 NEWS photo Julie Iverson RUGBYPHILE Paul Timperley, 3M recreational and grassroots Coach of the Year, with sons Simon, left, and James. |
Training early for the future
By
Jan-Christian Sorensen
Contributing Writer
NEWS photo Julie Iverson RUGBYPHILE Paul Timperley, 3M recreational and grassroots Coach of the Year, with sons Simon, left, and James. |
By
Jan-Christian Sorensen
Contributing Writer
BREAK 'em in early.
That's Paul Timperley's credo when it comes to getting kids involved in the rugby ranks.
Timperley, a West Vancouver resident, was recently awarded the 3M coaching award in the recreational and grassroots athletes category. He was the lone North Shore recipient and one of only three B.C. residents honoured with such an award.
Timperley, who played centre for the National League's Division II Morley squad in Northern England during the club's glory days in the '70s, emigrated to Canada in 1992 for what was to be a three-year trial visit.
He's been here ever since.
One of the things he carried across the pond with him was a desire to help youngsters break into rugby at an earlier age.
"What happened before we started mini-rugby was that kids started playing in Grade 8," said Timperley. "And asking a kid to start rugby in Grade 8 and play at an international level for Canada is like asking a kid to start skating in Grade 8 and play in the NHL."
Timperley, who is currently the director of junior and mini-rugby for the British Columbia Rugby Union (BCRU) and director of the Capilano Mini-Rugby program on the North Shore, first launched the mini-rugby program in Canada in 1997.
He raised over $30,000 from local sponsors to assist with the program's kickoff and also produced a coaching manual and introductory video to assist new coaches.
When the program was launched, Timperley initially targeted Grade 2 students, but noted that they always seemed to have younger siblings in tow when they came to practice.
"We had a whole pile of kindergarten and preschool kids sitting around doing nothing so we decided to start a group for them," he said.
The mini-rugby program now accepts players from ages four to 15.
But don't worry, Mom -- the tykes don't get into the rough stuff or scrum it up until a much later age.
"The first priority in the mini-rugby program is the safety aspect. The second is that it must be fun. The rest all comes later," he said.
Timperley believes it's crucial to start kids early in order to build a solid foundation of knowledge and skill for young rugby players.
"You need to start early, you need to get good basic skills and you need to learn things safely," he said. "We start with basic skills and then as kids move into high school the coaches can concentrate on the more tactical side of things."
The mini-rugby movement has a huge following in European countries like England and France and such rugby mainstays as New Zealand and Australia.
Canada, said Timperley, was the only country without such a program when he launched the specialty league.
"Rugby's enormously strong in those other countries, but that's because the kids start early, they've got great coaching and there's a culture there. That's what we're trying to build here. If you start them off at five years old you see the results at the top end."
If attendance is any indicator, Timperley's on the right track.
Two years ago the program attracted over 1,200 kids in 17 different clubs. Currently the numbers total over 2,000 in 22 clubs.
Timperley, who also helped to introduce a Grade 4 and 5 rugby program into Collingwood school in 1995, projects a following of over 5,000 mini-rugby players and 500 coaches within three years.
Timperley is also trying to spread his vision across North America to cultivate a more competitive breed of rugby player.
The mini-rugby idea is creeping rather slowly across the country -- Alberta and Ontario are just now starting to embrace the program -- but it's taking our neighbours to the south by storm.
Timperley is currently assisting groups in Washington State, Oregon and California in developing mini squads.
Not one to take it easy for any stretch of time, Timperley's next project -- in conjunction with the BCRU and Capilano RFC club -- is a junior rugby camp for Grade 1 to 12 kids to be held July 24-28 at Klahanie Park.
Camp coaches will include Canadian captain and halfback John Graf, New Zealand All-Black and "Super 12" forward Phil Coffin, Canadian national team centre Ron Toews and other top Capilano coaches.
In coming years Timperley is also looking to create and host a regular North American mini-rugby festival with teams from across the continent.