Sports
November 15, 2008 08:45 PM
John Cudmore
Troy Fogg knew nothing about cricket three years ago.
However, it didn’t stop the visual arts teacher from jumping in to ensure Maple High School students with an interest in the sport had an opportunity to represent their school.
Although carrying some experience in coaching, albeit rugby and football, Fogg, 32, was unfamiliar with the sport when the phys ed head at his school needed a coach to launch a team. But the Richmond Hill resident wasn’t terribly apprehensive about taking on a leadership role in a sport with which he was not in the least familiar.
“They needed a coach or there wouldn’t be a team,” said Fogg, who grew up playing traditional Canadian sports such as baseball and hockey. “I felt, if they’re game to play it, sure, I’d do it. The kids are just so excited about playing.”
Under Fogg’s direction, the Timberwolves won the YRAA title by defeating Milliken Mills Knights in the final this year.
Yet, while he has picked up some of the finer points of the sport through a combination of factors, including observation, talking with other coaches and input from players, he concedes he is far from expert in the game.
He applauds his players for understanding and respecting his limited knowledge.
“I found myself always waiting for someone to ask me something,” Fogg said. “But I think the kids knew it and ran it themselves.
“I laid it out in the beginning that I would handle the paperwork and supervise. There’s no point trying to pretend to coach something we know nothing about.”
It should not be a surprise some mainstream sports do not attract some students, including a large portion of Maple’s 1,300 or so students who are largely of South Asian background.
“There seems to be a problem for them with a few of the more traditional sports,” Fogg said. “They don’t get involved because they aren’t used to playing them.”
For Fogg, it was clearly a case of learning on the job.
“I managed it for a couple of years, but I’m stepping in more now,” he said. “I’ve grabbed a few points. The way I picked it up was through scorekeeping. That helped a lot for me to understand the game better.
“I’m not overly surprised. But when I try to explain the game to other coaches they say, ‘OK,’ but I know they don’t fully understand it. It took a couple of seasons at least to understand it.”