Sport, says Chris Neve, has a lot to teach youth.
And as the newly named head coach of Canada’s junior climbing team, Neve hopes to help athletes learn as much as they can – while he, too, learns plenty in the process.
Now in his 17th year of coaching, Neve, who lives in Banff, has been coaching juniors for the past 12 years as climbing gym co-ordinator at The Banff Centre’s Sally Borden Climbing Gym. For the past three years, he’s been one of four national team coaches working with two managers.
When Climbing Escalade Canada (CEC), this country’s governing body for competitive climbing which operates under the umbrella of the Alpine Club of Canada, decided earlier this year that the program would work best with a head coach who could plan a consistent direction for the team and be responsible for all aspects of the program, Neve enthusiastically applied for the position. His job also includes being team manager, coordinating logistics.
Working with Neve (the position involves a two-year mandate) will be one assistant manager and four assistant coaches, including Canmore’s Stacey Weldon, Vancouver’s Sean McColl – last year ranked No. 1 all-around on the World Cup circuit – and Dung Nguyen, former Vsion Climbing Gym owner and tireless advocate for competitive climbing in the Bow Valley.
The following two years will be busy, with the Youth World Climbing Championships taking place in Victoria, B.C. in August – the first time in North America – and in Nournea, New Caledonia in 2014, with plans for a Pan American Championships for 2014 being finalized. As these events – and numerous local and regional competitions take place – competitive climbing is moving toward securing a spot in the Olympics.
This year’s team will consist of 24 to 30 athletes who will be named to Difficulty and Speed teams after the national championships happen on the May long weekend at The Boulders Climbing Gym in Saanich, B.C., the same venue as August’s Youth Worlds. Ranging in age from 14 to 19, the majority of them live in Western Canada, but Neve said he expected to see more representation from the eastern provinces as regional programs become more established.
While he’s excited and honoured to be the team’s head coach heading toward the world event in front of a home crowd, Neve said he’s equally energized to work with young athletes as they progress in their sport.
“Every athlete I have ever worked with is a completely different individual and I think that is what I like the most, trying to figure out what I can do for each climber to help them reach their goals,” Neve said. “Sometimes it’s a technical thing, like tweaking their footwork or body position or working on a particular move; sometimes it’s a mental thing, trying to get them to figure out what they need to do to be able to perform at their best, because learning to handle pressure and stress is something I hope they transfer over to other situations outside of climbing.”
A former national junior team climber who represented Canada in no less than seven World Cup events, Weldon (more on page 59) is excited to embrace her fifth year working with Canada’s youth team. Her first assistant coach position was in 2006 at the North American Championships in Denver, Colo., and she’s coached at two Pan American Championships. This year marks her fourth time coaching at the Youth Worlds. Between all that, she completed her nursing degree and works at Canmore General Hospital.
One of the big challenges facing Canada’s competitive climbers in a sport that’s growing fast on the international stage is a familiar one for many youth sports, she said.
“There is little to no funding for these kids, so it’s the parents who pay for everything,” Weldon said. “Steps are being made to bring climbing into Sports Canada in hopes of funding for future years.”
As a coach, Weldon said the most enjoyable aspect comes through the process of bonding with the athletes, and watching them grow and succeed.
“My climbing coaches were a huge part of my life growing up, and to this day continue to be some of my biggest mentors,” Weldon said. “It’s amazing to now be on the other side of the table, working with these athletes to achieve their dreams.”
At the same time, she expects that growing the coach-athlete bond to be challenging with young climbers she hasn’t yet worked with.
“I think this year there will be more athletes from the East who I have not had a chance to work with,” she said. “It can be tough to provide an athlete with everything they need to succeed when you haven’t had a change to develop a bond with them. But I’m really looking forward to coaching the Canadian team on Canadian soil. There is going to be so much support in the crowd.”
With a country as geographically enormous as Canada, Neve said he expects communication between athletes, coaches, parents and gym owners to present one of his biggest challenges. Overall, coaching has taught him patience and the importance of balance.
“Everyone wants to be the best they can be as soon as possible,” Neve said. “With youth athletes, there are so many things happening with their developing bodies that require us to take a step back and make sure we are really focusing on what can be done at this particular moment that will help them on their road to their goals.
“Pushing someone to succeed when their bodies are not ready to handle that pressure will just cause problems in the future, whether they are athletes or not.”
And sport, he added, is a great teacher.
“Sport has so much to teach our youth and I believe it should always play a role in each of our lives, whether it is competitive or recreational,” Neve said.
“As a coach, I value that relationship that is created between two people who are trying to accomplish something together, whatever that something turns out to be, because it really is an individual thing. I get to work every day with amazing young climbers who are challenging, enthused, funny, energetic, dedicated, passionate, frustrated and determined - I’m sure I get more from them than they get from me; I am very privileged.”
To learn more, visit www.climbingescaladecanda.ca
