In his final year as principal at Duncan Christian School, Jeremy Tinsley was honoured with one of Vancouver Island’s top school sports coaching awards.
Tinsley received the Brian Craig Memorial Award from the Central Vancouver Island Athletic Association for 2019-20. The award is presented annually to one male and one female coach, going to a CVIAA coach “who through coaching techniques and philosophy best epitomizes the qualities of Sportsmanship and Fair Play.”
A co-coach, along with Mike Dunn, of Duncan Christian’s Grade 8 boys basketball team this past year, Tinsley has coached both boys and girls basketball over his 12 years at the school.
“All of Jeremy’s players consistently feel honoured and valued as they learn the game and develop their skills,” DCS athletic director Tom Veenstra said. “He is a great encourager and motivator. Jeremy’s focused, enthusiastic and masterful coaching style is highly respected by his athletes, colleagues, fellow coaches and officials. He totally emphasizes fair play and sportsmanship.”
Tinsley started coaching basketball when he was first hired as the school’s assistant principal. In his first year as principal, in 2013, he supported the school as it hosted two provincial volleyball championships just a week apart, the first time in B.C. School Sports history that one school had played host to two provincial tournaments in the same season. Over his remaining years as principal, Tinsley helped the school host three more provincial tournaments for a total of five in seven years.
Tinsley also helped start up Duncan Christian’s boys soccer program, which led to the school hosting provincials in 2018.
During the 2019-20 season, DCS’s junior boys and girls teams both defeated Vancouver Christian at their respective B.C. Christian championships. Next year, those battles will take on even more meaning as Tinsley and his daughter Sophia, one of Duncan Christian’s top Grade 9 basketball and volleyball players this past year, are off to Vancouver Christian.
“We joked with the students in morning assembly about the real reason why Mr. Tinsley is heading to Vancouver,” DCS athletic director Tom Veenstra said in February. “To help develop Vancouver Christian’s basketball program.”