McMaster’s HPA welcomes Heather Harrigan as the second recruit through new internship program supporting gender equality in strength and conditioning
For the second year in a row, McMaster University’s High Performance Area has offered a female summer coaching internship. This paid summer internship looks to give female-identifying university graduates an opportunity to receive all-around training and education in the strength and conditioning field. The internship program is open to all female-identifying individuals who have completed a university or college degree in kinesiology or fitness and have one to two years experience in training and condition athletes.
This year Waterloo University Master of Kinesiology graduate Heather Harrigan was selected to participate in the internship program. The HPA’s Manager, Ben Baharmi, chose Harrigan in hopes of giving her the opportunity to learn from the team’s coaching staff and to provide female representation in the university training centre.
"You want to be able to represent the population that you’re servicing. When it’s a lot of [people of] the same gender, race, sexuality [and that] kind of thing, some people may not feel fully comfortable in that space as they could,” said Harrigan.
You want to be able to represent the population that you’re servicing. When it’s a lot of [people of] the same gender, race, sexuality [and that] kind of thing, some people may not feel fully comfortable in that space as they could.
Heather Harrigan, Intern, McMaster University High Performance Area
In many athletic departments, the coaching staff is predominately male. A study that looked at Division 1 athletics in the United States, found that 86.1 per cent of strength coaches identified as male. Even within McMaster’s HPA, the majority of the space’s strength coaches identify as male.
Baharmi identified the lack of female coaches in the strength and conditioning field, which led to the implementation of the summer internship.
The internship looks to address this issue, allowing McMaster athletes to see more meaningful representation among the coaching staff. It also allows for students to see a route to success off the field, but still in athletics.
"There's obviously female involvement through the [current] strength and conditioning program, but I think having an extra [female] role model throughout the summer time is amazing not only for the program but for the athletes as well,” said fourth-year Kinesiology student Bryanna Caldwell.
There’s obviously female involvement through the [current] strength and conditioning program, but I think having an extra [female] role model throughout the summer time is amazing not only for the program but for the athletes as well.
Bryanna Caldwell, fourth-year Kinesiology student, McMaster University
In addition to providing more meaningful representation to McMaster athletes, the internship looks to provide opportunities for the recipient to grow as a coach and gain invaluable experience through running sessions for athletes
"Something Ben [Baharami] said to me that I’ve heard other coaches say to me is that you start out and you think you know everything. Then you run a session and you think you know absolutely nothing. Then you start to get better and then you think you know nothing again. It’s really balancing that curve that there’s always more to learn but you do know your stuff,” said Harrigan.
Harrigan's experience in the HPA so far has also given her more optimism surrounding the strength and conditioning field and that change is possible in terms of gender equality. Her summer experience so far has also given her more confidence in her own abilities.
"I definitely feel like I was more pessimistic towards the field before starting here and being in an environment with a lot of male coaches. But [HPA coaches] are so inviting and so welcoming that they’ve completely changed my viewpoint on [gender equality within strength coaching] and to be more optimistic to not be so judgmental about myself,” said Harrigan.
Harrigan's arrival to the HPA seems to have been beneficial to herself, the coaching team, and the athletes who use the HPA. Through programs such as the HPA’s female summer coaching internship, McMaster is taking important steps towards a more gender diverse staff in its sports facilities.
With several coaching vacancies filled, let’s look at McMaster’s newest coaches
By Alyssa Wheeler, Sports Staff Writer
With the fall semester quickly approaching, McMaster University fall sports teams have also begun preparations for the upcoming season. Soccer, football, cross country, field hockey and lacrosse are amongst the many sports beginning this fall season.
Many teams this past offseason found themselves experiencing change, as a few teams have brought in some new faces to their coaching staff.
The men’s soccer team welcomed Chris Markou as its new head coach this year. Previously Markou served as the assistant coach for the team, alongside the former long-time head coach, Dino Perry. He also played for the team during his time in university, earning himself a spot in McMaster’s Hall of Fame.
"Last season I wanted to bring some value to the existing coaching staff regarding player development and bringing a winning team-first mentality through my own McMaster soccer experiences," explained Markou.
"Last season I wanted to bring some value to the existing coaching staff regarding player development and bringing a winning team-first mentality through my own McMaster soccer experiences."
Chris Markou, New COACH of MCMASTER UNIVERSITY's MEN's SOccer Team
In his former role under Perri, Markou worked on player development. With this background and mentality in mind, he has begun to implement those goals with his current squad. It’s important to Markou to create a strong team which competes for major titles this year.
Going forward, Markou wants to build an improved culture of McMaster soccer. He also highlights the impact of his younger players in building this culture and hopes to contribute to this culture as well.
"I'm focused on creating a positive soccer culture and enhancing the student athlete experience. I have made some very difficult decisions lately, but I also believe I've made some very good decisions for our team and program going forward," explained Markou.
"I'm focused on creating a positive soccer culture and enhancing the student athlete experience. I have made some very difficult decisions lately, but I also believe I've made some very good decisions for our team and program going forward."
Chris Markou, New COACH of MCMASTER UNIVERSITY's MEN's SOccer Team
The men’s soccer team is looking to improve on the previous season’s results, which saw them lose in the first round of playoffs to the Carleton Ravens. With a few new recruits and a new head coach the men's team is certainly one to keep an eye on.
The women’s rugby team has also welcomed a new head coach with the arrival of Chris Jones. His arrival has been praised by the associate director of high-performance sport, Keenan Jeppsen. These praises include being a coach who looks to develop players, while taking an all-angles approach to building a formidable team.
With the team losing several key players due to graduation, Jones is looking to fill those vacancies and build an even stronger team. Like the men’s soccer team, they are also looking to improve upon last season’s results, in which they lost in the first round of playoffs to the Guelph Gryphons. With a new attitude, led by Jones’ upbeat personality and holistic coaching nature, the women’s rugby team should be another exciting team to watch this coming season.
