Volleyball BC is excited to announce the hiring of 2016 Olympian, Jamie Broder, as their new Beach Volleyball Development Coach.

Broder will be working with regional managers and youth athletes to help develop athlete’s skills, such as, in game communication, conditioning, stress management and in-game strategy, as well as, grow the profile of beach volleyball in B.C., while continuing her career on the FIVB Pro Beach Tour.

“I’m really excited to help impact the development of beach volleyball in B.C., and give back to the community that I grew up in,” said Broder, the native of Victoria, B.C. “I started my journey as a Team BC athlete, so to have this type of platform to help develop athletes, and also by share the knowledge I’ve gained through my own Olympic journey, is something that is really special to me.”

Broder is looking forward to the opportunity help Volleyball BC identify where gaps may be in the athlete training process, and the come up with solutions to fill in those gaps. She’s also looking forward to helping athletes focus more on the mental side of beach volleyball – something she calls a very important part of the sport.

“On my own journey, what I’ve learned is the value of the mental side of the game,” Broder said. “I think that a lot of coaches focus very well on training the athletes and getting them physically ready for competition, but especially in the sport of beach volleyball, the mental piece of the game is so crucial and important to success.”

She also hopes to help athletes build upon their own strengths, and use those strengths to their advantage.

“I know some coaches will look for and develop skills that they think an athlete has to have, where as, my approach is to look at what the individual athlete already possesses, help them see those strengths and teach them how to apply those strengths in order to have success.”

The coach who taught Broder the most, was her Olympic coach, John May.

May introduced Broder to more intense workouts, high speed practices, mental training and training to the point of fatigue, which helped develop her into the Olympian she is today.

“What I found to be a big difference maker, was the combination of training under high pressure situations mentally and also training to a point where it’s very physically exhausting, so that those moments become routine and you can battle through them when you’re on the sand, in a game situation.”

Another coach who inspired and instilled a strong value of self-belief in Broder during her early playing days, is one she’ll be reunited with while working for Volleyball BC – Chris Densmore.

“Having coached Jamie as an athlete, I know the types of skills, work ethic and character she brings to the table,” said Volleyball BC, CEO, Chris Densmore. “We’re very excited to have her on board, and look forward to seeing how she takes our beach volleyball athletes to the next level.”

Volleyball BC’s Technical Director, Jay Tremonti has overseen the growth of Volleyball BC’s Team BC programs is also looking forward to the opportunity to work with Broder.

“The beach side of our sport in BC has never really had much structure to it, with athletes often training on their own or in small groups of beach specific athletes,” Tremonti said. “Jamie is going to help us better understand the needs of our beach athletes, as well as, help guide them through development, both physically and mentally, so that they can thrive during local, National and International events.”

In the past, Broder has coached teams with Toronto’s Phoenix Volleyball Club (indoor), and helped out with the Ontario Volleyball Association and Volleyball Canada’s beach development programs.

She will be playing a heavy schedule of FIVB events, from late-February to early June, and then working with athletes around the province during the summer months.

“It’s very challenging as a Canadian athlete to be able to train full-time, as well as to have work opportunities and development opportunities on the career side of things, so to be able to couple these together feels like such a natural fit and very appreciated,” Broder said.