Student Coaches: A Key Part of Hamber's Athletic Community

Photo Credit: Junior Girls Volleyball

For over a decade, student coaching has played an important role in the Hamber community. It gives students in grades 11 and 12 opportunities to connect with new people while they coach one of Hamber’s many sports teams. As well, it gives students playing on bantam and juvenile teams older students to look up to as their coaches.

A student coach since last year, Kristin Poon (12) coaches bantam girls basketball and thinks student coaching has many benefits. 

“It’s a really good way to be involved in the Hamber community, and I think that it's also a good way to get to know the grade eights, and even other people who are already a part of the Hamber basketball community, like alumni.” she explained. “It helps me work on my own leadership and communication skills, just being a coach.” 

A bantam girls volleyball player thinks that having a student coach is different from having an adult coach.  “From experience, I’d say the non-adult coaches – they actually know more about what it’s like to play, rather than the adult coaches,” she said. “They’re kind of like ‘okay, do this drill’ whereas the student coaches actually think it through, because they play and they know.”

Other players shared a similar perspective, including Sophia Misner (8). “I find it's different, because they [student coaches] have different coaching techniques,” Misner said. “It’s good that we are being coached by younger kids because they have gameplay skills, and they’re really good with that.”

However, she also explained that “they have high expectations for us. Sometimes I feel like they have too high expectations, but it’s okay.”

Poon added that the only downside of being a student coach is that it’s time-consuming, because student coaches have to stay after school to coach for extended periods of time. It also takes time out of the school day, as the coaches spend time planning practices, organizing games, and creating lineups. Still, she believes that “all the benefits definitely outweigh the negative sides of student coaching.”

Teacher sponsors for sports teams and the Athletics Director have an important role in choosing student coaches. “I work with student coaches, sponsor teams, and mentor young coaches,” Mr. J. Overgaard (Physical Education) shared. “The Athletic Director chooses who gets to coach. When students approach him, asking to coach, he chooses who will be the best fit for what grade.”

He also shared that student coaches are “typically grade 11s and 12s — players that have had a bit of experience themselves.”

Poon herself has had a lot of experience with Hamber sports, playing on multiple teams since her grade eight year. To Poon, being a student coach is a great way to make new connections. She’s gotten to know the alumni who support her coaching and has made several connections with the eighth graders she coaches.