The Olds College Broncos women's volleyball team will have a new face patrolling the sidelines in the 2019-20 season.
Rhonda Schmuland will join the Broncos as the team's new head coach, succeeding Ryan Marsden, who will remain as head coach of Olds College's men's volleyball team.
Schmuland is honoured and grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Broncos family.
"I believe Olds College and the greater community of Olds has a lot to offer our young women as they pursue their academic and athletic goals," she said. "I am excited for the chance to work with a passionate group of athletes alongside an experienced and supportive team of coaches and administrators."
Schmuland comes to Olds College with a decorated resume in volleyball, transferring to the Trinity Western University Spartans in 2002 after one season at Briercrest College, where she was named to the ACAC All-Conference team.
She was team captain for three of her four seasons at Trinity Western, earning Canada West Second Team All-Star honours in 2004-05.
She was also a four-time U SPORTS (formerly CIS) Academic All-Canadian, and she received the prestigious Thérèse Quigley Award in 2005-06 for her outstanding achievements in academics, community involvement and volleyball.
Schmuland credits her time at Trinity Western and Briercrest for shaping her philosophy on developing student-athletes personally and professionally, and she believes Olds College is on a similar path.
"I was looking for a place where academics and athletics can be balanced with leadership and personal development and athletes can be given tools to pursue excellence in all aspects of life, tools that they can take with them as they graduate," she said.
"Broncos Athletics is striving to create that kind of environment and it is exciting to have the chance to be part of it."
After a stint playing professionally in France, Schmuland returned to Canada and turned her attention to coaching, and she has remained involved at the high school, club and provincial levels for over a decade. This summer, she will be the head coach for Team Alberta's under-15 women's team.
She also has an extensive background in physiotherapy, having completed her master's degree in physical therapy at the University of Alberta in 2010. During her time in Edmonton, she was the team therapist for the University of Alberta Golden Bears when they captured the U SPORTS men's volleyball national championship in 2009.
Linda Henderson, athletic director at Olds College, is excited to have Schmuland on board.
"Rhonda is an exceptional person on and off the court," she said. "She is a professional in every way with a very accomplished resume. Her ability to relate to our student-athletes with her experiences as a volleyball player both at the post-secondary level and as a professional athlete will be a huge asset to our women's team."
Schmuland is eager to hit the court with her team and begin the process of pushing the program forward.
"Each athlete will bring a unique set of strengths to our program and I aspire to build upon these strengths and tactically use them to our advantage as we compete against some of the ACAC's top programs," she said.
"Change takes patience, perseverance, dedication and hard work, but I believe that through embodying these characteristics, the Broncos women's volleyball team will strive for excellence academically and athletically, and will become a strong contender in our conference."
