Launch of the 2023-24 LAB Coaches cohort

By Emmanuelle Champagne 

On November 14, the first LAB Coaches workshop was held , organized by André Gendron, advisor for the developmentof coaches and their environment , Nicolas Masbourian, agent for the development of coaches and their environment, and Frédérik Laberge, head of athletic excellence in Montreal.

The first part of the workshop aimed to bring together coaches·e·to get to know each other better. A roundtable discussion, enriching conversations, and quick questions were initiated with the goal of discovering more about each other. 

Push the reflection 

During the second activity, the coaches·e·were asked to define the characteristics of a good learner and a good teammate. The ability to listen, motivation, sincerity, perseverance, commitment, and openness were among the responses put forward. 

Still working in teams, they had to reflect on and analyze what concepts such as identity and reflection meant to them. 

"Identity is a feeling that is defined individually or collectively and is divided into three categories: social, cultural, and personal, which are defined by values, experiences, and knowledge. Identity is always changing."

A new member of the Sports Council 

The coach development advisor·e·and its environment, André Gendron, has recently joined the team at the Conseil du sport de Montréal.

A native of Quebec City, André Gendron is entering his 25th year as a coach. Although volleyball has always been his greatest passion, he has also juggled soccer, basketball, track and field, and even figure skating as an educator. 

He caught the bug in fourth grade when he started playing mini volleyball. After high school, he decided to give up playing to focus on coaching.

"I tried a lot of sports, but volleyball was the one I quickly focused on," says André Gendron, assistant coach at McGill University. 

In 2010, he took on the role of full-time coach. Realizing that he lacked the knowledge to be a better coach, he returned to school at the age of 30. He completed three certificates at the University of Sherbrooke: a certificate in sports intervention, a certificate in psychology, and finally, a multidisciplinary certificate. "All this to pick up bits and pieces of knowledge to help me coach better," reveals André Gendron, coach of the Division 1 women's volleyball program at Cégep André-Laurendeau. 

When he received the invitation to lead the Coach LAB·e·s as well as all of the programs offered to coaches, André Gendron was immediately delighted to join the team.