Variety Village Athletic Club

Variety Village is proud to be the home of several sport teams, all part of the Variety Village Athletic Club (VVAC). The VVAC gives athletes of all abilities the opportunity to be active and competitive to the best of their ability.
Since 1982, the teams of the VVAC have provided the perfect training ground for athletes who go on to compete at provincial, national and international levels. Children, youth, and adults competing as members of integrated sports teams see many benefits: developing both muscle and self-esteem, learning coordination, making new friends, and learning to see abilities rather than disabilities.

Wall of Fame

Variety Village’s “Wall of Fame” pays tribute to some of the teams’ most accomplished alumni. They include:

• Jeff Tiessen, world record holder and two-time Paralympic medalist in the 400-metre track event
• Jeff Adams, four-time Paralympian and Olympian who has attained world records in the 400-metre, 800-metre and 1,500-metre track events
• Tracey Ferguson, member of the Canadian women’s wheelchair basketball team, four-time Paralympic medalist (three gold), and the first woman with a disability to receive an athletic scholarship to the University of Illinois
• Anné Polinario, former member of the Variety Village Flames swim team, and five-time medal winner at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens
• Bradley Bowden, Paralympian, wheelchair basketball, gold medal at 2004 Paralympics in Athens, sledge hockey, gold medal at 2006 Paralympics in Turin
• Adam Lancia, Paralympian, wheelchair basketball, gold medal at 2004 Paralympics in Athens
• Abdi Dini Fatah, Paralympian, wheelchair basketball, gold medal at 2012 Paralympics in London
• Kaley McLean, Paralympian, swimming, 2004 Paralympics in Athens
• Robert Hampson, won gold, silver and bronze in 2 Ontario Paralympic Winter Championships and 3 CanAm Games, holds the Canadian record for this class in the 50 metre backstroke, and was inducted into the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame in 2012
• Grandmaster Young Su Chuong, Head Coach of the Canadian Olympic Taekwondo Team during the ’88 Seoul and ’92 Barcelona Olympics, Head Coach of the Canadian Military TKD Team, and produced 7 Olympians to date

Criteria for Consideration

It is recommended that young athletes interested in registering for the Introduction to Sport program at a Grassroots and/or VVAC level have participated in our Multi-Sport programs and are able to demonstrate the following:

• Listening skills
• Independence
• Interest in learning the specific sport

Coaches

Coaches facilitating the programs follow a training model focusing on age and stage development under the Canadian Sport for Life Long Term Athletic Development model (LTAD).

Leadership

Archie Allison
Director of Access and Awareness 
Parasport Ontario Board of Directors
Inducted into the Toronto Sport Hall of Fame

Chris Murdoch, 3rd Dan
Manager of Teams and Team Events
Graduate of National Coaches Institute
Diploma in High Performance Coaching