Personal Faith and Character
It’s always great to have alumni come back to the school in a coaching role. This year we are privileged to have some amazing young women who want to give back to KingsWay, speaking into the lives of our current players.
I have asked the following three alumni to share with us why they are coaching this season.
- Caitlin McDonough, Senior 3 Netball coach, Class of 2019
- Amy Kvalsvig, 1st XI Girls Hockey coach, Class of 2017
- Hannah McMurray, Senior 4 Netball coach, Class of 2020
The Questions We Asked:
Why did you decide to give up your time to come back and coach for the school?
AMY - I’ve been thinking about coaching hockey for a while, and when the opportunity came up, I knew I had to take it. I learned so much during my five years of being part of the school 1XI that I wanted to give back.
CAITLIN - Playing sports for KingsWay throughout my primary, middle and senior years was one of the highlights of my whole schooling experience. I decided to volunteer my time as a coach this year so that I could help other girls enjoy playing netball in the same way that I did. I had some amazing coaches throughout my time playing for KingsWay that have helped me grow and develop my passion for netball. My goal is to help other young girls do the same.
HANNAH - After finishing school and deciding to take a gap year, I decided that coaching would be a good way to stay involved with netball. I realised that leaving school and losing a sport I had been participating in for the past nine years of my life would be very hard to give up, so coming back to coach has been my way of still being involved in a sport that had been a part of my life for so long. It also has been an opportunity to use all my skills and knowledge of the sport to inspire and encourage girls younger than me to keep playing.
What do YOU get out of coaching your team?
AMY - I get so much joy when I see the girls learning new things and really enjoying the game. A lot of the girls are new to the sport this year, so it’s really rewarding when they take what they learn in practice and apply it in a game. I love seeing the improvements each week.
CAITLIN - Coaching is such a rewarding feeling. Not only am I developing as a coach with every week that goes by, but it is also helping my own personal game as I have to think about things and analyse play in a way I've never had to.
HANNAH - For me as the coach, I really enjoy seeing my team improve. From training to winning games on weekends, it is a very rewarding feeling. It has also taught me how to put together a training plan, organise a team, and make sure we have a good team spirit and environment. Overall, helping the girls improve their skills and have fun while doing is what I get out of coaching.
What is the difference between being a player in a team and now coaching the team? What would it be if you could go back in time and tell your ‘old player’ something?
AMY - A big difference between coaching rather than playing is learning not to be competitive as a coach. I am a competitive player, and I am learning to be patient and instead encourage the girls to play fair and learn to love the game.
CAITLIN - Coaching is so different in the sense that you can't rely on someone else to run training and games. Luckily, I have an amazing team behind me that makes the job easy. The one thing that I wish I could go back and tell my 'old player' was that it doesn't matter if you have an off game every now and again. High school sport should be a fun experience and is a great time to grow and develop.
HANNAH - The difference between being a player and coaching a team is very different. It has honestly made me appreciate all my old coaches because making a training plan and sorting out game day plans is not an easy job. Coaching has taught me how to plan everything out and strategically play to my team's best ability, while also keeping game time fair and making sure it is a fun environment for my players to enjoy. Being a player, all I had to do was listen to my coach and encourage my team. Going back in time and telling my 'old player self' something would probably be to not get as serious in games. Yes, the ultimate goal is to win, but at the end of the day, having fun and being able to fall in love with the sport you are playing is more important.
Many thanks to Amy, Caitlin and Hannah. We love that you are investing in the younger age groups at KingsWay School. We pray that your time as coaches is just as rewarding (or even more!) as when you were playing in your teams 
