By Sam Cortes, Communications Coordinator
From Athlete to Coach
Growing up, it took Artistic Swimming Coach Holly Hjartarson a while to find a sport she really enjoyed.
“I was definitely not an athlete,” she joked. “I tried hockey, soccer, and other sports, and didn’t like any of them.”
Through trying a bunch of sports, Holly did find she liked being at the pool. She was also enjoying her drama classes at the time, and so when she tried artistic swimming, it felt like everything was lining up.
She said what drew her to the sport was the athleticism involved in the swimming while at the same time having the ability to be creative and connect with the music.
“I went from being the least athletic person ever to becoming an elite athlete, which was really cool,” she said.
When she finished her schooling, she was able to transition her love for the sport into becoming a coach, which is now her full-time job.
The Swimming Season
The season starts with training in September and runs all the way to a final competition in mid-May, with the final performance at the end of May. During that time, she’s also traveling with her athletes to competitions and for professional development.
For Holly, a typical week involves her coaching from Monday to Saturday. Monday through Thursday, she’s on deck at the pool from 3:30 p.m. to around 9 p.m., so she has to find time during the day to complete the administrative work. This includes things like planning and researching the latest rule changes and preparing materials to share with other coaches across the province.
“I’ve created this job that is full-time, which is awesome, but I also have to find a balance between my work and development as a coach and my family time.”
A Grant Goes a Long Way
To be able to stay up-to-date as a coach, travel with her athletes to competitions, and balance her professional and personal life, Holly said she is always looking for grant support.
“Like every sport, we’re always trying to keep artistic swimming affordable for families, so I don’t want my club to pay for my PD and travel expenses, and I can’t always pay out-of-pocket either,” said Holly. “That’s why grants, especially grants created specifically for women in sport, are so important.”
As a mom with young children, Holly applied for and received Sport Manitoba’s Women in Sport Supplemental Grant to help her cover the cost of bringing a caregiver along with her to a swimming competition.
The grant allowed her to be able to focus on her athletes during travel and competition, while also giving her the opportunity to spend time with her family in the evenings.
“Women have to make different decisions when it comes to parenting. I wanted to become a mom, but I didn’t want it to slow down my career. And then to make the choices I wanted to make as a mother, I needed to have my kids with me. This grant allowed me to be a mom and maintain my career at the same time.”
A Community of Support
In a lot of sports, there are fewer female coaches than male coaches. Holly said it’s important to develop female coaches so that young girls in sport have role models to look up to.
Currently in Manitoba, artistic swimming is only female coaches.
“My club wanted me to continue coaching and I wanted to be on deck with my athletes, but I also wanted to be a mom and breastfeed my children. Because of this grant, I didn’t have to choose one or the other, and I was able to maintain a positive work-life balance.”
Sport Manitoba offers a wide range of grants that emphasize training and skill development to facilitate the growth of athletes, coaches, officials, and volunteers across the province. Get more info on our grants and funding opportunities by visiting our website.
