Congratulations to Akiko Iwase on becoming a certified Introduction to Competition Table Tennis coach! For Akiko, this is another important step in her coaching journey and in her preparation to lead Team NT at the 2027 Canada Winter Games in Québec City.
Achieving certification has involved much more than completing a single course. Akiko has worked through the required multisport training, completed the Table Tennis Introduction to Competition training, and successfully completed evaluations including Make Ethical Decisions and Safe Sport requirements.
And, like so many things in Northern sport, she did not do it alone.
Members of the Yellowknife Table Tennis community came together to support Akiko’s evaluation by providing the athletes and training environment she needed to demonstrate her coaching competencies. It is a great example of a community helping one of its coaches take the next step.
But the journey is not finished. Next up is Competition Development, the certification level required for Akiko’s role at the Canada Games. She has only a few multisport courses remaining, followed by the Competition Development Table Tennis course in October and the evaluation process. The goal is to complete everything before the November 29, 2026 Canada Games certification deadline.
One course, one evaluation and one experience at a time, Akiko continues to grow as a coach while preparing for her first Canada Games. Congratulations, Akiko, and thank you to everyone who has helped along the way!
Next stop: Competition Development, and then the Canada Games!