Coaches Week Spotlight: Heather Fraser
September 23rd, 2022
(Whitby, ON) - National Coaches Week is an annual campaign lead by the Coaching Association of Canada. Coaches Week is an opportunity to recognize coaches for the integral role they play by taking the time to recognize and thank them for all their efforts. Join in on the week by recognizing your favourite coach on social media using the hashtag #ThanksCoach. Tag Rugby Ontario in the post so we can recognize them as well!
In celebration of National Coaches Week, Rugby Ontario is profiling volunteer coaches from across the Ontario rugby community. Next up in our Coaches Spotlight Series is Heather Fraser. Heather is a member of the Seneca Sting Women's Rugby program coaching staff and coaches teams with Toronto City Youth Rugby Club. She is also a coach with the Ontario Blues High Performance program.
What role have mentors and mentees played in your coach development?
My mentors have been vital to my success as a coach. They have provided the space to grow individually through guidance, constructive feedback, and encouragement. All my mentors have given me the freedom to create my own drills and break down skills for the athletes. They have been sounding boards when a drill didn’t go as expected, and helped me develop another way to present the skill to get the desired outcome. Most importantly, my mentors supported me when I was doubting myself.
Shutouts:
Jeremy Cairnie (All coaching staff-) Seneca College
Nat Bendavid - Thornlea high school
Ken Fitzgerald- Rugby Ontario u-16 girl
Drew Macpherson Toronto City u16 boys
What do you love most about the sport?
Rugby is a game that allows a diverse group of participants. There is truly a position for everyone if they work hard. No matter the age, shape, or gender, it’s a game that everyone can play.
What made you want to become a coach?
A situation out of my control forced me to stop playing rugby, but wasn’t ready to give up on the sport. I wanted to be part of the rugby community. With support, I shifted into coaching. It has been a rewarding way to stay connected and create lifelong friends. I have had the opportunity to not only work with Seneca, but also coach both my niece and nephew during their rugby journey. This has brought us closer together and allowed me to be part of their life in a way I never imagined. I also, love seeing players learn to fall in love with rugby.
What would you say to someone who is considering getting into coaching?
Do it, if you have a chance to coach any sport, it’s one of the most rewarding things you can do. Be prepared for ups and downs. There are wins and losses both on and off the field. How you handle them, how you compose yourself, right from the beginning sets an example for the athletes. Not only am I a coach, but I need to be a role model. No matter the age, coaches need to represent the the values that rugby holds. Aside from the foundational skills of the game, there is respect, sportsmanship, and team play. I need to exemplify these and expect nothing less from my athletes.
How did you first get involved with rugby?
A friend’s team was desperate for players, and she invited me to join a practice. Right from the start I fell in love with the sport and never looked back. After the first practice I knew it was the sport for me, it’s aggressive, very strategic, and most importantly, it’s a team sport. The first practice I enjoyed the challenge to develop new skills, I was an athlete all through high school and this was different than anything I had played.
How have you changed as a coach over your career?
Over the years, I’ve learned that little accomplishment are sometimes more rewarding than bigger accomplishments. Winning is always nice, however, when a player finally gets a skill or, a set play goes as planned, I enjoy those moments more these days. One of my players was really struggling with tackling properly, all their hard work paid off, in the last game of the season they made a try saving tackle and we won the game. The excitement on his face after that tackle was so rewarding! More so than then winning the game.
What is your favourite part about coaching?
What I enjoy most about coaching rugby is working with athletes, interacting, and developing skills. The sport doesn’t change, I love that coaching is different with every team and that keeps it exciting and renews the love of the sport. As a coach, I need to figure out what the skill gaps are for each team as a whole, and every individual on the team and develop a plan from there. I need to make sure that I continuously assess and adjust based on what I am seeing in the athletes both during practice and games. There is complexity, and critical thinking required at every practice game that makes every day a new day.
What challenges come with being a coach?
One of the challenges I found being a coach is how to communicate with athletes that received information differently. I have had the opportunity to work with a variety of groups and varying skills (ages, club, elite and new to sport). In addition to communicating differently, teams consist of a wide variety of learning styles, some audio, some visual etc. It is important that I remember not everyone learns the same way and that encompass all learning types when explaining game situations and drills, so everyone understands.
What is your favourite rugby memory?
My favorite memory was watching Seneca College win OCAA gold
I was part of the coaching staff during the tryouts and watched the girls work day in and day out at 100% to improve. To see the journey this group took, from the being strangers to a cohesive unit on the field was ma exciting moment when it all came together, the teaching, drill and individual skills become part of the game play, breaking down wins and losses, discussing lessons learned, and applying it to the next game was growth for the plyers and myself. All the hard work during the season came together nicely. The players deserved to win.
ABOUT RUGBY ONTARIO
Rugby Ontario is the provincial sports governing body responsible for the organization of rugby in Ontario. Our mission is to lead, support and promote Rugby for All from communities to clubs to province. This mission signals a movement toward creating a more cohesive, supportive and progressive sporting environment that is responsive to the needs of all members.
To learn more, visit https://www.rugbyontario.com/
WANT MORE INFORMATION?
Dalton Finkbeiner
Communications and Marketing Coordinator - Rugby Ontario
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