Remembering Gymnastics coach Ed Vincent

Sadly, one of my first coaches has gone on to the great Gymnastics Club in the sky.

Mr Edward Frank Vincent

August 7, 1937 – March 12, 2025

Ed inspired many over the decades at Altadore Gymnastics Club and elsewhere in Canada. A legend of recreation adult Gymnastics training.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. He’s in his late 70s.

At Ed’s Celebration of Life, one of Ed’s former gymnasts — Ron Foster — reflected:

• Coached over 50 volunteer years of gymnastics.
• Founded Altadore boys gymnastics program at St. Patrick’s school.
• Instrumental and influential in developing Canada’s only male Olympic gold medalist Kyle Shewfelt (here today) Athens 2004 in Floor Exercise. Kelly Manjak (Kyle’s primary coach also here today) though should take most of the credit.

• Starred in a documentary film that aired on CBC called “Grey Glory” about aging, sport, and fitness.
• Annual competition “The Ed Vincent Classic” named after him honoring over 40 years of coaching.
• Ring machine and pommel bucket just less than six months ago.
• Snow angels drunk on the side of the hot springs pool in Butte MT. Hotel guest at 5:00 am says “Hey, you guys, who’s in charge of you? That guy over there doing snow angels.
• From performing planche and other poses at Muscle Beach in Santa Monica CA to the night after a party in Great Falls Montana driving east to North Dakota instead of north back to Calgary, Ed lived a full, rich, and completely satisfying life! “Ed, I think we’re going the wrong way!”
• Today is “TRULY” a celebration of the life of Ed Vincent and I have been given the privilege of delivering a tribute of how Ed influenced and impacted my life.

I began my gymnastics career at the impressionable young age of 8. Jill Prendergast suggested to my mom to put me into gymnastics, and I never looked back. Shortly thereafter I started at the Altadore gym club, under Ed’s guidance, which lasted for 11 incredible years!

As a kid growing up in the 70’s I FLOURISHED under Ed’s coaching. He unselfishly volunteered and sacrificed his time without any compensation besides a small annual honorarium at the year-end Bar-B-Q in Glenmore Park. Due to Ed’s deep positive influence, unwavering commitment and unselfish dedication, I completely devoted myself to gymnastics. Because of Ed I became a national stream gymnast. I am forever grateful for his endless hours of coaching, hard work ethic and the discipline that he instilled in me as a very young boy. Ed taught me that hard work would always pay off in life. I also appreciate all the wonderful opportunities that I was privileged to experience, due to Ed’s belief and investment in me including a national training camp in Montreal Ed unfortunately couldn’t even attend.

I will never forget a double fly away dismount off high bar where I released too late, hit my shins and landed so bad that I thought I had broken my neck. I completely psyched myself out, but Ed immediately roared “get back up there and do it again”. He knew I needed that push to get right back up again before I lost my confidence.

I will always remember Ed chanting, “do it again, again and again!” It was the Japanese style of training under the principal of repetition that he adopted from his time training in Japan. Japanese have a term “Gombatte” which literally means FIGHT, NEVER GIVE UP, PERSERVERE. That’s who Ed was right to end, a fighter and never complained about his arthritic pain and ailments.

Ed was wild, crazy, fascinated, and passionate about gymnastics. Among two great memories I vividly remember Ed’s wild, crazed, and determined face charging the vaulting horse and mini tramp at St Patrick’s through a hallway into the gym in that signature blue singlet. Another was Ed jumping on my trampoline and Mini tramp into a crash pad in my back yard in the summertime. That brush of his hair bangs and sweat off his forehead after each rep and oh that disgusting old foul- smelling wrist and knee wrap! The “difference” with Ed is he not only coached us but TRAINED with us. He was an absolute explosive beast! Experiencing this first hand was deeply impressionable, incredibly motivating and so inspiring for me. Ed made gymnastics fun, his life, and fully committed and dedicated himself to it every day. Ed was all about stamina, resilience, persistence, and perseverance. I strongly believe this taught me valuable life skills about maintaining my strength and never giving up no matter what life challenges faced me.

Gary, Danny, and Valerie, you were so blessed to have such an energetic dad who was so involved in all of your lives from gymnastics to all your athletic and lifetime pursuits.

Later as a varsity gymnast at a UC Berkley meet with two sprained ankles, I remember Ed in the back of my mind pushing me to complete four apparatus without dismounts as I knew he would want me to go on. Through Ed’s role modeling and mentorship, he molded, shaped, and built me into the human being I am today – not only my physical body but, equally importantly, my mind and character. Much of what and who I am today is a direct result of Ed.

Eventually I retired but later in life went off to Japan to train in Aikido. Much of my training, and discipline in Japan was rooted in the work ethic Ed instilled in me. I attribute much of my success in life to Ed as his influence had such a positive impact on my development. I am grateful that my son Chris was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to train with Ed at Altadore as well. Ed passed his strong work ethic down to Chris as well as to so MANY of us here today. From having received Ed’s “gift” for all those he coached and touched – I and ALL of us here today will always and forever be grateful to him and the amazing legend he has left us.

Rest in peace.