viaSport British Columbia – National Coaches Week kicks off across B.C., celebrating the importance of Coaches in lives of children & athletes

Whistler, BC:  Twenty-three per cent of coaches who helped form Team Canada for the Olympics and Paralympics this year hailed from B.C. These coaches represent the head and heart behind some of Canada’s biggest success stories out of Rio.

And as we congratulate these coaches on helping their athletes reach the highest level of achievement, it is also the time to celebrate coaches at the community level who impact the lives of children across the province.

This week (Sept.17-25), coaches of all levels will be recognized during Coaches Week—a province-wide and national campaign dedicated to celebrating the integral roles coaches play in shaping communities and the lives of children and athletes.

“Coaches Week is a time to celebrate the tireless efforts of coaches who dedicate their lives to making sport a great experience for all of us,” says Roger Soane, President and CEO of Whistler Sport Legacies. “From children stepping on to a field for the first time to athletes standing on the podium at the Olympics, coaches hold the power to enable, inspire & equip athletes for success.”

Locally, Coaches Week will be recognized with the hosting of 11 coaching courses in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton in co-operation with local municipalities.   Additionally, Whistler Sport Legacies, Canadian Sport Institute Pacific (CSI-P) and the Resort Municipality of Whistler will be celebrating our local coaches at the Whistler Coaches Appreciation Night.  This year the guest speaker is Jeremy Sheppard, PhD and Director of Performance Services for CSI-P.  He has recently returned to Canada after 11 years in Australia, working with Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) programs. During that time, he worked with the national men’s volleyball team, para-Alpine, Athletics, and sprint cycling, Jeremy will be speaking on the power effective coaching has to improve athlete performance.

Through the support of viaSport British Columbia, a number of events and workshops have been planned for Coaches Week across the Province, including opportunities to learn more about effective teaching and coaching methods, healthy child development, nutrition and ethical decision making.

“At viaSport we truly believe that coaches have the potential to not only build great athletes, but exceptional human beings,” says viaSport CEO, Sheila Bouman. “Coaches Week is our opportunity to recognize all those coaches whose dedication helps our children thrive through sport.”

Quick Facts:

• Over the past year Whistler Sport Legacies has contributed to the development of 259 coaches through the delivery of 18 coaching courses
• Each year the Province, through viaSport, contributes approximately $100,000 through grants to coaches in B.C.
• viaSport and its sport partners train approximately 10,000 coaches across B.C. each year through National Coaching Certification Programs.
• viaSport is the Provincial/Territorial Coaching Representative (PTCR) for British Columbia and maintains a strong partnership with the Coaching Association of Canada.
• Coaches Week in BC has been an annual event since 2007, and this year will align with National Coaches Week across Canada.

About Whistler Sport Legacies

Whistler Sport Legacies is a non-profit organization responsible for Whistler Olympic Park, the Whistler Sliding Centre and the Whistler Athletes’ Centre. Each facility plays a unique role to grow sport for the benefit of athletes, residents, and visitors.

About viaSport British Columbia

About viaSport British Columbia: viaSport British Columbia is a not-for-profit organization created by the Provincial Government in 2011 as a legacy of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Our mandate is to increase awareness, opportunity and participation in sport across the province – at every stage of life and in every community. By leading the province’s sport sector in building a stronger, more effective system, we will bring more families to the field of play, more fans into the stands, more athletes to the podium, and more sports events to the province. Learn more at viasport.ca

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Media Contacts:

Whistler Sport Legacies

Silke Jeltsch                                                                                                                             

Communications Specialist

Office: 604-964-0054

Mobile: 604-906-0588

sjeltsch@whistlersportlegacies.com

viaSport British Columbia

Kelly Aldinger

kellya@viasport.ca

778-655-1759