Bahrami, Ben

Ben Bahrami, is a Strength and Conditioning Coach for McMaster University. He is grateful that the UBC Masters of Kinesiology allowed him to focus on his passion and believes that although his knowledge of human physiology and biomechanics improved significantly, the most valuable thing he learned was how to establish a culture as a coach. He states that “the skillset I learned here was key for my career growth. The combination of the freedom afforded to me in my academic projects, and the flexibility of the program allowed me the practical experience I needed to develop as a coach.”

Ben was inspired by such Kin professors as, “Dr. Maria Gallo, who was just taking over the MKin program at the time; she was a fantastic resource and a supportive voice. Carl Bergstrom, who is now the Strength and Conditioning coach for the Golden State Warriors, was someone with whom I was able to share my ideas. Finally, Dr. Michael Koehle was one of my favourite instructors, as I found his approach to teaching very honest and effective.”

Ben had never considered becoming a performance coach as a boy. However, many opportunities popped up for him to help out in the varsity gym during his undergrad years. It was through those experiences, combined with his degree requirements that sparked his interest in the field of strength and conditioning. But mostly, Ben says that it’s because “I have benefited from so many great people coaching me throughout my life. It was easy to decide to be a coach once I figured out the incredible positive influence so many have had on me as an individual.”

Ben’s tips to students for success:

1. Do what makes you excited when you get up in the morning.

2. Genuine interest and passion in a career will always be successful.

3. Treat everyone the same, coach everyone differently.

4. Accept every opportunity that can make you, and those around you, better.

5. Prioritize family and health.

Justin Oliveira is currently the High Performance Director (HPD) at Water Polo Canada. Throughout his career, Justin worked with the Women’s and Men’s Senior Water Polo Programs and attended many World Championships, World League Finals, Olympic Qualification Tournaments and three Pan American Games.

Jason’s career in sport has always been driven by the desire to gain as much knowledge as he can to hone his skills as a leader in water polo. “When I heard about the MHPCTL degree I was working as an Assistant Coach with the Canadian Women’s National Water Polo Team and we had just experienced some significant and successive coaching changes. Knowing that I needed to gain further knowledge, I saw the MHPCTL degree as an opportunity to obtain higher education while opening up more doors for different career paths.” he says.

The MHPCTL program provided Justin an opportunity to dig deeper into areas of the Canadian sport system in order to increase his knowledge and to contribute to the upscaling of water polo. He states that his time in the School of Kinesiology MHPCTL program afforded him the opportunity “to learn from some of the top sport minds” in North America (both at distance and during residential weeks) and to expand his network.  The network, says Oliveira, “aids him in his every day work as an HPD. The MHPCTL program was critical in preparing me for my role as an HPD, and provided me with the advanced education I need to be successful in my role. The quality of the program and its professors speaks for itself, and the nationwide networking opportunity provided me with invaluable connections that have fostered my ongoing evolution as a sport professional.”