Jesse Card is currently a coach with the Cumberland Panthers Junior Varsity team. Growing up, Card was a very athletic kid. He took gymnastics when he was very young. “It really helped establish good balance, coordination and the foundation for my future athleticism.” Card said. He played rugby for fun in high school and also did five years of Tai Kwon Do, but then began to focus heavily on football. “I was able to walk on with the 2002 McMaster University football team and earn a roster spot in the first year. I played five years for MAC and was very fortunate to have some great mentors and coaches that believed in me. One person in particular I owe a lot too, is my defensive backs coach Mark Forsyth, who helped shape me into the player and person that I was and am today.” Card says about his experience in post-secondary football. Card was motivated to start coaching because he wanted to impact players the way that Forsyth did with him. Card moved back to Ottawa in 2010 and was eager to get involved in the football community again. “I started attending the Warriors Annual Golf Tournaments, where I was able to re-connect with a lot of familiar faces and meet some new friends. Eventually, I was asked to help coach by the Bantam Defensive Coordinator, Joe Papalia. Together with coaches’; Paul Stewart, Tim Sheahan, Pat Kilmartin, and Carl Andrea Potier, we took a young team to the A cup Quarters in 2015, and to the A Cup finals in 2016 eventually losing to a very talented Gloucester South Raiders team.” Card explains. Card played for the Warriors for seven years, starting in Tyke when he was nine years old. “I grew up playing in the West End with some great friends, such as Marie Bosco, Trevor Sharp, and eventual Grey Cup Champion Justin Phillips (Warriors Hall of Fame inductee).” says Card. “This summer, I took a position on Jeff Koradi's Junior Varsity staff with the Cumberland Panthers in the new Ontario Provincial Football League. It's been great traveling to play teams in southern Ontario and gives the players a valuable experience seeing some new cities, and playing some competitive well coached teams.” Card says about his current coaching position. Card says his favourite thing about coaching is “being around the game and communicating the process of working to become great at something. My hope is that the kids learn a thing or two about applying themselves, working night after night to improve themselves. Whether they continue to play football or do something else, success in life has a lot to do with these simple truths and dedicating yourself fully to improvement.” Card says there are so many rewarding moments as a youth sports coach but “my favourite moments have been the simple things. Being on the field again, remembering what it was like to play as a kid, and building a team with a new group of players and with a new group of coaches. Shaping a team and going on the journey of a season is definitely my favourite part.” His biggest challenge so far as a coach has been “keeping things fun and loose on the field for the kids, but also communicating the level of intensity, passion and energy that is required to play at a very high level. In my experience, most kids are looking for the added knowledge and discipline - However, for some players they require a more balanced and light hearted approach.” Check out HESN’s video coverage of one of the Cumberland Panther Junior Varsity games. 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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Jeff Graham is a kickboxing and MMA instructor at K2 Martial Arts. He was interested in and tried many sports throughout his childhood, such as soccer, baseball and football but Graham consistently played hockey in Montreal growing up. Graham has a passion for kickboxing and mixed martial arts so when the opportunity came up he jumped at the chance to be an instructor. He always wanted the chance to pass on the knowledge he received from his great coach, Jean-Yves Thériault. Graham’s favourite thing about coaching is “watching the progression of the students; from struggling beginner, barely making it through their first class, to advanced striker; hitting the pads with precision, speed and power.” He says, “It’s not an easy transition to make, and it’s so rewarding to see them work hard to achieve their goals.” The most rewarding part about coaching for Graham is helping people find martial arts. “I was teaching a mixed martial arts class at uOttawa, and a couple of students found enough enjoyment in the class that they decided to try to focus their training in martial arts. I always love seeing them at the dojo.” Graham explained. Graham says that as someone who is relatively new to coaching he is constantly learning. “At the beginning, my biggest challenge was being hesitant to push my students close to their limits. I feel that was certainly due to my inexperience teaching. As I became more comfortable and confident as a coach, and got to know the students, I was able to ascertain each individual’s maximum and was better equipped to motivate them towards it.” 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.
Moe Salehe is currently the Head Coach to the Ottawa Sooners Junior Varsity program. Salehe played all kinds of sports growing up but football was his favourite. He played 10 seasons of community football, eight as a quarterback and two as a linebacker. He won four A cup titles as a player. Salehe was introduced to coaching by his good friend, Anthony Skinner, in 2006 with the Cumberland Panthers Peewee team. “We were fortunate enough to go undefeated that season and win an A cup championship. I had really enjoyed my coaching experience in 2006, but ironically it wasn't about the wins, it was about the relationship I had endured with the kids. It’s a great experience and quite rewarding when you see the difference you actually make in their lives.” said Salehe. In 2010, he took his first Head Coaching position with the Cumberland Mites program. Salehe said, “As my 8 year old son Zachary was starting football, this was a great opportunity to share my own coaching experience with my son, which helped us create a life lasting bond. Until this day, I am still my son’s coach and mentor.” Continuing on as Head Coach for the Orleans Bengals and then the North Gloucester Giants, Salehe says he was fortunate to be surrounded by several great coaches, players and parents. Check out HESN's video of the Peewee North Gloucester Giants vs. Ohio South Rangers pre-season game. In 2016, Salehe coached one more season with the Cumberland Panthers as the LB coach for the OVFL Bantam team. He was then offered the position of Head Coach with the Ottawa Sooners Junior Varsity program. Salehe says that his favourite thing about coaching is “all about the kids! As I've said throughout my career, we coach not for the wins but for the kids. What you put into your players off the field, you will get three times the return on the field. It’s that simple. My coaches are hand picked and have been with me for a number of years. We are friends on and off the field and we all share the same values which is to motivate and inspire our players.” He says that the biggest challenge he faces as a coach takes place off the field, “Unfortunately with competitive sports, and more specifically with football, there are a lot of politics in play which hurts the game and subsequently the kids. The biggest challenge as a Head Coach is learning to fight through the politics and making the sacrifices to protect our children on and off the field. This is done by surrounding yourself with loyal friends who will support your beliefs during challenging times.”
Salehe is proud to be an Ottawa Sooner and is looking forward to once again inspiring his players to having a successful season in their inaugural year. Coaches in the Community is HESN's new blog series. Our goal is to highlight some of the amazing coaches in the Ottawa area. Steve Johnston coaches senior baseball with the Glebe Giants. He played a variety of different sports growing up such as, hockey, basketball and volleyball. He also played basketball at St. Lawrence College. Johnston got into coaching because he worked for pro sports franchises and saw how much fun those coaches were having. He also had two children who were very interested in competitive sports and he wanted to be more involved in their lives. Johnston said that his favourite thing about coaching is “being part of a team of people that are all striving to achieve a common goal. It is exciting to learn, grow and succeed together.” Here is a photo of the 2016 Jr. division Ottawa city champs: He says his most rewarding moment as a coach was working with his 2001 birth-year baseball team, “over the course of 6 years, taking them from the worst team to being champions.” Johnston says that the most challenging part being a coach is “Having to cut certain players that I have known for a number of years, it never gets easy. I get over this when the boys see the results of our years of work, they also recognize that we are all part of a bigger effort.” 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. FOOTBALL CANADA CONTINUES TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE GAME TO ENSURE PLAYER SAFETY IS THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY, BUT HOW WILL THIS IMPACT THE FOOTBALL LANDSCAPE IN ONTARIO IN YEARS TO COME. The game of Football continues to make improvements in safety. From advances in equipment technology to a shift in culture regarding how the sport is coached and the type of hits that are now considered acceptable. These contributing factors have helped establish Football as a safe, inclusive and extremely affordable sport to play in Canada. However, in Ontario (the only province in Canada in which summer football is played and widely accepted) how will the football landscape change if and when Football Canada mandates that players can only play one season per year? Will fall football see a revival and spike in interest? Or will summer provincial wide football continue to be the destination for the best competition in the province? What do you think? Comment below....
Coaches in the Community is HESN's new blog series. Our goal is to highlight some of the amazing coaches in the Ottawa area. Peter Diedrich is a defensive coach for Cumberland Panthers Varsity OPFL. He played football growing up in the Quebec league (’80-’88). After a 25 year absence from the sport, he was approached by Coach Victor Tedondo to help coach the Orleans Bengals. When asked what his favourite part about coaching is, Diedrich said, “Football is a big family and was something that I had missed being a part of. It was also a way to give back to the community as a volunteer doing something I really enjoy.” Diedrich’s most rewarding experience was his team’s two A cup championships, in 2013 with the Orleans Bengals, and again in 2016 with the Peewee North Gloucester Giants. Diedrich said this was the most rewarding experience because he was able to “work with a great bunch of players and coaches, both times being not highly rated at the beginning, and see the players get better week to week through hard work at practice.” Check out HESN's video coverage of these two games below. Diedrich says that the biggest challenge as a coach is “just getting players to buy in to your system and the positions they are asked to play. Every player wants to be a QB.” His advice to overcome this challenge is to “get the players interested in other positions because football is a total team game and every position is important. You must find ways to make those positions fun to play. As coaches, we know what we are doing and the reward comes when you see those players excel.”
Diedrich is truly passionate about the game of football and is dedicated to helping his athletes reach their maximum potential. Diedrich is looking forward to the upcoming OPFL season with the Cumberland Panthers. Do you know 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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