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Coaches in the Community: Carl-Andre Potier

8/14/2017

Carl-Andre Potier is a coach for the Bell Warriors Bantam team. He played football growing up all the way to university. He played for the Western Mustangs at Western University.

Potier says that football has been an extremely beneficial aspect of his life. “It has impacted me in so many ways and has made me the person I am today. Giving back to our youth is the least I can do to pay back my dues.” says Potier.

Potier says that his favourite thing about coaching is seeing the players improve throughout the season, not just with their physical skills but with skills that help them become better individuals.

The most rewarding moment for Potier isn’t winning, even though that is a great feeling. “The most rewarding moments is to see your players do things they never thought they would do, such as overcoming their fears and challenges.” says Potier.

Potier says that one of his biggest challenges is seeing the sadness in his player’s eyes after a loss. “The biggest challenge in sport is to win it all. Unfortunately, there is only one team in football that wins every year. I tell my players, in life there is no such things as winning and losing, it is all about winning and learning and as long as each player improves in any way during the season, it is a win for all of us.” says Potier.

Do you know of or are you a coach in the Ottawa area? HESN wants to hear from you, contact us at mia@houseedgemedia.com.

COACHES IN THE COMMUNITY: ROB WEBB

8/7/2017

Rob Webb is a coach for the Nepean Eagles Bantam team. Growing up, Webb played badminton and football (Quebec Championship team in 1975) at Philemon Wright High School. Webb also played badminton at Algonquin College, sponsored by the Carleton Racquets.

Webb started his coaching career with skiing at Vorlage in 1980. He was a ski instructor, ski racing coach and a ski patroller. He began coaching hockey in 1993 and then football in 1995. Webb got into coaching because he wanted to be a part of the activities that his children were doing. “I stayed with it because I enjoy sports and what it did for me and I want to instil that in our youth.” says Webb

Webb says his favourite thing about coaching is “working with the players and seeing them grow as athletes and mature. The excitement they show when they succeed individually and as a team gives me a lot of pleasure.”

Webb says that the most rewarding moment as a coach is watching a team he is a part of win a big game. He isn’t just talking about championships, a big game is one where the team has had to struggle and work hard to win. “If I had to choose one it would be the 1997 Tyke Championship game, that team went undefeated and won a close game in overtime.” says Webb.

Webb says his biggest challenge as a coach is having a player that doesn’t want to buy in to the team aspect of football. “I have found that communication is the first step. I try to gain their confidence and get them to open up a little. I try to find out a little more about them, their interests etc. Sometimes I have ask them to help me as a player/coach, giving them small responsibilities, this helps them engage with the others and builds a common bond.” explains Webb.

Check out HESN's coverage of the 2014 Midget Championship:

Do you know of or are you a coach in the Ottawa area? HESN wants to hear from you, contact us at mia@houseedgemedia.com.

Coaches in The Community: Pat Woodcock

7/31/2017

Pat Woodcock is the Co-Owner and Director of Athlete Performance for Elite Performance Academy. He is also the Co-Director of Football Operations for Elite Performance Academy. Woodcock was also the 2016 Grey Cup Champion Strength Coordinator for the Ottawa RedBlacks. Growing up, Woodcock attended Holy Trinity High School in Kanata where he played basketball and ran track. He also played football for the Kanata Knights, Myers Riders and Ottawa Sooners. He also played soccer for the Kanata Falcons and Eastern Ontario U14.

Woodcock was a 3-year letter winner and Team Captain while attending Syracuse University. He went on to play in the NFL as a wide receiver for the New York Giants and Washington Redskins and in the CFL for the Montreal Alouettes, Ottawa Renegades, Edmonton Eskimos and Hamilton Ti-Cats.

After finishing with his own athletic career, Woodcock turned to coaching. “I wanted to be able to share the knowledge and experience that I had gained with the next generation of athletes, and help them achieve their goals and dreams as I had.” says Woodcock.

Woodcock says that his favourite thing about coaching is “when an athlete has that "Aha" moment, and the lessons we have been teaching just start to click for them. After that moment, their training and development as an athlete and a person takes on a whole new trajectory.”

The most rewarding moment to Woodcock has been helping young athletes fulfill their vision and goals. “There have been a number of athletes who have started working with us as young teenagers, and we have seen them come up through our program and move on to the university level, to Canadian National Teams, and now even to the pros.” he says.

Woodcock says that his biggest challenge as a coach “is a constant one - how to best apply coaching and programming to different athletes. Each one is different and will respond in a unique way, so it's imperative that we get to know our athletes and pay attention to how they respond to different stimuli.”

Do you know of or are you a coach in the Ottawa area? HESN wants to hear from you, contact us at mia@houseedgemedia.com.

Coaches in the Community: Allan Tremblay

7/25/2017

Allan Tremblay is currently a coach for the Orleans Red Sox Senior baseball team. He is also the Field Scheduler for Orleans Little League Baseball and serves as the Convenor for the Junior division. Apart from coaching, Tremblay also volunteers with various teams in the CCHL and CCHL2. His family has been a host billet for the Gloucester Rangers Jr A team of the CCHL for the past 4 years. Tremblay grew up playing hockey with the Cumberland Minor Hockey Association as well as some baseball.

Tremblay started coaching when his son started playing hockey at the Atom level. “That summer he also took up baseball and I helped out on that team as well. As he continued to play, I continued to volunteer as a coach. A couple of years ago, he decided that baseball was his sport of choice and that’s when I became more involved with Orleans Little League baseball.” explains Tremblay.

Tremblay says one rewarding moment was winning the baseball District Championship last year and going on to represent their District in the Provincial Championships in Windsor. However, Tremblay says that his most rewarding moment is in the simple moment, “my most rewarding moment as a coach is pretty well anytime a player comes up to me, shakes my hand and says “Thanks coach” with a smile on their face.”

Tremblay says his biggest challenge as a coach is “dealing with the different personalities of all the players in order to ensure that there is some kind of team cohesiveness, especially at the age that I’m currently coaching at, the 2000/2001 birth year. Not all of the players have the same interests, not all of the players have the same demeanour. Trying to ensure that they are all on the same page when they get to the ball diamond and trying to get them to understand that every player plays a specific role on the team so that the team can succeed is a constant challenge that most coaches face. The way that I’ve found to pull out the best in each player is to simply talk to them. Open and continual communication is something that I like to see. Whether it’s about the game or even something like what’s going on in their everyday life, it’s always good to make players feel like they are part of the team.”

Allan Tremblay is a coach who is very active in both youth baseball and hockey in Ottawa. He truly cares about making all of his players feel included and coaching them to the best of his ability.

Do you know of or are you a coach in the Ottawa area? HESN wants to hear from you, contact us at mia@houseedgemedia.com.

Coaches in the Community: Ron Raymond

7/13/2017

Ron Raymond will be joining the St. Matthew Tigers this coming Fall as their Offensive Coordinator. He was previously the Offensive Coordinator for Franco Cité High School.

Raymond grew up in Overbrook and played minor football mostly with the Ottawa Minto Colts. He later played for an All-Stars team that played in the Quebec Midget league and the the Ottawa Trojans in 1987. After that, Raymond had the option to continue playing at Acadia University or with the Ottawa Sooners, but decided to join the Canadian Armed Forces.

Raymond still wanted to be involved in the game after finishing as a player so he turned to coaching. “I still had that competitive fire and wanted to help our organization get better. I love the game of football and I wanted to learn as much as possible about systems, position fundamentals, team building and giving back to the sport that has given me so much. However, I found my coaching philosophy changing year after year and soon realized, coaching came down to 2 things for me; teaching ‘life lessons’ and ‘development’.”

Raymond compares football to the military, “you need to be structured and disciplined and I’ve used my military experience in the same approach I’ve taken to coaching football.”

Raymond says he can’t name just one thing as his favourite part of coaching, “I have many things I love about coaching football. Being a coach means you have responsibilities and it’s not always about the X’s and O’s. It’s about doing the right things at all times. I love the process of recruiting, training camp and playing for a championship. I’ve coached at many levels, and I can tell you from a coaching perspective, there’s nothing more rewarding watching your players having no confidence in their abilities, to reaching their goals. Coaching is about giving your players and team confidence in knowing, they can reach their potential, by believing in themselves and their teammates. Life has the same rules; it’s just a different playing field. Another thing I love about coaching, you get the opportunity to meet other great coaches and the friendships you make can last a lifetime.”

Raymond has been coaching since 1988, and has won championships, travelled to the United States, played in the Youth All American Bowl and networked with many inspirational coaches, but these are not his most rewarding moments. “the most rewarding moment for me is when I’m on the field with our team. Whether, it’s at practice, team function or a game, being in a team environment is one of the most rewarding in sports. Ask any coach and they will tell you they are most happy when they are on the field. Furthermore, when you have an opportunity to make a difference in a player’s life and help them through a difficult time, that’s what it’s all about. Keep in mind, when you’re a coach, players look up to you for guidance and that’s a privilege you can never take for granted.” says Raymond.

Raymond says that biggest challenge he faces as a coach is “to make sure we never turn away players from playing football. Unfortunately, lots of players don’t have the resources to play football, so you have to be creative and find a way to make the finances work. You overcome these challenges by doing a lot of fundraising and finding any way possible, so players are not left behind.”

Do you know of or are you a coach in the Ottawa area? HESN wants to hear from you, contact us at mia@houseedgemedia.com.

Coaches in the Community: Andy Ogg

6/29/2017

Andy Ogg is the head coach for the Nepean Eagles Midget Team. Ogg played many different sports, such as baseball, soccer, hockey, football and golf, growing up on the south shore of Montreal. After high school, Ogg played major junior football with the Ottawa Sooners.

Ogg grew up playing football so he decided to start coaching to give back to the sportive way his coaches did. “I had many great coaches that volunteered so much of their time to ensure we kids had the best knowledge and skill set to succeed in the sport.” says Ogg.

Ogg says that his favourite part about coaching is “preparing a game plan with my coaches; practicing our plan with the players and then watching our players execute the game plan on game day. Whether you’re a player or a coach, the feeling you have when you wake up on game day is exhilarating.”

As a coach for mostly midget and junior levels, Ogg says the most rewarding moment for him is “which is when players make the big leap to the next level, being either CIS or major junior. When a player signs with a university team, not only does the player have the opportunity to play at the next level, they also get a higher education, which is crucial in life after football. That is a volunteer coach’s pay check.”

Ogg says he is currently living through his biggest challenge as a coach. “With Football Canada’s new one team rule effective this year, meaning players have to choose to play either NCAFA or High School football, combined with the addition of a new team in our league that resulted in the loss of our feeder team. While this situation certainly poses as a challenge, our coaching staff is currently overcoming it by increasing our recruiting efforts and we look forward to fielding a competitive team once again in 2017.” Ogg explains.

Do you know of or are you a coach in the Ottawa area? HESN wants to hear from you, contact us at mia@houseedgemedia.com.

Coaches in the Community: Martin Dagenais

6/23/2017

Martin Dagenais is the Head Coach and General Manager of the Ottawa Jr. Senators of the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL). Dagenais played many different sports growing up. “Back in my teenage years, kids played more than one or two sports which I thought was great. Most kids these days excel in one or two sports, and that's it. My friends and I used to play hockey, baseball, soccer, volleyball, badminton, tennis, and basketball. We were well-rounded athletes.” says Dagenais.

Dagenais is a very experienced coach, starting at the age of 18. “My brother's Bantam B team fired their coach mid-season, and I came in as an Assistant Coach. We barely made the playoffs that year securing the last spot in our last regular season game, but we ended losing in the finals at the end. That's when I knew that coaching was something that I could be good at.” Dagenais explains.

Dagenais said, “I think it's great to see the players improve, and move on to higher levels. At the same time, you want to make sure that they become good people too. That's even more important.” when asked about his favourite part of coaching.

Dagenais says he has many rewarding moments as a coach but his most rewarding moment took place when he was coaching male basketball at Louis-Riel Public High School. “We were one of the best teams in Ottawa at that time, and we had decided to attend a top notch tournament in Toronto. All the top teams in the country were there, so our boys were excited. Unfortunately, we went 0-3 and our boys were devastated. What they didn't know is that I had bought them tickets for a Toronto Raptors' game on our last night in the city of Toronto. When I showed them the tickets on the bus less than two hours before tip-off, they went ballistic. They even thought the tickets were fake. It was great to see the joy in their eyes. Not one of them had watched a live NBA game in their life, so they were thrilled. Just being able to make these kids happy for a few hours was by far the best moment in my coaching career.”

Dagenais says his biggest challenge as a coach was when he took over in Ottawa three years ago, “we started the season 0-5. We had lost all of our games by a one goal margin. A lot of people in the league thought that we didn't have enough offense to compete with the league's top teams. What the other teams didn't know was that we, as coaches, were happy about the way we were playing. We knew we would turn it around. We ended up finishing with a record of 44-13-5 I think, good for second overall. A lot of coaches are all about winning games. I don't see it that way. If you play the right way, and you keep progressing, good things will happen. There's a process that needs to be followed, and if you do follow it, and you know you gave it your all, you're a winner right there. I'd rather lose watching my players play the right way, then win watching them cheat all over the ice.”

Martin Dagenais is a great example of a coach in Ottawa who truly cares about his players. Do you know of or are you a coach in the Ottawa area? HESN wants to hear from you, contact us at mia@houseedgemedia.com.

Coaches in the Community: Tony House

6/23/2017

Tony House is a coach for two U19 Ottawa Elite teams with the Ottawa Youth Basketball Academy (OYBA). He is also the Founder and Director of Canada Topflight Academy and will be coaching the men’s team in this coming season.

House grew up in Nepean and played a large variety of sports growing up. “I started playing basketball at six years of age with the Nepean Amateur Basketball Association (NABA) and played competitive lacrosse with the Nepean Knights organization. I played some organized baseball and football, as well a lot of tennis growing up in the summer. I was always focused on basketball, especially in high school, our St. Pius X teams were always strong and was fortunate to win a Jr. and Sr. City Championship in the early 80’s. I attended my first Canadian National team training camp at 18 years of age and ended up getting recruited by a number of Canadian university programs. I ended up enrolling at the University of Manitoba, started for three years and led the Bison’s to a Final Four appearance and a #1 National ranking in 1986. During my university years, I received an invitation to try-out for the 1988 Canadian Olympic team.” House explains.

House was inspired to start coaching by his amazing coaches, who sacrificed their time and were very positive influences in his life. His coaches really made a difference in his life growing up. House was also very inspired by his father, who coached for the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees in the 60’s. “It’s in the bloodline.” House says. “I also think it’s a great way of giving back to the game that provided me with incredible memories and friendships, it’s a way to help youth achieve their goals in sports and in life.” added House.

House says his favourite thing about coaching is the everyday challenges, “the rush of the competition – I actually think it keeps me young at heart, I draw a lot of energy from my players. It’s also a tremendous escape from the real world, no matter how my day is going I look forward to running a practice and getting together with ‘my guys’.”

The most rewarding thing about coaching isn’t about the championships for House. He loves running into former players and hearing their stories and memories. “The most rewarding moment is just hearing ‘Thanks Coach!’.” says House.

House says the biggest challenge of being a coach is “getting a total buy-in as a team, a coach must constantly work to earn and gain trust and confidence from the coaching staff, players and parent group. You need to invest a significant amount of time cultivating relationships. This can only be accomplished by showing you genuinely care about their development, not only as an athlete but as a person. Invest in all of your players and they will invest back and play hard for you.”

Do you know of or are you a coach in the Ottawa area? HESN wants to hear from you, contact us at mia@houseedgemedia.com.

Coaches in the Community: Paul Stewart

6/16/2017

Paul Stewart is the President and Bantam level coach for the Bell Warriors Football Club. Stewart says that growing up he was always playing sports, if not in the streets, in backyards, driveways or parks. His first organized sport that he played was football with the Nepean Rams, a NCAFA football club in the 70’s. “That’s what got me hooked and led to me playing three sports per year throughout high school at Bell H.S. playing football in the fall, basketball in the winter and rugby in the spring. I played a short stint of football after that at the University of Guelph for the Gryphons,” Stewart explains. He played football for a total of 11 years.

Stewart says he always knew he wanted to give back to the community but never wanted to coach his own kids. “Before you knew it though, like almost every community coach, you were helping out. I tried to keep at arm’s length from my boys and that’s part of the beauty of football. There’s lots of work to be done. I quickly learned how rewarding it was working with youth and how much the fundamentals had evolved over time. I enjoyed going to every coaching clinic and meeting I could and strongly encouraged my fellow coaches to do the same. I’ve been with the club for 15 years now, the last 5 of which as the President of the Warriors as well. Whether I had intended it or not, giving back to NCAFA football and the Warriors has been a great experience.” He explained.

Stewart says his favourite thing about coaching is “seeing the light go on with a young player. Our sport is so great at reinforcing values like dedication, responsibility, respect and hard work. When a young player is rewarded by succeeding at something they couldn’t do before because they respect these values, well that’s when you see them burst with pride. That’s also when you often see the impact that can be made on a teammate and the entire team by honouring these same values. Some players and even some coaches don’t ever get it. It’s a shame but for those that do understand what football represents, it is a privilege to be associated with them…. and I should say, it’s a lot of fun to be running around on a field playing football and building relationships with players, families and my coaches many of whom have become my most trusted and best friends.”

When asked about the most rewarding part of being a coach, Stewart explained, “Indirectly, it was the collective moments I got to watch my boys make new friends while competing playing football. Seeing how they grew to better understand what I call ‘football values’ was the best. For those that ‘get it’, I want to be an advocate in their corner. We have lots of good guys that may need an advocate in their corner, and for the very large majority, I feel it is an honour to play that role. Additionally, I’ve made an effort to develop relationships with CIS coaches across the country. For those few that are driven and gifted enough to play at the next level, I find it very rewarding to play a role in them having football programs that will welcome them.”

Stewart said that one of the biggest challenges that comes with coaching is being faced with negative influences. “Negative influences come in many forms but regardless if they are within your organization, on the far sideline or in your own huddles, they are always a challenge in community sport. I am not sure if many realize the time and effort required to host a football program. It requires innovation, creativeness, resourcefulness and a tireless dedication of a lot of volunteers. This is why I clearly admire those families, volunteers and players that choose to be with the team as a team for the team. It is a team sport and the ultimate lesson for our youth to learn from playing football, aside from being competitive and driven, is to be thoughtful, caring and selfless.” says Stewart. Stewart says it is important to put the team first, “It is certainly the biggest challenge in community sport but the most worthy of aspirations and one that our club embraces. Aspire to be the best on the team but really aspire to be the best for the team! We want our families, volunteers and players to be ‘Warriors For Life’ on and off the field.”

Do you know of or are you a coach in the Ottawa area? HESN wants to hear from you, contact us at mia@houseedgemedia.com.

Coaches in the Community: Tabitha Johnson

6/6/2017

Tabitha Johnson is a swimming instructor at the Bob McQuarrie recreation complex. She played soccer for eight years growing up. She also participated for a couple years in karate. Johnson has always loved children, so she knew she wanted a job that allowed her to work with them. Johnson says it was a long process to become a swimming instructor because of all the mandatory courses she had to take.

Johnson says her favourite thing about teaching is “the relationships I get to build with all the kids. I love making the kids smile, laugh and have fun. I also find it very rewarding when kids say they love my class or think I'm the best teacher ever and it just feels good to know you're making a difference for these kids. That you're helping them stay active, that you're helping them learn a skill that will be useful for the rest of their life and that you're allowing them to have fun."

Johnson says her most rewarding experience as an instructor was working with a special needs child in private lessons. “His mom had warned me from the beginning that it would be hard for him to listen and he probably wouldn't get much accomplished. Although it was a lot of work, as I got to know him and what would make him concentrate or listen to me he slowly became comfortable with me. By the end of the session, he could do every skill necessary to pass that level. It was so rewarding when the mom thanked me at the end of the session not being able to believe how much progress I had made with her son and that is the whole reason I do my job.” Johnson explains.

Johnson says that the biggest challenge that comes with instructing is “just adjusting to the job. I had never worked a job like this before and had to, fairly independently, figure out the best way to make it work. The first two weeks of the job were very stressful. I had to learn how to make proper lesson plans, how to remember up to 100 kids names a session, how to handle rambunctious children and even just how to keep all my classes running on the right schedule. It was hard but through organization, determination and some practice it became much easier and more enjoyable. Making lesson plans a head of time, learning some tactics for handling difficult kids and some memory games got me through okay.”

Do you know of or are you a coach in the Ottawa area? HESN wants to hear from you, contact us at mia@houseedgemedia.com.

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