One can go to great lengths to develop as a coach. In the case of long-time Sudbury volleyball aficionado Shane St. Louis, it’s a journey that virtually spanned coast to coast.
A year ago this time, St. Louis served as an assistant coach with the Ontario U-21 men’s team, readying the troops for this year’s Canada Summer Games, which kickoff this weekend on Prince Edward Island.
Come this summer, he was dipping his toes in the Pacific instead of the Atlantic, as the Ontario Volleyball Association (OVA) tapped St. Louis to lead the U-19 men’s team to the national championships in Kelowna, B.C.
According to St. Louis, he was more than ready to begin expanding his volleyball coaching horizons. A fairly natural athlete in his youth, St. Louis enjoyed hockey until the age of 15 or so, but also tested himself in volleyball, badminton and track, just to name a few of his sporting endeavours.
“I loved hockey, but I loved sports in general,” acknowledged the graduate of College Notre-Dame.
His post-secondary career saw him suit up with a highly successful Cambrian College volleyball program in the early ‘90s, earning a little more playing time in his second year as a setter and right-side hitter.
But it was coaching that really garnered his attention, almost from the moment his playing days ended. An accomplished official in the sport, St. Louis admitted that aspect of the game likely fuelled his interest to join the coaching ranks.
“Officiating had a lot to do with my getting into coaching. During timeouts, I probably got wrapped up more into the conversations as an official, listening in on what the coaches had to say to the players. It really gave me the itch to get in at that level,” St. Louis said.
His enthusiasm to coach volleyball rapidly opened doors, first as the bench boss to a regional team preparing for the Ontario Summer Games, joining Laurentian University professor Olivier Seresse to coach a squad that included local volleyball pro Richard Faucher.
A couple more years within the high school ranks lead to a one-year stint at Cambrian College, earning coach of the year honours while growing his knowledge away from the court.
“It was a great learning experience for me working with (Cambrian College Athletic Director) Bob Piche, especially administrative wise,” noted St. Louis.
Then it was off to Collège Boréal for a few years, followed by a little time off and some work with the Club de Volleyball Les Diables as his plate of projects was soon completely filled.
Yet St. Louis knew he wanted to expand his horizons and the chance to do so was somewhat of a fortunate break.
“Not a lot of publicity is done at the grassroots for coaching opportunities within the OVA,” he said. “I was really looking forward to being an assistant coach — that’s what I really wanted to improve on.”
Applying for an assistant coach position with the men’s team in 2007, St. Louis was instead offered the head coach position with the U-18 ladies. While it was not the target in mind, he said he remained thankful for many of the benefits.
“It was neat because none of the top end club coaches or university coaches from the women’s side knew me. It was a clean slate for everybody. I got challenged a lot on my philosophies, which was good,” said St. Louis.
Working with the U-21 men’s team last summer, St. Louis was relishing the opportunity to return this June, doing video analysis, scouting and match preparation, a role to which he had only limited specific experience.
Although a detour from the original game plan, the coach noted that every challenge provided the basis for further growth and these past few months were no different.
“It was different because we sat down with the OVA technical director and were really looking for athlete development. The goal was not necessarily to win a medal, but rather to bring as many of these athletes as close to the national team as possible.”
As an added bonus, St. Louis had the chance to work with a pair of familiar faces, with Lockerby’s Sean Mackay training as an alternate, while Lo-Ellen Knights star Brett Walter cracked the roster this time around.
A bronze-medal performance may not have been the end goal, but it’s a result which St. Louis said he will gladly take.
“You still want to win as a coach,” said the well-spoken educator, with a smile.
“I got a great feel for how to run a provincial program, from the planning process to the team selection, right through to the competition phase.”
He will return to the helm of the Collège Boréal men’s team this fall, admitting there has been at least some minor alterations to exactly how he approaches the task at hand.
“I think I’m more focused on what needs to be done as opposed to what I want to be done,” said St. Louis, crediting his involvement with the provincial team program.
Looking ahead, St. Louis expects to take a year off from OVA duties next summer, perhaps spending a little more time on the sport conditioning side.
And while his continuous search to broaden the scope of his coaching knowledge may well encompass opportunities across the country and abroad, he knows full well the ideal setting may not lie all that far away.
“I think the perfect scenario would be starting a new program at Laurentian University — that would be the ultimate dream job.”
