Julie Venselaar has been named female coach of the year by Hockey Canada and BC Hockey for her leadership in teaching hockey to girls and young women in this community.
Venselaar said after BC Hockey put out a call for nominations, Elise Statham, a team manager within the local Powell River Minor Hockey program, saw the email and thought Venselaar fit the criteria.
“So, she sent in a nomination on my behalf and sent out the information to all players and families in the female program,” said Venselaar. “This was unbeknownst to me. Many responded and I feel so honoured that so many families felt that I was a good match.
“For lots of them, I’ve been coaching their daughters for seven years now. I’m touched that they think highly of me.”
As a result of the nominations, Venselaar was named coach of the year by BC Hockey. She said all provincial winners were sent to the national selection committee and she was chosen the winner in the community category by Hockey Canada. The award was sponsored by BFL, an insurance and risk management firm.
Venselaar flew out to Brampton, Ontario, to collect her award and she was able to take a guest, so she travelled with her 12-year-old daughter Willa. While there, they were able to take in the IIHF women’s world championship semi-final and final games.
“At the gold medal game, they did a little presentation in a TV timeout on the jumbotron,” said Venselaar. “It was great and super fun. I’ve never seen Canada play live, so it was really exciting.
“It was really special to be able to share that with my daughter.”
Venselaar’s passion comes from her belief that all children, but especially girls, need to have something in their lives, as they move through adolescence, especially. Sports can help centre them in a positive way, for their mental health and physical well-being, she said.
“Hockey is just a medium where I have the ability to do that,” said Venselaar. “Hockey gives me the medium to offer that support. I think if I can help a few girls have something, then that’s why I’m doing it.
“I also have two daughters, they both like to play hockey, and I want to spend time with them.”
Promising program
Venselaar was quick to point out that she doesn’t do it all herself.
“I work with a great team of people who I enjoy coaching with and who are also passionate about the sport and supporting girls in hockey,” said Venselaar. “It’s wonderful to be around them and feeding off them and sort of guiding the ship along with them.”
Venselaar said she came into the program after it had already been established by some forward-thinking women in the community.
“They really started it and provided this great skill development, which was originally designed for girls who were playing on integrated teams with the boys,” said Venselaar. “It was to have the chance for them to have an ice time that was only girls, and the players could be coached by women and be in a safe environment where they could take risks and get a bit more ice time.”
Venselaar said as the program evolved, some girls didn’t want to play on integrated teams. A group of girls wanted to be a girls team, so development time in the program was maintained and a team option was added for just girls.
“So, they can still play once a week and just practice and just learn about hockey and come out and not have a big time commitment, or financial commitment as well,” said Venselaar. “In addition to that, if they also want to play on the team, we are now able to offer that at certain age levels.”
Getting games has been tricky because they have to be coordinated with out-of-town teams, making the logistics challenging. However, Venselaar said more games are being played each year. At this point, they are exhibition games, plus they are participating in tournaments.
“If we’re going away, it makes sense to play as many games as possible in a weekend,” said Venselaar.
Girls’ hockey has a strong following the community. This year, there were more than 60 in the program, and that doesn’t include the girls in the first shift program or those who are playing solely in the integrated program.
“We had three girls who played on rep teams this year,” said Venselaar. “They’ve moved into competitive hockey. We also had two girls playing on Vancouver Island rep teams, so every weekend is an away weekend for them. It’s a big commitment but we are producing players who are committed and wanting that.”
Venselaar said it is important for the players to have fun, but it is important to stress that the girls are working hard on their skills and progressing extremely well as hockey players.
“As a coach, finding a balance between building individual skills, practicing game-like situations, and building team skills, while all the time working hard and having fun, is tricky,” said Venselaar.
“I am super thankful to BC Hockey who, through grants, has supported me to work with coach mentor Whitney Juszkiewicz. I have been able to learn a lot from her about the on-ice parts of my coaching job.”
As for her awards, Venselaar said she is “super-honoured.”
“You don’t really coach recreational hockey for the glory, so it’s nice when there are moments like these,” said Venselaar.
Some nomination letters that were shared with the Peak indicate a strong reverence for Venselaar’s leadership, and the role model she is for her young players. One concludes by saying: “She’s the real deal, ya know?”
