Camosun Chargers men’s volleyball head coach Charles Parkinson has announced that he is stepping back from coaching.
Parkinson—who started with the Chargers in 2007 and is nicknamed the “winningest coach” that Camosun has ever had—says that although he’s taking a break from coaching, he’ll still be working at the college.
“I’m faculty here,” says Parkinson. “I am the program leader for the Sport Management degree program. That’s my teaching responsibility, and although I’m leaving the coaching position, I haven’t retired from any teaching positions. I will still be around the college as my professional role as an instructor.”
Parkinson has spent the last 14 years building a legacy of wins and memories.
“I remember once when we were playing in Charlottetown in PEI, the night we won, there was a blizzard, so we couldn’t get out until the following Tuesday,” he says. “We had an awful lot of time to celebrate that win. No staff could get to the hotel so we ended up just having the run of the hotel for three days. The worst thing was that it was a long weekend and I was supposed to come back because my wife and I were supposed to be going away on a getaway… I didn’t get back until Tuesday… It was quite a blizzard, and quite a story. I think that was 2015. But it was still a great victory.”
Parkinson says that his greatest memories still exist in the coaching of the players and seeing their achievements grow.
“All the players that have gone through here and given so much, it’s so awesome to get to coach these young guys who have so much energy and enthusiasm and positivity,” he says. “You can’t help but stay young and stay positive. You get to go the gym with guys who are really trying to be excellent, who have such a positive outlook on their own athletics and their future, and maybe they will be the leaders of tomorrow. If we get to teach them a few life lessons on the journey that they’re on, it’s just so rewarding to do that. I still stay in touch with a lot of them over the years and if they come to town and reach out to me, they’ll come into a practice and meet the new guys we have. It’s all part of the culture that we have here.”
Camosun students Morgan Humphreys and Vitor Pereira have both played volleyball under Parkinson.
“He’s been like a mentor and teacher to me, being part of the Sport Management Program,” says Humphreys. “He will go out of his way to support an individual.”
“Charles’ ability to communicate is unique,” says Pereira. “He knows when to be tough, when to joke around, and when to listen to what athletes and assistant coaches have to say.”
Parkinson is leaving coaching, but he says he’ll be taking more than just the “winningest coach” nickname with him as he moves ahead in life.
“I’m going to be taking 14 years of memories with me that will sustain me for the rest of my life,” he says. “It’s not about the winning, it’s really about the steps that we take in the journey—that’s where the fun lies. I always say to the guys, it’s not about the destination, it’s about the trip that takes you there. All the road trips we took, all the times your character’s on trial, that is where the friendships are born. It may sound cliche, but it’s actually true.”