A longtime volleyball coach in central Alberta is moving on to Edmonton for a head coaching opportunity.
Chris Wandler, who was a coach on the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens for the last six seasons, will become the MacEwan University Griffins women’s volleyball teams’ 17th head coach in the history of the program on June 1.
Wandler told The Advocate it’s been a goal of his for quite some time to lead a program and be a head coach in postsecondary athletics.
“When the MacEwan job came up it’s only one of 40 Usports women’s volleyball jobs in the country so they don’t come up too often. I jumped at it,” he said.
Wandler helped lead the Queens to an ACAC bronze medal championship last season and the year before that the gold medal after a 22-1 record as an assistant coach.
Wandler was also the head coach of the Queens in 2016 and was there for four seasons. During that time he won the ACAC South Coach of the Year and won bronze medals in 2017 and 2018.
“When [Queens’ head coach Talbot Walton] asked me to help him out with the Queens when he had some medical issues it gave me a bigger taste for wanting to make an impression on young athletes,” he said.
He explained it won’t be easy leaving the Queens program as he cares deeply about everyone involved but the job in Edmonton was hard to say no to.
“One of my goals as a professional is to always challenge myself and this is definitely one of those opportunities,” Wandler said.
“It’s a different calibre of athlete and it’s full-time coaching… for the first time, my only job is to coach. Now I get the opportunity to do more one-on-ones and I get the chance to really break down some skill. And really dive deep into the intricacies of the game so I’m looking forward to that.”
He got his start in college coaching in the ACAC helping start up the women’s volleyball program as their head coach from 2012-16 leading them to the playoffs in all four years.
Wandler explained his past coaching opportunities have prepared him for this.
“What I’ve learned in my 26 years of teaching and even more coaching is that my definition of success has changed over the years. Relationships and trust in people are paramount. You want to build good people and that’s what sport does and you only do that by getting to know the people around you,” he said.
“I’ll bring those lessons with me to MacEwan.”
Director of Athletics at MacEwan Joel Mrak said in a media release said they’re looking forward Wandler joining the program.
“His extensive experience in collegiate volleyball and his athlete-centered approach to coaching makes him an excellent fit for the women’s volleyball program,” he said.
“We know he is eager to get going with the team and can’t wait to see what he accomplishes in the coming seasons.”