When I entered UBC I had the intention to become an architect. After the first year of study I found that I had little interest in the required course work and began to consider alternatives. I discussed the situation with my dad who commented that “to be happy in life a person needs job satisfaction” and that “I should choose a field that I’m good at and like”.
Coincidently, I bumped into a baseball buddy who had just finished his first year of the BPE program. We chatted and I signed up. I had been very involved in school and community sport and physical activity and the prospect of “working” in that environment excited me.
At that time, the School’s degree program was geared to produce teachers for the school system and the graduate study program did not yet exist. After the BPE I was offered a position at Hillside Junior High, in West Vancouver, and during the five years there I developed an interest in how physical activity affects the growth and development of the students. This curiosity led me to the academic study of these processes and my enrolment in a Masters degree program at the U of Oregon and employment at Vancouver Community College (now Langara College). During my two years there I realized that there was more to learn and returned to Oregon to study for a PhD. Upon completion of that I was offered a position at Magill University and then the U of Montreal.
In 1973, to my great pleasure, I received an invitation to join the School of PE at UBC which I accepted and have lived “happily ever after”.
During my BPE Studies I was inspired by Dr Max Howell, a former Australian rugby international who had just received his PhD from the U of California. He brought an enthusiasm for the academic study of PE and also accepted the responsibility for the development of the rugby program. His leadership in these areas was just what I needed.
My favourite course was the newly created, by Howell, “Tests and Measurement for PE“ that served to enhance my interest in the further study of sport and physical activity as they affect the growth and development of youth.
Of course, studying was a major element within a student’s life and the original Library’s large study hall was the gathering place. The highlight for me was the friendship that developed with my now wife of 63 years.
The best career advice that I received as a prof who was dealing with a heavy workload was “Don’t let other people’s’ problems become your problems”.
As part of the School of Kinesiology in the Faculty of Education, KIN students are eligible to nominate candidates to stand for election as a Student Representative to the UBC Vancouver Campus Senate. The successful candidate will represent the student body on behalf of the Faculty of Education for a one-year term from October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021. There is one (1) position.
Download Nomination Form
Nominations are due no later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday, October 9, 2020. Instructions for completing and submitting the form are on the form itself.
If you have any questions about how to complete or submit a nomination package, please contact:elections.information@ubc.ca.
Sep. 24, 2020 – New paper out by Dr. Guy Faulkner and colleagues on physical activity as a coping strategy for mental health during COVID-19. Read it here!
Jessica Hanson, BKin 2020, balanced the demands of academics and athletics while playing on the varsity women’s basketball team for five years. Leading as captain for three of her five years, and achieving Academic All Canadian status in the classroom, Jessica averaged over 80% in the classroom her last 3 years. No stranger to the Vancouver campus, daughter of Kevin Hanson, UBC BPE/Kinesiology graduate ’88, followed in her father’s footsteps playing basketball while achieving an undergrad degree at UBC.
After her dad was named Head Coach of the UBC Men’s Basketball Team in 2000, War Memorial gym became a second home to Jessica, spending a big part of her childhood learning about the game and becoming familiar with the beautiful campus. She will be returning back to the School of Kinesiology this year online, beginning her studies in the MKin program, where she will be focusing on the coaching science and psychological aspects of sport. In addition to this, she will once again be tackling the challenge of balancing academia and sport as she will be off to Ireland to begin her first year of playing professional basketball overseas.
During her undergrad, she began her coaching career with UBC basketball summer camps. In addition, she joined the coaching staff of Split Second Basketball, a Vancouver lower mainland basketball club, where she lead a mentorship program for young aspiring girls, and also acted as assistant and head coach for the past 3 years. Jess believes there is great opportunity for women in sport to have a positive influence in the lives and development of young upcoming athletes, as well as make a difference in the community. Her passion for both playing and coaching are fueled by the powerful impact that leaders in the sport community can have, as well as her desire to give back to a sport that has given her so much. More recently, Jess has taken part in Vancouver Basketball Foundation’s monthly Grow The Game Women’s Roundtable events, discussing various topics with other female coaches and leaders across the province and country.
Two notable professors for her were also strong female role models through sport and academia themselves, Dr. Maria Gallo, and as Dr. Carolyn McEwen.
Jennifer Joyce is a Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific. Jennifer states that the UBC MHPCTL program allowed her to pursue and advance her career, while providing quality education from both an academic and practical standpoint. “The aspect of being able to do an online Masters program while still continuing to work was essential for me. While the program holds students to the rigorous academic standards of UBC, we are also connected with key networks within the sport sector in Canada and learn current trends and best-practices within high performance sport,” reflects Jennifer.
“The graduate certificate component was an extremely practical and applied program, which helps coaches learn to be better coaches and ease into the academic environment. While the Masters component dug more into academic theory and the research process. Joyce says “as a Strength and Conditioning coach, being able to critically read research and publish research of my own is important to me, and this program gave me the tools to do both. This program helped me to be a better coach, ask better questions, and make better decisions to help my athletes and teams win Olympic medals. ”
Jason Reindl is the Head Coach for Track and Field and Cross Country at the University of Saskatchewan. Jason cites his decision to pursue his MHPCTL as, “I have always wanted to be the best coach that I could be and knew early on that completing my masters in the HPCTL program would be a huge step in that process. While coaching education and professional development are never ending, this degree allowed me to take a huge developmental leap forward as a coach. I believe this leap has been instrumental in the success of athletes and teams that I have the privilege of working with at the university, provincial, and national team levels.” To find a program that aligned with his professional coaching schedule was extremely important, and Jason states that the MHPCTL was exactly what he was looking for. The MHPCTL degree allowed Jason to be employed and coach full time, while also still enrolled in the program. Furthermore, the program allowed Jason to complete his NCCP Advanced Coaching Diploma, a graduate certificate, and most importantly, a Master’s in high performance coaching and technical leadership from a renowned institution.
Through the program, Jason reflects that he has gained an abundance of applicable information that is significantly different than what he was implementing prior to his involvements with the MHPCTL. “From the new ways of thinking around talent identification, gold medal profiling, gap analysis, and developing a more systematic approach to the athlete development process, these areas continue to be mainstays in my coaching practice today,” he states.
When asked if he would recommend the MHPCTL, he says “Absolutely. I believe that the MHPCTL program at UBC is the best in the nation and is best in class in its approach to development of world leading coaches. Any coach who is looking to take a huge step forward in their coaching practice would be wise to consider the program. UBC is a world-renowned institution and they have done an amazing job of implementing a best in class coach education program that I am proud to be a graduate of.”
Chris did not go down the path he envisioned for himself when he started his Masters at UBC. Instead the minor bumps along his way led him to a rewarding career as the Head of Athletics at St. Georges Senior School.
In the early 90’s Chris started his Masters in Human Kinetics, and he looked forward to working in the field of mental skills training / sport psychology with coaches and athletes at a professional level. However, when he realized it would mean having to complete a PhD to continue down this road, he rerouted his plans. By using the sport connections he had made through his volunteer and work experience Chris found his way into sports management.
Chris says “I soon realized that I was good at running small events for the Rugby Club in which I was involved.” His small successes quickly lead to bigger ones. “I continued to find rewards working with others to organize on-campus events, major tournaments and tours, as well as for the club itself.” But the place where Chris learnt and grasped the skills of problem solving, time management, communication, and setting out goals & strategies, were all at UBC. The valuable lessons he learned during his time at the School of Kinesiology are the things he now relies on a daily basis while working as the Head of Athletics. These lessons provided key skills that Chris states he relied on during his 15 years working at Sport BC – the governing body for the 60+ Provincial Sport Organizations in British Columbia
A few of Chris’s Favourite Pieces of Career Advice:
- Never burn any bridges, as you never know when you’ll cross paths with someone!
- Always be on time (even better, be a few minutes early!) for anything and everything as you only get one chance to make a first impression!
- Get involved as a volunteer – it’s a great way to find out about an organization or a business and to build on your network of contacts!
- Thank you cards matter!
- Do not expect a smooth career path – be ready to be flexible and take on new challenges as your environment evolves.
