FACP 2015-16: RSEQ Participants
July 14, 2015 - The 2015-16 Female Apprentice Coach Program participants from the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec:
Virginie Dufresne’s passion for physical preparation and testing combined with her teaching and coaching experience makes her the perfect apprentice for the Diablos de Trois-Rivières Cross-Country Running team.
“I feel that my enthusiasm, my work experience, my abilities and my interpersonal skills make me an ideal apprentice coach at the collegiate level,” said Dufresne.
“My aim is to work with the athletes on both the psychological and physical aspects of the sport,” she said.
Dufresne is a member of the cross-country team at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières and in recent years, she has also focused on training in triathlon and swimming.
She is currently teaching spinning classes in Trois-Rivières and has organized and implemented a Crossfit program in Val d’Or. Dufresne is also a personal trainer for several endurance athletes.
“We are proud to give a new cross-country coach the opportunity to begin her career,” said Michael Guay, Athletic Director at the institution.
“We hope that by giving Virginie the opportunity to begin rising through the ranks of the coaching profession, we can encourage more young women in our region to get involved after their career as a player has come to an end,” he said.
Guay expects the 2015 Cross-Country Running season to be a memorable one for Dufresne as she transitions from athlete to coach. And there is definitely an opportunity for retention.
“We would be thrilled to keep Virginie on the Diablos coaching staff for years to come, at least in an assistant coaching position, and as a prime candidate when the opportunity to lead a team becomes available,” said Guay.
MENTOR
Having established the Cross-Country Running program at Trois-Rivières in 2009, Pascal Dufresne has demonstrated his passion for the development of local runners.
The program has grown from only two student-athletes to more than 40. This year, Dufresne has set lofty goals: To win an individual and team medal at Provincials and qualify his men’s and women’s teams for the 2015 CCAA Cross-Country Running National Championships.
“We still have a lot of work to do to achieve these goals, and having an apprentice coach will help us get there,” said Dufresne. “This will give us the opportunity to create a future coaching position to help our team perform on the regional and national stages.”
Dufresne is a physical education teacher at the Cégep and has completed multiple Level 4 swimming coaching modules. He recently began the Physical Assessment and conditioning program at the Institut national du sport du Québec.
“His skills, his enthusiasm and his focus on constant development have proven to us that he will be an excellent mentor for a young coach seeking to develop her skills in all aspects of coaching,” said Guay.
Marilou Marchessault was the heart and soul of the Lynx d’Édouard-Montpetit team that hosted the 2015 CCAA Women’s Volleyball National Championship.
The recent graduate will now return to the institution as an apprentice under head coach Pascal Murray.
“This opportunity is a new challenge that will take me out of my comfort zone, provide a major learning experience, and open doors for my future coaching career,” said Marchessault, who begins the Physical Education program at the Université de Montréal this fall.
Marchessault was a top player for the Division 2 Lynx and eventually made immense contributions to the Division 1 team’s chemistry. Recently, she served as an assistant coach with the De Mortagne High School Grizzlis.
“This program is a major opportunity for me to remain in the volleyball community that I grew up in and that I’m not ready to leave,” said Marchessault.
Her perseverance, positive attitude, hard work and focus are what made her a strong leader as a player. Her objective as an apprentice will be to instill these same values in the team.
“I feel that working alongside experienced coaches and high-level athletes in an environment of excellence will be an enriching experience for me and allow me to develop my coaching skills,” she said.
Marchessault has also demonstrated exceptional sportsmanship according to Catherine Hurteau, Athletic Director at Edouard-Montpetit.
“She has developed a capacity for leadership that will be an asset in leading a team,” said Hurteau.
“We have no doubts about how seriously she takes her goal to become a coach, nor about the major contribution she will make to our team next season,” she said.
MENTOR
Head coach Pascal Murray has been involved in the sport of volleyball locally for more than 20 years and takes the development of his student-athletes to heart.
“He is proactive and constantly looking for ways to fine tune his methods to give his best to his athletes,” said Hurteau.
“He is a well-known and respected figure in Montreal’s South Shore sport community,” she said.
Murray has always encouraged his student-athletes to give back to the sport as coaches, when the time is right. He is well-liked by his players and his experience will be a significant asset in the training of a CCAA apprentice.
“It is very important for me to be able to support the development of young coaches and provide them with enriching experiences in a positive, high-level environment,” said Murray, who is a certified Level 3 coach.
He realizes the mentorship of an impressionable young coach will be valuable to his coaching career as well.
“I am sure that mentoring Marilou will be beneficial for my own coaching by giving me a fresh perspective on my practice,” he said. “The discussions that will result from her involvement will help me progress as a coach.”
The CCAA is a national sport organization enriching the academic experiences of student-athletes through intercollegiate sport.