2021-22 Team: U9

Coaching History: 3 years with VFIHA (U7 and U9)

What was your coaching pathway?
As a kid I started figure skating, but I wanted to play hockey like my older sister. My parents told me I had to keep figure skating to be a better skater. I ended up loving both sports and continued both for many years, and played with VFIHA in the early days when it was Killarney Girls Ice Hockey. My coaching journey began when I was about 12. I started volunteering as an amateur coach for the Killarney Skating Club and by 16 I was coaching CanSkate for the Park Board and the Killarney Skating Club. I started teaching competitive skaters and also got my CanPowerSkate coaching certificate to start the first power skating program at Killarney. After about 10 years, I gave up coaching due to other work commitments. When my son started hockey, I started coaching his H1 Van Minor team. My goal was to support his team in their skating ability, but I quickly began to love sharing all aspects of hockey with the players. Two years later, my daughter started with VFIHA, and I started coaching her team too.

What is your coaching philosophy?
Hockey should be a sport for life. I want the girls to enjoy hockey so that they will stay with the sport for years to come. I have so many memories of good times with my team, tournaments, and road trips. I want the girls to create their own positive memories and develop lifelong friendships.

Is there a sports moment that has inspired you?
Canada’s women’s hockey team at the Salt Lake City Olympics. The team overcame such adversity to pull off the win for gold. The character the team showed throughout those games should be an inspiration to all players.

Why do you think it’s important for girls to have female role models in sport?
It is much easier for girls to dream what they can see. When females are leaders in sports, girls can see what they are capable of and dream about pushing the boundaries even further.

Interested in joining VFIHA as a coach? Contact us at coach@vfiha.com