‘He really cared’
Angus Beaton remembered by track and field community
With every high jump Maddie Campbell made, her evervigilant coach Angus Beaton would give an instinctive kick and a hoot to help will her over the bar.
But Campbell said it was her coach’s dedication and love for his athletes that allowed them to reach new heights. Beaton, a Mabou native, died Tuesday morning after a battle with cancer. He was 76.
“He was always really invested and no matter what, he’d be positive about everything. He was just great in that way,” said Campbell, 17, a Grade 12 student at Baddeck Academy. Beaton coached her in the high jump for the past five years.
“Whenever you needed him, he was like ‘all right, come to the gym. We’ll get it fixed.’ No matter if he was busy or something was going on, he’d always make time. He really cared about all his athletes.”
Campbell said Beaton is the reason she got into high jump and he helped her stick with it.
“Even when I moved on to higher levels and training with other track clubs, whenever something would go wrong, I’d go back to Angus and it would be better,” said Campbell, who trains with the Pictou County Athletics.
Longtime friend and fellow track coach Lauchie Beaton met Angus about 30 years ago at the Ceilidh Racers Club in Judique that Lauchie started in the mid-1980s. Angus’ daughter, Rachelle — who would go on to become one of the top female high jumpers in the country at
the university level — joined the club at first as a sprinter.
Both Beaton men (no relation) earned their coaching certifications together. Lauchie coached the running disciplines, while Angus focused on the jumping events like the high jump, triple jump and long jump.
The two would travel to meets across the country.
“He showed the kids that he really cared,” said Lauchie. “He wants them to do well, he wants them to do better and when they’d go to track meets, he’d be there right with them. He’d be at the school every day if he had to be and was always working with them.”
Angus, a retired math teacher, was the jumps coach at Dalbrae Academy in Mabou. Many of the athletes under his wing went on to excel at higher levels, including Dalbrae alumnus Hayley Wilson of Skye Glen.
Wilson is entering her fourth year at St. Francis Xavier University and is a member of the school’s track and field team. She was the Atlantic University Sport rookie of the year in 2014, and competed for Nova Scotia at the 2017 Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg.
“He never stopped trying to learn and improve and help in any way for his athletes,” said the 22-year-old. “What made him such a great coach was
he was extremely genuine and extremely dedicated. He was enthusiastic and supportive in everything, not only in track and field but any other interests his athletes (had).”
Like her former coach, Wilson has been involved with coaching as well, helping out at Whycocomagh Education Centre and at Dalbrae since she graduated high school.
Visitation for Angus Beaton will be held on Friday at the vestry in St. Mary’s Church in Mabou. Funeral mass will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Church.