Matt Christie, Regional Coach

It's been a long time since Matt first knelt in a Canadian Sprint Canoe. Thirteen summers have passed, and the tippy full-of-himself atom that spent more time swimming than paddling in the waters of Regina has grown into an accomplished paddler and the Regional Coach for the Greater Victoria Area.

As a high performance athlete Matt has competed in sprint canoe for 11 years. At only 15 years of age he represented Saskatchewan with his C2 partner Jory at the 2001 Canada Summer Games. After attending several National Championships Matt decided to round off his athletic career in 2006 by winning the Junior Mens War Canoe and placing second in the Senior Men's 1000m C4 with his home club Wascana.

After stepping down from the spotlight Matt moved out to Victoria where he is currently studying to be a teacher at UVic. He is looking forward to a career in early childhood education and believes a progressive and enlightening educational system to be the base of change in the world. As the Head Coach of the Victoria Youth Paddling Club, Matt carries this core belief to the water. He focuses on developing well rounded athletes for life. It is his hope that children who might normally be deterred from participating in sport will have a chance while paddling to excel in a physical medium.

Matt recalls that his favorite moment coaching was in War Canoe at last years Nanaimo Regional Regatta. "Despite the pouring rain, my athletes set out with a determined look in their eye and a give-‘em-hell attitude, completely focused they exploded off the start line—I knew they were having fun!”

In Matt's words, sport is about team work. "A coach is only as good as his worst athlete--we need to move forward as a group--no one should get left behind. It's my job to help our youth discover their nature, transcend their limitations and ultimately better themselves."

As a Coach Matt pays particular attention to health and how it relates to the environment. He comments, “I’ve often felt that physical activity has become far removed from the outdoors—people play hockey on indoor rinks, soccer on artificial turf and run on treadmills. Exercise to me is about connecting with nature and using our bodies for what they were intended.
Sport should be about getting outside and having a good time. With that in mind, VYPC is the place to be.”