“On behalf of the Parents we would also like to thank the Missy Coaches for instilling excellent Coaching and Life skills. It is so nice to see so much improvement in the kids and this is all thanks to Lucie, Dean, Tamas, Rachel and Kyle! Thanks so much!” sent to the MCC Board from a Missy Parent
Sometime last fall, after the last chorus of “Go Missy Go” rang out on the finish line at CCA and burgee dreams were put away for another year, coach and paddler sat down together to map out a plan for another training cycle. Any paddler knows that the end of one year means one thing… the beginning of the next.
For some, it was about transitioning to a new age group, for others it was about adding some muscle and shaving off some seconds to achieve a Personal Best. For many, it’s about keeping their eye on the prize – making a National Team, be it Junior, U23 or Senior.
This coming weekend (June 21-23) marks a milestone in the training year not only for many of our athletes, but also for their coaches. Paddlers from all across the country will be converging in Welland at the second set of National Team Trials to test a year of hard work against their personal goals.
As supporters, the hard work put in by our athletes is evident. We can see the hours on the water, the early morning swims and afternoons in the weight room. We pack them off to Florida in the dead of winter to get a head start on the next paddling season.
The hard work of our coaches isn’t necessarily as easy to appreciate. As with any great teacher/mentor, the ‘face time’ spent in coaching our paddlers is augmented by creating training plans, reviewing video, negotiating race schedules, organizing practices and making some of the hard choices for the good of the athlete and the good of the club. In the background, they are advocates, counselors, mediators, first aid responders and sometimes the bad guy – if you need to be reminded of a thing or two.
Mississauga Canoe Club boasts a coaching staff with a pedigree of International experience that would be the envy of any club.
In the end, it is in the spirit of teamwork between athlete and coach that they will be on the course in Welland to see where the year’s hard work nets out. As they have done through the entire training year, they will be there to look out for our team, provide wisdom and encouragement and smooth the bumps in the road, whether it’s in support of a National Team nomination or a personal best.
Whether you are on the course this weekend or waterside any time this summer, from Bantam to Masters; paddler or parent – take a moment and thank a coach!
On behalf of the MCC Board of Directors, Good Luck to all our Missy Paddlers and Coaches in Welland this weekend!
Trials
