Vic Lindal is taking a backwards approach to his upcoming coaching clinic in Zimbabwe.
Lindal, a former head coach of the Canadian National women’s volleyball team, is heading to the African country for two weeks in October. Four days of that time will see him work with coaches to create a volleyball academy for young men and women, while the balance will be devoted to working directly with players, teams and coaches.
“We are going to use volleyball to develop life skills for the youth in Zimbabwe,” said Lindal, a Saanich resident well-known on the West Shore for his public relations work with Royal Roads Toastmasters.
He also works extensively as a life coach for businesses, sports teams and organizations in the Victoria area, instilling his “end point” approach, a visualization system where “you start with the final product and work your way back.”
The philosophy is based on a book Lindal co-authored with Dr. George McMaster, a retired Brandon University professor, End Point Visioning and Beyond.
“End point visioning teaches people how to create a picture of a preferred future,” Lindal explained. “The skills of creating pictures of preferred futures are essential to realizing that vision.”
Lindal described the motivation behind the trip to Zimbabwe as an opportunity to help a friend, Martin Dururu, who he got to know when the latter attended the University of Victoria to earn his master’s degree in coaching as part of a Commonwealth Games initiative.
Dururu served as an assistant coach with the Camosun Chargers men’s volleyball team before returning to Zimbabwe. Lindal kept in touch with him and canvassed schools across the country to send him used equipment to promote volleyball in Dururu’s home country.
Lindal, as energetic and active a 78-year-old as you’re likely to meet, spent time recently traveling to volleyball events throughout the province in preparation for the trip to discuss how to create a vision for the Zimbabwe program. Many of the principles he will employ with the coaches and young players there were forged at the first outdoor volleyball camp Lindal helped pioneer in Winfield, B.C. in 1966.
The goal on this trip is to create a foundation to support the program so the camps can run annually in Zimbabwe.
Lindal, who is paying his own way, plans to take over as much used equipment as he can collect before the trip. He set up an Indiegogo crowd-funding site to help make annual camps a reality for young people in Zimbabwe. Visit bit.ly/1CHTXqg to find out how you can help.
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