MAPLE LEAF TRACK CLUB
Maple Leaf Track Club
The Maple Leaf Track Club is a USA Track and Field organization based in Chardon, Ohio. The club is for athletes of all ages and abilities who enjoy the great sport of track and field. In addition to teaching the sport of track and field, the club hosts summer night track meets, indoor track meets and sponsors athletes during indoor track season, cross country, road races. The club also helps high school athletes with the recruiting process for college athletics.
The Maple Leaf Track Club is based in Chardon, Ohio. We are located 35 miles east of downtown Cleveland in Geauga County. The headquarters of Maple Leaf is at the Chardon High School track - 151 Chardon Avenue, Chardon, Ohio 44024.
The club is in its tenth season and is directed by Dr. Mark J. Mendeszoon, Mr. Mark A. Shafer and Mr. Nick R. Continenza who have over 80 years of track and field experience as athletes and coaches. Our support coaching staff are members of local high schools and current and former athletes who all have their areas of expertise in track and field.
Club Directors
Dr. Mark J. Mendeszoon has been involved in track and field for over thirty years. He has competed at the Junior Olympic, high school, college and post collegiate levels. A hurdler and relay person, Dr. Mendeszoon was All State in New York as a senior. He received an athletic scholarship for track at Miami University (Ohio) and competed in the 400 hurdles, relays and 800 meters.
He started his coaching career while in graduate school at Stony Brook University on Long Island, New York. At Stony Brook, he was responsible for working with the sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers. Several Stony Brook athletes obtained NCAA All-American Division 3 honors while he was there. He continued to coach while in medical school with the University of Pennsylvania men's track and field team. He was able to assist the coaching staff with the sprinters and hurdlers. Several athletes received All Heptagonal conference honors and qualified for the NCAA Division I championships.
After completing his surgical residency at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Mendeszoon was able to return to track and field after establishing his foot and ankle surgical practice with Precision Orthopedic Specialties, Inc., in Chardon, Ohio. He has been involved with several Geauga County high schools as a team physician and has been coaching the boy's and girl's track teams at Chardon High School since 2001. In addition, he started the Chardon High School indoor track program and assists the cross country teams. Dr. Mendeszoon is an advisory board member at the GaREAT Sports Complex and current co-medical director of GaREAT. In the duration that he has been at Chardon, several school records have been broken, All-Conference, All-District, All-Regional, All-State, State champions and All- American honors have been bestowed upon his athletes. Athletes have also qualified for the High School Track and Field Championships as well as USA Track and Field Junior National Championships. In addition to Chardon athletes, Dr. Mendeszoon has assisted other athletes obtain All-State and All- American honors and has sent many athletes to compete at the collegiate level.
Mr. Mark Shafer has been involved in track and field for over 25 years. A competitive distance runner in high school in Lansing, Michigan he then competed as a varsity athlete for the University of Michigan in distance events. Post college, he continued to compete in road races, half marathons and marathons.
He commenced his coaching career while in Michigan by returning to his high school alma mata. When he left his Alma Mata, his teams set every school records from 400 meters and up and still stand today. Mr. Shafer has guided many of his athletes to All-Conference, All-District, All-Region and All- State honors.
With a Bachelor's of Science in Mechanical Engineering, he began an outstanding career with General Electric in Cleveland, Ohio. Responsible for several important projects, he also served as GE's Campus Coordinator at the University of Michigan for technical recruiting. During this time at GE, Mr. Shafer obtained his Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. After eight years of the corporate world Mr. Shafer returned to his true passion of teaching and coaching and obtained his Masters of Education from John Carroll University.
In the fall of 1997 he began his teaching career at Chardon High School as a math teacher. In the spring of 1998 he returned to coaching track by taking over Chardon Middle School boy's and girl's track program in which he still heads the program. Over the last several years both his boys and girls teams have won league titles as a team and has had many All-League honors bestowed upon his athletes. Most of the records have been rewritten since he has been head coach.
In 2002 he was been appointed Chardon High School Boy's Head Cross Country Coach. In the short time that he has lead the program he has won a league title, district title and has sent his teams to the Regional Championships. In the last few seasons, Coach Shafer's cross country team has been ranked as a Top 10 team in the Ohio State poll. Several of his athletes garnished awards at these championship meets and Coach Shafer has coached several All- State athletes, State Champions a Footlocker finalist, All-American athletes and the Ohio State high school record in the 4 x 1600 M relay in 2007.
Mr. Shafer is the Head Distance coach for Chardon's Track program and is co-founder of the Maple Leaf Track Program. He is a student of running and is always reading articles and research studies on the sport.
Mr. Nicholas R. Continenza has been involved in the sport of track and field for 15 years. He has competed at the middle school, high school, Junior Olympic, college, and post collegiate/open levels. While at Chardon High School, he achieved success as a hurdler, pole vaulter, and middle distance runner.
After high school, Coach Continenza attended the University of Akron where he was admitted as a walk on athlete on the men’s varsity track and field team. During his collegiate career he earned several All-Mid American Conference honors as a multi event specialist and thus earned an athletic scholarship. He still trains and competes as an open athlete affiliated with Maple Leaf Track Club.
Coach Continenza graduated from the University of Akron in 2007 with Bachelor’s degree as a high school science teacher. He is a high school science teacher at Cleveland Heights High School and has been personally selected by the legendary Coach Claude Holland to replace him as head boys and girls cross country and track and field coach in June 2010.
He was a founding member of Maple Leaf Track Club as an athlete and first began coaching with the club in the summer of 2002. Coach Continenza has been with the club since and now acts as an asst. club director, focusing on sprints and jumps throughout the winter and summer seasons. Following the completion of his college track and field career, he returned to Chardon High School in 2007. Coach Continenza specializes in the hurdles and pole vault, while assisting with the jumps and sprints as well. He has coached several athletes to all-conference, all-district, and all-region honors.
Coaching Staff:
- Eric Bartley: Head Boys and Girls coach Chardon High School.
- Rick Marinelli: Director of Track & Field, GaREAT Sports Complex
Club Managers:
- Kristen Mendeszoon
Club Directors' Contact Information
Dr. Mark J. Mendeszoon
Mr. Nick Continenza
* Email: nick.continenza@gmail.com