COACHING STAFFS | Matmen Wrestling

MEET THE TEAM

Over the past years the Matmen Wrestling Club has been led by people that believe deeply in the development and growth of its athletes – both on the mat and off. There’s a reason our athletes are known for their grit, tenacity, reliability, discipline, and loyalty…It’s been modeled everyday by their coaches.

This transformative program has been able to enhance hundreds of wrestlers’ lives through consistent, passionate work, and rigorous training. We are terribly-particular with the type of people we recruit to our team and onto our staff, ensuring we have the right personnel to make the greatest impact on our athletes and program as a whole.

KITCHENER COACHES

Jamie Lopes

Coach

As a troubled teenager, Jamie attended St. Jerome’s High School in Kitchener, channelling his aggression into wrestling. During his four years competing with the Lions, he excelled in local competitions and played a crucial support role at Provincials, Nationals, and OFSAA for the team. Currently, Jamie serves as the president of the Waterloo Region Matmen Wrestling Club, where he manages the daily operations behind the scenes to ensure a robust and enriching program for our athletes. Additionally, as a coaching evaluator for Wrestling Canada, Jamie oversees the development of new coaches, ensuring they possess a solid understanding of the sport and the skills needed to run effective practices.

Tim Backshaw

Coach

Tim has been involved with wrestling since the age of 11, as a wrestler and now as a coach. As a high school athlete, Tim represented Waterloo Oxford twice at OFSAA. Tim then continued his wrestling career at the University of Manitoba where he competed at Canada West and CIAU’s. Tim has successfully coached the Jacob Hespeler Hawks wrestling team for the last 17 years, with his athletes advancing to OFSAA consistently. Tim joined the Matmen wrestling club 3 years ago because he believes in the importance of imparting discipline and dedication to the sport of wrestling to younger generations. Tim says the best part of coaching is celebrating the success of the athletes while enjoying the camaraderie and mentorship from the other coaches.