A total of 13 first-year aspiring female coaches will participate in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association’s (CCAA) Female Apprentice Coach Program (FACP) during the 2023-24 season.
The FACP, which is funded in part by Sport Canada, is designed to identify and support female graduating student-athletes who demonstrate the desire and skills for coaching by providing them opportunities to share in the coaching experience in the CCAA.
In CCAA Basketball, three female apprentice coaches will be featured this season.
At Cégep de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Rachel Clouâtre-Trudeau will be mentored by Bernard Tanguay Jr. with the Géants in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ).
Clouâtre-Trudeau was a student-athlete at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, where she greatly enjoyed her role and developed leadership skills. She then continued her playing career at Acadia University, where her abilities as a leader were very useful for her development. In her second year at Acadia, she was part of the leadership team which gave her access to mentoring as well as several leadership training courses.
“In addition to learning about the different forms of leadership and what makes a good leader, I had the opportunity to put my learning into practice, since I had to set an example for my team on a daily basis for three years,” said Clouâtre-Trudeau. “The experience was very beneficial, and it made me want to continue learning and developing as a leader.”
At Acadia, she was able to hone her communication skills, empathy, work ethic and openness and Clouâtre-Trudeau now believes she’s better equipped to deal with a wide variety of situations and issues within a team. All of this will have a positive impact on her interactions with student-athletes at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.
“The Acadia experience also taught me the importance of teamwork, and I understand that it’s vital to ensure everyone’s well-being to be able to focus each player’s efforts on a common goal,” she said. “I’d like to train leaders by passing on my knowledge and experience and offer other athletes the same preparation that has benefited me.”
Adding female coaches to the Géants program brings a certain balance and a different type of support to student-athletes, according to Veronique Charbonneau, Athletic Director at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.
“Being highly outnumbered by men, young women in sports often need moral support,” she said. “Someone who understands them not only as athletes but as women is usually underestimated and overlooked by our programs.”
Clouâtre-Trudeau’s involvement will improve communication, listening skills and empathy within the group – all which are very important for today’s generation. Having a coach who listens in a different way will also change the team dynamics.
“Since female involvement in high-level sports is increasingly rare, bringing Rachel into our program will also demonstrate to young women that they too can gain qualifications and experience in coaching,” said Charbonneau.
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The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) enriches the academic experiences of student-athletes by providing leadership, programs and services that foster development through high-level competitive opportunities in intercollegiate sport.
Media Contact:
Rodney Wilson / rodney@ccaa.ca
Manager, Communications & Events
