Volleyball Canada – Volleyball Canada is pleased to announce that Richard Schick is the women’s National Excellence Program (NEP) coach based at the team’s training centre in Richmond, BC.
 
“I am extremely honoured and excited to be chosen to lead the women’s NEP program,” said Schick.
“There are many exceptional current and up-and-coming athletes in the program that I look forward to working with to help achieve their personal as well as our National Team Program’s expectations and goals.”
 
The National Excellence Program (formerly called the Full-Time Training Centre or FTC) focuses on preparing athletes for international-level training and competition.
 
Schick, originally from Brandon, Manitoba, was head coach of the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds from 2003-2016. During his time at UBC, he re-established the program leading the team back to the CIS National Championship for the first time in 18 years (‘07/’08). Under Schick, the Thunderbirds were a perennial nationally ranked top-10 team, producing many players that went on to represent Canada and compete internationally on both the Canadian National Beach and Indoor Teams. 
 
Schick also coached at his alma mater, University of Alberta, where he led the team to a Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) national gold (’02) and silver medal (’03) during his two years with the Golden Bears. 
 
Schick’s first experience as head coach was at Red Deer College where he coached the squad to a Canadian College Athletic Association (CCAA) National Championship (’01) in his only year at the helm. Schick, who also played at the University of Saskatchewan and Red Deer College, spent time with the Canadian Junior National Program as an assistant coach and was head coach for the junior team, which represented Canada at the NORCECA Championships in Winnipeg, MB, in 2004.

The women’s program, under the guidance of head coach Marcello Abbondanza, is in its first year based at the centre at the Richmond Oval in BC.  This year the women’s national team competed in the Pan Am Cup in Peru, Women’s Grand Prix on home soil at the Oval, and will wrap up the season at the Women’s World Championship Qualifier in Langley, BC

Tickets for the qualifier can be purchased at the following link: http://www.ticketrocket.co/event/season/219
 
Schick has already begun his work with the athletes at the centre.  

 

Volleyball Canada media contact:
Jackie Skender
E-mail: jskender@volleyball.ca
Phone: 613.794.7676