Christina Sharun is the first head coach of the Okanagan Hockey Academy Female Varsity team.
Okanagan Hockey Group vice-president Dixon Ward made the announcement Wednesday.
“OHA is excited to have Christina take on the head coaching role of our new Female Varsity team,” said Ward in a press release. “She has proven strong leadership skills, a solid understanding of the game and is committed to the OHA development philosophy.”
Sharun spent the 2015-16 season as an assistant coach with the OHA Female Prep team. She was recently named the head coach of the B.C. Female Under-18 team that will compete at the 2016 Women’s Under-18 National Championship. She has been involved with the B.C. Hockey High Performance program for the past six seasons.
“I’m honoured to lead the Female Varsity team in their inaugural season,” said Sharun. “The addition of this new team will greatly expand the development opportunities open to female athletes here at OHA. I am excited to welcome a new group of committed and focused young women and to work with them in the coming year to develop their skills and help prepare them to achieve their athletic goals.”
Before stepping onto the bench as a coach, Sharun played on the Yale University women’s varsity hockey team from 2003-2007, earning All-Academic Eastern Collegiate Athletics Conference Hockey League honours, a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and History, as well as her teaching certification. She also currently has her B.C. Teaching Certification.
“This is a great opportunity for Christina to start the Female Varsity program after spending a season with the Female Prep team where she did a fantastic job,” said OHA Female Prep head coach Jim Fetter. “We know she will be great in her new role and that she is eager to get started.”
The OHA Female Varsity team will play league games in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League’s newly formed Female Varsity Division against teams from British Columbia, Alberta and Idaho, as well as exhibition and tournament games throughout the season.
