For close to two decades, Dianne MacKeigan has been dedicating her time to coaching many athletes in both snowshoeing and powerlifting.
MacKeigan explained how she got involved in coaching.
“I was training at the gym when several Special Olympic athletes would be there training too. I would talk with them and encourage them [and] after a few weeks, I went up to the head coach of the powerlifting team, who was Doug Vair, and told him if he ever needed a volunteer, I would love to help out,” MacKeigan recalled. “19 years later here I am as a coach of two sports and enjoying every minute of my time with the teams. In that time, I’ve learned so much from Doug…. as well as Rick Walker, who have always been so supportive. They have been two very good mentors to me.”
MacKeigan, who started with coaching athletes in powerlifting, has relished in being a student of the sport and providing guidance.
“I loved the sport, and I was doing it myself but wasn’t competing by any means, just enjoying it. I have learned a great deal as there’s a lot to this sport including standards which I make sure my athletes know well,” MacKeigan noted. “I give them the responsibility of making sure that they show up with what they need when they practice or when they compete. And there’s a standard rule: if you don’t show up in your equipment, or you’re missing a piece of equipment, they know they have to do some pushups…so big thing is about learning responsibility.”
Along with coaching the Brantford Special Olympic powerlifting team, MacKeigan decided to start a snowshoeing team as well.
“I have been snowshoeing for a while, especially with a friend. One day when we were out snowshoeing and doing some photography, I turned to her and suggested that it would be a good idea to start a team which a few people would end up signing up for,” she said. “Despite not having too much snow in almost three years now…I didn’t let that stop in what we were doing…I decided that regardless of how much snow was out there…we would be snowshoe-running or, grass-shoeing or mud-shoeing.”
However, MacKeigan, who has coached many athletes over the years to various levels of qualifiers, has been continually motivated by many people around her.
“It seems like almost every week there is always something amazing happening and I’m so proud of the athletes for doing some great things. In one example from a few years ago, we had a competition in London. With all that was happening with COVID, and how hard it was to properly train, we came to this competition and I stood on the sidelines with my jaw dropping on how well they did. These athletes blew us away on things like their powerlifting technique and form,” MacKeigan said. “I have been blessed by the support of the parents, which is so huge. They are so supportive of what I’m doing and what their athletes are doing, and then I have a group of amazing coaches; some of whom have been coaching with me for five and even seven years. It’s a strong bond that we have developed and these coaches have been there for these athletes every week. So, the support I have from these volunteer coaches and the athletes’ parents has been amazing. I have been truly blessed.”
Nevertheless, she explained that two particular athlete’s stories have touched her.
“I had an older athlete, and he came out for snowshoeing (grass shoeing or mud shoeing.) He’s one of the oldest athletes I coach. He went to provincials, qualified, and went to nationals and qualified there too. He’s one of the best athletes I’ve ever met…but he had past coaches that told me wasn’t going anywhere. That’s where he proved them wrong…he worked hard and he got better every year and kept on qualifying at higher levels,” she said. “There’s another athlete [who is] fairly new to powerlifting. His dad called me one day, and he said his son was very strong and wanted him to be part of the team. At 13, I told the father that his son might be a little too young to train, but I still encouraged them to come out. When he started with us, he was literally bouncing off the ceiling and it was difficult to keep him focused. He challenged my coaching skills on how to get him focused and learn the technique and form. But he has grown so much since then and now he’s 17…[and] just recently I saw him do a deadlift and it was picture perfect.”
As a coach of both teams, MacKeigan is looking to continue to foster a spirit of competition and to strive to become better.
“All I want for both of these teams is for them to be the best. I want to make sure that they are given all the tools and training necessary to be the best at what they do. And that doesn’t always mean winning, but I always encourage them to do the best and try their hardest,” she explained. “They’re not always going to walk away with medals, and sometimes it goes over well, [and] sometimes it doesn’t, but at the end of the day it’s making sure that they did their best…the motto that I hold closely is: ‘So let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.’ So that’s something that I say at the beginning of every competition, to the group, the team, and the athletes.”
