Canadian Volleyball Legend Joins Pakmen
Written by Nishaan Sodhi
Former OUA Coach of the Year, Orest Stanko, will be joining the Pakmen coaching staff for the upcoming season.
We are pleased to announce that Orest Stanko will be the joining Pakmen for the upcoming season. Stanko brings with him an impeccable reputation and wealth of volleyball experience. As the former head coach of the University of Toronto Mens’ Volleyball team, Orest won a record 13 OUA championships and was awarded OUA Coach of the Year seven (7) times!
Kelly Smith, president of Pakmen Volleyball claims it was not Orest’s winning record that impressed him the most. “Yes, Orest is a winner. But his real strength is the respect his former players have for him. I have spoken to at least a dozen over the years and they have nothing but the highest regards for him.”
Dustin Reid was coached by Orest while playing for the University of Toronto, and later went on to play for the National Team. “I’ve been learning about volleyball from Orest for over 20 years,” says Reid, now the Head Coach of the Ryerson Rams Women’s team. “I believe his passion for our sport combined with the ability to bring out the best in those he works with him make him a special coach. It’s inspiring to see him to continue to make a difference in volleyball.
Stanko will be head coach of the under-15 boys team; moving up to coach the club’s senior teams in the future.
“Orest brings a long history of success as both a player and coach,” said Queen’s University Head Coach Brenda Willis. I would expect him to be a tremendous asset in any club. Pakmen Volleyball Club is quite lucky to have secured his services” We are indeed.
It will be exciting to see what the future has in store for the club. In the future, Stanko will move on to coach the club’s senior teams.
In the past, we’ve been fortunate to have clinics and and training sessions from many renowned coaches including Lennard Krapp, Jeff Chung, and Wally Dyba. This is the first time a coach of Stanko’s caliber will be with Pakmen for the long term.
Jeff Chung, a former national team member was coached by Stanko during his university career at the University of Toronto . When asked about his experiences with Stanko, Chung had this to say, “Orest is a colorful character and always finds a way to get the very best from his athletes. He holds the OUA record for most titles; and consecutive titles from 1995-1999. Orest is arguably one of the best motivational coaches that we’ve had in Ontario.”
Welcome to the Pakmen Family Orest!
Volleyball Experience & Accomplishments
– Seneca College Men’s Volleyball Team – Head Coach, 1979/80
– University of Toronto Men’s Volleyball Team – Head Coach, 1981-2004
– 13 OUA Championships
– CIS National Championships – 1985/bronze, 1991/silver
– OUA Coach of the Year – seven (7) times
– Ontario Canada Games Team – Head Coach, 1986, 1989 Canada Games (4 Canadian National Beach Volleyball Team – Head Coach, 1999 Pan Am Games, Winnipeg
– Gold Medal, Jody Holden and Conrad Leinemann
– Canadian National Women’s Beach Volleyball Team – Head Coach, 2001
– 24U National Beach Volleyball Champions – Head Coach, 2002/03
– Josh Binstock and Brian Hiebert
– 2008 U19 Beach Volleyball World Championships, The Hague, Netherlands – Head of Delegation/Team Leader
– Canadian National Beach Team Program – October 2011 to March 2012, Assistant Coach
– Thomas R. Loudon Award Recipient 2002 – for outstanding service in the advancement of athletics at the University of Toronto
– Syl Apps Special Achievement Award 2003 – for outstanding service to OFSAA and school sports
– University of Toronto Sports Hall of Fame – two (2) time inductee: June 2006 (1982 men’s volleyball team); June 2009 (builder category)
Other
– NCCP Certification – Indoor volleyball and Beach volleyball
– Ontario Volleyball Association (OVA) – Board of Directors (VP Beach) – 1998-2005
– Volleyball Canada National Beach Tour – Tournament Director 1991-2002
– Volleyball Canada Beach High Performance Committee – Chairperson, 2003 to 2010
– Sport4Ontario – Board of Directors, 2008 to 2010
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