The people who go through NAIT leave a big footprint through their achievements, and when we talk about an athlete's achievements, that footprint becomes the most significant. That is the case of Anna Athcheynum, who, after being a member of the volleyball team for five years, decided to join its coaching staff. Now, she is in the same environment but from a different perspective, and her legacy can help others on their way to becoming successful athletes.

 

It's obvious that the transition from athlete to coach is a significant change; in fact, it doesn't matter how accustomed you are to having a routine as an athlete, there will always be something to learn. Although women's volleyball coach Erminia Russo says that when Anna was a player, she always saw that natural leadership, with great evolution and a strong coaching personality, so the transition from seeing her as an athlete to part of the coaching staff was almost imperceptible. 

 

Despite her great vision for coaching, Anna expresses how hard it is to see her team move on without her, but still grateful that she is able to be part of the team's success. The motivation and the passion that an athlete develops for a sport become a memory that they will hold for their life. The motivation for Anna was not limited to being an athlete, because she expressed that she always had a passion for coaching that she developed seeing her father play hockey and be such a successful and supportive coach after that, and showed her the importance of embodying what a coach is, someone that is there to lead others and to give back to the sport that they love and are passionate about. 

 

The experience that Anna has gained through time will be incredibly valuable. When applying some knowledge to the athlete, she will be supported. Anna explains a little more about her point of view and her perspective on this: "I think being a player gives you much more insight into the game and the ability to relate to the players, as you know what they are going through. It gives you multiple perspectives, which allows for better understanding of the game and the athletes you are coaching."

 

Head coach Erminia Russo Thorpe describes Anna as a very genuine person and very likable from the first moment she met her, and she shares what was a piece of advice that she would have given to Anna when she mentioned her intention to become a coach: "The best that you could do is to start coaching younger generations and i may undersntad that maybe that is not where everyone wants to start but there is so much you could learn and understand from cocahing young ages, what you learn is to how techinically teach a skill and break it down to its most basic level. that teahces you how to teach which is the whole point."

She finishes by saying that Anna will continue developing her coaching style and skills over time because she is a person who observes closely and extracts the most valuable parts, and she hopes to inspire aspects of Anna's future coaching style, always be beneficial to the team.