Dave Brubaker has a new job.
The club director and head coach at Sarnia's Bluewater Gymnastics for the past 29 years has been named national team director for women's artistic gymnastics with Gymnastics Canada.
“It's an exciting time,” said Brubaker. “Honestly, I never imagined I’d be in this position.”
The deal, effective June 1, is for two years with the possibility of an additional two-year extension.
Several cohorts in the gymnastics community suggested he apply for the job, and Brubaker decided to let his name stand provided he could retain his position with Bluewater Gymnastics.
“The best thing about this is I really have a vote of confidence from my colleagues,” he said. “It says a lot about the type of people I’m going to be dealing with.”
Gymnastics Canada says Brubaker will bring experience, knowledge and passion to his new role.
With today's technology, Brubaker said very little should change from an administrative standpoint at the local club, and the time commitment with the national organization shouldn’t be appreciably different from his time away when he coached elite athletes like Dominique Pegg, Talia Chiarelli and Emma Willis over the past decade.
“I can still provide a lot of leadership to the (local) club,” said Brubaker, 51.
The next tests for the national team are the Commonwealth Games in Scotland this summer, the World Championships in China in October, and Toronto's Pan American Games in 2015.
- Barry Wright