Local product jumps into volleyball coaching ranks

Lockerby Composite graduate Sean McKay could not have asked for a much better finish to his volleyball playing days as a member of the Western Mustangs.

McKay and his teammates capped off an incredible playoff run by capturing silver medals at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championships, falling to the powerful Alberta Golden Bears in the final.

A team captain in his final two years at Western, McKay has now made a logical transition, hooking up with an old friend and serving as an assistant coach with the Fanshawe Falcons of the OCAA, all while pursuing his Masters at Western.

A student of the game in every sense of the word, McKay has quickly come to realize that life on the sidelines is at least a little different.

"Just getting used to the fact that you can't do it yourself, that you have to find a way to transfer your knowledge to the players," said McKay, in town last month as the Falcons faced both Boréal and Cambrian during a road swing through Northern Ontario.

"And discovering that every player is so much different from each other, that you have to kind of tailor your teachings to the individual player."

An elite setter during his time at both Lockerby and Western, McKay is now involved in trying to raise the bar for each and every Fanshawe player on the court.

"Any time I was on the volleyball court and that someone would be talking about something regarding another position, I would snap over and listen," said McKay. "I can't necessarily talk from experience a lot of the time, so that doesn't translate as easily.

"When you're trying to teach a 6-foot-7 middle how to block, sometimes they don't take you quite as seriously," he laughed. "As long as you show that you have the knowledge."

At just 23 years of age, McKay has the time both to share his knowledge, all while continuing to grow his understanding of the game.

It's not something that he is about to step away from anytime soon.