Coaching Staff in Place for 2017

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As the regular season continues to inch closer, the Regina Riot have finalized their coaching staff for 2017. With the retirement of former Head Coach Shawn McCall, there was the potential for significant turnover with this year’s staff. Former Offensive Coordinator and new Head Coach Olivier Eddie was able to prevent that from happening.

“Continuity with the coaching staff is important and always tells a positive story,” says Eddie. “Having 7 returning coaches shows that we are a committed group. It allows us to continue to build on what has been a great success story for our team the past two years.”

While the majority of the staff remains unchanged, there will be some new faces roaming the sideline this year. New members of the Riot coaching staff are Co-Offensive Coordinator Jeff Bolen, Running Back Coach Dillon Dawson & Defensive Line Coach Brent Blakley. The three bring with them a wealth of previous coaching knowledge at the CJFL and High School level.

“Bringing in 3 new coaches will help us grow this team” says the new Head Coach. “Fresh perspectives are important as it helps us to avoid complacency.”

With the addition of Bolen, Dawson & Blakley, the Riot now have an individual position coach for each area of their roster, something Eddie feels is very important to the development of another championship team.

“As a Head Coach, you try to surround yourself with people that can bring a skill set that you don’t have to the group,” says Eddie. “I think this group of coaches does just that.”

 

The full list of this year’s coaching staff is as follows:

Head Coach/Co-Offensive Coordinator – Olivier Eddie

Co-Offensive Coordinator – Jeff Bolen

Defensive Coordinator – Morgan Bunce

Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator – Brenden Bennett

Quarterback Coach – JD Mack

Running Back Coach – Dillon Dawson

Receiver Coach – Thomas Retzlaff

Defensive Line Coach – Brent Blakley

Linebacker Coach – Rob Pyne

Defensive Back Coach/Special Teams Coordinator – Kris Hadesbeck

Riot Recruiting Class Taking Shape

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A busy offseason is coming to a close, and with it the Regina Riot’s 2017 recruiting class is coming together. Head Coach Olivier Eddie, who took over the position from the retiring Shawn McCall in February but had served as Offensive Coordinator and Special Teams Coordinator previously, has been busy working with his staff to bring in the best prospects available. This year that included adding some recruits from less-than-conventional recruiting areas, including a few from out-of-province.

“We were fortunate enough to host the 2016 Women’s National Championship in Regina this past summer” said Coach Eddie, speaking about the recruiting process. “During the championship, we were able to build relationships with coaches and players from other teams in the tournament. Afterwards, we ended up fielding multiple calls from athletes in other regions.”

This lead to the Riot landing two key recruits – Megan Lowry from Guelph, ON, as well as Emilie Belanger from Montreal, QC. “When someone calls and says they want to move across the country to play for you, what else can you say but, ‘yes’” said Eddie. Belanger is a two-time Team Quebec athlete and two-time Team Canada athlete in women’s football, who also played rugby at the University of Concordia. Lowry is also a former rugby athlete, playing for the University of Guelph and as a member of Team Canada.

The Riot also landed many new recruits from closer to home. This list includes numerous U-Sports (formally CIS) athletes, as well two recruits from in-province rival Saskatoon Valkyries. “These are exactly the type of athletes that we aim for,” said Coach Eddie, when describing his ideal recruit. “We want women who have played at a high level and understand the level of commitment it takes to become elite.”

While there are many fresh faces in this year’s recruiting class, the Riot are also happy to welcome back some more familiar names. Adrienne Zuck, Angie Douville, Bonnie Riffel & Ashleigh Henrion are all returning to the team after taking some time off to fulfill other commitments. “Welcoming back four veterans who missed the 2016 season is going to make a significant difference for us,” said Eddie. “They add to an impressive list of returning players, and the depth this creates allows us to elevate the way we operate.”

 

The full list of recruits to date, in alphabetical order, is as follows:

Emilie Belanger

Aly Bell

Jylelle Carpenter-Boesch

Jennilea Coppola

Stacey Dolter

Angie Douville

Tasleigh Dutchyshen

Kelsie Graham

Savanna Haniak

Ashleigh Henrion

Karlie Jackson

Jenna Koller

Caitlynn Lovett

Megan Lowry

Megan Onstad

Keisha Pelletier

Bonnie Riffel

Kelly Shackleton

Robin Schchyschuk

Adrienne Zuck

 

If you’re a current or former female athlete interested in playing for the Riot this year, it’s not too late. Connect with us by going to the Contact page on our website and sending a message, and we’ll be sure to tell you when and how to try out.