SupportZone

For Athletes

If you feel like you were bullied, harassed or abused or witnessed a person in authority maltreating someone, you can call us to work through the situation. If you are unsure about what to do next, you can call us, and we’ll gladly listen. If you are feeling alone and scared, we’re here to help. You are not alone, and we’ve created SupportZone for this purpose.

For Parents & Administrators

Adults involved with sport (parents, spectators, officials, board members) may observe or be told about behaviours that are concerning and want guidance on how to proceed or intervene. Please contact SupportZone to support you in determining your next steps.

For Coaches

Coaches are required to take on a lot of responsibility. Some are feeling overwhelmed by new rules and expectations. If you are worried you may have inadvertently caused harm to an athlete and want to have a safe space to talk through it, we are here to listen. If you have witnessed something and are unsure whether to report it, we are here to help. Please contact SupportZone to explore strategies to mitigate risk and find value-based solutions.

This anonymous, confidential and independent service offers:

1. A safe space where you can share and validate your concerns with someone who cares and will not judge
2. Emotional support and an opportunity to talk through your feelings and any challenges you are facing with what you have experienced or witnessed
3. The opportunity to discuss available options and possible next steps
4. Information about additional support services and resources

Reaching out for support does not mean you are filing a complaint and all information will remain confidential unless you determine otherwise.

Let’s Chat

SupportZone will put you in touch with Emily Boyes and Heather Cribbin who are certified Co-Active Coaches and are accredited members in good standing with the International Coach Federation. All ethical guidelines of the coaching profession will apply. Emily and Heather are both passionate about working with individuals in communities so that they feel safe, heard and empowered to tackle their present and future challenges. They are committed to ensuring that sport at all levels of participation is an environment where individuals thrive competitively, professionally and personally. Scroll down to learn more about Emily and Heather.

Heather Cribbin

Heather Cribbin is a coach, a parent, and an enthusiastic athlete, who combines a lifetime of navigating sport and high performance from the perspective of each of these roles and stages of life. Her love of all sports motivated her to complete a BA/BPhE, and compete in rowing at Queen’s University and beyond. Physical Injury forced a pause, which redirected her national team intentions, and led her to unexpected adventures. Heather moved to Hong Kong and later to Tokyo, where she worked with multinational communications teams, and competed in triathlon. A decade later Heather went on to earn her DSW at York University, spent her placement year at a women’s shelter in Toronto,  and started a family.

Her own childhood was tilled with summer and winter outdoor activities, which she shared with her own two daughters. They would each go on to specialize in their favoured sports, and excel at the collegiate and national levels individually.

Heather decided to combine her love of high performance sport with her wisdom and experience in the sport eco-system, becoming a certified co-ActIvE Coach and earning her PCC with the International Coach Federation. Her private practice is augmented with education and certifications in Neuroscience, Positive Psychology and Emotional Intelligence

Heather has worked with athletes, students, coaches, and some “sporty” executives, individually and in small groups, for the past decade. She is presently working closely with mental health initiatives in national and provincial sport, and she is affiliated with the Canadian National snowboard team. Heather spends much of her time enjoying the summer and winter pleasures of the mountains in Switzerland and is located in Zurich these days, keeping a home base in Toronto. Heather’s clients are located in both North America and western Europe.

Emily Boyes

Emil Boyes grew up dancing competitively and canoeing Northern Ontario and Quebec’s rivers and lakes. Her upbringing cultivated a deep appreciation for sport and nature, leading her to become an avid whitewater kayaker and canoeist and pursue a diploma in Adventure guiding and a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Adventure Sport and Sociology from Thompson Rivers University.

Emily has over ten years of experience instructing and coaching youth in whitewater canoeing and kayaking while helping them navigate the physical and emotional challenges of sport and adolescence. After craving a more diverse set of skills to better support her work, Emily started her leadership coaching journey in 2013 through the Co-active Training Institute and became a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach and an Associate Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation. She also has a Master of Education in Leadership Studies from the University of Victoria.

In 2020, Emily founded Threshold Coaching, a leadership coaching business offering 1:1 leadership coaching and workshops designed for outdoor education professionals interested in learning how to be more coach-like in their work and navigate leadership challenges more effectively.

Emily lives in Victoria, British Columbia with her partner Olivia Apps, captain of the Canadian women’s 7s national rugby team, and dog Charlie. In her free time, she enjoys any wilderness water-based activity, cooking, and volunteers as a member of the Sexual Assault Response Team at the Victoria Sexual Assault Centre. She also works as the National Risk and Safety Director at Outward Bound Canada. Emily is eager to get to know and be of value to the Ontario Artistic Swimming community and looks forward to connecting.

Please contact Emily Boyes and Heather Cribbin at contact@supportzone.ca to set up a time to chat.