An advocate for sport
David MacIsaac can’t recall a time when he wasn’t involved in sports. It was his love for all things sports that connected him with the coaches and adults who inspired him from a young age in his hometown of Glace Bay.
“I was fortunate to have many coaches and adults in the community who cared deeply about coaching and guiding youth,” he says. “They certainly influenced me long after I graduated from school.”
Although he grew up playing sports, it wasn’t until he started teaching at Port Hawkesbury at the beginning of his career that he first played volleyball. One of his coworkers, who was coaching the high school volleyball team at the time, asked David if he would be willing to help. Even though David knew very little about volleyball at the time, he agreed and instantly fell in love with the sport.
Through his experiences coaching volleyball, David is helping students in ways he felt he couldn’t in the classroom.
“In the school system, sport is a vehicle where you can reach kids having difficulty in other areas. Maybe some kids are having emotional issues or problems at home,” he says. “When you develop relationships within the sport, the kids will feel comfortable opening up to you, and you can help them deal with some of the challenges they may have in their own personal lives.”
David’s commitment to volleyball led him to create Volleyball Cape Breton with his colleague, Ebou Secka, which gives members the opportunity to develop their skills. Currently, the group has over 100 members between the ages of 7 and 18.
David received funding from Support4Sport to attend an international coaching symposium in Ottawa, where he learned new coaching tricks and techniques from national coaches from Germany, Australia, the United States, and Canada.
“Support4Sport gives coaches like me an opportunity to travel to coaching symposiums or workshops – something we normally wouldn’t have the chance to do.”
David MacIsaac
“Because of this support, I’ve been able to broaden my horizons as a coach – without the financial strain.” he says.
During his retirement, David has stayed active in the volleyball community. He continues to coach, is the technical committee chair for Volleyball Cape Breton and is a coach evaluator for Volleyball Nova Scotia. Just like the coaches who inspired him when he was young, David is now mentoring other coaches to help them create positive experiences for their teams.
For more information on Volleyball Cape Breton programs please visit https://volleyballcapebreton.com
