R.F. Staples is looking for a track and field coach for the 2013 season.
Former coach Allan Hope, who occupied the position for the past two years, has moved on, said principal Pierre Ouimet, leaving the position open for someone new to fill.
With the season only lasting about a month, Ouimet said there’s a fair amount of urgency to get a coach in place. That urgency led him to send out an e-mail to Westlock Elementary School staff, R.F. Staples staff and several parents asking for assistance with leading the team this year.
He added there are some people already in the school’s coaching system who could fill the role, but seeing as they’ve spent time coaching other teams this year, he felt they shouldn’t be asked to contribute any more.
“They’ve done their time,” Ouimet said.
The key point Ouimet made about the vacancy is that whoever ends up volunteering to fill it doesn’t need to be a teacher. There would be paperwork to fill out, but ultimately the school will assist the coach with getting the team rolling.
“That’s why I put it out there, because maybe there is somebody in the community that has a passion or expertise,” he said. “They can help out and we’ll take them in and make it as easy as possible for them.”
Ouimet said he’s hoping to get tryouts under way early this May, so there’s enough time to choose the team and prepare for the zone meet on May 23 in Edmonton.
To do so would require finding a coach within the next two weeks.
A typical track and field season at R.F. Staples starts with about 20-40 students trying out, with practices running twice a week leading up to zones.
This year may prove challenging with the remaining snow on the ground, but Ouimet hopes to get practising outside in the first week of May.
In the end, Ouimet said the school will do everything it can to help those dedicated athletes perform, with or without a formal coach.
“At the end of the day, if we don’t end up getting a coach, we’ll find a way to have a teacher representative to take them to zones anyway,” he said.
All students on the team will attend the zone meet, with only the top finishers qualifying for the June 7-8 provincial meet, which is goes in Calgary this year.
Almost every year R.F. Staples sends students to the provincial meet, Ouimet said, with anywhere from eight to 20 students making the trip.
