Avery Harrison had a tough year as the athletics director. The beginning was chaotic with the men’s volleyball fall from grace, and the end was tough when the women’s basketball lost the bronze medal.
Harrison lasted through all of it, working to not only improve the Kodiak women’s record from last year but to also improve relations with all coaches and be honoured with Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) coach of the year.
“I think what was really good this year was that all the coaches became a team. Sometimes you find coaches from different sports are very fragmented and very much into their sport. This year we created a team atmosphere among coaches and teams. They became a part of the Kodiak family. That was a huge step in the right direction moving forward,” said Harrison.
Harrison believes that every year and every job there are challenges. It is all about how you take them on that counts.
“You deal with them and move forward. That is exactly what we did. We did not get caught in a rut feeling sorry for ourselves. We moved forward.”
Harrison is happy for the school and the coaching staff in his mind deserves the award more than he does.
“Without the amazing work Brad [Karren] and Mickenzie [Czech] did this year, it wouldn’t have happened. The play of our team, other people make you look very good. I have never given so much responsibility or workload to an assistant coach ever in all my years coaching as I did this year.”
Harrison said it is the assistant coaches who deserve the award more than he does.
“I can’t even begin to say how much credit they deserve, it is definitely a team reward, “ said Harrison.
One of the toughest obstacles this year was travelling. There is not a north and south split division, so the teams were traveling a lot this year.
“Having to go up to Grande Prairie for a weekend for a single game, then having to spend our Sunday on the road coming home from that game, the toughest thing for our team was the interlock schedule. I am so happy that we are going back in a north, south division next year and eliminating all that travel.”
Harrison says that all the travel is bad for the student experience. It is also hard on the coaches.
“We made a step in the right direction, with the ACAC, going back to the split conference,” said Harrison.
Harrison made the teams a family, and that improved all the team’s confidence and records. Now all we have to do is wait for next year.