Saskatchewan’s Warren Gilroy
Warren is a lifelong sport and fitness enthusiast. While growing up in Oxbow, Saskatchewan, Warren was a lifeguard and competed in a variety of sports including volleyball, basketball, track and field, curling and badminton. Warren’s passion for volleyball turned into a 2-year debut with the University of Regina Cougar Men’s Volleyball Team. Following his intervarsity stint, Warren committed his time to coaching. Warren has coached many volleyball teams over the past few years, both as a head coach as well as an assistant coach. Warren believes that every individual is capable of living an active healthy lifestyle no matter what the circumstances are. He himself was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes as a child and has been active all of his life. Fitness has been an essential part of his diabetes management and has helped him tremendously to maintain his health.
CSCA: Were you hired as a designated S&C Coach without additional teaching duties?
WG: I was not hired on as strictly an S&C Coach. Because our sports school, Martin Academy, is operated in a public school setting, the students receive credit for their time spent in the gymnasium, weight room, and on the field/ice. Due to this fact, I also have a teaching degree which allows me to work in this context and deliver the appropriate curriculum for each class. The students receive their Physical Education credits through me, which are: Health and Wellness 9, Wellness 10, Personal Fitness 20 and 30, and Instructional Phys Ed 20 and 30 over the course of their 4 years in high school.
CSCA: Did you apply for the position or create the position?
WG: Initially, I was hired on as a grade 9 teacher at Martin Collegiate, which was the first year of the Academy. The Academy was very successful in its first year, and the enrollment doubled for the second year, which resulted in me being moved into my current role as an S&C teacher. The Academy was created by our Administrators and two Academy teacher-coordinators in the Regina Public School system. In addition to my teaching duties, in this role, I am required to program LTAD for each stream for baseball, hockey, softball and Premier Performance, and ensure that our athletes are peaking at the appropriate time(s) of the year to be as athletic as they can be for their competition(s).
This role is my dream job. I get to interact with very motivated high school aged athletes on a daily basis, and it is energizing! The majority of the students that I see are coming to Martin with a purpose or goal in mind; they want to see how far they can go in their given sport.
The sports in the Premier stream include figure skating, tennis, Jiu Jitsu, Kempo, golf, cheerleading, kayaking, diving, water polo, dance, baton, gymnastics, and swimming.
CSCA: Is there a difference in your typical work week between the fall/winter versus the summer?
WG: Yes, there is a difference in the work week of the fall/winter compared to the summer. I am employed as a teacher by the Regina Public School board, so I work on the same semester schedule as the rest of the public school system. School begins at the start of September and finishes at the end of June. Therefore, I do not see any of my athletes over the summer and re-convene with them in September. Athletes are sent with a home-workout program to train with over the summer.
Warren received his Bachelor of Kinesiology from the University of Regina, he is CSCS certified and has a teaching degree. In addition to working full time at Martin Collegiate, he is also a consultant for the Sport Medicine Council of Saskatchewan.
Thank you to Warren for his time, and his support of the CSCA.
For more information about Martin Collegiate, click HERE