The game plan for extracurricular athletics at Ladysmith Secondary School will be determined following a community meeting being held to enlist new coaches and assistant coaches for this year’s lineup of activities.
Anyone in the community who is interested in coaching a sports team at LSS — be it basketball, rugby, badminton or soccer — should be sure to attend the meeting, which takes place Weds., Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. at the high school.
“It’s in response to the community’s call for continued and new extracurricular athletic programs at Ladysmith Secondary,” said principal Dave Street. “We have a shortage of coaches, we have fewer teachers than in past, and the expertise of some of those teachers does not lend itself to some of the sports that have been standards for years.”
Coaching a high school sports team is a volunteer position that requires many hours of practice, but just as many intrinsic rewards. The school is looking for coaches for both junior and senior teams, which are separated into boys and girls teams as well.
“Coaching is a huge responsibility — it has to do with the practices, the tournaments, transportation, and in many cases fundraising,” Street said. “Some of these people put in hundreds of additional hours throughout the school year taking a team all the way to, in some cases, provincial finals.”
Last year, a total of four community coaches made up the bulk of coaching staff for athletic teams at LSS, such as rugby coach Pete Kis-Toth.
“We wouldn’t have had a rugby program without him,” Street said. “We need folks like him and many more.”
While no experience is necessary, passion and dedication are valuable assets to have.
“I’m not going to be turning anybody away who has the qualifications, who’s interested and passionate about working with our students,” Street said.
New ideas for athletic programs will also be heard at the Sept. 19 meeting. Street said although not every sport will make the cut, the school would like to hear from people who have creative ideas or think outside the box.
Street said he is very interested in the possibility of getting a district-wide dodgeball league started in Ladysmith.
“Dodgeball is one of those sports that can draw in a lot of different students who wouldn’t necessarily play traditional sports,” he said. “It’s another area to get kids involved and make them feel good about themselves, being part of a team.”
Attending the meeting will be the school’s new student activities co-ordinator Kyle McDonald. Information and ideas discussed during the meeting will be taken down, and based on the number of coaches that come forward, the school will determine which sports can viably be mounted.
For more information, call the school at 250-245-3043.