High Performance Coaching Staff (Past and Present)

Thank you very much to past and present High Performance coaches for a job well done...

Paul Gratton: Paul Gratton is the former Captain of Team Canada and 1984 Olympian. After 1985, Gratton played professionally in Japan, France and Italy. A frequent all-star and MVP, he was instrumental in helping his teams win a number of club championships and two silver medals at European Championships. In 1991 He founded SIM GRATTON a sports agency committed to placing volleyball players in professional teams.

As the Director of the Boys Senior High Performance Program, Paul will take responsibility for the active development of the Maverick athletes in the 16 to 18 year age groups, as well as contributing to the overall growth of athletes coming into the club. Paul has a broad knowledge of international athlete development models.

Learn more about Paul Gratton >>

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Bruce Dunning is a fully certified NCCP level 2 coach and is in the process of completing his level 3 certification.

Bruce brings to the program a wealth of playing and coaching experience. As an athlete, Bruce played at Sir John A MacDonald High School then 5 years at York University where he was an OUA All Star. He was the 1991 Canadian Amateur Beach Champion and was 5th at the Canadian Professional Championships. Bruce has also played many years of Club volleyball and with the OCVL.

As a coach Bruce's 20 plus years of experience includes Head Coach of Algonquin College (OCAA Coach of the Year honours). He has also coached numerous Regional Teams (latest team were 2006 Ontario Summer Games gold medalists). Bruce was also the assistant coach at York University and with the Ontario Provincial Men's Team.

Bruce is a professional educator and is married with three children.

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Ron Clarke brings nearly 30 years of volleyball experience as a high performance athlete and coach. As a player, Ron is a past Junior Provincial champion, OUAA champion, CIS Bronze medalist, OCVL champion, Canadian Masters bronze medalist, and University of Waterloo team captain. He continues to lead the Maverick Gators men's team ... a fixture in the Ottawa volleyball community.

Ron has been coaching since 1986. While a CIS player with the Warriors and on work terms in Ottawa, he was Assistant Coach to the nationally ranked University of Ottawa GGs women's CIS team... perhaps a feat not repeated since. He has led the Gators team for twenty years, and more recently has been pursuing his NCCP coaching certifications and developing outstanding youth athletes with the Mavericks.

Ron has embraced the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) concept in his coaching philosophy. He realizes that athletes progress at different rates, and has a focus on the process of athletic and life skill development, not just short term rewards. This is balanced with his leadership by example and an intense desire for his athletes to continuously compete to their highest ability.

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François St-Denis: François' track record speaks for itself with numerous OFSAA Championships. Frank has a passion for the sport and is very knowledgeable about speed, strength and conditioning as he has worked with a long list of successful NHL athletes.

His past coaching experience includes:

18U HP Boys - Medaled in all eight out of nine tournaments entered
16U HP Boys - Eastern Canadian Open Silver Medalists
Coaching for 10 years but has already coached over 25 different teams
Provincial francophone team
2 OFSAA titles (2003 & 2004, boys 'A')

François believes that sport is an ideal medium to teach the pursuit of excellence, life skills and habits including goal setting, accumulation of knowledge, learning from experiences and outstanding work ethic. Therefore for Frank coaching volleyball requires that he is assured that each individual realizes their full potential both on and off the court.

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Kerry MacLean has excelled in the coaching and development of Professional, National, Provincial Team, University and College players over his 25 years of coaching youth volleyball.

His past coaching experience includes:

Ontario Provincial Team Head Coach (National Team Challenge Cup - 5th place)
18U HP Boys
Colonel By S.S. (Provincial Champions in 1988 and bronze medalists in 1992)
Region 6 - Regional Team
Section head at Madawaska Volleyball Camp
Carleton University Men's Club team

Kerry firmly believes and has succeeded in developing the complete player where habits and skills that he teaches on the court can be transferred into the athlete's life off the court. He has a track record of developing high level athletes who excel at the university level and in their professional careers. Kerry is a fully certified Level II coach and in the process of completing his Level III certification.

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Anali Maneshi: Anali as a wealth of experience as a player. She played high school volleyball for Lisgar Collegiate Institute in Ottawa while also competing in the OVA with the Kangaroos Volleyball club. Anali excelled at both sports and academics and was able to obtain the prestigious Lisgar L which is awarded for involvement in athletics, academics, and the arts. She obtained her Bachelor of Science with Honours in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo in 2006 where she competed as an intercollegiate athlete in both volleyball and cross country running. She is currently completing her Master of Science in Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa.

She has extensive experience working with youth sports through positions as a summer camp counselor, a residence don and the Waterloo Team-Up program which provided a motivational program for academics and athletics to elementary students. As the former conditioning coach for the Nepean Knights Junior B Lacrosse team, Anali brings an enthusiasm for strength and conditioning and is looking forward to the year ahead.

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Jason McCullagh is the head coach for speed, strength and conditioning for Club's HP program.

For more information on HP programs contact John Nguyen at john@maverickvolleyball.ca

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