Kristine
Drakich

Kristine Drakich was born into volleyball. Her mom, Mary, was a member of the women’s national team. Her father, Eli, taught himself how to play the sport after meeting Mary, becoming involved off the court as a coach and volunteer. Her brother, Ed, who would eventually be a National Team and Beach National Team athlete himself, grew up playing volleyball, ultimately convincing her to try out in high school.

That decision shaped her entire life. Kristine made that first team and then went on to play for the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women’s volleyball team from 1983 to 1986, being named team captain and an All-Canadian. She continued to climb the athlete ladder, going on to compete for the Canadian indoor and beach national teams.

After the indoor team failed to qualify for the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Kristine returned to the U of T. However, her time there as an athlete was cut short as she suffered a torn ACL, effectively ending her playing career.

That winter, Sport Canada was offering a mentorship program for women. The Varsity Blues coach at the time wasn’t returning the following year and the university’s athletic director, Liz Hoffman, asked if Kristine would be interested in the role. While Kristine had never thought about coaching as a career, she applied for the position and was accepted. She thought that she would coach for a few years until she figured out what was next. Her first season as the Blues women’s volleyball head coach was 1989-90 – a position she still holds 33 years later.

Under her leadership, the Blues have qualified for the OUA’s Final Four in 31 of 32 years, including 22 consecutive appearances from 1990 to 2010. Her teams have won the OUA Championship 11 times. In 2015-16, the team had a perfect 25-0 season to win their second-straight OUA title and then went on to win the program’s first-ever U SPORTS National Championship.

Kristine has been honoured as OUA East Coach of the Year 11 times and in 2014-15, she earned U Sports Coach of the Year recognition. She’s also been awarded Ontario Volleyball and 3M National High Performance Coach of the Year. Her career at the U of T has evolved over the years, including becoming an athletic instructor in the Faculty of Physical Education and Health.

Kristine’s coaching career didn’t end with her position at the University. She’s coached at international levels for both indoor and beach volleyball, leading Team Canada at the 19U and 21U World Beach Volleyball Championships, and the Canadian Junior National Team at the NORCECA Championships. Kristine has also coached at the Canada Games for Team Ontario, again coaching both on the court and in the sand.

Kristine’s work in the sport doesn’t stop on the sidelines either. She has delivered many workshops, reaching hundreds of women on issues such as body image in sport, female athletes and coaches, and gender equity. She’s served on numerous committees and task forces, including the Gender Equity Task Force, President of the OVA, and was a leader in the development of an anti-harassment policy with a focus on reducing homophobia in sport.

In 2014, she was awarded the CAAWS Marion Lay “Herstorical” Breakthrough Award, presented by the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS). This award is presented in honour of gender equity advocate and founding mother of CAAWS, Marion Lay, to an individual, group, or organization whose distinct contribution exceeds 10 years and has influenced and/or broken down barriers to equal participation for girls and women in sport.

Kristine has volunteered with many organizations, from international events with the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) and the International University Sports Federation (FISU) to nationally with U SPORTS and Volleyball Canada, as well as provincially with the Ontario Volleyball Association (OVA). She was also the Sport Organizing Chair for volleyball at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.

Kristine’s contributions were recognized with her induction into the University of Toronto’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2001 and into the Ontario Volleyball Association’s Hall of Fame in 2018.

Kristine has been a trailblazer for coaches in all disciplines of sport. She is regularly mentioned as a mentor for the generations of coaches that have followed her path. She has inspired us all with her leadership, her passion, and her dedication to bettering the future of the sport. Today, we are honoured to induct Kristine Drakich as a Coach into the Volleyball Canada Hall of Fame in recognition of her outstanding career in our sport.