Being a Royals coach

> Do you have what it takes?

Davie Wong
Sports Editor

 

his year has been quite the

year of change for the Douglas
College Royals. As is normal with
collegiate programs, the athlete
turnover rate was fairly standard.
However, what was odd was the
amount of coaching turnover
the program saw this year. Wom-
en’s basketball coach Courtney
Gerwing, men’s basketball coach
Denis Beausoleil, women’s vol-
leyball coach Kyra Iannone, and
long-time men’s volleyball coach
Brad Hudson all left the Royals to
pursue other career opportunities.

It was certainly a busy sum-
mer for Brian McLennon, the
head of the college’s athletics
program. In charge of hiring re-
placements for the now vacant
positions, McLennon was faced
with the pressure of finding peo-
ple that could not only fit in with
an established Royals culture,
but could also establish a strong
foundation for years to come. To
do that, he needed to know ex-
actly what he was looking for in
the candidates for the coaching
positions.

Although experienced in the
field of sport and management,
McLennon admits that “there is
no exact science to hiring a new
coach” due to the massive number
of factors to consider. However,
Brian highlighted a few certain

Russia left looking dopey

 
 

Photo via www.pacwesthc.ca

qualifications that are must-haves
or heavily preferred. Without a
seed of doubt, a post-secondary
education is a must have for Mc-
Lennon, which makes a lot of
sense given that Douglas College
is a post-secondary institution.
Another obvious must-have for
McLennon is experience. How-
ever, the type of experience may
vary from person to person. For
the Royals, he is searching for
coaches with “experience not only
at the secondary level but also

at the club level with provincial
sport organizations and within
the high school sport system.
They bring a broad perspective

of coaching and working with
athletes at different stages of de-
velopment.” And while experience
is a major factor, another key asset
for a candidate to have is a strong

presence in the local sporting
community, as Douglas College is
a small but tight-knit community.

Perhaps the most complicat-
ed qualification that McLennon is
searching for is how well-versed
a candidate’s knowledge of sport
is. Specifically, Brian believes that
“a coach with knowledge of the
sport at various stages of the Ca-
nadian Sport for Life Long Term
Athlete Development model,
along with the NCCP certification
is critical.” This specific qualifica-
tion ensures that the Royals find
the highest quality coaches for the
job. Anything extra, such as pro-
fessional development experience
or national team experience, isa
huge bonus.

However, the real job starts
after the credentials check out.
Evaluating a coaching candidate
can easily be the hardest part of
Brian’s job, but it helps that he
has a good idea of what he’s look-
ing for. “I look for competency,
personality, and leadership skills.
A high performance coach at the
post-secondary level is not just
about the barebones credentials.
There are serious competencies
such as organization, administra-
tive, and strategic planning skills
required to develop a champion-
ship program.’ Along with com-
petency skills, McLennon looks
for a strong personality. “I look for
individuals who are professional,
authentic, and driven to create
an environment to support the

> String of doping scandals hurt more than just athletes

Davie Wong
Sports Editor

 

[ seems that every Olympic
rotation there are always a few
doping scandals that break out.
However, none of them have been
the size of the supposed Russian
doping operation that was re-
cently suggested by a prominent
Russian Olympian as well as
other prominent individuals in
the scene. Yuliya Stepanova, the
whistleblower and a former Rus-
sian Olympic runner, suggested
that Russian government funds a
doping program for their Olympic
athletes and forces the athletes to
bea part of it.

Since the accusation, the IOC
has been doing rigorous testing
on Russian Olympic athletes, both
current and former. The results
are mixed, which is more than
enough to validate Stepanova’s
claims. The IOC continues to issue
penalties, and will likely continue
to investigate before, during, and
after the Olympics. Whether or
not all of Stepanova’s claims prove
to be true, the fact is that the seed
of doubt has now forever been
planted. If all her claims prove to

be true, and Russia is running a
massive doping operation, it could
change the face of sport as we
know it. A Russian-less world of
sport could prove to bea reality.

It’s my hope that it doesn't
come to that. Alienating an en-
tire country seems extreme, but
it’s honestly something the IOC
and other organizations could be
looking at. If the Russian doping
scandal has merit, and nothing
can be done to ensure that Rus-
sian athletes come to international
competitions clean, a ban seems
like a likely decision. However, in
my opinion, it would bea poor
decision. As history has proven,
alienating the citizens of one
country because of their country’s
actions has always been a regret-
table one.

Do I believe they should be
unpunished? No. Should it be
proven that there really is a Rus-
sian government funded doping
plan, I believe that penalties
should be created and enforced
that don’t involve banning every
single athlete that represents Rus-
sia. There are better ways to punish
unfair play such as this. Alterna-
tives could prove to be something

like a hefty fine for every athlete
found to be doping under the gov-
ernment program, charged to the
government. Refusal to pay could
results in that athlete receiving an
indefinite ban from international
competitions. That way it allows
athletes who have remained clean
to continue competing while forc-
ing out athletes who have been us-
ing performance enhancing drugs.

Another alternative is to
restrict the number of Russian
athletes in international competi-
tion, and lower that number every
time an athlete connected to the
government funded doping ring is
discovered. This would heavily in-
centivize Russia to more carefully
monitor their international athlet-
ic programs to ensure the integrity
of their athletes.

No matter what happens, the
damage has already been done.
Russian athletes will never be
looked at the same, because there
will always be some doubt due to
this ugly report. In the coming
years, the tarnished image of Rus-
sian athletes could be restored.
It'll likely take years of hard work
and clean competition, but hope-
fully, that will not be an issue.

success of our student-athletes.
Leadership traits are also a key. A
coach who has strong leadership
qualities inspires, motivates, de-
velops, and values the college ex-
perience for the student athletes
while preparing them for life after
athletics.” In McLennon’s mind,
all of that together creates the
ideal coach for the Royals.

However, when it comes to
picking a coach, while McLennon
may make the final call, it’s the
players that do the real judging.
“A student-athlete will spend
about 20 hours per week with
their coaches. Having their input
on potential candidates through
focus group discussions, and
question and answer sessions is
imperative and a key to the hiring
process.” All of this makes a great
coaching candidate, but what is it
like to be a Royals coach?

Given the required creden-
tials and traits to bea Royals’
coach, it would seem that the job
is quite difficult. However, wom-
en’s soccer coach Chris Laxton has
a different opinion: “Coaching the
Royals is not very difficult at all.
We have a great group of amazing
student-athletes who give up a lot
of their time to make the program
what it is. We also have a very
supportive and forward-thinking
athletic department who are there
to support the student-athletes
and coaches from every turn.”

Incidentally, the hardest part
about coaching the Royals is more

about the time commitment it
takes. “This isn’t a full-time posi-
tion for any of us [coaches], but

it is a passion. Balancing time
between coaching, family, and
our regular job is the most chal-
lenging part of the position.” But
for Laxton, the challenge is more
than worth the reward of the job.
“Seeing players progress and suc-
ceed is so rewarding. Last year, we
had players who gave 3-5 years

to the program, so to see their
reaction was amazing. Beyond the
field, seeing them grow as young
adults is also rewarding.”

As with every job, there will
always be something that catches
the recipient of the job off guard.
However, Laxton has yet to find
that surprise yet. If anything, he
believes his time with the Royals
has reminded him of the human
nature of sport through dealing
with all sorts of people, all differ-
ent in personality, strengths, and
responsibilities, yet all striving to
succeed. It’s his belief that sports
are about people, and coaching
is about developing relationships
with and between people. “The
student-athletes we have at Doug-
las are unique, and I’m constantly
challenging myself to be the best
coach I can be for each of them.”
It’s clear to see that Laxton re-
flects all that McLennon looks for
in a coach, and so much more.
That is what it takes to coach for
the Royals.

 

Image via thinkstoc