Participants announced for inaugural U SPORTS Female Apprenticeship Coach Program
August 20, 2020
TORONTO – Eighteen former student-athletes were announced Thursday as inaugural participants in the U SPORTS Female Apprenticeship Coach Program. Acadia's second year assistant coach Vanessa Chorkawy was included in the list of participants in the inaugural program. A former student-athlete at Lakehead University and Volleyball Canada Senior B team member, Vanessa's first year as a head coach was during the 2017-18 season with the Northern Chill Volleyball Club in Sudbury, Ont. She joined the Axewomen in the fall of 2018 and will be heading into her third year as an assistant to head coach Michelle Wood.
Funded through Sport Canada, the new program aims to increase the number of females in coaching positions across Canadian universities, by matching apprentice coaches who have recently graduated, with a mentor coach in one of the 11 U SPORTS-sanctioned sport offerings for women.
"We're excited to officially launch the Female Apprentice Coach Program," said Lisette Johnson-Stapley, Chief Sport Officer at U SPORTS. "As we all tackle the unprecedented challenges currently facing Canadian sport, this initiative will open new doors and provide the tools for success to recent alumnae, who aspire to become coaches themselves in the near future. We appreciate the support of our partners at Sport Canada for helping us make those dreams a reality."
The 18 inaugural participants were selected from a total of 26 applications, and collectively represent eight of the 11 sports – soccer, cross country, track and field, hockey, basketball, volleyball, swimming and wrestling – as well as all four U SPORTS member conferences. Each apprentice coach competed in varsity sport over the past decade, with nine having previously gone on to assistant coaching roles either with their own university athletic program, or at another U SPORTS member institution.
The selection committee itself also included equal conference representation, featuring one member from Canada West (CW), Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) and Atlantic University Sport (AUS).
All participants in the program will be a member of the coaching staff at their respective schools. Where possible, they will take part in team practices and games or meets at both the conference and national levels. Each apprentice coach will also attend at least one National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) professional development activity, while also providing support in areas such as student-athlete skill development, offering pre-game, in-game and post-game feedback, and assisting with recruitment, video analysis, statistics, scouting and academic mentorship and supervision. Job duties may vary due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The funding can also be used towards additional professional development courses and seminars in the field of coaching. The first year of the program officially runs until Apr. 30, with Sport Canada funding already committed as well for the 2021-22 edition.
2020-21 U SPORTS Female Apprenticeship Coaches
Name Sport School Playing Career Coaching Career
Alicia Perrin Volleyball Trinity Western 2010-15 2020-Present
Bruna Mavignier Soccer Manitoba 2014-18 2019-Present
Charlotte Sider Volleyball Toronto 2010-15 2020-Present
Claudia Émond Basketball Laval 2014-19 2019-Present
Danielle Boiago Basketball McMaster 2012-17 2018-Present
Elizabeth LeBlanc Basketball Carleton 2014-18 - Western 2019-20 2020-Present
Emily Clarke Cross Country & Track & Field Dalhousie 2011-16 2017-Present
Hannah Noseworthy Soccer Memorial 2012-16 2020-Present Dalhousie 2016-17 -
Isabel Ormond Basketball McMaster 2011-15 - Alberta - 2017-Present
Jennifer Mathurin Basketball North Carolina State 2013-17 - Bishop's - 2020-Present
Kala Stone Cross Country Track & Field Arizona State 2013-15 - Victoria 2018-19 2020-Present
Paulina Bond Swimming Western 2012-17 2018-Present
Renée Gauvin Soccer Moncton 2014-18 2019-Present
Sarah Neufeld Basketball Portland State 2007-10 - Trinity Western 2011-13 - Mount Royal - 2015-18 Calgary - 2020-Present
Tawnya Guindon Hockey Carleton 2012-17 2019-Present
Taylor Follensbee Wrestling Saskatchewan 2013-18 2020-Present
Vanessa Chorkawy Volleyball Lakehead 2008-12 - Acadia - 2018-Present
Cait Stiles Softball St. Clair College 2011-15 - Hockey Windsor - 2020-Present