Millennium Magazine_2ndEd

342 MILLENNIUM-SECOND EDITION A thletic coach Jacqueline Simonsen Brown has always had an interest in sports. Beginning her career in 1984 as a physical education teacher for grades six through eight, Ms. Simonsen Brown held a number of roles that led her to become the successful coach she is today. In the 1970s she ran many marathons and noticed women breaking barriers, but she realized that there weren’t any women in weightlifting. She began competing against men in the field until Canada had its first national championship for women, in which she won her weight class. A Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist ® by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, she began working as a strength coach for the Bellows Free Academy and Collins Perley Sports & Fitness Center in 1989. Thirteen years later, in 2002, she became head coach and president of Northern Power WLC. Ms. Simonsen Brown was inspired to pursue a career in coaching by many women from other sports. One of the women who contributed to her choice was Kathrine Switzer, who registered under the name K. Switzer for the Boston Marathon. When it was discovered that “K” stood for Kathrine, detractors tried to run her off the course, but her boyfriend and several male friends ran around her so she could finish. The support she garnered from her family and friends inspired Ms. Simonsen Brown to get more involved in different sports where women weren’t widely represented. She admired Kathrine’s bravery and courage to enter into a sport where women were not allowed. Ms. Simonsen Brown now specializes in Olympic-style weightlifting and competitive weightlifting. She works with athletes up and down the East Coast, going to competitions to support her clients and sometimes compete. She has reached a number of milestones throughout her career, including breaking 18 world records in all-around weightlifting. Looking to the future, Ms. Simonsen Brown hopes to pursue a PhD. She is currently training to participate in the Badwater race, a 135-mile run across the desert. JACQUELINE SIMONSEN BROWN PRESIDENT, HEAD COACH Northern Power WLC Saint Albans, VT