Written by Matt Johnson for Coaches Association of Saskatchewan
Neither Madeline Humbert or Marit Neff were able to experience the Canada Games as athletes. But when the 2022 Canada Summer Games arrive, both will represent Team Saskatchewan as coaches in Niagara, Ont. after being named the province’s representatives for the Women in Coaching Canada Games Apprentice Coaches program.
Humbert will serve as an assistant coach with the under-18 Team Saskatchewan women’s basketball squad with head coach Bree Burgess, while Neff will be a part of Team Saskatchewan’s athletics coaching staff, which features Harvey Weber at the helm.
“I still can’t honestly believe that this is even happening in some ways, it’s kind of surreal,” said Neff, of the experience.
Before transitioning to coaching, Humbert and Neff were both U SPORTS athletes. Humbert played five years as a basketball player with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and Neff spent two seasons as a distance runner with the University of Regina Cougars.
Humbert – a teacher and coach at Centennial Collegiate in Saskatoon – and Neff – a distance coach with Excel Athletika in Regina – have both spent less time coaching in-person because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has resulted in different opportunities to fine-tune their crafts.
“I’ve gotten to attend so many professional development opportunities that I find so applicable as a coach, but also as a teacher about how to create safe environments, how to improve diversity and be aware of my own cultural biases.” Madeline Humbert on the experience.
The two are meeting virtually with mentors as a part of the Women in Coaching program, taking part in coaching webinars and completing National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) workshops.
“I’ve gotten to attend so many professional development opportunities that I find so applicable as a coach, but also as a teacher about how to create safe environments, how to improve diversity and be aware of my own cultural biases,” said Humbert.
“Across the board with the apprenticeship program, it’s all different sports. It’s been really beneficial and they place a high value on mental health training as well. Even though I know I haven’t been coaching in the same capacity I was hoping for, I have been able to professionally develop and meet virtually with a bunch of these coaches from across Canada, which I’ve really enjoyed.”
Neff is being mentored within the program by Jamie Epp, a distance coach with the Huskies, who will also be a part of Team Saskatchewan’s coaching staff at the Canada Games. Huskies head coach and Canadian U20 head coach at the Pan American Games Jason Reindl also provides advice to her. Within the monthly meetings, Epp and Reindl guide Neff through discussions on COVID-19, education within coaching, issues impacting their sport, as well as simply sharing stories and experiences.
“It’s very robust and it’s good to get a whole bunch of different viewpoints and perspectives on a lot of different things within the sport,” said Neff. “Jamie and Jason have been so encouraging, positive, good to bounce ideas off of, and super helpful.”
Humbert is thankful for the tremendous impact Lisa Thomaidis — head coach of the Huskies women’s basketball team and Canada’s women’s senior national team – had on her during her time with the Huskies.
While her time under Thomaidis taught her lots on the court, perhaps even more influential were the lessons learned off the court, which she has attempted to infuse into her own coaching style.
“The expectation of excellence and trying to get the best out of every athlete, but also her adaptability,” said Humbert. “She’s been coaching for 20 years for the Huskies, but every year she’s changing something upShe always thinks that she can become a better coach and always can learn. I really liked that lifelong learner mentality.”
Humbert, who hopes to one day lead a team to a national championship and at the Canada Games, notes Thomaidis’ high priority on community involvement and the Junior Huskies program gave her an opportunity to coach..
“She has created such a culture and such a community within Saskatchewan for female empowerment and making sure that her players are also going to be great females, great role models and great leaders in the community,” said Humbert.I’m so fortunate that growing up I had so many female coaches that I developed from, and to have that in place to develop more female role models and female coaches and leaders is awesome.”
While Humbert is extremely grateful for the experiences she had with a long-list of influential women coaches throughout her playing career, Neff struggled with the lack of a female voice through her development as a runner.
“The knowledge just wasn’t there at that point in time and it’s not that it was their fault for not kind of being aware of what some of the struggles that a teenage girl might go through as a distance runner, but most of my coaches were men and so I think maybe not being able to talk about some of the things that I was going through so openly with them definitely had an impact.”
Marit Neff, on what having a female coach would’ve meant to her.
“I think a lot of (coaches) just maybe didn’t understand what I was going to do necessarily as a female athlete at that point,” said Neff.
“The knowledge just wasn’t there at that point in time and it’s not that it was their fault for not kind of being aware of what some of the struggles that a teenage girl might go through as a distance runner, but most of my coaches were men and so I think maybe not being able to talk about some of the things that I was going through so openly with them definitely had an impact.”
Neff’s advice to young runners is simple.
“It gets better,” said Neff. ”Be patient.”
For Neff specifically, it did get better. When she enrolled at the University of Regina, her patience paid dividends upon competing under the helm of former Cougars track and field coach Graham McMaster, who re-ignited her passion for the sport and helped her set a personal best for the first time in ten years.
“He was the first coach that really listened to me,” said Neff. “He was just amazing. I have the utmost respect forhim.”
Although Neff says she wrestles with how involved she wants to be in coaching due to her commitment as a mother, she understands the potential of her involvement within athletics.
“It probably would be inspiring to see a female coach take that leap and go to the next level and I do think I kind of owe it to the next generation of athletes to do something like that. That’s really the biggest part for me of being in this program is I really think that the next generation of athletes really deserves better than we got at my age.”
Neff is fully aware of the opportunity that this program provides for female coaches.
“This is a really good opportunity to show what it might look like to see a female coach try to further their knowledge and get to the next level of coaching,” said Neff.
