Olenick, Norm

Norm Olenick is widely known in the Physical Education community as the one who started and developed the Recreation and Physical Education programs at Langara College. These programs have since expanded to be the centre for the development of our leaders in Recreation. As it has turned out, Langara and the work of Olenick has filled the Recreation/Physical Education training role that was once served by UBC.

Norm attained his Bachelor’s degree of Physical Education in 1963 and his Masters in 1965, both at UBC. For over 30 years 1970 – 2002 he was a faculty member at Langara, many years Chair of the Physical Education and Recreation department. Over the years Norm helped develop Langara’s Academic Diplomas in Physical Education, Fitness and Leisure studies. He provided advisory and instructional services in these areas to post secondary institutions including UBC’s School of Kinesiology and also coached badminton teams to provincial and national championships.

Norm’s accomplishments are many but has focused on health, fitness, physical education, recreation and coaching. Activity courses, intramural and community sport opportunities are the pursuits he has engaged in all the way back to his student days at UBC. He is known and respected among the UBC intramural community and beyond, for his leadership, instruction and promotion of Physical Education, Recreation and coaching.

Well-respected by his students and colleagues, Norm has received numerous awards for his teaching and coaching from Langara and from the province as well as national awards and awards from students. Regarding Norm, many of his colleagues will agree “Recreation and Physical Education has been his life’s work.”

Fred Hume

April 2019