The Saint John native began coaching with ParaSport NB in 2021

Growing up playing wheelchair basketball, Nat Young admits she often got too nervous on the court. Though she loved many elements of the sport, she often got anxious while playing.

After she completed her undergraduate studies at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, N.B., Young was looking to volunteer some of her free time when she found coaching with ParaSport New Brunswick.

“As a player, I had a different relationship with the sport,” Young explained. “I loved to play, I loved the team bonding, I loved going to tournaments and meeting the community. It’s such a strong community, but I always found myself quite nervous to actually play. I was quite an anxious player, but I loved the logistics of it.”

Young found coaching in 2021 after meeting with ParaSport New Brunswick Executive Director Sally Hutt about volunteer opportunities with the organization.

“I had some extra time, I was settled into my job, and wanted to give back and get involved,” Young said. “I figured I probably wouldn’t get involved as a player, but I knew I liked that leadership role, so I asked to volunteer and sit on the bench and take opportunities as they came.”

The transition from playing to coaching has the Saint John, N.B. native more engaged in the sport.

“It was definitely the right move for me,” said Young. “Definitely, the anxiety is still there, but it’s different. When I played, I wasn’t too involved, I never watched video. I noticed that as I was coaching, I watched more video and was more involved. It was a different confidence. It was the right move for me. The transition to me seems so natural.”

Young didn’t have to wait long for her first test as a coach. In April, she coached a team of mixed athletes at the CWBL Nationals in Montreal.

The 24-year-old calls it beginners’ luck as her team of athletes from PEI, Manitoba and New Brunswick defeated the Vikings to win Division 2 gold.

“It was a lot of fun. Sally was with me there for that tournament, and it was kind of last minute,” she said. “We really wanted to put a team in, and we wanted the New Brunswick athletes to have a chance to dip their toes in at that level since it had been so long.

“We were kind of scrambling, and I had offered to go and help, but when we got there, the role started to change, and I definitely took on that coaching role. It was it was fun. It was interesting. I definitely worked with the athletes. There was no power struggle. It was open, and we all worked together.”

Young didn’t have to look far for coaching inspiration.

As an athlete, Young learned from Dave and Sabrina Durepos, now she’s looking to pass the Durepos’ wisdom on to the next generation of wheelchair basketball talent.

“They helped me out significantly through university. We have a lifelong relationship, they’ll always be a part of my life,” Young said. “Their influence, and how they coached us, how they coached our team – they’re definitely inspirational, and a good a good depiction of what it takes to be a coach. I knew I wanted to be like them, so when I do coach, I definitely try to channel my inner Dave or Sab.”

Off the court, Young is the coordinator of development programs here at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of New Brunswick, where she oversees the provincial Jump Rope for Heart program. The program goes into schools, introduces healthy habits and physical literacy, and teaches children the signs of heart disease and stroke. In addition, the Canada-wide program is a fundraiser to raise money for schools and heart disease and stroke research.

On top of her full-time job and coaching, Young is completing her master’s degree in Counseling Psychology at Yorkville University with the goal of practicing psychotherapy.

Young has coaching goals as well. Having participated in the 2015 Canada Games with Team New Brunswick, she hopes to be on the bench in PEI for the 2023 Canada Games in February.

“I would love to go to the Canada Games in February,” she said. “I’m definitely open to that. It would be amazing to go and sit on the bench at the Canada Games and see it from that lens since I’ve been there as an athlete. I’d love to be more hands-on involved in the sport definitely.”