Be a Coach

The Challenge

Community sport in Lethbridge was facing a volunteer crisis.

The pandemic broke the habit of volunteering. When organized sport resumed, there were plenty of kids ready to play but not enough adults willing to coach.

The Lethbridge Sport Council knew the problem wasn’t just logistics. It was perception.

The traditional image of a coach is an expert. A former athlete. Someone who knows the plays and commands the sideline. That archetype alienates most people. Parents think they’re not qualified. Students think they’re too young. People who love sport but never played at a high level assume the role isn’t for them.

LSC needed to change the story.

The Solution

We produced a documentary web series called “Be a Coach.”

Five episodes. Five coaches. Five completely different paths into sport leadership.

Each film followed a real person in the Lethbridge sport community, captured in documentary style. No scripts. No staged scenes. Just honest conversations about why they coach and what it’s given them.

Chad Chief Moon — Indigenous lacrosse leader working to restore “The Creator’s Game” to Kainai youth. His coaching is cultural reclamation.

Kamryn Sandberg — University of Lethbridge student who founded Blind Ambition, the city’s first dragon boat team for visually impaired athletes. She’s 21 years old.

Dave Zeeb — A father who wanted his daughters to play badminton. There was no club. So he built one. Zero experience. Over 100 members in seven months.

Chantelle Erickson — A runner who turned to sport to heal from postpartum depression. Now she coaches other women through wellness and trail running.

Keegan Brantner — Former Pronghorns rugby player who transitioned from athlete to assistant coach, proving that giving back is part of the journey.

The series wasn’t about tactics or credentials. It was about connection, character, and culture.

We focused on the human story because that’s what breaks down barriers. When a parent sees Dave Zeeb admit he wasn’t an expert but started a club anyway, they think: maybe I could do that too.

The Result

The series became the centrepiece of LSC’s “Lethbridge Game Changers” initiative. It screened at the annual conference, ran across social media, and drove traffic to a new Sport Volunteer Portal where potential coaches could sign up with a single form.

The impact was tangible.

Dave Zeeb’s Lethbridge Badminton Club grew from nothing to over 100 members. He was named Sport Administrator of the Year and joined the LSC board.

Kamryn Sandberg won the Knud Petersen Spirit in Sport Award and launched blind lacrosse in Alberta, the first program of its kind in the province.

Chad Chief Moon’s work with Kainai Lacrosse sent athletes to the North American Indigenous Games and international tournaments.

But the real metric was harder to measure.

The series gave people permission. It showed that you don’t need to be an expert to be a coach. You need to care. You need to show up. The technical knowledge can be learned. The character and connection can’t be taught.

That’s the story LSC needed to tell. And that’s the story we captured.

The Coaches

Chad Chief Moon — “Help Others See Themselves as Coaches” Indigenous lacrosse leader restoring “The Creator’s Game” to Kainai youth. Founder of Kainai Lacrosse and Chief Mountain Lacrosse. His coaching is reconciliation in action.

Kamryn Sandberg — “Blind Ambition” University of Lethbridge Kinesiology student. Founded Lethbridge’s first dragon boat team for visually impaired athletes. Launched Alberta’s first blind lacrosse program at 21 years old.

Dave Zeeb — “Be the Solution” Father who wanted his daughters to play badminton. No club existed. He started one with zero experience. Over 100 members in seven months. Named Sport Administrator of the Year.

Chantelle Erickson — “If I Can Do It, So Can You” Runner who found healing from postpartum depression through sport. Now coaches wellness-focused running for women, including pre- and postnatal moms.

Keegan Brantner — “Provide Skills for Sport and Life” Former University of Lethbridge Pronghorns rugby player. Transitioned from athlete to assistant coach. Now teaches in the Department of Kinesiology, proving coaching is a professional pathway.

The Approach

We used documentary-style filmmaking to capture authentic stories.

No scripts. No staged interviews. We followed each coach in their environment, whether that was a lacrosse field on the Blood Reserve, a dragon boat on the river, or a badminton court in a school gym.

We used compact gear to stay unobtrusive. Large camera rigs intimidate non-professional subjects. Smaller equipment let us capture genuine moments without altering behaviour.

Each episode followed a narrative arc:

The Confession — The coach admits a vulnerability. “I wasn’t an expert.” “I didn’t know if I was ready.”

The Revelation — They discover that technical perfection isn’t required. Showing up and caring is most of the job.

The Demonstration — B-roll shows the coach successfully engaging with happy, active participants.

The Invitation — The video ends with an appeal to the viewer. If they can do it, so can you.

This structure transforms a recruitment video into a hero’s journey the viewer is invited to join.

The Context

The “Be a Coach” series was the public-facing component of LSC’s broader “Lethbridge Game Changers” initiative, developed in partnership with sport consultancy FSQ Sport.

The initiative is built on the “5 Cs” framework:

• Competence — Technical skill
• Confidence — Self-belief
• Connection — Bonds with people and community
• Character — Integrity and empathy
• Culture — Safe, welcoming environment

Most potential volunteers worry they lack Competence. The series focused on Connection, Character, and Culture to show that being a good person who cares about kids is 80% of what it takes to be a great coach.

The technical knowledge can be learned. The character can’t be taught.