2014 ULTIMATE CANADA AWARDS Coach of the Year 2014
Toro members represented Canada at the 2014 WJUC in Lecco, Italy.
Aside from all her coaching responsibilities with the Toronto Juniors programs, DiFilippo also coached the 2013 U23 and 2014 U19 national teams, winning bronze and silver respectively. In both cases DiFilippo’s roles were instrumental in the success of the team.
Photo: Katherine Ho Carla DiFilippo - 2014 Ultimate
Canada Coach of the Year STORY BY: KAITLYN LOVATT
DiFilippo’s dedication to Juniors Ultimate in Canada is widely known throughout the Ultimate community. She is an inspiration and true advocate of the sport.
When she began coaching juniors in 2010 the division was still co-ed. She was instrumental in fighting for the junior division to become single gendered. DiFilippo was determined that this was the best thing for the future of women’s Ultimate. The sport was officially changed to single gender in 2012. Since that time, DiFilippo has coached three consecutive teams to podium finishes at nationals. Her efforts go far beyond basic coaching duties. In 2014 she launched a new juniors club called Toronto Elite’s Ultimate. Her efforts have been instrumental in incorporating the club, negotiating a relationship with TUC, running a fundraising campaign, design and distribution of advertising as well as recruitment. In short, she has acted as the president and manager of Toronto Elites’ Ultimate. This hard work has already begun to pay dividends as this year the TORO junior women and men both won gold at Canadian nationals and four
DiFilippo’s strongest asset as an Ultimate coach is her experience. She is a decorated veteran of the sport, competing at the highest women’s level as a representative of Team Canada in 2012 at the WUGC in Sakai Japan. She also brings a depth of experience from her years as a competitive varsity swimmer. This experience as an athlete has made DiFilippo a thoughtful and technical Coach. She brings a perfect balance between strategy and work ethic to every team she coaches. Not only does she push her athletes to be the best athletes they can be, she also encourages them to be the best women they can be. DiFilippo instills many important values that will stick with them for the rest of their lives. She encourages them to always be honest even if it’s the hard decision; she teaches them how to be competitive but makes sure they know mistakes will happen and it’s okay if they do. Most importantly, she encourages them to live in the moment to love one another and to love themselves. Her goal is to have athletes go on to make touring teams and national level teams, and many have. She has earned the respect of many junior Ultimate players and this is reflected by the number of alumni players who come back every season to help coach the new generation. DiFilippo is a phenomenal role model, teacher, and mentor. She goes above and beyond to develop amazing Ultimate players and women, all while being a full-time teacher, a mother and partner. She is a huge inspiration and she is UTMOST deserving of this award.
*Written with contributions from Erica Tucker. Ultimate Canada Magazine -
www.canadianultimate.com 15
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