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Former player Schwab moves to sidelines as Trojans’ ace apprentice coach
CALGARY (August 30, 2010)— Throughout her playing career on the pitch, one quality stood out above all else for Erin Schwab.
“On my teams, I might not have always been the captain, but I’ve always been involved in a leadership role,” says the Medicine Hat, Alta., native, who spent the past two years in a defender’s role wearing SAIT Trojans red and white. “So I’m comfortable with that . . . it’s just going to be hard not being a player.
“I’ll have to figure out how to break things down and teach them to the girls, instead of doing it myself. It’ll be a new spin on things for me.”
One thing is certain: She’ll get plenty of help, and every opportunity. Schwab, 25, who wrapped up a five-year Alberta College Athletic Conference women’s soccer playing career with the Trojans last fall, has traded in her cleats and shin guards for a whistle and clipboard as SAIT’s apprentice coach in 2010 under bench boss Grant Stevens.
As a successful applicant for the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association’s (CCAA) Female Apprentice Coach Program, Schwab will be mentored by Stevens during the 2010 ACAC campaign and begin moving her way through provincial and national coaching certification.
“In my years with the Alberta Soccer Association, and the Canadian Soccer Association, I have found there are predominantly males as head coaches, coaching female teams,” says Stevens. “I think there should be qualified female coaches for female athletes. We need, especially at this level, to encourage more young, exceptional women to take these courses . . . and improve their skills and their opportunities.”
Under the mentorship of Stevens, Schwab — a former travel and tourism student at SAIT, who’s gainfully employed in her field — would take appropriate National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) courses, perform community coaching through the ASA, complete her provincial coaching licence, and tackle her CSA national certification, all within four years, to complete the CCAA’s Female Apprentice Coach Program.
As for Schwab’s work with the Trojans, opportunity is not only knocking — it’s darn near blasting the door down. Stevens, who’s entering his fifth season as the Trojan men’s soccer coach, has also agreed to take the helm of the SAIT women this fall.
It’s the first time that’s been attempted, for any sport, in school history, and Stevens will be relying on Schwab — as well as new assistant coach Erica Balmer, another former Trojan who used up her ACAC playing eligibility last fall — to help carry some of the load.
“Grant has already mentioned that as a male coach, he can’t handle the girls the same way he does the boys,” notes Schwab. “This is definitely a big opportunity for me.”
Last season, the women Trojans very nearly made ACAC playoffs for the first time since 2002 — but finished with a 4-5-1 record and lost a tiebreaker with the Medicine Hat College Rattlers for the final post-season berth in the South Division.
“I found that at SAIT, there was a lot of spirit, and community outreach work,” says Balmer, 23, who’s now working in SAIT’s Facilities Management department after graduating from the architectural technologies program.
“It was a really tight-knit community here,” adds Balmer, the Trojans’ 2009 captain, who also hails from Medicine Hat. “I’m staying here, and Erin and I both enjoy soccer. And since you can’t play a sixth year (of collegiate ball), I thought I might as well help coach.”
The Trojans kick off their 2010 ACAC season on Saturday, Sept. 11 at the all-new Martin Cohos Commons Field on the SAIT Polytechnic campus against the Lethbridge College Kodiaks.
