Yenssen coaches final basketball game as a KDSS Knight

To the Editor:

Today (Friday, Nov. 16), I coached my final basketball game as a Knight.

The Kincardine District Secondary School junior girls played hard and I couldn’t be more proud of them.

My thanks to all the parents, athletes and community partners for all the support I have received over my 13 years of coaching your children. Thank you to Kincardine Canadian Tire and the Kincardine Lions Club for donating money for jerseys and shot clocks. Thank you to parents for driving their children to tournaments all over southwestern Ontario.

I know the many morning practices were sometimes hard to get the players to, but it was important to attend for the culture I have tried to build around basketball at KDSS all these years. Although it seems not enough seasons ended with championships, I would say I have helped oversee a very successful program.

Today, the season ended with a loss but the season was an overwhelming success. I get the players to believe that the best part of basketball is winning but the truth is, the best part is instilling confidence in a group of young people. It is setting goals and trying to achieve them. It is waking up tomorrow morning not a CWOSSA Champion but learning how to deal with the disappointment and being okay with it.

Choosing to leave KDSS has been the single, hardest decision of my life and it’s because of you, your children and the staff at KDSS that the decision was so hard. Leaving is what is best for my family but that doesn’t make it any easier.

The best part of basketball was being a Knight and I will miss it every day. Thank you again for all of the support over my many years at KDSS and may God bless you and your families.

Go Knights Go!

Vince Yenssen
Teacher and basketball coach
Kincardine District Secondary School



Coaches Vince Yenssen (right) and Scott Mahood (left) with the KDSS junior girls basketball team which won BAA this year, and advanced to CWOSSA; photo courtesy of the KDSS junior girls basketball team