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After five years of employment with the Saskatchewan Amateur Wrestling Association, Don Goring has taken a position with Correctional Service Canada. The Board and members recognize the work that Don did on behalf of SAWA and the sport of wrestling and wish him success in his new career.

In this period of transition, a discussion paper has been prepared to look at the future of the position of Provincial Technical Coordinator. Feedback is invited and can be submitted to the SAWA office. A SAWA committee of VP Technical, VP Administration, and two additional SAWA Board members will gather the comments and this issue will be discussed at the Friday night Forum at the SAWA AGM October 14-15, 2005 in Regina. If you have any additional questions please contact the SAWA office.

Sincerely,

Anna-beth Zulkoskey
Executive Director

Overview

For the past number of years, SAWA has retained a Provincial Coach to develop programs, increase awareness of the sport of Amateur Wrestling, facilitate clinics for new and existing programs or interested schools, aid in administrative duties for SAWA and other tasks designated by the SAWA Board of Directors.

Due to a number of reasons, it has been difficult for one person to address the needs of the wrestling community and fulfill the mandate of a provincial coach. Therefore, it has been quite obvious that a significant impact has not been made on the provincial wrestling community through maintaining a provincial coach. (Please note that this is not a reflection on the previous coach, just on the job description and mandate of the position).

In a different jurisdiction, the single provincial coach concept was replaced by provincial area coaches. In this province, the top developmental coaches in the province are retained and remunerated by the PSGB to:

• maintain and continue to develop the program they currently coach
• aid new programs in order for them to develop and flourish
• promote the sport of wrestling at every level
• maintain a positive relationship with coaches in their area and the rest of the province
• be involved in provincial activities that are organized in their area (including camps, coaching clinics, NCCP - CBET programming, etc)
• be involved in the decision making process of the PSGB which enables a provincial perspective of the needs of the sport
• work together to maintain a strong developmental program that reflects provincial goals versus individual club goals

It should also be noted that in the province that retained area coaches, there has been a significant increase in the ability level of their competitors and the number of athletes competing in the sport.

Proposal

The SAWA hire and retain 3 area coaches for the following areas:

1. Saskatchewan South - area would include from Davidson South
2. Saskatchewan Central - area would include from Davidson North up to Prince Albert & North Battleford
3. Saskatchewan North - area would include anything North of Prince Albert and North Battleford

Job Description

The Area Coach would be responsible for the following:

1. To promote the Sport of Amateur Wrestling through developing new programs, being a resource for new or existing programs and running clinics for existing clubs or schools.
2. Area coaches would be responsible to set up a minimum of 5 clinics per fully registered club in their area and 2 clinics for associate clubs (this would include high school teams).
3. Train other area coaches or mature athletes to run clinics when required.
4. Where the area coach is not available to run a clinic, it would be his/her responsibility to utilize another coach or trained athlete to perform the clinic.
5. Be involved in the development and running of Provincial sanctioned activities such as Provincial Camps and Provincial Championships when they are designated for the coaches' specific areas,
6. Be involved in the process of creating developmental opportunities for provincial athletes. This could include the advanced focus, development and promotion of the Western Canada and Canada Games programs. Other options could include running a Bantam West Festival, Stu Hart Tournament, National Championships, etc.
7. Be involved in promoting the CBET Program in their area in order to ensure that a high percentage of those coaching in the province are certified and competent.
8. Administrative duties that were previously done by a single provincial coach could be split between the others. (e.g. carding points).

Funding

Would come from the previous Provincial Coaches wage designation, benefits (none would be required) and travel allocations. Note that the travel costs would be significantly lower since travel distances would be minimal, overnight stays would be rare and there would be minimal meal allowances required. Please note that the Northern Area Coach would be funded at 50% due to fewer clubs to service and a minimal amount of SAWA related activities being run in the area.

Example of how the positions could be funded: