CALGARY, AB, November 3, 2023 – The Coaching Association of Canada™ (CAC) will celebrate remarkable achievements in coaching and sport development during the Petro-Canada™ Sport Leadership Awards Gala.
Hosted by the CAC in partnership with Petro-Canada, a Suncor business, this annual gala honours coaches who exemplify the values and competencies of the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) and their positive impact within the sport system of Canada. It is held during the Petro-Canada Sport Leadership sportif conference, Canada’s annual conference for coaches, researchers, sport executives, and administrators.
Barbara Cooper, ChPC (Toronto, ON)
Recipient, 2023 National NCCP Coach Developer Award
The National NCCP Coach Developer Award recognizes an individual who has gone above and beyond to develop trained and certified NCCP coaches in their community. The recipient of this award embodies the spirit and characteristics of the “best of the best” Coach Developers throughout Canada.
Barbara Cooper’s extensive background as the only Level 5 squash coach in Canada and her experience as a top player underscore her unparalleled expertise in squash. In her role as an NCCP Coach Developer, Barbara demonstrates a strong-willed approach and unwavering commitment to excellence in coach education. During the pandemic, she played a pivotal role in simplifying complex content and pioneered virtual Content Training
sessions with Squash Canada, equipping Coach Developers nationwide. Barbara’s efforts also extended to certifying new Provincial Coaches for the 2023 Canada Winter Games, highlighting her unrelenting commitment to coach development. Barbara’s lifelong dedication to coaching excellence has left a profound impact on coaches across Ontario and Canada.
“Squash Canada with the support from the Coaches Association of Ontario are thrilled that our co-nomination of Barb Cooper was successful for the National NCCP Coach Developer Award. Her commitment to coach education at all levels is reflected in the coaches she has worked with in not just the sport of squash but multisport as well,” says Geoffrey Johnson, Chief Operating Officer at Squash Canada. “There is not a time that I don’t speak to Barb where I don’t learn something from her and firmly believe she has a special gift of teaching and therefore helping us all be not just better coaches but people as well.”
