A view from the top
Dec. 7, 2009 - Regina Leader-Post
By Tim Switzer
Walking around the Regina Fieldhouse on Saturday, Bruce McCannel looked like a man at peace.
With some 50 University of Regina Cougars athletes competing all around him, the team's interim head coach was not flustered or panicked about trying to see every one of them in action.
Apparently, he has learned a lot in eight short months on the job.
"I've been surprised that it has gone so smoothly," said McCannel, who has taken the reins of the team while Carla Nicholls is on leave to work with Athletics Canada. "You always wonder when something is new what kind of things might pop up. But the team has made it easy for me, the base Carla put in has made it easy, and all the assistant coaches have made it easy."
Overseeing the entire team in the new gig has given McCannel, who previously served as one of the Cougars' jumps coaches, a little different outlook at a track meet -- although not as different as one might expect.
"Usually I'm standing around at the horizontal jumps and that gives me a good spot to see everything," said McCannel, a nine-time Canada West and four-time CIS medallist in jump events. "I've been involved in track for a long time and have had some involvement in every event in it and I enjoy all the different events."
Besides, McCannel is not the only rookie on the team. Out of a group of 60 athletes on the team, roughly 40 per cent are either in their first year with the Cougars program or true rookies.
But with several of their top athletes -- including pentathlete Chelsea Valois, thrower Caitlin Fowler, hurdler Justin Baker and jumper David Walford -- back from last season, there is much hope among the Cougars. Last season, the Cougar women (led by the graduated Janine Polischuk) were just two points back of first-place Saskatchewan at the conference championships and the men were third.
"I think there's a lot of excitement," said McCannel. "Everybody knows that we're taking a group of people that's quite strong and that's making everyone work a little bit harder at practice. It's great to see."