How do you follow a legend?
Chris Voth is accepting the challenge. The 33-year-old Winnipeg native was hired last week to replace outgoing University of Winnipeg men’s volleyball coach Larry McKay.
McKay announced his retirement in May after two U Sports national championships, three national coach of the year awards and 35 years on the job.
“For sure, there’s pressure,” said Voth Tuesday from Gatineau, Que., where he is serving his fourth summer as the lead assistant on Canada’s NextGen (U23) national men’s team. “I know Larry has shoes that are impossibly large to fill — I don’t think I could ever live up to the dynasty that he’s built. But I hope to bring my own brand of volleyball and excitement to the team. The team is hungry.”
Voth, whose national team playing career ending following the 2016 Summer Olympics, has been playing professionally in Europe since his U Sports career at the University of Manitoba ended in 2013.
Since 2021-22, Voth has coached with Swiss club team Amriswil. He returned for a one-year stint as a player/coach in Amriswil for the 2022-23 season before devoting himself to coaching fulltime last season.
“It was difficult,” said Voth of the dual role. “There were still a lot of responsibilities with the team as a coach and then with the added work of having to maintain myself physically. It was tough. I got injured a little bit and that kind of put a damper on the season but I got my answer to just stay as coach. I no longer had that same urge to lace it up and get out on the court.”
Since being hired by the U of W last week, Voth has started to reach out to large group of Wesmen players expected to return in fall. Because the timing of McKay’s retirement announcement prevented a full hiring process, Voth’s appointment is for a 10-month term.
The interim tag doesn’t seem bother Voth. He coached River River College’s men’s team in 2019-20 before the program was shut down at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A few other coaches have had an interim position as well,” said Voth. “I think (current Wesmen women’s coach) Phil Hudson and Arnd Ludwig with the U of M men’s team, they were also kind of for one year and then I don’t even think they reopened the the applications up after that. They just hired internally and and rehired them.”
Outgoing U of W athletic director Dave Crook, scheduled to retire later this summer, said the interim designation made sense under the circ*mstances.
“What I said to the university right off the bat was that I felt I could hire a good candidate but if you’re getting a new AD, shouldn’t they have a say in who works with them?” said Crook. “I think that’s just the right thing to do.”
Voth, who is under contract with the national team program until early August, won’t be back in Winnipeg until later this summer. He also needs time to relocate his belongings from his home base in Switzerland.
“I’m really happy to be coming home,” said Voth. “I’m kind of used to the one-year and two-year contract situations because that’s what it is in Europe a lot of the time. I’ve never signed for more than two years but I ended up having to break my contract in Switzerland to accept this interim position.”
Crook is convinced Voth will be a successful hire.
Despite the graduation of fifth-year starters Ethan Duncan and Nigel Nielsen and the departure of Liam Kristjanson to the German pro ranks, the Wesmen have a talented roster of returnees including fifth-year left side Isaiah Olfert.
“He’s just an outstanding volleyball coach who has the ability to lead and teach and his resume speaks for itself,” said Crook. “His experience as a U Sports athlete, a national team athlete, a pro and then his coaching experience with both the national team and in Europe, I think just means he’s right on the cusp of the next generation of great young coaches to come out of this city and province.”
In addition to his extensive resume in the game, Voth is also a trailblazer.
In 2014, he came out as the first active openly gay national team athlete, and was subsequently featured in Proud to Play: Canadian LGBTQ+ athletes who made history.
Voth admitted being an LGBTTQ+ athlete and coach has impacted his job opportunities.
“I think in Europe, it doesn’t help me,” said Voth. “I don’t know a lot of gay coaches in Europe, or openly gay coaches in Europe, I should say. But in Canada, there’s been actually quite a few over the years. In the province of Quebec there’s been a couple that I’ve worked and also with the national team. And so I don’t think in Canada it’s such a big thing. I think the guys (at U of W) are hungry for a good season and they’re confident that I can come in and help them achieve their goals.”
Voth, who shares U of M volleyball roots with his father, Lloyd, and sister, Ashley. But his mom, Valorie (Neumann) Voth’s volleyball connection is to the downtown campus.
“My mom was actually a Wesmen so I feel like I’ve been half Wesmen all my life,” said Voth. “She was a really successful player and she’s part of the hall of fame (1980s) teams that had a really big run a couple decades ago.”
mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca
Mike Sawatzky
Reporter
Mike Sawatzky is a sports reporter at the Free Press. He has been working at the newspaper since 2003. Read more about Mike.
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