DORIAN GEIGER
Sports Editor

Following university, growing responsibilities prevent most students from having much free time for recreation and sport. University of Saskatchewan education student Matt Tumbach is an exception and the intern is gearing up for his first coaching stint at Tommy Douglas Collegiate this fall.

Due to a growing number of intern placements in Saskatoon, Tumbach was able to land himself a position teaching physics and math at the newly constructed Tommy Douglas Collegiate on the west side of the city.

The young intern from Liebenthal, Sask., soon inherited assistant coaching duties for the Tigers junior girls volleyball team, splitting the task with head coach Tara Czarnetsy. Czarnetsy is thankful to have the U of S student and teaching intern helping with the volleyball program and knows the importance of having a young face on the sidelines.

“It’s invaluable having Matt here because he’s willing to volunteer, he knows a tonne about volleyball, has experience and is willing to spend as much time as possible to help the girls learn. It’s great for me to have him because I have an injured shoulder. He’s also the brains of the operation,” said Czarnetsy.

“He brings a lot of enthusiasm and he’s new and fresh. Matt just is fun he has a really good sense of humour. You might want to call him a goof-off. He keeps me grounded, surprisingly. He’s just goofy and the kids love that.”

Tumbach is no stranger to volleyball and is experienced in playing the libero position. Like playing the back-court in volleyball, the soon-to-be teacher Tumbach “digs” receiving an education, teaching and coaching at the same time. For the non-volleyball linguists, you could say he’s ecstatic.

“We have fantastic, awesome girls that are hard workers and good students in school, so it’s good to see them involved with athletics as well as academics. At Tommy Douglas, over 60 per cent of the student body is involved in sports,” said Tumbach after an exhibition match against Evan Hardy Collegiate last week.

After narrowly trumping the Evan Hardy Souls 25-23 in the first set, the TDC Tigers lost by a close 25-21 margin in the second, leading to a third and deciding set. The Tigers walked all over their cross-city rivals in the third set with a composed offence, hard serves and solid blocks to thwart the Souls 15-12.

“The internship is what you wait for. I’m actually teaching and doing what I want to do for the rest of my life so it’s nice to be out of the classroom.”
-Matt Tumbach
U of S education student

It appears as if Tumbach’s coaching philosophy had been doing its job.

“They’re getting better, that’s for sure,” said Tumbach on the progress of his new team. “Our passing is improving. The first pass is pretty critical, so that’s getting better and is good to see.”

Though away from the U of S, Tumbach thinks coaching volleyball and exploring a potential future career is “fantastic.”

“The internship is what you wait for. I’m actually teaching and doing what I want to do for the rest of my life so it’s nice to be out of the classroom.”

Calling all future graduates: next time the pangs of anxiety strike while procrastinating about receiving a college diploma and exiting casual student life, try and stay positive — because it’s all about what you make of it and if you’re lucky enough, you might just get to act like a kid along the way.