Sharon Trenaman
Squash Builder - Inducted 2017
Sharon “Tren” Trenaman contributed to the sport of squash as an athlete, coach, and volunteer for more than 20 years, since moving to Canada in 1984. She has coached all levels and ages of players, built junior programs, and developed junior national champion contenders and champions. She was Squash Alberta’s first provincial coach and was the Assistant Junior Women’s National Coach from 1989 to 1993. In 1994, Sharon was promoted to Junior Women’s National Coach for a six-year term. She also spearheaded initiatives such as the 1993 National Junior Teams Tournament. Sharon is the first squash inductee into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.
Sharon demonstrated the uncanny ability to analyze a player and maximize that athlete's performance. She was particularly successful in promoting innovative, supportive, and focused training programs for both Canada’s National Squash Team, as well for as local athletes.
As a tournament director, her tournaments were efficiently run and organized in such a manner that guaranteed an opportunity for everyone to win prizes and have fun. Thanks to her efforts, the tournaments she directed saw an increase in participation. Many of Sharon’s juniors were ranked nationally, resulting in scholarships to Ivy League colleges.
Rebecca Vassilakakis, one of her students, remarked:
“Over the years I have had many coaches help me achieve athletic success, but Tren is one of the few who has followed through and made real, lasting relationships with her athletes. Her passion and enthusiasm for her sport drove me to discover my own passion and commitment to athletic excellence.”
Sharon served on numerous committees and sub-committees and shared her expertise in the sport. She served on Squash Canada’s Junior Ranking Subcommittee and its Coaching Committee. She was the first Canada Winter Games Coach for Alberta in PEI and acted as a Technical Advisor for the 1995 Canada Winter Games in Grande Prairie. She also co-authored a drill book, Practice to Win – which was designed to aid coaches and players improve their Squash skills.
Sharon immersed herself in making Squash better from coast to coast and in particular, Alberta, where she had a significant impact in building a strong squash community. During her tenure as a volunteer for Squash Alberta from 1984-2003, she was awarded all of the Squash Awards, including Volunteer of the Year three times and the Presidents' Award. In 1990, Squash Canada named Sharon Trenaman its Female Coach of the Year.
