HADP Update from VP of Coaching

I would like thank and share my support for Chris Chalmers and Brad Tutschuk in being selected so Head Coach WMW U11 HADP teams in this up coming 2023/24 season. I would also like to express my gratitude to all those that applied for the Head Coaching positions. There were a lot of great candidates that I know would have done a great job. I am comforted by the fact that
there is so much interest from some very great parents wanting to fill the positions.

I would like our WMW community to know that the decision was not taken lightly, and I would like to share the process on how we came to our decision:

• 1- Application: Two application windows were opened and posted to all eligible parents. The only eligibility requirement was that you had a child in the appropriate age of U11.
• 2- Interview: I interviewed all applicants to find out their coaching philosophies, playing time management direction, number of goalies/ team preference, and a variety of other topics.
• 3- Survey Review: All submitted surveys done by parents regarding Head Coaches were reviewed.
• 4- Community Feedback: There was a lot of unsolicited feedback from our WMW members supporting our coaches. This feedback said a lot about how families felt about all our coaches that were applying, which was positive and appreciated.
• 5- Summary and vote: Once interviews were completed, I provided a summary of the information complied and provided it to the Whitemud West Executive Board. We discussed the possibilities, and a vote was completed.

Once the vote was completed Head Coaches were notified and all applicants were notified about not being selected (apologies if you were missed).

In the spirit of transparency which I feel is, at times, lacking in these types of decision some of the intangibles were taken into consideration:

• We thought it best to have a 2013 coach and a 2014 coach opposite each other. This would allow for less controversy when selecting teams and a better succession path.
• Parent concerns regarding equal playing time, efficient use of practice time, favoritism, a coach’s ability to develop kids and a balance of hard work and fun were weighted heavily in the selection process.
• Community participation was also weighted heavily in the selection process. Having Head Coached with WMW and having kids in the program historically made a difference.
• We did our best to clear any conflicts of interest from the decision. We are always looking for support from our membership to join the Whitemud West Board and/or Executive Directors. We are grateful to all of our volunteers who step up and offer their time but the optics of selecting a Head Coach from our board members could be contentious. Right or wrong, we took into consideration the optics of this, and factored it into our decision making.

Please feel free to reach out to me and/or the board with any questions or concerns with this direction.

Your feedback is appreciated and taken seriously as we try to improve our policies and procedures.

 

Jay Villarica- VP Coaching vpcoaching@whitemudwest.com