Interview with January's Community Champion of the Month - Rob Ollerton

What did it mean to you to be chosen as the first community champion of the month?

I thought it was a pretty cool feeling just to be recognized from those who I work around and the girls I coach it definitely means a lot to be recognized. Not what you do it for, but its pretty cool for sure.

You coach the female aurora Huskies hockey team; did you play any sports growing up?

I played Hockey and Baseball, that was mostly what I did, but I was always involved in something for sure.

What led you to begin coaching?

I started coaching 21 years ago I first started to coach, I had the opportunity back home in college I got asked to coach with a guy who had coached me ball and high school hockey and he was coaching an Atom A team at the time and wanted some help and reached out. It was a really great opportunity and really helped me understand both sides of the game, some things that as a player that a coach does that you don’t necessarily understand, you get to see the other side of it. So, it was a really good opportunity and really got me started back then.

What are your goals for your Female Aurora Huskies for the rest of the season?

Our goals are to mostly to keep the girls developing. Make sure they have fun, make sure they learn. The program itself is in its third year, so there is still a ways to go but the girls have come a long way. Its really all about player and team development. We are not necessarily here to win a championship, it’s making sure these girls have an opportunity to play, to play with each other, they make good friends and they learn how to compete at a bit of a different level then they would if we didn’t have this program.

What is one tool you believe every coach should have?

 I would say for sure versatility is one. I think its something that is used a lot with teachers, its not a cookie cutter fix. Every team needs something different every player needs something different, and every coach does things in different ways so if you’re not versatile and not able to respond to the different personalities whether it’s the players on your team, the coaches on your team, the refs, the opposing coaches you’re really going to get yourself frustrated or wanting to give up a little bit but versatility to me is one and always wanting to learn.