an advocate for promoting and building a safe environment for participants and recreation providers, and believes that the OCF can be the leaders and serve as the voice for the Ontario climbing industry.
Neil has previously served as a Big Brother within Big Brothers Big Sisters Toronto (BBBST) between 2015-2018 and is the proud father of a 16-month old daughter with his wonderful wife Daniela. Neil enjoys playing tennis, cycling, and hiking in addition to his enjoyment of climbing/bouldering.
Sharon Vukojevic
I would like to submit my name for election to the OCF Board of Directors. I have been an active volunteer with the OCF for the past 6 years as a judge and for the 2019 competition season as a head judge for 3 OCF events.
As a parent of two competition climbers, I have a long term interest in the further development of the board and would like to play an active role in the next evolution of the board and its athletes.
With the massive growth of rock climbing and the direction that the CEC is taking with athlete development, I feel that we are at an important juncture where we have the perfect opportunity to help further the development of our athletes to support them to compete at the highest levels possible.
Thank you for the consideration.
Elina Avramova
I have been a competition climber in Ontario for the past two seasons and previously, I resided and competed in British Columbia. I have been competing at a National level for over 3 years and have had high national rankings in Lead, which also provided me with the opportunity to compete and represent Canada internationally in Briancon, France in 2017. Outside of climbing, I work for a National non-for-profit organization in a portfolio coordination role. I have experience with planning and implementing events and programs while working in collaboration with staff and volunteers.
I am very passionate about competition climbing and would love the opportunity to be involved in a different capacity that can support all OCF athletes in their development. As a current OCF member, I understand the challenges of the past year with the ever changing nature of competition climbing in Canada. I believe that my skills, knowledge and experience can assist the Board in growing with the CEC, and continue to inspire other OCF members to be part of the competition climbing community.
Manh Ellis
I’ve been competing out of Coyote Rock Gym in Ottawa for about seven years and have represented Canada numerous times as an athlete in countries such as Russia, Italy, Austria and China. I compete in Lead, Speed and Bouldering in equal capacity, and believe they deserve equal attention. When I’m not competing, I am helping to run competitions, either through judging or volunteering. I have a role as a coach for all ages at my gym, where the next generation is found. Because of my involvement in high level competition, I make sure to stay up to date in the rules and regulations of our sport. Also, my time spent working with coaches and athletes around Canada has helped me develop a personal network of connections that let me hear feedback quickly.
What I bring to the OCF is a fresh perspective of a competitor and non parent figure, as well as adding location diversity to the federation. With the rise of more teams competing from far outside the GTA, I understand the difficulties of constant travel. I believe that showing representation from places out of the GTA is something that the board has lacked, but that I can help. Furthermore, my personal investment in the sport provides a strong motivation for me to put my time towards improving the competitive climbing in Ontario, and I believe it demonstrates my commitment to the sport. I’d like to improve Ontario athletes’ development opportunities which will help give results we want. Through my experience climbing, learning and observing world class athletes, gyms and coaches, I offer an important athlete’s perspective on sports development that few others can give.
Rahul Sapra
Rahul is a competitive climber who has represented Canada at several lead and boulder world cups and holds back to back OCF Men’s Open Series titles. Rahul’s passion for the sport expands beyond competing. This past February, he traveled to Montreal to volunteer at the CEC Youth Bouldering Nationals. In addition, Rahul started and continues to organize the “Battle of the Basement,” a unique bouldering competition that has expanded to a nationwide 3-competition series. On top of the time and effort he puts into training, Rahul is pursuing an Honours Business Administration degree at the Richard Ivey School of business, where he has extensively studied operations management, business strategy, and corporate governance.