The high school coaching career of Tom Schwinghamer started on the volleyball court.
Why volleyball? The Humboldt Collegiate Institute teacher and coach said because it was the first sport of the school year.
“In my early years as a physical education teacher I was expected to coach a sport every season, so it was volleyball, basketball, badminton and track and field,” he wrote in an email interview. “It also meant a lot of officiating as well.”
Now, with 25 years as an educator under his belt, Schwinghamer teaches technology, psychology, and law. But coaching is definitely still important to him. The HCI track and field and football coach was recognized with a Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association Service Award at the organization’s AGM. The service award honours people who provide outstanding leadership and service and promote high school athletics in their district.
“Receiving the award is a very humbling experience,” Schwinghamer wrote. “As I look at the list of recipients over the years I see so many people I admired in my career and the great work they did, so it is an honor to be among them.”
Also on the agenda at the SHSAA AGM in Saskatoon on June 17-19 was the 13th annual Coaching and ninth annual Officiating awards. Lake Lenore School’s Curtis Strueby and Wynyard’s Tessa Jordan were named the winners of the Horizon Central’s Outstanding Male Coach and Outstanding Female Coach awards. Cameron Choquette of Kelvington was recognized for high school officiating.
During his coaching career, Schwinghamer has witnessed an increased specialization of athletes and coaches as well as training and preparation. He recalls that when he was a student, and in his early days as a coach, everyone played everything.
“One season ended, another sport began and we all would play,” Schwinghamer wrote. “Now some people still do this but more and more athletes finish their season, take a couple weeks off, then begin training for that sport again. Personally, I think that students need to vary their activities and opportunities. They can do this and still be highly successful at the sport they love the most.”
For two and a half decades, Schwinghamer has spent countless hours coaching. A few different things have kept him going.
“First and foremost is developing relationships with students in a setting other than the classroom,” he wrote. “As a coach, students see a different side of me and I get to see other qualities in them.”
Secondly, Schwinghamer sees sports as a classroom: “a place to teach and to learn life skills, fair play, sportsmanship, cooperation, compassion, and competition.” The former Humboldt Broncos junior hockey player also emphasized that he loves sports.
“There is no greater thrill than to prepare for an opponent and then test your preparation. Learning from defeat and building from success is a great motivator.”
As well, Schwinghamer finds taking on new challenges to be very motivating. About eight years ago he started coaching football and said it “was like a shot of energy.”
“Having never played or coached football previously, the challenge of learning the game was fun. If coaching was not fun, I would not do it.”
Schwinghamer’s coaching commitments have kept him busy. He greatly appreciates the ongoing strong support of his wife Michelle, son Adam, and daughter Amy.
“A lot of evenings and weekends were spent away from them. Some of my greatest joys were coaching and teaching my own kids. They are graduated now but they still attend games that I coach. It’s pretty cool to have that kind of support.”
He also appreciates all of the “student athletes who gave me the opportunity to work with them and all the effort they gave in practices and competitions.” Schwinghamer also noted his thanks to the people who nominated him.
Strueby, who is from Marysburg, coached senior boys soccer, cross country, senior girls basketball, and track and field this past school year. He said it is nice to be recognized, but emphasized that awards are not why he and other coaches coach.
“We do it to try to provide a positive sporting experience for the students,” Strueby wrote in an email interview. “And it’s easy in Lake Lenore because the students are very committed and the support our athletic program gets from our staff, parents, and community is amazing.”
