In 1965 his daughters decided they’d like to take part in track and field with the Trinity Track Club. Ken thought he would go along and offer his help. Little did he know that first offer would lead to 35 years of work as a track and field coach with first Trinity, then the Guelph Optimist and later the Royal City Optimist Track Club.
The more he got involved, the more he studied. Learning track techniques by taking courses and reading the best literature available on all aspects. He helped with everything from running to discus, sharing the knowledge he had gained over time.
He never won a gold medal or produced an Olympic champion, but what he did accomplish was a thousand times more valuable. Ken Waugh touched the lives of hundreds of Guelph children over the years, giving them a chance to compete in a sport they loved. And the support wasn’t always just on an emotional basis. As one friend put it “if a kid wanted to run and didn’t have shoes, Ken would go out and buy the shoes”. He was that type of person.
Waugh always wanted to be a teacher and it was through sports that he lived out his dream. Practice two or three nights during the week, then track meets every weekend. It is staggering to sit and count the hours he dedicated to the sport he loved.
Inducted into the Guelph Sports Hall of Fame – Builder category – on May 15, 2000
