Sisters bring different styles to coaching
Despite possessing different approaches and strengths, sisters Lauren and Joanne Lavoie are trying to make the lives of Regina Piranhas swimmers better while enjoying being able to do it together.
“I’m better at being rambunctious and trying new things and not letting every situation bother me, but Lauren is much better at organization and pumping people up and getting people ready for races, or just cheering you up if you’re upset,” Joanne says. “She always has the answers for those.”
Lauren, at 26 the older of the two by six years, began swimming competitively with the Regina Optimist Dolphins in Grade 8, with Joanne watching from the pool deck.
Joanne recalls being amazed by her older sister, saying that seeing her move in the pool was like watching Michael Phelps on television. Joanne was motivated to start swimming as well, and did so competitively for a year.
The two later gravitated toward other sports — Lauren playing rugby and Joanne joining volleyball. Their love of swimming endured, though, and they found their way back into the sport with the Piranhas in 2011. They began coaching the following year.
When it comes to swimming, the two are very different. Lauren is better at the backstroke, while Joanne’s shorter stature and quicker reaction time make her stronger in the breaststroke and butterfly.
“We race very differently,” Lauren says. “We think about races very different, (so) you never really know what’s going to happen between the two of us.”
Both maintain that, while they may have had the odd fight when younger, competing never really got between them. They were happy to be able to swim and compete together.
From the pool deck, the Lavoie sisters bring a different, but effective, approach to coaching.
“Joanne is very quirky,” Lauren says. “She comes up with very odd and weird ways of explaining things. She’s very upbeat and happy whereas I find I can be a little more on the serious side.”
Joanne adds: “She’s always on the pool deck with a positive attitude and passion for the sport.”
That attitude is appreciated by swimmers such as Jenna Johnson.
“One of the main things is that they’re always welcoming and wanting to have fun and making sure their swimmers are in good hands,” Johnson says.
The Lavoie sisters’ passion and dedication for swimming hasn’t gone unnoticed. In 2015, Lauren won the Diane Hansen Coach Award, the highest coaching award presented by Swim Saskatchewan.
Joanne followed up with her own win in 2016.
“When I got it, I looked at myself and I thought, I don’t know how I even stack up to that,” Joanne says. “I looked at Lauren and said, ‘I’m not even the same coach as you,’ and Lauren said, ‘It’s because you bring something else. You bring positivity and life to the pool.’ ”
Johnson wrote the letter of nomination for Lauren and appreciates both sisters.
“It feels really good to have them recognized back-to-back because we know we’re getting the best coaches,” Johnson says. “It’s a good reassurance, but it also lets you know that they’ll always be there for you and will always be their best and will have fun with the club.”