The Newfoundland native turned her love for athletics into a passion for coaching
Growing up an avid soccer player, Raeleen Baggs was looking for a way to give back to the next generation of athletes in Newfoundland when she turned to coaching as a 15-year-old. Watching her father coach, Baggs figured it would provide her with an opportunity to help younger athletes.
“I feel it was just giving these players a bit of a role model, especially female athletes, giving them a female role model as a coach,” Baggs said. “Also, it was something that I love to do. I got so much fulfillment myself out of coaching, and I just stayed with it.”
While soccer was her primary sport growing up in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland, Baggs played everything from basketball to volleyball and ran cross country and track. In addition, she represented Newfoundland at the Canada Games in soccer and squash.
Soccer took her through university, where she played at Acadia University, Memorial University and Queen’s. Her success on the pitch ultimately landed her to two National Team tryouts in 1991 and 1999.
Baggs competed at two National Championships in 1996 and 1999. She was named Female Soccer Player of the year for Canadian Universities in 1999; she was named CIAU All-Star in 1996 and 1999, and CIAU Academic All-star in both years. Further, she was named Athlete of the Year at Acadia University in 1996 and Queen’s University Press Athlete of the year in 1999.
Additionally, Baggs represented Newfoundland at the National Senior Women’s Jubilee Trophy soccer tournament in 2002 and 2005. In 2007 the Jubilee Trophy regular season MVP award was renamed in her honour.
“It was just a team sport. I’m competitive, and it was a team sport – the play-making, seeing the field,” Baggs explained of her love for soccer. “I was pretty fit, so I didn’t mind running. So it was a combination I enjoyed the sport and the competitive nature of it. I got really good opportunities with soccer, and my whole life was based around soccer, but I would do every other sport that I could try to get into.”
In 2009 Baggs was inducted into the Mt. Pearl Sport Alliance Hall of Fame, and in 2011 she was inducted into both the Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Association Hall of Fame and the Mount Pearl Soccer Hall of fame.
Off the pitch, knee injuries drew Baggs to a career in Physiotherapy. Baggs studied physical education as an undergrad and physiotherapy at Queen’s.
“As an injured athlete, I saw great benefit in physio and getting the athlete back, and return to play quickly. It was just something that I became very interested in,” said Baggs. “At Acadia, I studied physical education, but we had an athletic therapy program, so I was able to work with teams. I enjoyed the athlete care and the on-field side of athletic therapy.”
Baggs coached grassroots provincial soccer in Newfoundland and became involved with junior high basketball when her daughter was playing. She turned to parasport after her son was born with a physical disability.
“I find parasport gives you back way more than you would think,” Baggs said. “The athletes are so appreciative. Our parasport community is very small, but these athletes appreciate any opportunity.
“I’ve met some incredible people across the country with wheelchair basketball and sledge hockey. My son has been given many opportunities in parasport and wheelchair basketball, and so have I.”
What is her favourite part of coaching?
“I think it’s easy to coach great players; I think it’s a bit more challenging to coach players needing extra help. But, I find once the athlete gains some confidence and achieves a new skill, it’s just that enjoyment to see it in their face,” said Baggs. “It’s very rewarding both on and off the court.”
Baggs wears many hats as a volunteer with the Nefoundland & Labrador Wheelchair Sports Association, but her passion is coaching.
“My goals with coaching would be to create opportunities for players that they may not have gotten if we weren’t involved,” she said. “I always had the ambition to take coaching outside the provincial level. I did coach the Atlantic team in soccer, but I would love to further my coaching opportunities and career.”