The 19 female coaches from across Canada who were named to the Canada Games Apprenticeship Program back in April 2010, will reach the culmination of their mentoring experience this month when they attend the 2011 Canada Winter Games in Halifax from February 11-27, 2011. Several of them will also blog about their time at the Games on CAC’s website: www.coach.ca.
“The Canada Games Apprenticeship Program provides an opportunity to bring together provincial/territorial female coaches and plays a pivotal role in strengthening their confidence, skills, and abilities,” says Liz Pace of Halifax, a sport consultant with the Government of Nova Scotia’s Department of Health Promotion and Protection. “The program also creates a support system that provides the necessary foundation for the women to become Canada Games head coaches in the future.”
The Canada Games Apprenticeship Program, which also ran in 2005, 2007, and 2009, is a joint initiative of the Coaching Association of Canada’s Women in Coaching (WiC) program, the Provincial/Territorial Coaching Representatives (PTCRs), and the Canada Games Council. The program prepares the coaches, each of whom was selected by her province or territory, to work alongside mentor coaches throughout the Games.
“The 2011 Canada Games apprentice coaches are among the most talented up-and-coming coaches I have ever had the privilege of mentoring,” says WiC consultant Sheilagh Croxon of Etobicoke, Ont. “The future of Canadian sport is bright with these women in the coaching ranks.”
“We are excited to play a role in the development of these female coaches who deserve to be role models and mentors,” says Sue Hylland of Ottawa, president and CEO, Canada Games Council. “It is one exciting and tangible way that the Canada Games can play a role in the development of coaches and build capacity within the Canadian sport system.”
The 2011 Canada Winter Games apprentice coaches are:
From British Columbia, speed skating coach Christina Acton of Kelowna and hockey coach Christina Sharun of Nanaimo. A physiotherapist who graduated from McGill University, Acton is the coach of the Kelowna and Vernon Speed Skating Clubs and a former national-level competitor. Sharun, who has a degree in history and psychology from Yale University, is the assistant coach of the Vancouver Island Impact Midget “AAA” Team and the U-18 High Performance Zone Team. Accomplished in numerous sports, adventure sport is her current interest. She is a salesperson for a local outfitting company.
From Alberta, ringette coach Ashley Peters of Morinville and judo coach Laurie Wiltshire of Calgary. Peters is the head coach of the Zone 5 U-19 “AA” team. She was a member of Canada’s 2007 and 2010 world championship teams and is employed as a sales representative with Rimex Supply. Wiltshire, a personal trainer and Westjet TAC agent, trains and coaches at Hiro’s Judo Club in Calgary. She has represented Canada at various international tournaments.
From Yukon, cross country ski coach Amanda Deuling of Whitehorse. Deuling, an assistant coach of the Yukon Ski team, competed on the NCAA circuit while studying psychology at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and was a silver medallist at the 1987 Canada Winter Games. She is an assistant sport coordinator with Cross Country Yukon.
From Saskatchewan, curling coach Carol Ferris of Martensville and artistic gymnastics coach Nataliia Sirenko of Regina. Ferris coaches the provincial women’s competitive team and is a facilitator of Community and Competitive Coaching Training with the Saskatchewan Curling Association. A supply teacher, she has an education degree from the University of Saskatchewan. Sirenko is the assistant head coach at Regina’s Gymnastics Adventure. She was a member of the Ukrainian National Gymnastics Team for six years and was a coach at the Specialized Children and Youth School of Olympic Reserve in Kiev from 2002 to 2006. She is a graduate of the Ukrainian National University of Physical Education and is a Master of Sports – International Level.
From Manitoba, biathlon coach Nicole Czajka of Winnipeg and ringette coach Danielle Edginton of East Saint Paul. Czajka is an apprentice coach with Biathlon Manitoba and a coach with the Cadet Corps Biathlon Program. A former national competitor, she has a science degree from the University of Manitoba and is an administrative assistant with Library and Archives Canada. Edginton is the head coach of a U-16 Junior “A” team and was the head coach of Manitoba’s team at the 2010 U-16 Western Canadian Ringette Championships. A caregiver who has been involved in ringette for over 30 years as an athlete, official, and coach, she has a degree in Justice and Law Enforcement from the University of Winnipeg.
From Ontario, badminton coach Melissa Hill of Oakville and wheelchair basketball coach Kathy Ludwig of Brampton. Hill is a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Toronto and an assistant coach with Team Ontario at the 2011 Canada Winter Games. A competitive player at the university level, she has a degree in engineering physics from McMaster University and is a PhD student in the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. Ludwig is head coach and director of wheelchair basketball at Cruiser Sports for the Physically Disabled in Mississauga, Ont., and is a speech language therapy assistant.
From Quebec, speed skating coach Michèle D’Amours of Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly and table tennis coach Marie-Andrée Lévesque of Ste-Félicité. D’Amours is a coach at the Centre espoir de patinage de vitesse regional de Québec. After competing on the World Cup circuit as a member of Canada’s national long track speed skating team from 2001 to 2009, she turned to coaching when an injury forced her retirement. She is an agrology student at Laval University. Lévesque is a coach with the Prestige Table Tennis Club and the Centre de Haute Performance de Montréal. A former national and international competitor, she is a kinesiology student at the Université de Montréal.
From New Brunswick, cross country ski coach Manon Losier of Tracadie-Sheila and archery coach Trina Snooks of Riverview. Losier, a former competitive skier, is the head coach of Le Sureau Blanc de Tracadie-Sheila, Inc., and of Élites du Nord-Roi. She has a master’s degree in analytical chemistry and is a quality manager, Laboratories and Analytical Services, Coastal Zones Research Institute. Snooks is an all-round athlete who continues to compete at the national level in archery. She is involved in Long-Term Athlete Development clinics, has a degree in business administration from the University of Cape Breton, and works for the manufacturing designer, Spielo.
From Nova Scotia, biathlon coach Peggy Faulkenham-Boutilier of Lunenberg and figure skating coach Jill Reeves of Middle Sackville. Faulkenham-Boutilier is a Cadet Corps coach and coach of the development squad for the 2011 Canada Winter Games. A marathoner, she has a legal diploma from Miss Murphy’s Business College and works as an executive assistant. Reeves is a coach with the Dartmouth Skating Club in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. A triple gold figure skater, she has a science degree from Mount Allison University and an education degree from Mount St. Vincent University and is a junior and senior high school teacher.
From Prince Edward Island, squash coach Shara Cody of Charlottetown and curling coach Shelley Gray of O’Leary. Cody is an apprentice coach with the 2011 PEI Canada Games Squash team and is female vice president of Squash PEI. She represented her province at national softball championships. A laboratory technician, she has an honours science degree from the University of Prince Edward Island. Gray and co-coach Glen MacLean have coached their daughters to provincial titles and the right to represent Prince Edward Island at the 2011 Canada Winter Games. She is a business administration graduate of Holland College and is a scheduling/payroll clerk in the Department of Health.
For more information about the WiC Canada Games apprentice coaches, visit: www.coach.ca/meet-the-canada-games-apprentices-p132178.
About CAC’s Women in Coaching program
The Women in Coaching program is a national campaign to increase the number of coaching opportunities for women at all levels of sport. Since 1987, women coaches across Canada have benefited from professional development grants, NTAP grants, and National Coaching Institute scholarships. The program also develops resources for women coaches including the Canadian Journal for Women in Coaching.
About the Coaching Association of Canada
The Coaching Association of Canada unites stakeholders and partners in its commitment to raising the skills and stature of coaches, and ultimately expanding their reach and influence. Through its programs, CAC empowers coaches with knowledge and skills, promotes ethics, fosters positive attitudes, builds competence, and increases the credibility and recognition of coaches. Visit www.coach.ca for more information about coach education and training.
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For more information, contact:
Julie Parkins-Forget
Manager, Marketing and Communications
Coaching Association of Canada
613-235-5000, ext. 9-2382
jforget@coach.ca
