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April 19, 2006
ARCHIVES
Inaugural Ontario Coaches Week begins April 22
April 18, 2006
TORONTO – When Natascha Wesch first arrived on the University of Western Ontario campus back in the early 1990s, she was an athlete. But very quickly, Wesch went from being a talented scrum half on the rugby pitch to a player/coach with a chaotic schedule. Wesch was asked to take over the Mustangs women's program back in its infancy and a dozen years later, Western is enjoying life on top of the Ontario University Athletics rugby heap on the heels of three consecutive provincial championships and two straight Canadian Interuniversity Sport titles.
"I was in the right place at the right time," says Wesch, also a National team coach and a grad of the National Coaching Institute-Ontario. "It was an amazing opportunity to be able to develop a program from scratch."
It hasn't always been an easy ride for Wesch as she admittedly had to "learn to play the game" in the rugby world dominated by men. But the psychology PhD knows the importance of giving back to her profession and she'll be doing just that during the inaugural Ontario Coaches Week from April 22 to 29. Wesch will be conducting a Women in Coaching session at the Western Fair Grounds in London on the morning of April 27, one of 38 events taking place throughout the province.
"I want to share my experiences," she says.
The Western coach's stories will be invaluable. Ontario is currently suffering from a lack of qualified volunteers at the community level and the Coaches Association of Ontario wants to use the first ever Ontario Coaches Week as a means to unearth more of them, in addition to celebrating the work of the dedicated individuals already involved.
"Our primary goal this year is to raise awareness about the need for coaches," says Tanya Witty, the Manager of Programs and Communications for the CAO.
With government funding in place and the cooperation of schools, sport organizations and grassroots organizers, OCW is expected to open doors for coaches around the province. Many of the events will address groups that have been traditionally under-served, like women, the disabled, aboriginals and those in remote areas of Ontario. The theme for the groundbreaking week of activities is "Ready, Set, Coach!", a message intended to encourage participation in an area where it is sorely needed.
OCW will include: free workshops for up to 400 coaches in 20 different communities that have not had the opportunity to host a recent National Coaching Certification program course; free coaching sessions for up to 200 teacher coaches in seven schools across the province; a free coaching workshop in collaboration with the Aboriginal Sport Circle; five Women in Coaching sessions (including a session in Kingston from Brenda Willis, head coach of the OUA champion Queen's Golden Gaels volleyball team and another in the nation's capital by Shelley Coolidge, coach of the Ottawa Gee-Gees women's hockey team); introductory workshops in three different communities for coaches interested in working with athletes who have a disability; and a Coaching Fundamentals workshop conducted by veteran coach and renowned author Andy Higgins, in five different communities.
The goal is to recruit 1,000 coaches, which could potentially impact as many as 70,000 youth, adults and disabled individuals looking to get involved in sport.
"The fact is, coaches are the foundation of our grassroots programs," says Leo Rautins, the head coach of Canada's senior men's basketball program and the Honorary Chief for OCW. "Without them kids miss out on so many things that sport has to offer – from better health to new friends and important life skills."
Rautins and Ernie Whitt, coach of the Canadian men's baseball team and a former catcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, will be among a group of 500 people who will kick the week off at the Rogers Centre with a pre-game ceremony before the Jays host the Boston Red Sox Saturday, April 22. With communities in every corner of Ontario having bought into the inaugural OCW, the topic of coaching is sure to be a hot one.
"This is a great event," Wesch says. "There's not always a lot of opportunity to go out and chat but that's where you learn more.
"We need a vehicle by which to develop new coaches."
For more information on Ontario Coaches Week, visit http://www.coachesontario.ca/coachweek/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
Comprised of 19 institutions, Ontario University Athletics (OUA) is the governing body of university sport in Ontario. Each year 9,000 student-athletes compete for 40 provincial championships in 24 sports. For more information on Ontario University Athletics, plea
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