Radmila Malobabic
Sports Reporter

The Sudbury-born Wilkins brothers have been coaching volleyball for more than 10 years and playing for more than 20.

“Wayne was always the boss, at least he tried to be,” said their mom, Linda Johnston. “They were good kids
growing up – always playing volleyball since they were young. It was a priority.”

They moved to Toronto in their teens and both attended Humber College. Wayne played for the Hawks for four years and Chris for two.

Chris, 35, vice-president of a telecom company and younger brother “by two years and 19 days,” is the women’s coach, while Wayne, 37, is an account executive at Bell Canada and coaches the men’s team.
The Et Cetera had the opportunity to talk with the coaches about their personal and professional lives.

Q: Was there a brotherly bond when you were growing up?
Chris: Absolutely. As much as we joke around about our rivalries between each other, he’s my best friend.
Wayne: Oh come on, we fought like cats and dogs, actually.
Q: What is one of the fondest memories you have of your childhood with your brother?
Chris: We did a lot of stupid stuff as two boys growing up. My mom was a single mom raising us both. The best thing that I could remember, he was teaching me how to fish when we were younger. We decided to fish inside the house and he used me as bait and caught me with a hook and proceeded to reel me in. I have a scar from that on the top of my lip.
Wayne: That was a good one, but what I remember from our childhood is everything we did, we were against each other. I was older so if I was winning, I must have been cheating. Although, there was a time when he got me back for the lip thing, he put me through a window. I think we’re kind of even on that one.
Q: What sports did you play in high school?
Wayne: I played football. I was quarterback and we were about two weeks into our season and they cancelled the program. That’s what got me started in volleyball.
Q: Did you date the same girls?
Chris: No, we fought over the same ones but one of us always won out.
Wayne: Well, we might have fought over them, but I dated them.
Q: Did you bring home any championships?
Chris: We were members of the first Canadian team to go down and win U.S. nationals men’s championships and that was a club team. When I played for Humber, we placed second in Ontario.
Wayne: We went to Rochester, New York where we qualified for U.S. nationals, and then the all-star team went to Memphis, Tennessee and that’s when we won. At Humber, I got a lot of silver medals in Ontario.
Q: Why did you choose volleyball?
Chris: The team aspect of it is very different from many other sports that are so dependant on one player, like a Michael Jordan who can shoot 60 points. Volleyball I truly believe you can’t win with just one player, you need everybody touching the ball.
Wayne: After football got cancelled I wanted to play sports. I had played volleyball in middle school and I knew the game.
Q: Have you ever played with each other on a team?
Chris: It’s funny. I was a junior, he was a senior in high school and I was called up to play with the senior team. I played with him as a back up; we both played the same position.
Then when he came to Humber, I wasn’t there at the time, but I came back and actually coached him here. I was an assistant coach for the men’s team.
Then I decided to come back to school and he finished and then he became my coach.
Wayne: Very confusing Chris. But you know the thing I can say about Chris when he plays and when we were together on the team, he was passionate about playing and he was going to give you his all every time.
Q: As a coach what is something you frequently say to your team to bring them together?
Chris: As a coach I try to get the closeness that Humber has as a family. My mother-in- law works here in the office, my brother coaches, so it becomes a family thing. I say the very first day of practice and the last day of practice, ‘Trust each other like you trust your family and we’ll be on the right path.’
Wayne: I don’t think it’s very easy. We have a bunch of different students of all races and ages working together. What looks to be a weakness works out to be our strength. I remind them, ‘we’ve all had struggles but without teamwork, nothing will be accomplished.’
Q: Are your wives thinking of assisting in coaching?
Chris: Well, my wife was the assistant coach last year so she may come back. It is a little difficult with a newborn. She’s eager to come back for sure.
Wayne: My wife is a Humber Alumni and she played for the team and worked in the office, but I’m not sure.
Q: Where did you meet your wives?
Wayne: I met my wife in high school. We came to Humber together.
Chris: I met my wife here at Humber. I was in my last year and she was in her first year. I was playing and coaching. So, I was playing on the men’s team and the assistant coach of the women’s team and she was playing on the women’s team.
Q: How do you manage your time?
Wayne: I have three kids, a wife and a job. It’s diligent time management. Everything goes into my calendar, every ounce of time I spend with my family. It’s tough. I honestly think the reason it works is because of my wife. At the end of the day without her support, none of this works.
Chris: It is really tough being in an environment that you can have flexible hours and a forgiving boss. I’m on my Blackberry all the time.
Q: Who is your favourite pro athlete?
Wayne: I have so many, but I would have to say guys that strike me as true professionals – Larry Birds of the world. I think his dedication to excellence is incredible. The Michael Jordans too, you know. I’m a big work ethic guy.
Q: What do you like to do for fun?
Wayne: I’m a video game junkie. My son and I get a kick out of that.
Chris: Golf. A lot of golf. I also play on a slow pitch baseball team with Humber friends. That’s about it; I also drink and go boating.
Q: You are both very busy, how often do your families get together?
Chris: It’s hard. We always talk about this. He’s on the go, I’m on the go and obviously we are the key parts in bringing our families together.
Sometimes we have to stop and say this weekend we have to get together, we’re coming over for a barbeque.
Wayne: Family is everything to me. Chris and I are very tight and I think there’s a reason why we are 30-plus years old and haven’t moved away from each other. There is a bond we have, like he said we spend every holiday together.
Q: At the end of the day, what makes this all worthwhile?
Wayne: I think you start to sum up your accomplishments and when you get a chance to sit back, a lot of this is worthwhile. My kids are a great accomplishment, my marriage, this team and there are up years and down years.
Chris: It’s going to sound corny, but my daughter for sure. This year it’s been a new experience with a newborn. There have been times this year when we lost to Nipissing, and in the past where I would go home, and watch the game tapes and be pissed off for three or four days. Now, this year I would still be mad but I would walk away from it, like all that’s forgotten because she doesn’t know any different. By far my home life is the best.