Bob Sharp
Hall of Fame
Bob knew how to translate words in manuals to work on the mat. When he arrived in the Yukon as the Principal of the Ross River School in 1968, he began coaching wrestling.
The wrestling team enjoyed a series of clean finishes and won matches against older teams in the Whitehorse games. Immediately Bob began coaching cross-country skiing, spurred by a presentation on the TEST Ski program by Father Mouchet and Father Veyrat. He returned to his Alberta roots to solicit much-needed equipment and was gifted with jockstraps, mats, running shoes and miscellaneous items left in gym lockers.
Bob adapted the running shoes to ski “boots” and took his athletes to Inuvik and Old Crow for the Top of the World X Country Ski Championships. His wrestlers travelled to competitions in Alaska as well as the national championships. Still a contender in 1970, Bob competed in the National Wrestling Championships in Whitehorse. After breaking his rib in the second match, he stuck to coaching.
While making Old Crow his home between 1972 to 1976, Bob focussed on coaching cross-country skiing. When he became Vice-Principal of Whitehorse Elementary School, Bob renewed his passion for coaching wrestling. He was instrumental in renewing Yukon’s national status with the Canadian Amateur Wrestling Association. The number of Yukon teams grew and wrestling became increasingly active, spreading into South East Alaska competitions. For a dozen years, Bob continued upgrading his coaching skills through seminars at Simon Fraser University and in Jasper, Alberta. He took his skills across the ocean and continued coaching in New Zealand, and eventually began work on his Level III Certification.
A true mentor, Bob developed athlete training journals to guide and encourage athletes in taking a larger role in their training and development. By taking the lead and cultivating a protocol allowing male coaches to coach female athletes, the first and most crucial step to involving more females in the sport of wrestling was secured. Bob has enjoyed and excelled at coaching Yukon athletes at the Arctic Winter Games, Western Canada Summer Games, Canada Summer Games and the National Championships — all between 1968 and 2002.
Bob considers his top honour being a father and the first coach to world medallist Erica Sharp.