In April, the Gaels announced John Lavery will be stepping in to lead the Queen’s Men’s Rugby team.
Most recently, Lavery was the head coach of the Concordia Stingers. His combined record while leading the Stingers was 12 to seven, including a conference championship.
Leading up to his initiation into Queen’s Men’s Rugby, Lavery’s most prominent achievements come not from the game itself, but from the unique experiences he’s had that allow him to foster the development of young athletes.
“It’s a human profession, in terms of being proud you’re not always talking about championships and stuff. You’re talking about witnessing personal growth in young people, fostering positive values,” Lavery said in an interview with The Journal.
Although Lavery has found success both as a player and coach, Lavery’s love for coaching stems from his work in education and youth services over the past 20 years.
“In terms of what I’m proud of, it’s the relationships I’ve built. Kids are athletes during difficult periods, and being a presence in their life, that is helpful,” Lavery said. “When I think about my job as a coach, above anything else I’ve got somebody else’s kids, and in my care for them, for that time we’re connected. That’s the kind of stuff I want the Queen’s community to know that I’m about before any other stuff.”
Lavery said he’ll bring a fresh perspective on the game.
“My coaching training was largely based on a French model and a New Zealand model, where it’s a little bit less directive and it’s a bit freer,” he added. He believes this perspective is exactly what this roster of Gaels needs, and although it will come with its fair share of growing pains, he believes his ability to foster connections and help the athlete’s mentality will ease the process.
While helping at different rugby programs in Kingston throughout the summer, Lavery has already had the pleasure of meeting a number of his players, and he had nothing but positive words to say about not just the athleticism of the young men but also the character with which they carry themselves.
“Every guy I’ve spoken to, and I’ve spoken to probably about a third of them now, is just asking ‘how can I contribute, how can I help us be successful?’ and when you have that, there’s not a lot you can’t do.”
Lavery took some time to specifically credit the captain, Eric Godden Sci ’24 for his leadership skills both on and off Nixon Field.
“There’s that common Muhammad Ali thing where if you can’t treat the waiter with respect, we can’t have a conversation—he is the embodiment of that. The other day we were driving down the street leaving the Kingston Panthers practice, and it’s over at the south-east end, and he saw this kid from practice taking the bus, he literally pulled a U-ey into the lot and sent one of the other boys to go pick him up,” Lavery said.
The anecdotes and stories Lavery shared about the character of his team served two purposes. The first being to validate how his philosophy on coaching would resonate and prove to be beneficial for this group of athletes. Second, to express his excitement working with such an extraordinary group of competitors and people in general.
“Get behind this group of boys, because I think they’re going to do something special this year. And I know rugby is not always seen as the most inclusive environment, but I would like to see that change. I would like to see our home games become an everybody thing, in the best possible way.”
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