Ellie Kormis
ALTIS Director of Education
A Norweigan perspective on training at Altis
As athletes and coaches from around the globe continue to join us to train, learn, and network with other like-minded professionals at Altis, we have been working behind the scenes to gain insights and perspectives from this truly global demographic - through a series of Coach and Athlete interviews. Following our most recent Coach–Athlete interview featuring Belgian Decathlete - Thomas...
An interview with Dustin Imdieke
A rising star in the coaching profession - Dustin Imdieke is Assistant Sprint-Hurdles and Jumps coach at Altis, working trackside in assisting lead coaches Dan Pfaff, Stuart McMillan, and Andreas Behm. In addition to coaching at Altis, Dustin has also coached at Paradise Valley Community College since 2008, serving as the Head Coach since 2013. During this time athletes working...
An interview with Thomas & Michael Van der Plaetsen
Following his 2009 & 2011 victories at European U20 & U23 level, Thomas Van der Plaetsen had been noted as a rising star in the Combined Events. Whilst 2012 sidelined the Belgian through injury, 2013 saw a breakthrough year at senior level - and following an extended training camp at Altis in the spring of 2013, Thomas won the 27th...
Altis athletes set to compete in Arizona this weekend
Altis athletes representing India, USA, China, Canada, Korea and Panama are set to compete at the Mesa Track & Field Classic, and the 25th Sun Angel Track Classic this weekend. Friday sees Throwers Bhalendder Singh, Rachel Longfors, Yanbo Yang and Rashad Williams compete at the Mesa Track & Field Classic. The 35th Sun Angel Track Classic is the setting for...
A Q&A with Apprentice Coach Neil Baroody
Since it's 2013 inception, the Altis Apprentice Coach Program has continued to grow in popularity and acclaim - with next week seeing us welcome our fifth cohort of Apprentice Coaches onsite. In the mean time, we take a look back at the March Program in a Q&A with Apprentice Coach Neil Baroody, in which we discover what it was about...
“The key to success is preparation” – a Q&A with Rashad Williams
Following Rashad Williams’ recent Shot Put PR of 18.46m - adding 1.31m to his 2013 outdoor best, we thought it a great time to sit down and get to know a little more about the 24 year old Central Connecticut State graduate. In this Q&A we find out what motivated him to move from his New England home to Phoenix,...
First Week in Paradise…
Following on from Coach Andy Brittan's reflections on the Welsh Throws Camp at Altis, Coach Matt Elias - Welsh Event Group Lead for Sprints & Hurdles - blogs about his first week onsite at Altis. "Well, first week in Paradise Valley; the home of Altis to be precise. First impressions can often be deceiving, but not here!!! The set up...
Training Camp at Altis – a Coach’s perspective
Whilst the Welsh Athletics Sprints group headed by Coach Matt Elias are currently enjoying the perfect training conditions onsite in Phoenix, Welsh Athletics National Event Group Lead for Throws - Andy Brittan - and the Welsh Throws squad recently returned home following a 3 week training camp at Altis. We asked Coach Brittan to take a look back on the...
Heather Hamilton on life, Pole Vault and Altis
Canadian Pole Vaulter Heather Hamilton has enjoyed many successes in her career so far. Most notably, in 2013, the 26 year old won the Canadian National Championships, the Canadian Track League, and claimed a bronze medal at the Francophone Games. In addition to her success in Track and Field Heather also has a business degree from the Schulich School of...
Winter Update
As the days get longer and the mercury rises in Arizona, we took the time to sit down and look back on what has been a phenomenal winter & start to 2014 for Altis – one which has seen our athletes bring home 3 Olympic Medals, 1 World Indoor Championship Medal, post 6 National Records and set 9 Personal Records....