Coach: Bob Mann

Coach Mann is a rare breed, as most of the coaches in our club are also great school teachers. When he is not involved in our club he finds time to manage a local graphics distribution company.

After playing competitive rugby for over 15 years, Bob must have taken one knock-in-the-head too many, as he decided his future might be safer as a coach. In 1989 he started coaching his daughter's fastball team. The girls still tell him he should have stayed with rugby!

Since he got the coaching bug, he has helped start the Medway High School rugby team and worked with both his daughters in successful competitive fastball careers as an NCCP Level II coach.

In 1998, when his second daughter had just joined the club, FCVC had more qualified teams than it had coaches, so Bob stepped up and offered to help. With some great mentoring from Coach Peckham and patience from the athletes, Bob has earned his Volleyball Level II Coaching certificate.

Since then, he has coached two U15 teams, one U16 team, five U14 teams, three U12 teams, regional clinics and an U18 team at the 2004 Ontario Summer Games. In 2003/04, at the "Under 15 Eastern Canadian Championships" in Sherbrooke, his U14 girls finished 5th. In summer of 2005 he worked with the Region 3 U16 girls at the OVA Regional Games. He has traveled with teams to New Zealand, Florida, Georgia and Ohio. His next stop is the 2006 Summer Games in Ottawa. He also found time to help, for one season, with Saunders High School Senior girls.

Bob feels strongly about giving every athlete a chance to play and improve throughout the season. "Medals are only earned if the whole team contributes to the win."

Coach Mann is proud to see many of the athletes he has worked with over the years are now playing for college and university teams.

Here's hoping there will be more in the future.