March 10, 2011 at 11:47 a.m.
From Olympics to high school
10 questions with Arrowhead coach and Olympian Jinelle Siergiej
From Olympics to high school
By Jonathan Bailey-
On Sept. 27, 2010, Siergiej took over as the head coach of the Arrowhead Warhawks. In her first season as coach, the Warhawks won a share of the Eastern Shores Conference Championship, posting a 17-5 record.
The Northwoods River News recently caught up with Siergiej to ask her about her time coaching and to get her thoughts on a wide range of other topics.
River News: What got you interested in coaching at the high school level and what was attractive about Arrowhead?
Jinelle Siergiej: I knew coming out of the Olympics that I really wanted to start giving back to the state of Wisconsin and to youth hockey and high school hockey. I had already committed to a U14 coaching position up in Winter Club, but I knew ultimately that I wanted to work with high school girls and hopefully eventually maybe a division III or I program.
I kind of got hunted down by a guy named Bryan Mullet, who brought us out to Arrowhead and just presented an opportunity to coach here. He had kind of a vision statement that the coaches were going to coach by and it was that we were creating better individuals, not just hockey players and that we want to impact the girls lives not just their hockey skills. And I have been running a summer camp called Crazy Eights for seven years now and that is kind of the exact motto that I run my camp off of. Just impacting, through hockey, people's lives and that was majorly the reason I came out to Arrowhead.
RN: How has girls' hockey evolved since you were in high school and playing on the Northland Pines boys' hockey team?
JS: I think girls' hockey has grown a lot. Clearly when I was high school we didn't have a high school (girls') team, we just had a U19 team. I think it shows a lot about the state. We're trying to be comparable to Minnesota and we still have a long way to go to in order to get there, but we're making big steps. A lot of high school teams are around the area, both North and South Wisconsin and if anyone paid attention to the girls' championship game at state, they'll realize that it is getting really good. That game went into four overtimes and it was just really great competition. I think girls' hockey in general in growing a lot.
RN: What were some of the biggest obstacles in the transition from playing in the Olympics to coaching 14- to 18-year-olds?
JS: I think the biggest transition was not being able to play myself. I think my summer camp helped me be able to learn how to coach girls, but at the same time a full season is a lot different than summer camps. What I really have enjoyed is seeing the progress each individual has made over the course of the year and how much better they have gotten in just a couple months that we've had them. I think the biggest obstacle was though that I myself wanted to be playing and I couldn't make a difference besides teaching them everything I can and letting them play the game.
RN: How have past coaches shaped your coaching philosophy?
JS: I think my past coaches have completely molded me into the coach that I am today. In high school, I had Jacques du Vair, who was just an unbelievable coach. He was very encouraging, but at the same time intense. He wouldn't be afraid to yell, comments to get you motivated or get you going. My college and Olympic coach, Mark Johnson kind of brought a different aspect to the game. He brought more knowledge to the game and almost a silent coaching style that tells everybody, teaches everybody, then when it comes to the game doesn't say a whole lot. So I think the things that I brought from both coaching sides molded me into the coach I am today. Because ultimately I am a yeller, but not a yeller to the point of my high school coach. I just want to encourage them in a yelling way. Encourage them to keep going and encourage them to play their best because they have it in them, even if they think some days they don't.
RN: What was the biggest reward of coaching at the high school level this past season?
JS: I think the biggest reward is that we tied for the conference championship. We had a great winning record ... [We] exceeded the wins for the previous season by a lot and I think that says a lot about our coaching staff that we put together. The fact that all the talent was sitting here, it just needed somebody to give it a little spark and get it going.
RN: How do you spend your time outside of the rink?
JS: I train myself. I do my share of running, biking and skating and all the kind of stuff. Right now, I am getting ready for my summer camps and advertising. I also have got a lot into motivational speaking. I really enjoy going and speaking at middle schools and high schools and motivating kids to not give up on their dream, whatever it is. Just trying to relate my story to others' lives.
RN: How do you believe co-ops affect the level of competition in girls' high school hockey? Would you like to see any changes?
JS: I think co-ops bring a different aspect to high school hockey, but I don't think that girls' hockey would be possible without them because it's not to the level of boys. I think for Arrowhead, we're not a co-op, and I think you have that school pride, that you're playing for your school. And I don't think a co-op has that because some co-ops reach up to nine schools and they all play for one team. What school are you playing for? I personally, love not being a part of a co-op, but at the same time, if numbers drop low you kind of have to co-op with local schools to get more girls.
RN: The first ever Jinelle Zaugg-Siergiej award was handed out Friday. What does it mean to have an award named after you?
JS: Honestly, I think it is a great honor to have an award named after me. It's something that doesn't happen very often and I think it's a big privilege. It says a lot about the state of Wisconsin and honoring those who have made it to the Olympics and beyond and what not. The individual who won it (Alice Cranston of River Falls co-op) is just a phenomenal scorer ... Her stats just say that she knew how to put the puck in the net and for me that was my job at Wisconsin. So I think that fits very well for her to have won my award because that's pretty much exactly how I play as well.
RN: Do you ever hope to return to the Northwoods in a hockey-related capacity?
JS: I would love to come back home if the time allowed or we got a job up there. I would love to take my current team up to play Northland Pines or have Northland Pines come down here just for the pride of your own school. But right now my husband is still finishing school and I don't see it in the near future, but maybe some day. It would be fun.
RN: You've won two national championships with the Badgers, won a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics and coached at the high school level. What else do you hope to accomplish?
JS: I hope to be able to give back a lot more to the state of Wisconsin, youth hockey and high school hockey and even college hockey. I hope to be able to motivate girls who didn't think they could do it coming out of a small town or help them learn the skills they need and the discipline and hard work that they need to get somewhere. I think everybody deserves a shot.
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