‘Thanks coach’: Week-long event celebrates impact coaches have on athletes and communities
Several times a week, Shelly Fransoo spends her spare time coaching senior boys volleyball at John Paul II Collegiate in North Battleford. She was inspired to do so by the coaches she had growing up. Their impact is also what influenced her career in teaching.
“When I was a young adult or youth, I was fortunate to have a number of good coaches in my life and was able to benefit from that from an athletic standpoint. So, a large part of the reason I actually went into teaching…. truly the decision came down to the fact that with education, there was a greater chance that I could work coaching into my daily life.”
Fransoo is one of 20,000 coaches who take time out of their day to work with local athletes, sports teams and organizations in Saskatchewan. The government proclaimed Sept.16-22 as “Coaches Week” – an opportunity to show appreciation for those who make youth not just better athletes, but also better citizens.
“It’s nice to know that coaches are being seen…many coaches do it on a volunteer basis. Many coaches do it with money out of their pocket. So, it’s certainly nice to be recognized. But where I will feel most appreciated isn’t with the accolades, it’s the smiles of the athletes that I work with or the person who I coach alongside with,” Fransoo said.