Brain Drain

The overwhelming consensus of a recent study conducted by the Canadian Coaching Association of Canada was that Canada's coaches need to be paid more. Amongst the findings was that
more than half the men and women training Canada's current and future Olympians earn less than $20,000 annually from their primary coaching job, and another 15 per cent are volunteers.
Amongst a series of options "that might improve the situation for high performance coaches," was to pay them more.

Recognizing the dire financial straits placed upon Canada's coaches it is with little wonder that Canada's best young coaches are leaving the country for greener pastures.

In January of 2009 Kevin Tyler - arguably Canada's brightest track & field coach having led famed sprinters Tyler Christopher, Adam Kunkel and Caroline Muir to world stardom - accepted a job with UK Athletics as the strategic head of coaching and development. Some 6 months later Derek Everly - Tylers replacement in Canada - followed suit by accepting a job with UK Athletics. But don't think the exodus stops with the sport of Athletics. Triathlon coach Joel Filliol, who guided Simon Whitfield to a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Games, was hired as Britain's head triathlon coach, while Peter Eriksson, who helped wheelchair racer Chantal Petitclerc to five gold medals at the Paralympics in Beijing, was also scooped up by the British.

However, not everyone in Canadian sport is concerned. Gary Lunn, the federal minister for sport, noted "I don't think it's always just about money,(referring to the lack of money paid to Canadian Coaches). I've had these conversations with Alex (Baumman) and he completely supports me, that sometimes we need to find a better way." Maybe so, but in the meantime it appears anyways that Money talks and Canada's coaches are starting to listen.