It was about a year and a half ago when North Battleford Water Doves head coach Sheila Parker was approached by Synchro Saskatchewan to have her name submitted as part of the annual Saskatchewan Sport Awards that are hosted by Sask Sport Inc.
With her busy coaching schedule, Parker had completely forgotten about the award until February when she was told that she would be the recipient of the female coach dedication award at a ceremony in Saskatoon on March 22.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 on my radar at all so it came as quite a surprise to me,鈥� Parker said. 鈥淚 had given them my background information right after Synchro Saskatchewan asked for it, but I didn鈥檛 really know where things were at with that.
鈥淩ight after we finished the Saskatchewan Winter Games, I got a call from Synchro Saskatchewan that I would be getting the award and I was really excited. I wasn鈥檛 expecting it at all and it was quite an honour to receive that award.鈥�
Having competed in synchronized swimming in Edmonton for 12 years, Parker began her coaching career in 1986 shortly after she retired from competition.
鈥淚 had previously been involved in helping the handicapped and around the time I retired a position became available for a new program that was being put together by Synchro Alberta and Special Olympics Alberta,鈥� Parker said.
鈥淚t kind of fell into place for me to get started there as coach and I loved it so much that I kept on doing it.鈥�
Parker coached in Alberta for a decade before she moved to North Battleford in 1995 to begin work with the Water Doves program.
鈥淚 helped to start the Special Olympics program in Red Deer, I coached a bit in Whitecourt and I was all over the province doing outreach clinics,鈥� Parker said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 definitely a lot less travel involved now that I鈥檝e been coaching here.鈥�
After spending a year as an assistant coach, Parker became the head coach for the Water Doves in 1996 and has stayed in the position ever since.
鈥淒uring that time, it鈥檚 been really important for me to keep up my professional development,鈥� Parker said. 鈥淥ver the years, the sport keeps progressing so it鈥檚 important to stay up to date.
鈥淭here鈥檚 new techniques that are coming out and there鈥檚 so many different styles of music that have been used in routines since I started coaching. You have to stay as current as possible to keep the athletes involved in the process.鈥�
Parker is at the Battlefords Co-Op Aquatic Centre five times a week to help with coaching, but she spends just as much time away from the pool focusing on the Water Doves.
鈥淚鈥檓 at the aquatic centre about 10 hours a week but I鈥檓 working from home that much before hand with prep work and on choreography,鈥� Parker said. 鈥淭he planning, the choreography and putting together the music takes a long time, as you work on that for the whole season with the swimmers.
鈥淲e start swimming in September, but we don鈥檛 work on the routines until November as we spend the first few weeks focusing on getting the athletes properly conditioned and making sure they鈥檝e learned all the new figures. Those routines are pretty much tweaked on throughout the rest of the season. We see what works and what doesn鈥檛 in practice, plus we get feedback from the judges at competitions and that allows to see where we need to improve.鈥�
Having been involved as a head coach for over two decades, Parker has had a front row seat to see just how much synchronized swimming has grown in Saskatchewan.
鈥淚f you look at our provincial championships, which will take place in Regina in April, we鈥檙e looking at having 300 swimmers for the weekend,鈥� Parker said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 quite a growth from a decade ago, as I think the field wasn鈥檛 even half of what it is now.
鈥淎fter each Summer Olympics, we see the numbers rise a bit but it鈥檚 important for us to keep the sport in the spotlight for a longer period of time and not just every four years. We try to do that here with publicity through the media, going into the schools, being involved in parades and a host of other events to help keep things going.鈥�
One of those events took place in February as the Water Doves were the host team for the Saskatchewan Winter Games.
鈥淚t was a little bit crazy at time with all of the prep work that went into it, especially when it came to making sure the volunteers knew what was going on during the week, but everything ran smoothly so we were extremely happy with how it all went,鈥� Parker said.
鈥淲ith the huge number of athletes that were here from out of town, it was important for us to make sure that that experience was an enjoyable one. From the feedback we got, it was a great event for everyone that came to North Battleford.鈥�
Thanks to her tireless work, Parker has been rewarded with a major coaching accolade, but the honour isn鈥檛 what keeps her coming back to the pool.
鈥淲orking with the athletes is far and away the best part of what I do,鈥� Parker said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been amazing to see the swimmers not just grow as competitors over the years, but as people away from the pool.鈥�
The North Battleford Water Doves Synchro Club will be wrapping up their competitive season over the coming weeks, as they鈥檒l compete at the provincials on April 14 and 15 in Regina and at the prairie championships in Saskatoon from May 10 to 13.
In between those events, the club will hold their annual year-end water show at the Battlefords Co-Op Aquatic Centre on Friday, April 27 at 6 p.m.
