Physical Education: Q and A with Mr. V
Our Head of School sat down with Mr. V to discuss his life, career, and direction of sport and fitness at the school.
AdeP: First of all Mr. V, you left the Woodstock area to go to school and subsequently work in Thunder Bay. Tell us a bit about what you learned living and working in the north.
Mr. V: Yes, I went to Thunder Bay for post secondary school at Lakehead University, and spent time living there from 2010 until 2019. The north has taught me a lot about who I am, not only as a person, but also an educator. In large cities like Toronto, London or even Woodstock you always have the accessibility to do what you want at a snap of a finger. In the North a simple task such as sporting events or concerts would sometimes result in a 6-8 hour drive to the nearest metropolis. On the other hand we had the fast ability to explore our great northern Ontario just 10 minutes out of town. From hiking the great peninsula of Sleeping Giant, to walking across the largest and tallest suspension bridge at Ouimet Canyon. This has taught me to not take things for granted, but has also taught me to use what is given to you to succeed. The education system in Thunder Bay looked a little different based on the fact that they had to work with what they had. Being able to work with what you have has led not only myself but my students to understand the road to success isn't always a straight line, and that you have to work for what you want.
AdeP: Obviously we have no sports against other schools this year; how have you worked around that, and what other challenges has the coronavirus thrown your way?
Mr. V: Not only has our year looked weird in and around school, but extra curricular events have taken a drastic hit. Our sporting teams, although have not been able to compete against other schools, have still been perfecting their skills and building new ones for the years to come. Our cross country event was the first to be affected. Although we were not able to go to London for the Cross Country meet, we were able to do a school meet and contribute a portion of kilometers to the London District Catholic School Boards Cross Country Challenge. This time has also allowed us to start new sports in our school that would satisfy our Coronavirus specifications. We were able to start the year with Disc Golf, a new sport that the majority of the students have never attempted before. We were able to not only learn and practice a new sport at our school while still social distancing, but we were also able to turn it into a school field trip at the end of the unit. Having grades 5-8 attend Pittock Conservation Area and compete at their 18 hole Disc Golf Course. Moving forward we look forward to more of our regular sports such as soccer and volleyball, and new sports such as broomball and outdoor education.
AdeP: Do you have an approach to sports and fitness for your students? What do you want them to take away from your classes?
Mr. V: My approach to fitness and sports with my students is to improve each and every time you do something. This does not have to be a drastic improvement but if we can say I tried my best and I learned something then we have succeeded. Each year I start my first class by explaining an acronym that I find very important to not only their sports and fitness, but can be applied to any subject or situation in their lives. T.L.C: Try, Learn, Compete. Someone can not learn unless they try. Once you have tried you are able to learn from your mistakes. Lastly, to compete with yourself. This is a never ending cycle which allows for learning and growth as an individual. Allowing yourself to learn from your mistakes and make yourself a little better each and every time you attempt something will make you a stronger person.
AdeP: Can you tell us about one inspirational coach you had as an athlete? What did they do that made them successful?
Mr. V: Growing up and even to this day I play many sports competitively, such as Hockey, Baseball and Motocross. With this being said I was able to have many inspirational coaches and they all did many things that helped with my success. But without one person in my life, in regards to athletics, I don't think I would have been as successful as I am, that person being my Dad. He was the coach outside of coaching, he was even my coach for some of my teams. There weren't many times that if I asked him to help me hit balls or play hockey that he wouldn't say yes. Now having a young boy of my own, I can only hope to be as inspirational to my own son as my dad was to me growing up. What made him such a great “coach” was his engagement in my own success. If I was struggling learning a skill or had a bad game he was able to guide me in the direction to learn from my mistakes. He made losing a mindset to not affect my next game. Losing is a part of life and it doesn't define you, yet helps build you to succeed for the next time.
AdeP: Where would you like to see our school's sports and PE program five years from now?
Mr. V: Five years from now I would like to see a PE program that helps build confidence and allows for both weak athletes to feel comfortable trying and strong athletes to build their skills further. I see a wide spectrum of sports. I see competitive and engaged athletes. I see confidence in each and every student that will transpire into their education. I see the use of our outdoor facilities such as our basketball courts and soccer field, and ideally a low ropes course! I see The Oxford School Wild winning in extracurricular events and having fun while doing it.
