Female Apprentice Coach Program: Milling

The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) is proud to announce its 2020-21 participants in the annual Female Apprentice Coach Program (FACP) for the sport of Volleyball:

St. Clair Saints, OCAA

Apprentice: Julie Ann Milling
Mentor: Jimmy El-Turk

Julie Ann Milling, a graduate of St. Clair College’s Fitness & Health Promotion and Event Management programs, has returned to her former Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) team as an apprentice in the CCAA’s FACP.

Milling, who spent four years with the Saints Women’s Volleyball program, is being mentored this season by Jimmy El-Turk.

“Having the experience as a student-athlete has allowed me to be a part of an environment where I was able to display and cultivate leadership skills through sport,” said Milling, who also played for the University of Windsor in U Sports for one season. “My past experience in the sport help me show athletes how to interact in a positive culture and learn to create values that reflect the volleyball program.”

Milling served as captain for three seasons at St. Clair and it was at that point that El-Turk noticed tremendous growth in her leadership qualities, which he ultimately felt would translate directly to coaching.

Having been exposed to advanced tactics, Milling was the student-athlete who led game plan conversations. She also had a great understanding and care for those around her, according to her former coach.

“Julie Ann has already been a coach without knowing it and I am (happy) that I can be a part of the path that sets her into a more permanent coaching role,” said El-Turk, who has been with the Saints for five seasons.

El-Turk is a strong technical coach who has also worked with the Team Canada Junior Women’s Program. He recognizes that there aren’t enough young females coaching in the sport of volleyball, from the grassroots to the post-secondary levels, and he is proud to play a part in helping change this narrative.

Meanwhile, St. Clair College has a strong mandate to focus on succession planning and the hope is that, even after this season, Milling would continue on coaching with the Saints, according to Christina Gatto, Director of Athletics at St. Clair.

“We have always had a shortage of qualified female coaches with our teams and feel this is a huge step in the direction of greater equality,” she said.

Throughout the fall semester, Milling was immediately able to help Saints players improve in her own areas of expertise – serve reception, defence, and secondary setting. El-Turk and Milling set forth a plan for the skill development areas that she wanted to focus on.

Milling has developed a rapport with the setters and is getting more and more confident overall with each practice as she continues to build her coaching philosophy and identity.

She also played a significant role in student-athlete recruitment over the fall term and was the sole recruiter for two athletes that committed to St. Clair. Milling organized Zoom calls with prospective student-athletes from outside the Windsor area, attended and lead campus tours, and was able to be directly involved with the commitment of all six student-athletes for the incoming 2021 class. Using her expertise as a former employee of the St. Clair marketing department, she was able to set up tours, speak knowledgably about the programs offered and address the various layers of the scholarship program with each prospective family.

With all 2020-21 CCAA Championships cancelled, this season is obviously like none other in CCAA history. This year however, coach education and training – which is key to the CCAA’s FACP – is being further supplemented via the FACP Leadership Development Program. This Leadership Program is developed by former CCAA student-athlete and current CCAA Head Coach and Doctoral student Danielle Cyr, who has been facilitating the mentorship process.

Milling believes that while coaching and pursuing a career in policing, the two roles can benefit her learning experience as they both require leadership, honesty, teamwork and physical capabilities.

“As a female interested in coaching and policing, I wish to instill these skills and be able to show all female athletes and future colleagues the importance of developing skills on and off the court and throughout my workplace,” said Milling.