Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – Professional development doesn't get much better than this.
Griffins women's volleyball head coach Chris Wandler will spend the off-season learning at the international level after being announced as an assistant coach/team lead with Team Canada's U19 girls team.
He'll be a key part of head coach Gina Schmidt's staff, along with fellow assistant coach Christine Biggs, that's preparing for the 2024 U19 NORCECA Continental Championship in Honduras July 12-24.
Wandler has known Schimdt – Simon Fraser's head coach – for years and has an even greater connection with Biggs. He once coached the Calgary Dinos' bench boss at Red Deer College, after she played for MacEwan.
"I think from a professional development point of view, it's always trying to network with other coaches and pick their brains, see what they're thinking about different scenarios and attributes in the game," said Wandler of the opportunity. "And I'm just looking forward to working with athletes. It's a ton of fun for me and I get a lot of satisfaction trying to give back to a sport that's given lots to me."
The coaching staff will be preparing the team for the NORCECA Continental Championship – a tournament that serves as a qualifier for the World Championship.
They're also helping develop the next wave of Team Canada's senior women's players.
"The last few years under Shannon (Winzer), the head coach our senior women's team, she's really given a good framework to the pathway of getting to the senior women's team. So, there's a lot more opportunity for young women to develop their skills and get experiences at the national level."
With the U19 roster announced last week, the next step is getting into training, which is a process that excites Wandler.
"Having coached provincial teams and Canada Games teams, and been through that process of development, I wanted to see if I could add anything more to the next level," he said of pursuing the U19 position. "That was part of my mindset going into it. Now going into U SPORTS, you have a different take on things, and I wanted to add to development process.
"I'm just looking forward to the opportunity."
