Women’s Volleyball
For B.C.'s McNamara twins, first stop FISU, next stop Olympics?
“We are teachers first and foremost, helping set the environment in a positive way that helps young people grow in sport.”
The long legacy of Doug Reimer continues to grow.
The head coach of the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds women’s volleyball team, Reimer has become a legend on the U SPORTS circuit and the Canadian volleyball scene. Playing in the nation’s best conference, the coach has led his team to the national championship tournament 21 out of the last 22 years.
This impressive run includes eight national titles, four silver medals and three bronze medals. He also won a National Championship with the University of Winnipeg in 1993, bringing his count to nine. He led UBC to a national-record six straight U SPORTS Championship titles from 2008 to 2013. That 2008 victory was the program’s first title in 30 years.
Individually, the veteran coach has been named U SPORTS Coach of the Year five times – the most of any women’s volleyball head coach in the country. He has also coached Team Saskatchewan to a gold medal in the Canada Games and Team Canada in the late 1990s where he helped lead the team to a second-place finish at the NORCECA Olympic qualifier.
In his playing days, Reimer played with the University of Victoria where he was a two-time All-Canadian setter and the school’s top student-athlete. He later went on to coach at his alma mater before switching to Winnipeg and now UBC.
Volleyball Canada recently had a chance to talk with Reimer about his coaching career and some general thoughts on coaching in the sport.