Skip to content

Elgin Park rugby coach wins BC Rugby award

Mike Jamieson to serve as assistant coach with BC under-18 boys rugby team this summer.
61371whiterockElginRugby-ng-1
Elgin Park Secondary coach Mike Jamieson (left) with Elgin Park rugby players last season.

Mike Jamieson’s summer schedule just got a little busier.

Last week, the Elgin Park Secondary teacher and rugby coach was named as one of two winners of BC Rugby’s 2017 Gerald McGavin Coaching Award, alongside Pamela Hadikin of Qualicum Beach.

As a result of the award, Jamieson has been named an assistant coach with BC Rugby’s under-18 boys team, which this summer heads across the Atlantic for a rugby tour of Ireland.

The Gerald McGavin Coaching Award is given annual to the coach of a B.C. high-school team who, in addition to helping players improve, also has an impact beyond the pitch.

“It’s super cool,” said Jamieson, who has coached at Elgin for six years.

“It’s for coaching that goes above and beyond the playing field… so that’s something that means a lot. It’s nice to get, for sure.

“As I’ve gotten older and done this for longer, it’s not so much the wins and losses anymore – it’s about trying to do something purposeful in these kids’ lives.”

Coincidently, the head coach of the U18 boys squad is Adam Roberts, the head coach of Earl Marriott Secondary’s senior boys team and a longtime friend of Jamieson’s. Roberts won the McGavin award in 2008.

The two coaches have long been rivals at the high-school level, coaching teams just a few miles apart, but have coached together outside the school system, including running an annual summer camp which mixes locals with visiting youth players from inner-city schools in Oakland, Calif.

“Adam is one of my good buddies and it seems like the longer I coach, the more time we seem to spend together,” Jamieson said.

“It’s awesome. Getting to coach this team together now is pretty fantastic. It’s the first time (the provincial U18 team) has gone on an international tour, so for two local guys to be able to head that up is pretty awesome.”

In addition to coaching at Elgin Park – where he oversees both the senior and junior boys rugby programs – Jamieson has also coached teams at BC Rugby’s Provincial Regional Championships (PRCs), which a news release notes, serve as a critical selection tool for all BC Rugby age-group teams.

This year’s PRCs, Jamieson noted, are set for late June, and final selections for the U18 side will be made at the tournament’s conclusion.

“I think there should be quite a few local guys who make the team. There are probably a few guys from Adam’s team, a few from my team, who have the skill level to play at that level, so it’ll be a pretty cool way for them to finish off their high-school rugby career,” Jamieson said.

After the Ireland tour concludes, Jamieson and Hadikin – who will serve as an assistant coach with BC Rugby’s U18 girls team – will attend a four-day professional development mentorship, working alongside high-level coaches in Ireland.

“It’ll be a good learning experience for everyone, it’ll be fantastic,” Jamieson said.