NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN - Tyler Olson of the Medicine Hat College Rattlers men's volleyball team hits against the Olds Broncos Oct. 22, 2016. Olson was named the Rattlers' interim coach Thursday, succeeding Mark Porter, seen at his left in this photo.
Last year he played. Now Tyler Olson is going to coach the Medicine Hat College men’s volleyball team.
Olson, who finished his last season of college eligibility this past spring, was announced Thursday as the team’s interim coach following the sudden resignation of Mark Porter three weeks ago.
“We saw an opportunity for a young man to begin his professional coach development under the guidance of an experienced mentor in Kim Stonehouse,” said college sport and wellness manager Terry Ballard in a press release.
Stonehouse, the women’s volleyball coach, will continue to assist the men’s team.
Olson came to Medicine Hat three years ago from Olds College, stepping up both on and off the court wit the program. In a largely backup role he played in 21 matches, but it was his work with the Rattlers charitable initiatives that earned him the most praise.
In 2018 he was a co-winner of the Lisa Tschritter Memorial Award for community work, leading the student-athlete leadership group.
Still a business student at the college, Olson takes on a team that has struggled to a 3-9 record in the first half of the season. Their next match isn’t until Jan. 10, fittingly against Olds where he played two seasons.
Ballard told the News when Porter’s announcement happened that the other half of his role with community involvement would be taken on by existing staff member Kristina Segall.
