The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) once gain features second year participants in the Female Apprentice Coach Program (FACP) this season.

In CCAA Women's Volleyball, two apprentices are participating in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA), while another has returned in the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA).

The FACP, which is funded in part by Sport Canada, is designed to identify and support female graduating student-athletes who demonstrate the desire and skills for coaching by providing them opportunities to share in the coaching experience in the CCAA.

At Fanshawe College in the OCAA, Montana Woodhouse is being mentored once again by Patrick Johnston with the Falcons.

In working with Johnston last season, Woodhouse took on several key responsibilities including scouting and game planning, recruiting, and leading one to two practices per week.

But this season, Woodhouse is serving as Head Coach of the Women's Volleyball program. She is extremely grateful for the FACP, which gave her a tremendous opportunity that she has clearly taken advantage of.

"I believe this program is incredibly beneficial to young women in coaching," said Woodhouse. "Allowing them the space and opportunity to coach high performance athletes at the post-secondary level, while receiving mentorship from some of the best coaches in Canada, is an invaluable experience."

For his part, Johnston has been actively involved with the Ontario Volleyball Association (OVA), eagerly participating in as many professional development opportunities as possible. He has taken the initial steps in becoming a Coach Mentor, Coach Evaluator and Learning Facilitator.

Seeing coaches grow, evolve their positions, and become better coaches is an exciting new passion for Johnston, who last season saw first-hand the growth in Woodhouse's coaching abilities.

"I believe in the program, I believe in changing the game to a place where we achieve genuine gender equity, and specific to this context, I believe in Montana," said Johnston.

Meanwhile, at Durham College in the OCAA, Cassidy Nicholson-Clarke is being mentored once again by Tony Clarke with the Lords.

"Coaching has become a passion of mine now as I love to work with athletes, and they teach me a lot, too," said Nicholson-Clarke.

Heading into her first season, she believed transitioning from student-athlete to coach would be difficult and although it was indeed tough at first, Nicholson-Clarke managed to adapt and generate the necessary skills to be an effective coach.

"I had a great experience with the student-athletes I coached last season, and they provided me with amazing feedback that has inspired me to continue to pursue coaching," she said.

This past summer, Nicholson-Clarke gained more valuable experience, serving as a head coach with the Team Ontario Regional Program. She stepped outside her comfort zone and worked with a boys' team, using the skills and strategies she learned during the abbreviated 2021-22 OCAA season.

Nicholson-Clarke has passion for the sport of volleyball and is eager to put her stamp on coaching with the Lords, according to Mike Duggan, Manager of Athletics at Durham.

"Cassidy did an amazing job in her first year of the program, establishing herself as a key member of the coaching staff and she is excited to take her coaching to the next level," he said.

Finally, at the University of King's College (UKC) in the ACAA, Adora Rooyakkers is being mentored once again by Beate Shannon with the Blue Devils.

"My hopes to become a coach that helps players fall in love with the game and continue to grow as a player, as a leader and as a person, have been reaffirmed," she said.

As Rooyakkers remains on her transitional journey from player to coach, volleyball continues to play a significant role in her life. She has already gained invaluable hands-on experience working with a team of student-athletes.

"I hope to continue to develop my abilities as a coach and expand my skill set this year by taking on more responsibilities," she said.

This season, in addition to playing a larger role in the recruitment of athletes, Rooyakkers would also like to introduce routine plyometric and agility training and utilize her background in sport psychology to help develop mental skills for players.

Rooyakkers has demonstrated the willingness to learn and take on progressive responsibility at UKC, making her an excellent fit as an apprentice on Shannon's bench.

"Adora is a bright and enthusiastic young coach," said Neil Hooper, Director of Athletics at UKC. "She is eager to learn and excited about the opportunity to have another year under a great head coach."

Source: CCAA Communications