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Apolloni named national team coach

BY KEITH LACEY Nice guys donÂ?t always finish last. Gord Apolloni, 41, is a man who has dedicated most of his life to amateur boxing.
BY KEITH LACEY

Nice guys donÂ?t always finish last.

Gord Apolloni, 41, is a man who has dedicated most of his life to amateur boxing.

A four-time Canadian champion during his amateur boxing career, Apolloni has spent the past 15 years coaching the sport he loves.

All those years of dedication paid off last week when Apolloni was named the national team coach of CanadaÂ?s senior menÂ?s team and man responsible for leading that team to the 2004 Athens Olympics next summer.

Apolloni is one of only eight Level 5 coaches in the country. HeÂ?s the youngest Level 5 coach in Canada.

Apolloni will also prepare the national team for the upcoming Pan-American Games this summer in Santa Domingo as well as the world championships next winter in Bangkok, Thailand.

Apolloni was one of three national team coaches under a system which the head coaching duties were split amongst three elite coaches between 1992 and 1998.

But the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association (CABA) decided to put the senior menÂ?s program in the hands of one man and after a gruelling selection process against 25 of the countryÂ?s top coaches, Apolloni won the appointment late last week.

Â?This is like a dream come true for me,Â? said Apolloni, founder of the Top Glove Boxing Academy and Ontario National Training Centre at the Trillium Centre in Azilda.

Â?I enjoyed my time being an assistant national coach, but itÂ?s always been my belief a better system is to have one guy in charge and CABA has given me full reign to run the program through the next Olympics.

Â?With only one head coach, thereÂ?s nowhere to lay the blame and thereÂ?s more accountability involved. That also means more pressure, but that doesnÂ?t scare me.Â?

Although he will be on the road to several major national and international tournaments each year, Apolloni is thrilled he will be able to run the national program from his hometown here in Greater Sudbury.

Â?With emails and phones, I will be able to set up training programs for all the guys on the national team, no problem,Â? he said. Â?I will have to do some travelling for the major events, but IÂ?m very glad I will be able to stay home.Â?

Being named national team coach is great news for him, but local boxing fans are also going to benefit in many ways, said Apolloni.

Â?I will be bringing in a lot more training camps to Sudbury,Â? he said.

ApolloniÂ?s new contract is for two years and whether or not heÂ?s offered a new deal will depend on the senior menÂ?s team performance at the Pan-Am Games world championships and most importantly, the summer Olympics next year in Greece.

Â?At this level, you are judged on performance and I have no problem with that,Â? said Apolloni.

While Top Glove has produced one Olympian the past 15 years, Apolloni believes three current members have a chance to make the 2004 senior national team and perhaps qualify for the next Olympics.

Superheavyweight Kyle Gauthier, Eric Perrier and Andre Pelletier are all capable of becoming national champions in their respective weight divisions, said Apolloni.

Â?It all depends on how hard they are willing to work and how they are able to handle pressure,Â? said Apolloni. Â?All three of these guys are capable of becoming national champions.Â?

Being able to work with CanadaÂ?s finest boxers on a year-round basis is only going to improve his coaching skills and Apolloni is confident he can remain the national senior menÂ?s coach for many years to come.

Â?I have high hopes for this team,Â? he said. Â?ThereÂ?s a lot of work to be done with the Pan-Am Games coming up this summer and the Olympics set for next summer, but we do have a lot of young boxing talent in this country.Â?

Robert Crete, executive director of CABA, said the selection process was a long and arduous one, but Apolloni has earned the right to lead CanadaÂ?s national team into the next Olympic Games.

Â?Gord is the type of dedicated professional we were looking for,Â? said Crete. Â?He is always reading up on the latest coaching techniques and trying to improve to stay on top of whatÂ?s going on.

Â?HeÂ?s a perfectionist who demands so much out of himself and he will demand the same type of excellence out of his athletes.Â?

ApolloniÂ?s background as a world-class fighter during his younger days has also earned him a great deal of respect for those he coaches, said Crete.

Crete agrees the opportunity is there for Apolloni to make a big name for himself and remain national senior coach for many years to come if the team impresses at the upcoming Pan-Am Games and Olympics.

Â?WeÂ?ve signed him through the 2004 Olympics and he will have complete control,Â? he said. Â?His two big tests will be the Pan-Am Games and the Olympics. If the results are there, IÂ?m sure weÂ?d be interested in re-signing him.Â?

Two dozen of the top coaches in the country applied for the job, but Apolloni was clearly the best choice and CABA is confident the Sudbury boxing legend is going to do a terrific job, said Crete.

Â?The selection process was a very, very difficult one, but we do feel we have selected the best man for the job,Â? he said. Â?IÂ?m very confident Gord will do an outstanding job.Â?






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