CSCA Director Spotlight: Acadia University’s Elliott Richardson
CSCA - How did you get started in the industry? Strength and conditioning allowed me to exceed my potential as an athlete and became something that I wanted to share with others following the same athletic path. I was constantly undersized through my developing years, so S&C gave me the edge to excel at the university level, and to play professionally in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for 3 years. The passion I had for learning about S&C at university transformed me from a middling student to an Academic All Canadian after switching into kinesiology (GPA >3.5). During my time [...]
Langara College: The Perfect Starting Point For Your Kinesiology Journey
Langara College is located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Its inception was in 1965 and was part of Vancouver Community College. In 1970, Langara opened its West 49th Avenue campus and this is the College's current location. On April 1, 1994, under the Provincial College and Institute Act, Langara became an independent public college. Langara is currently celebrating its 49th anniversary on 49th Avenue. The college has grown tremendously over the last 49 years, and currently is one of BC’s leading undergraduate institutions. Langara offers University Studies, Career Studies, and Continuing Studies program for more than 21,000 students annually. The [...]
Insights into S&C in Ontario Colleges: Introduction
In the Winter 2020 Edition of our newsletter, we highlighted information about colleges in BC and Ontario. The links below focus on two options within Ontario. Click HERE if you are interested in Alternative Pathways to the Strength and Conditioning World: Four Ways the College System Creates Strong Coaches (by Adam Balan) Click HERE if you are interested in Insights into Strength & Conditioning in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (by Teresa Arnini, Jason Melhado, and Rob Chrzaszcz) If you would like to share information about your University or College please reach out to us using our contact us page.
CSCA Director Spotlight: Richmond Oval’s Andrew Clark
CSCA: How did you get started in the industry? I first started working with athletes towards the end of my undergrad at the University of Victoria. At the time, UVIC’s Exercise Science and Physical Education department had some inspiring professors and a great group of master’s students including Ben Sporer and Chad Benson. I worked at the university’s gym and was continually exposed to these individuals and the varsity athletes. Similar to a lot of young coaches I tried to absorb as much as I could from those around me, read as much as possible, attended seminars and started to [...]
Alternative Pathways to the Strength and Conditioning World: Four Ways the College System Creates Strong Coaches
Every September, as incoming students enter their first college semester, Fitness and Health Promotion (FHP) faculty often hear, “I’m more of a hands-on learner” and “I want to work with athletes.” These students are in the right place. Currently, 17 Ontario colleges offer FHP, a two-year diploma program widely considered as a shorter version of the coveted Kinesiology/Exercise Science bachelor’s degree. For some, the college system may be the best vaulting point for aspiring strength and conditioning (S&C) coaches. Here are four reasons to support the college route. 1. Access to Kinesiology and Other Degree Bridges [...]
Dan Baker’s Velocity-Based Training 1 Day Course
DATE: Saturday Feb 29, 2020 TIME: 8:30am – 5:30pm VENUE: Sheridan College, Brampton Ontario Davis Campus 7899 McLaughlin Rd. Rm. H118/H140 INSTRUCTOR: Chris Champman PUSH Band Package $180 includes: PUSH Band, 3-month Subscription to Portal Elite (1-3 athletes), PUSH Bar Sleeve, and PUSH Strap. Sizing: Measure from the widest part of forearm, near your elbow:Small Strap (9-12 in / 22-30 cm)Large Strap (11.5-17.5 in / 29-44 cm) + Waist Belt $37.50 (50% off): Interested in tracking jump squats and countermovement jumps without using our jumps protocol? This waist band is for you. Our PUSH Band slides right [...]
The Challenges Have Made Me a Better Coach – Good Mentors Are Key in This Industry
I really enjoy helping people achieve things they never thought possible, on the field, ice, court, while also providing opportunities for achievement outside their sport. CSCA – How did you get started in the industry? As with most coaches, I started as an athlete, spending thousands of hours on the pitch. As with most athletes, I was completely blind that anything outside of having my hands on a rugby ball would help me improve. As I got further into my Kinesiology degree, I quickly started to realize the ignorance of those thoughts and started playing around with what I was learning in [...]
The Experience of Professional Sport
I will always remember one NHL GM saying; “We don’t need to test them, we just need to get them in a room with their shirts off to get a look at them, that’s all we need to know if they’ll be worth drafting.” I still can’t believe I heard that in 2008. On my podcast Leave Your Mark, I recently asked Duncan French, the performance director for the UFC, what his impression of his experience in the English Premiership was like? Did it live up to childhood dreams as he had the good fortune to work for his favorite [...]
Insights into Strength & Conditioning in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) has not only been a place for student-athletes to continue their post-secondary athletic pursuits for over 50 years, but it is also becoming a place for strength and conditioning coaches to start and grow in their careers. Like some of the student-athletes they work with, S&C coaches can gain the experience needed to transition to USport, national, and/or professional organizations. Over the last 5 years especially there has been a big boom in schools adding strength and conditioning to their athletic departments to stay competitive and assist in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes. In [...]
