Terry Saunders

Commitment, dedication, effort, integrity. These are words that only have a true value when they are translated into action. For Terry Saunders, that transfer from idea to action has been a lifelong passion.

Terry is a lifetime resident of Bridgetown. Before graduating from BRHS in 1982 he had been a key team member of four provincial championship teams, two in soccer and two in hockey. That graduation year he would be a member of the 1982-83 Juvenile “B” Hawks Provincial Hockey Champions, a team also being inducted in 2012.

Throughout his youth, he excelled at athletics and demonstrated significant leadership potential. Upon graduation he attended Teachers College and achieved his teaching license. It was not surprising that Terry would also follow in his father’s footsteps and continue his involvement in sport through coaching.

Through the ensuing years, Terry’s teams have become well known for being fit and “ready to do battle.” Perhaps more importantly, Terry has also pursued a personal technical excellence and his teams are known far and wide for being technically schooled. In soccer, Terry is a Level III theory coach and a Level II practicum coach. In 2009, he attended the Oscar National Training Centre in Brazil, receiving a Brazilian Coaching certification for soccer. In hockey he has earned an Advanced Level I National certification, the second highest coaching certification you can attain in that sport.

His passion for sport and his pursuit of excellence have resulted in the following achievements for teams with Terry as a coach:

• 2003-2004 – Western Valley “AAA” Peewee Hockey – Silver medalists at Provincials
• 2004 – U14 Tier 2 Provincial Soccer Champions
• 2005 – U12 Tier 2 Provincial Soccer Champions
• 2006-2007 – NSSAF Division III Boys Soccer Provincial Champions
• 2006 -2007 – NSSAF Division III Boys Hockey Western Region Champions
• 2007-2008 – NSSAF Division III Boys Soccer Provincial Champions
• 2008-2009 – NSSAF Division III Boys Soccer Provincial Champions
• 2008-2009 – NSSAF Division III Boys Hockey Provincial Champions
• 2009-2010 – NSSAF Division III Boys Soccer Provincial Champions
• 2009-2010 – Nova Scotia Provincial Champions, Midget “A” Hockey
• 2010-2011 – Nova Scotia Major Bantam Hockey League, third at provincials

Beyond the Head Coaching duties and the resulting championships, Terry has assisted many other coaches in the preparation of their teams and he is currently one of five Directors of the newly created Trojan Sports Centre.

Perhaps most importantly of all, he has instilled in his players, win or lose, the concepts of commitment, dedication, effort and integrity. In the end, those types of attributes are not the most visible legacy, but they are arguably the most enduring.