 | © 2000 Canadian Professional Coaches Association Reprinted by permission Article: Sheila Robertson |
National men's field hockey coach Shiaz Virjee has achieved his goal of preparing a team that would qualify for the 2000 Olympic Games. Having done all that and more, he intends to move on after Sydney, albeit reluctantly. His is a situation that occurs all too frequently in Canada.
Becoming one of Canada's Olympic coaches was the furthest thing from Shiaz Virjee's mind when the young computer systems specialist came to this country in 1974. Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, he was working on contract in Hawaii when he was granted landed immigrant status in Canada, attracted by the country's dynamic high tech environment. Moving to Vancouver to work with BC Hydro launched him on the two-profession career track he has followed ever since.
Little did Virjee know that answering an ad for cricket players would lead to a life committed to coaching field hockey at the highest levels. At the time, it was simply a good way to meet people in a new country. At the invitation of a teammate, he also began to play field hockey, his favourite sport as a youth and one at which he excelled as a midfield player with solid defensive and passing abilities. He was attracted to the game's demand for coordination and intelligence, skills and strategy, physical requirements, and teamwork. Above all, Virjee was challenged by field hockey's "multi-dimensional" characteristics.
Before long, he was playing for British Columbia's provincial squad. Asked to lend a hand with coaching, he discovered a natural talent, which quickly bred success. That, in turn, became a real motivator. "The success was absolutely a surprise because I had never considered coaching," says Virjee. "My job as a computer systems specialist is very self-centred. It's you and the computer, not a group environment. However, I understood the game technically and strategically and thought I could teach those things to other people. When I was successful at moving the players to a higher standard, that was really motivating. I found I could coach and do it well. Not only was it a good match, I found myself enjoying it."
In the years that followed, field hockey became a dominant factor in Virjee's life. He continued to play, only stopping a couple of years ago in order to spend more time with his wife, Diane Mahy-Virjee, who spent five years on the women's national team and played at the 1984 Olympic Games, and their nine-year-old son, Arif. And he continued to coach, steadily moving up the ranks from club coach to coach of the B.C. women's senior team, national champions seven years in a row, and for over 18 years, the Vancouver Doves, a premier division women's team that has won numerous championships and placed several players on the national team.
Virjee says he never set his sights on coaching the national men's team. That it happened was more by accident than anything else. The team had not qualified for the 1992 Olympic Games or the 1994 World Cup. When Dr. Don Patterson, a professor of economics at the University of British Columbia, became Field Hockey Canada's vice president for men's high performance, he sought advice on how to make the program more successful. Virjee became one of Patterson's sounding boards, and when FHC advertised for a coach, he was encouraged to apply. Early in 1994, he found himself Head Coach of the national men's team.
Six years later, the team had qualified for the Olympic Games and were the 1999 Pan American Games champions. They stood in eighth spot in the world, a remarkable accomplishment in such a short time. When the international federation celebrated its 75th anniversary last October, Virjee was chosen to coach the men's world team that took on the reigning world and Olympic champions from the Netherlands. Canada's goalkeeper, Mike Mahood, and midfielder Peter Milkovich were named to that team. This was concrete recognition of just how far Virjee and his athletes had come.
To achieve the success he felt possible, Virjee employed a methodical approach that reflects the analytical and lateral thinking skills he honed in his "day" job and the "sheer hard work" he was willing to put into it, eager to improve both himself and the team.
"People learn to coach in a number of different ways, perhaps by attending a national coaching institute or studying kinesiology at university; I took my own initiative to develop myself as a coach," he says. "I took courses on the side and watched good coaches in action, people who are great team builders like the Pittsburgh Steelers legendary Chuck Knoll, multi-Stanley Cup winner Scotty Bowman, Phil Jackson of the Chicago Bulls, and Glen Sather, who got the job done without a payroll. A lot of it was just investment of my own time and resources to become better. That's worked out very well for me."
With the team, he began by sharing his vision with the athletes, many of whom were dedicated veterans eager for the chance to improve. "You have to give the athletes the steps in detail and let them know what the program will offer, day by day, week by week, and year by year," he says. "Once they buy in, you explain the level of commitment required to get where we want to go. After we agree on the goals and target, it's time to discuss how we get there. How are we going to play? What training level do we need? What fitness levels are required? What I did, which I think was very successful, was include the players in the discussion."
Sweeper Ian Bird, who first made the national team in 1988 and is the assistant captain, says that Virjee has been able to create an environment where the players can really buy in and feel that, if they commit to the program, the results and rewards will come. "His skill and the commitment of the players are intertwined," says Bird, who is a member of FHC's high performance committee and sits on the Athletes' Council of the Canadian Olympic Association and Athletes CAN. "He's demanding, but he puts a lot of responsibility on the athletes and we've found that when athletes accept that challenge, they do get the rewards. We are a veteran team, so a lot of leadership comes from the team, particularly Peter Milkovich, the captain. It's a testament to the coach that he will let people be part of it. Not that he can't put the hammer down, but it's a very inclusive style of coaching."
All the while, Virjee has held down his demanding position with BC Hydro. This is essential, he says, not only because he enjoys his work, but because having a stable professional career is what enables him to coach the national team. "I have a tremendous investment in my career with BC Hydro and the people who work with me," he says. "We have worked very hard and established a reputation as a very professional unit."
From the day he started with BC Hydro, Virjee's goal has been to make himself valuable to the company. He believes the way to do that is by doing the extra, whether taking shorter lunch hours or working longer, in order to show himself as a valuable employee who achieves a high standard in the work produced. "You work harder and you work smarter, you make sure you're productive, and you add value to every process you're involved in," he says. "That makes you a valued employee and a contributor to success. That's key."
Virjee points out that as a crown corporation, BC Hydro must treat all its employees equitably. There are no special favours for a person who chooses to be a national coach, even when that coach is headed for the Olympic Games. "The company has policies and processes and everybody lives by the same conditions, and you have to work within that," he says. "It's tough, but people are not interested in your problems. They are interested in how you help them move the process along. For me to whine and complain about my issues and how many hours I work is not of interest, nor is it of interest if I take unpaid leave. Besides, mine is not a situation where other people can fill in; it doesn't work like that."
Virjee squeezes out the time to coach by using his holiday time, unpaid leave, and banked time, and he is grateful to BC Hydro for its flexibility in allowing him to do this. Otherwise, he says flatly, coaching the national team would be impossible. That's the challenge facing the coach who will succeed him post-Sydney.
Despite the tremendous strides the national team has made under Virjee's stewardship, he has no intention of continuing after the 2000 Games. His personal reasons are compelling—limited remuneration, a lack of acknowledgment, and too much time away from his family. "Coaching is not a rewarding career financially," he says. "I appreciate the honorarium, but it is not enough to make the situation viable. Also, Canada lacks a feedback mechanism that makes a national coach feel valued. In Malaysia, India, Japan, and Holland, for example, you are in the service of your country and the government, at a minimum, acknowledges your accomplishments, to yourself and to your employer. In Canada there is nothing. Wouldn't it be less stressful if there were a connection between the secretary of state responsible for sport and my employer? Wouldn't that perhaps make a difference?"
Professionally, Virjee has long been frustrated by Canada's funding constraints, pointing out that each of the teams ranked ahead of Canada tap into considerable resources, human and financial. Proximity also favours the competition. In Canada's case, to play countries other than the United States brings with it a bill of $40,000 to $50,000 for 20 people to stay in Europe for two weeks, which our cash-strapped sport system is hard pressed to accommodate.
While Diane Mahy-Virjee has strongly supported her husband's coaching commitment, Virjee knows the cost to family life has been great. He is eager to spend more time with her and their young son, and so doesn't anticipate a difficult adjustment period, noting that he hopes to golf, go for walks, and enjoy other pleasures that life has to offer.
Sadly, because coaching the national team has been rewarding in every sense but financially, Virjee would stay on the job if it were possible to make a decent salary. "It is hard to walk away just as we're getting to the stage where we're becoming, if not a powerhouse, a ranked team in the world," he says. "Yes, I would like to see it through for the next few years, until we're really, truly established. There's a lot of unfinished business, but under current circumstances, I don't see myself staying."
The commitment, says Virjee, is all about passion. "You don't look at the clock; you don't look at the financial consequences. You just say, this is something I have to do and go ahead and do it. That's it."
Bird admires his coach's determination and ability to get things done and his clever way with resources. "One of his real strengths is his ability to use all the resources he sees around him," says Bird, adding that Virjee constantly works at improving himself, just as his athletes do. "That can be anything from his international contacts to developing relationships with sport scientists to his strong relationships with most of his players. The depth of support he has built for the team is remarkable. We have the confidence in knowing we have the best sport science people working with the team, one of the top sport psychologists, and strong assistant coaching. We feel prepared for every event we go to, and that's because of Shiaz's standards and planning. And he does it all with the smallest budget of the 12 teams that will be in the Olympic tournament. He finds a way to get things done and he doesn't waste time trying to figure everything out on his own."
Getting things done includes digging deep into his own pocket. Recently, Virjee, who relies on video editing in preparing his meticulous scouting reports, spent $8,000 of his own money on a top-of-the-line notebook with special peripherals. "It's not like I can wait until the association finds the money, or make do without," he says. "You have to get on with the job, and the only way you can get on with it is to have a passion for it, know what you want, and go out and get it."
When asked to explain why he sounds much more relaxed now than in an interview a year earlier, he agrees that it is probably because he feels comfortable with his decision to leave. "I have come to accept some things I am not going to be able to change. Last year I was still hoping and fighting. Now I let things be. Some things are not going to change, so I have to accomplish what I set out to do in the time I have; then I will move on. I am more at peace with myself having taken this approach rather than the constant battling. It is also pleasing that after the Olympics, I won't worry as much about some of these things."
Another reason for Virjee's altered state of mind goes back to what happened in Winnipeg last summer. Winning the Pan American Games gold medal and a trip to Sydney was an experience the coach finds "absolutely gratifying. Coaches come and go, but an athlete can only play at the top level for a certain period. You can coach for 23 years; you can't play for that long. For our players, it has been a tremendous sacrifice and they worked very, very hard to be there so the rejoicing and celebrating were just tremendous and very satisfying. The memory will stay with me until I am on my deathbed."
Virjee expects his team to perform well at Sydney, although he stops short of a prediction. Thanks to his scouting acumen and video camera, he knows what to expect. "Some great teams have qualified and the competition will be really strong, as it should be at the Olympics. However, we have a great team and, while we are a little bit challenged for funding to prepare the team, we will do our best. I think we are going to give a truly great performance."
One reason for Virjee's confidence is his selection process. He likens it to the corporate approach. "I've selected each athlete. It's like a business. When recruiting, the CEO typically will try to get people on the team who think like him. To a certain extent, selection is like that. You can have all the selection criteria around fitness and skill standards, but when it comes time to select, it is the subjective values that tell the difference, characteristics like tenacity, the relentless pursuit of excellence, the pursuit of success, the fighting spirit, the never-give-up attitude. Those things are really important, and our athletes bring those qualities to our team."
Virjee's obvious pride in his athletes and their accomplishments are helping him to accept the fact that his role is ending. While he does not rule out ever coaching again, it is something he has not had the time or the desire to consider. "I've had my chance, made my contribution, and I'm moving on," he says. "You have to stop sometime so you might as well pick that time rather than someone else doing it for you, or risk your passion. The young athletes coming up need to feel the passion of the coach; otherwise, they will not bring it to the playing field. If I complain and whine because it is raining in Vancouver, the athletes will feel the same way.
"Turnover and change are important, and I feel good about the sport and the level we're at. And isn't it wonderful that a coach can leave a program feeling good about it? I feel good because we've achieved goals and now comes the plum—representing Canada at the Olympics, doing well, thanking people, saying goodbye. I think it is wonderful to be able to do that."
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Postscript: On the heels of the announcement of additional funding for coaching,
Virjee was asked for his reaction.
"I am very excited about Minister Coderre's announcement of funding for coaches as well as program elements to assist in final preparation for the Olympics. Of course, I am eagerly awaiting details to find out exactly what it means to our team and the coaches such as myself. "I understand that funds are available based on programming elements that are part of our preparation plans leading up to Sydney. So that is great news and it will certainly give us a boost. "In the absence of details about the coaching funds, I am not sure what it means to me this year or in the future. We will have to wait until the Working Group prepares a plan for CAC, and that could take some time." |
"Coaches Report" - Summer 2000, Vol. 7 No. 1
Canadian Professional Coaches Association
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