Catou Tyler has been involved with gymnastics for more than 30 years—more if you count her heyday as an athlete. Serving as a club manager and coach at Whistler Gymnastics, she’s a familiar face and an experienced mentor in the community. viaSport has acknowledged Tyler’s contributions to the Sea to Sky by naming her the 2022 Community Coach of the Year.
“As a coach, Catou has made an impact on countless peoples’ lives. She is unwaveringly committed to her sport, and proves it consistently through her efforts to enhance the gymnastics program,” said Whistler Gymnastics Club executive director Marc Davidson in a media statement.
“Catou excels at what she does. Those who have worked beside her during her coaching career have described her as a creative person, one who is easily able to solve problems on the spot. She is also caring and filled with abundant kindness.”
For her part, Tyler was somewhat surprised to receive the award.
“It’s obviously something pretty special,” she said. “I feel special, I feel honoured, and it means all the hard work and long hours have paid off a little bit.”
Tyler began her gymnastics journey as a young athlete in Ottawa, Ont. She competed until the age of 18, but elected not to continue upon beginning post-secondary. After earning a physical education degree from Laurentian University, Tyler found herself choosing between careers as a teacher or a coach.
Having coached since the age of 14, Tyler decided that she wanted to work with children and youth outside the confines of a classroom. The rest is history.
Davidson describes Tyler as not merely a gymnastics coach, but a life coach. Such an assessment dovetails with Tyler’s own philosophy: she treats sport as just one part of a young girl or boy’s life. She knows how to deal with various age groups, knowing that each faces different obstacles.
“Gymnastics is just one part of it,” she said. “I like to teach the child as a whole. [Sport] is a way for me to help them learn what hard work is, what a challenge is and how to overcome challenges.”
Laying a foundation
One particular challenge is getting youngsters in an individual sport to buy into a team dynamic. Tyler emphasizes teaching her athletes how to work towards a united goal and see past their individual routines—as important as those may be. Group challenges are commonplace at each practice.
While snow sports and mountain biking take so much of the Sea to Sky’s athletic spotlight, gymnastics can be a valuable foundation for anyone who desires to live an active lifestyle. Tyler said (albeit facetiously) that she’s tumbled off a mountain bike many times without being hurt because she knows how to tuck and roll. A number of her athletes cross-train for different sports such as skiing and figure skating.
Over the years, Tyler has impacted numerous young lives. Sometimes, her former pupils end up becoming world-class athletes, such as Simon d’Artois and Yuki Tsubota: both two-time Olympic freestyle skiers. Others, such as 23-year-old Tansy Powell and 19-year-old Anna Prohaska, have themselves begun coaching gymnastics in Whistler and in their mutual hometown of Pemberton. Many have bright futures in various realms.
“I remember one time, these kids were like: ‘Are you mad when people quit gymnastics?’ I said, ‘No, never,’” recalled Tyler. “The only time I’m slightly disappointed is if they tell me they’re doing nothing afterwards. I just want to know that they’re doing something … and that they’re staying active.”
Coaches, much like their athletes, can be a transient bunch—especially in this part of British Columbia. Tyler has worked with all sorts of people, from fellow professionals to eager moms hoping to help out for a season or two. Stability has come in the form of Whistler Gymnastics head coach Karin Jarratt, plus fellow veterans Cathy Benns and Tami Mitchell.
“Tami, Cathy, Karin and I have been working for many, many years together—I think over 20 years,” Tyler said. “It’s really nice to have a supportive coaching community. We’re super lucky.” n
