Darrell Liebrecht

“I first started in ringette about 20 years ago when my daughter came home from school and said she wanted to play. Since then I have coached, been a local and provincial board member, volunteered at skill camps, Canadian Ringette Championships, Westerns, chaired Ringette Canada’s High Performance Committee, sat on the Hall of Fame Committee and now I am on the Ringette Canada Board of Directors. Being on the board will be a new opportunity to learn more about the sport. Out of all the volunteer activities that I do, coaching is my favorite. This is my 14^th year coaching the Regina Bandits U19AA team and I have coached Saskatchewan at three Canada Winter Games. I have been asked, why do you still coach? It’s the feeling you get when you see the success of previous athletes or them giving back to the sport. It’s getting the opportunity to see your athletes grow as players and as people. It’s watching the team having fun at an event or game. It’s the opportunity to gain knowledge yourself as both a coach and a person.  It’s the friendships that are created through the sport. I remember a statement someone made at one of my first nationals when addressing the athletes – ‘You make new friends across the country.’ I soon found out that this happens to coaches as well. For me coaching is far more than wins and losses. It is not only about helping your athletes grow as people, but myself as well.” – Darrell Liebrecht – White City, Saskatchewan