Volleyball Nova Scotia is pleased to announce the selection of the 2025 Canada Summer Games Beach and Indoor Head Coaches. Congratulations, Beate Shannon (female beach), Harrison Callaghan (male beach), Allison Saunders (female indoor) and Tyler Simmons (male indoor).

These four coaches will lead the oldest Team Nova Scotia beach and indoor programs during the 2024 provincial team seasons, and finish their cycle leading programs at the 2025 Summer Canada Games in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

 

Beate Shannon (Halifax) continues to be an integral member of Nova Scotia’s growing beach volleyball community, in both recreational and performance pathways. She is in her third year leading the University of King’s College Blue Devils indoor women’s program, is the club founder/director/head coach of HRM based beach volleyball club ScotiaBeach, and led 2023 Team NS female beach teams at Volleyball Canada Beach Nationals. Beate is no stranger to the Canada Games. She most recently led the female beach program through the 2022 Games in Niagara, Ontario, and was also a guest coach and Mission Staff for the 2017 indoor female program in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Beate currently works for the Halifax Regional Municipality within the Infrastructure Maintenance & Operations and Construction section.

• What are your thoughts on being named a Team Nova Scotia Head Coach for the 2025 Canada Summer Games? 

  • I am very excited at the opportunity to coach another Canada Games cycle with Volleyball Nova Scotia. There are many exciting athletes in the province  that will make it an competitive training environment and challenging selection process.  

• What excites you most about the upcoming coaching journey? 

  • Canada Games is an amazing multi-sport event. I look forward to working with beach athletes in preparation for the 2025 games. I bring previous experience as Mission Staff for the 2017 games in Winnipeg and as Head Coach for the 2022 Games in Niagara. These different roles have given me different perspectives on what it takes to be successful at the games. I look forward to preparing athletes to bring their best to the games and perform at a high level and their post secondary careers. 

• How would you describe yourself as a coach? 

  • I foster a learning environment for athletes to develop well rounded athletes, both on and off the court. My coaching philosophy is athlete centric, involving athletes in feedback and discussion for growth, creating an inclusive and safe environment where growth can come from mistakes and continuous learning. My core values include hard work, integrity, honesty, and accountability. A strong sense of team is important to beach so there will be focus on communication, teamwork and developing partnerships. 

 

Harrison Callaghan (Truro) has spent considerable time on the beach and in the gym. As an athlete, he was a part of the 2017 Canada Games male beach program, while also competing as a member of the Dalhousie University Men’s Indoor Volleyball Team. He is a regular competitor in VNS male beach leagues as well as Atlantic Beach Tour tournaments, and has coached within the ScotiaBeach club. Harrison was most recently an assistant coach and training player for the 2022 Canada Games beach male program that finished 4th in Niagara, a springboard event for NS athlete Tynan Gannet joining the Volleyball Canada Full Time Next Gen Program. Currently, Harrison is a student within the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University.

• What are your thoughts on being named a Team Nova Scotia Head Coach for the 2025 Canada Summer Games? 

  • To use a beach-appropriate expression, I’m stoked! I accept responsibility for guiding these young adult athletes in their Canada Games journey. I hope to administer a high-performance training program that fosters self-growth, that strengthens physical and mental fitness, and that nurtures a love of the sport. 

• What excites you most about the upcoming coaching journey? 

  • The Canada Games are immensely exciting! It is a unique opportunity that few people get to experience. It is likely that the Games will be one of the athletes’ best memories. I am grateful to play an active part in making the experience special. More globally, I am excited to witness the personal and athletic development of these young adult athletes. 

• How would you describe yourself as a coach?

  • My coaching style changes based on the athletes that are on my team. Everybody learns differently, everybody is motivated differently, and everybody has different reasons for being on the sand.I think of myself as no more than a member of the team, with the same degree of power and responsibility as the athletes. In this way, my role is to provide the athletes autonomy over their training, to engage with them to set goals, to support them in attaining those goals. Beyond that, I am an energetic, tactical and personable coach.

 

Allison Saunders (Sydney) is a consistent coaching figure within Team NS female indoor programming since 2020. She was an assistant coach through the 2022 Canada Games cycle for the female indoor program in Niagara, Ontario, before co-Head Coaching the 16U female indoor Team NS program in 2023. In addition to her Team NS experiences, she is in her 3rd year on-court with the female Provincial Excellence Program, has participated in VNS’s Coach Advancement Program, and has been a coach with the Bedford Blizzard since 2015. Allison also supports the larger provincial sport community as the Community Coaching Lead with the Canadian Sport Institute - Atlantic.

• What are your thoughts on being named a Team Nova Scotia Head Coach for the 2025 Canada Summer Games?

  • You don't get many second chances in life, or sport, so to have the opportunity to attend a second Canada Games is pretty special. In St. John's, no less! I'm excited to go into this process armed with the lessons I learned during the 2022 Games cycle, the ongoing personal/professional growth that that experience inspired, and a pretty clear vision of what is possible. I can't wait to get started.

• What excites you most about the upcoming coaching journey?

  • I love the opportunity to help build something from the ground up. After spending last summer training with 16U Team Nova Scotia, I know that this is an incredibly athletic and hard-working age group that's full of learners. I look forward to spending the next 18ish months working with some great coaches to empower these athletes to take risks, embrace challenges and be at their best (and ready to battle) by August 2025.

• How would you describe yourself as a coach?

  • As a coach, I take a very human-first approach. To get the most out of athletes—and teams—we need to make sure the humans are supported, valued and understood. With that in mind, I strive to build environments that breed trust and am driven by the core values of communication, athlete autonomy, authenticity, growth and fun (obviously).

 

Tyler Simmons (North Preston) is a recognized contributor within Volleyball Nova Scotia’s community. He is a champion of grassroots development, leading Smashball programs for VNS in his home community, as well as in the summer’s at the Pemamkiaq Beach courts in Dartmouth. In addition to being a long-time assistant coach with the MSVU Women’s Indoor Volleyball Team, he has led Team NS male indoor programming since 2022, is currently leading the male Provincial Excellence Program, and has participated in VNS’s Coach Advancement Program. Tyler is an elementary teacher at St Joseph’s-Alexander McKay Elementary school in Halifax.

• What are your thoughts on being named a Team Nova Scotia Head Coach for the 2025 Canada Summer Games? 

  • Being appointed the head coach has been an absolute privilege. I am excited to go on this journey with the team, as we both learn and grow together. I am proud to be able to help guide the team on an unforgettable experience and represent Nova Scotia in the 2025 games.

• What excites you most about the upcoming coaching journey? 

  • What excites me the most is watching the athletes grow. I am also excited to watch myself grow along in the process. Getting to compete with the top coaches and athletes across Canada is something that will also be an unforgettable experience. 

• How would you describe yourself as a coach? 

  • As a coach, I prioritize athletes at the core of my approach, fostering a learning environment that's both competitive and supportive. I advocate for self-improvement and reflection, aiming to create an atmosphere where each athlete can grow through self-learning and continuous improvement.

“I’m very excited that these four incredible humans will be supporting NS athletes and coaches in their respective programs”, says VNS Development Director Jon Elliott. “They all share and live the VNS Development Pathway values of Relationships and Trust, Participant Health, and Excellence, as well as having tremendous relevant sport experience. I’m looking forward to working with each coach to build the framework of their programs, and to get to work on athlete identification and coaching staff recruitment”, Elliott adds.

The Canada Games are the largest multi-sport event in Canada. There are over 5000 athletes competing in over 20 sports. They are held every two years, alternating between summer and winter games. The last summer games were held in Niagara,Ontario in 2022.