Frank & Rozika Sulatycki

Frank and Rozika Sulatycki, who coached together at Seneca College for 19 years, are the first couple to be inducted into the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Hall of Fame. They will be honoured together in the Coaches category.

Seneca’s “Dynamic Duo” guided the Scouts, as they were known prior to 1999, to an incredible seven straight Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Championships and three CCAA bronze medals (1991, 1994, 1996).

The Sulatycki’s were named OCAA Coach of the Year six times and received the CCAA Coaching Excellence Award for Women's Volleyball in 1992. They were together inducted into the OCAA Hall of Fame in 2011.

“Frank and Rose exercised advanced coaching techniques, including the application of visioning techniques, perfecting technical fundamentals, demanding personal organization and planning from their student-athletes, while embracing the family concept of team,” said Linda Stapleton, Director of Sport and Recreation at Seneca.

The Sulatycki’s are forever thankful to the Seneca Athletic Department for their constant support and encouragement, providing competitive opportunities such as representing Ontario at multiple CCAA National Championships.

“It is a privilege to take a team to Nationals, a rare opportunity for student-athletes to get a brief glimpse of various Colleges and areas of our beautiful country, especially when a few team members have not travelled outside of Ontario,” said Frank Sulatycki.

“It was quite a challenge to play against the best College teams in Canada. A very fond special memory occurred when a medal was earned,” he said.

While winning is always the aim, it was never the only goal for the Sulatycki’s.

“The preparation, the development and growth of each student-athlete as a precious individual and key contributor to the team, willing to accept and face challenges on the court and in life is the point,” said Rozika Sulatycki.

For the Sulatycki’s, the CCAA National Championship experience consisted of having student-athlete’s focused, determined and committed to every contact, every point and every set in all matches, regardless of the score.

“The preparation, having started with the very first practice of the season, allowed players not to get caught in the excitement of traveling, in variances in officiating, or fear or concerns about the quality of other teams,” said Rozika Sulatycki.

“As coaches, we always wanted our charges to learn to affirm to themselves, when leaving the playing court: ‘I truly gave it my all – mental, emotional, physical’,” added Frank Sulatycki. “To focus, to concentrate and to build on the positive accomplishments during the match and disregard the rest.”

One of the “Dynamic Duo’s” most memorable moments came at the 1994 CCAA Women’s Volleyball National Championship, which was hosted by SAIT in Calgary.

“An extraordinary situation occurred during the bronze-medal match when Avery Brevett did a spectacular ‘diving pancake’ dig,” said Frank Sulatycki. “It was a key motivating act for our Seneca team.”

The Sulatycki’s made a significant personal impact upon their players, many of whom they remain in contact with two decades after their time at Seneca. One of those student-athletes is Brevett, who will join the Sulatycki’s in the CCAA Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016.

“After 20 years beyond Seneca, having student-athletes attribute their personal and career success to lessons learned under Frank and Rozika demonstrates their care and concern was well invested, long after the thrill of the medals are but a memory,” said Stapleton.