BC Ultimate Coaching Conference

Team culture is the foundation of the success of any team. As leaders, coaches need the skills and knowledge necessary to build a positive environment where every player can grow as a player and, more importantly, a person.

The 2024 BC Ultimate Coaching Conference focuses on providing Ultimate coaches with the practical tools and tactics they can utilize to establish a healthy team culture early in their competitive season.

In addition to the BC Coaching Conference on March 2nd, we are offering two coaching certification opportunities on Sunday, March 3rd. - NCCP Community Initiation Course and the Aboriginal Coach Modules. These courses will take place at the same location as the Coaching Conference.

Program

Date: March 2, 2024

Location: Queen Elizabeth Secondary, 9457 King George Blvd, Surrey, BC V3V 5W4

BC Coaching Conference – Saturday, March 2

8:30 am    Check-in opens. Coffee, muffins and fruit available
9:00 am    Welcome & Keynote
9:30 am    What’s Your Culture (Part 1)
10:30 am   Break
10:45 am   What’s Your Culture (Part 2)
11:45 am   Lunch
12:30 pm  Opening Up about Mental Health
1:30 pm    Heads Ups! Your role in concussion management
2:30 pm    Break
2:45 pm    Rules Knowledge and SOTG
3:45 pm    Spirit of the Game Panel
4:30 pm    Closing Comments

Coaching Certification Courses – Sunday, March 3

NCCP clinics will run concurrently so participants will need to select which course they are interested in during registration.

NCCP Ultimate Community Initiation Course

Designed for coaches 16+ years of age who work with new/entry level players, this workshop will focus on how to instruct the basic throws and rules of Ultimate. The role of the coach, planning practices, ethical issues around coaching and the needs of the athletes, will also be covered in this 1-day workshop that takes place both in the classroom and on the field or gym.

What you’ll learn?

Your role as a community coach in Ultimate
Knowing about the participants you are coaching
Identifying ethical issues in community Ultimate
Practice Planning and Ultimate Safety
Basic throws and catches of Ultimate
Communicating and interacting with participants
Planning to lead an activity

Aboriginal Coach Modules

Designed to complement the NCCP certification process, the ACM is a professional development training tool for all coaches who coach Indigenous athletes.

The following 3 modules will be completed during this 1 day workshop

Holistic Approach to Coaching Aboriginal Coaching
Dealing with Racism In Sport Aboriginal Coaching
Individual and Community Health and Wellness

Click here for more details on each module.

Fees

BC Ultimate Coaching Conference (includes lunch and t-shirt) $40 plus gst **
NCCP Community Initiation Clinic $20 plus gst
Aboriginal Coaching Modules free thanks to funding from ISPARC

** High School Coaches receive a discount, $15 on the BC Ultimate Coaching Conference Registration by confirming their school affiliation.

Registration

Click here to register. Registration closes at midnight on Thursday, Feb 22, 2024.

Presenter Bios

Keynote Speak - Lara Mussell Savage, Director - Sport - ISPARC

Lara Mussell Savage was raised both in Chilliwack and in the urban setting of Vancouver. Proud of her Sqwá First Nation (Stó:lō/Pelolxw) ancestry and a dedicated athlete, Lara focuses her passion on Indigenous sport and youth. She graduated as a Wesbrook Scholar from UBC with BKin in Sport Management and completed her MBA at SFU.

In 2005, Lara was awarded Canada’s National Tom Longboat Award for Female Indigenous Athlete of the Year and has competed in 4 World Championships in the sport of Ultimate, winning 2 gold and 2 bronze medals. Lara’s career has included management roles with the Air Canada PGA TOUR Championship, BC Sports Hall of Fame & Museum, and the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). Lara was one of five experts invited to join the BC 2030 Feasibility Team with the Four Host First Nations to explore an Indigenous-led bid to host the 2030 Winter Games.

Lara was inducted into the Chilliwack Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 for her achievements in and contribution to sport. She is an ambassador for the #LeveltheField campaign that promotes gender equity in sport and is also a Trustee for the BC Sports Hall of Fame & Museum. Lara has also served as an elected Councillor for Sqwá First Nation for approximately ten years including serving as Chief, 2020-2023. She resides on Sqwá’s main reserve with her husband and two children.

What’s Your Culture - Shannon Seid

Shannon discovered the ultimate community in high school and has played competitively and recreationally since then. She found her passion in coaching and mentoring, and it brought her to a path of teaching kids from K to 12, in English and French, for the past 14 years. Through coaching and mentoring teams from elementary school, youth and adult club teams, and adult recreational teams, she realized how connected teaching philosophies are to coaching. In particular, the act of creating and setting expectations and boundaries, building team community, and facilitating important conversations (coach to team, coach to player, player to player) became integral parts to set up and revisit throughout each season.

Shannon has a passion for learning about topics that can positively impact the community she teaches and coaches in, and she strives to inspire and create leaders to help facilitate beneficial changes. Her Master’s in PE focused on the need for gender equity in ultimate. She has worked with several coed club teams to set up expectations on team values and facilitate gender equity talks. Her work as a professional development committee lead and racial equity lead in Surrey Schools has helped her implement necessary measures to enable classes and teams to become safer, more inclusive and empowering spaces. When Shannon is not teaching or coaching, she is delving into the world of parenting adventures with her husband and her 3-year-old son.

What’s Your Culture - Chris Wakelin

Chris is a teacher at Queen Elizabeth Secondary School in Surrey, and a huge part of the Ultimate community. He has been involved in establishing the Vortex Ultimate Program, coaching several high school teams, and even coaching provincial teams.

Opening Up about Mental Health - Katy Kwon

Katy Kwon is a mental health practitioner who works with groups and organizations to help integrate mental health best practices to their work. She specializes in speaking and professional development seminars.

Based out of Langley, BC, Katy Kwon is a Registered Clinical Counsellor. She has experience both working with individuals experiencing life-controlling issues, schools and teams. Her approach is client-centered and evidence-based, providing a wholistic environment for well-being.

Heads Ups! Your role in concussion management - Dr. Stephen Mogatas

Dr. Stephen Mogatas graduated from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College as Students’ Council President. He received numerous awards in recognition of his contributions to the college and the profession. Dr. Mogatas has been the official chiropractor for Team Canada Ultimate and attended seven world championships, including the 2013, 2017 and 2022 World Games. Dr. Mogatas also served as a Director for the The College of Chiropractors of BC.

Dr. Mogatas is a certified Master’s Active Release Techniques (ART) and Graston Technique provider. He combines his passion for sports science and manual therapy to provide evidence-based treatment for his patients.

Rules Knowledge and SOTG - Allan Baggish, Observer - Ultimate Canada

Alan started playing Ultimate in 1985 and has played at all levels, from recreational to world championships to pick-up in the snow. A former high school and college basketball referee, Alan turned his adjudication skills to ultimate in 2014. Alan currently sits on the Ultimate Canada Observer Committee and UC Competitions Committee, but looks forward to standing on the field this season, helping teams uphold the Spirit of the Game.

Spirit of the Game Panel Facilitator - Anja Haman

A legend in the Vancouver ultimate community, Anja has been a high level player and mentor for more than two decades. She is a member of the VUL, Ultimate Canada and USA Ultimate Halls of Fame. You can see her full bio here.

Panel Guest - Monica Hsu, Member of Team Canada

Monica is a past TC member and will be part of Team Canada Women's team attending WUC 2024 in Gold Coast Australia this year.

Panel Guest - Adriana Withers, CEO – VC Ultimate

Adriana Withers is the driving force behind VC Ultimate Inc. as well as its European subsidiary, Lookfly. With a focus on community over profits, Adriana has shown a fierce determination to fight discrimination against 2SLGBTQ+ athletes and innovate ways to redistribute resources in ultimate in a more equitable way. Adriana believes that leaders in sport have an opportunity to rethink how we develop athletes, programs, organizations and business to be more inclusive and that, together, we can change the landscape of ultimate.

Originally from Montreal, Adriana now spends time working out of VC Ultimate’s headquarters in Toronto, or a tournament tent anywhere in the world. When she’s not creating the world’s best ultimate gear or standing up for marginalized community members, her interest include travel, cooking, skiing, mountain biking, mountaineering and her border collie named Stevie.