Martine Dugrenier holds two bachelor’s degrees, a master’s degree in education, and NCCP Wrestling Competition-Introduction Certified and Competition-Development Certified. She is a three-time world champion in wrestling and a two-time Olympian. A teacher at Vanier College, she is also a coach at the Montreal-YMHA Elite Wrestling Club and executive director of Fédération de lute Olympique du Québec.

Name: Martine Dugrenier, Montreal

“WCIP provides a woman intern coach with the opportunity to coach at the international performance level and guides her during the process, and that is what Breanne Graham and I are working towards.”

Sport: Wrestling

Current Occupation: Physical education teacher at Vanier College; executive director, Quebec Wrestling Federation; assistant coach, National Training Centre, Montreal

Athletic History: Martine recorded a successful career on the international stage, winning world championships in 2008, 2009, and 2010 and silver world championship medals in 2005, 2006, and 2007. She was a two-time Olympian, finishing fifth in 2008 and 2010. She was a relative latecomer to wrestling, starting during her first year in college after competing in artistic gymnastics. During her first year at university, in 2000, she switched to wrestling full-time.

Coaching History: Martine started her coaching career while a competitive gymnast. After choosing to concentrate on wrestling, she was encouraged to earn wrestling certification through the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). In 2005, being the only woman with NCCP Level 3 in Quebec, she assumed coaching responsibilities at the Canada Summer Games beginning? and her involvement continues. She took charge of Quebec’s men’s team two years prior to the 2017 Games in Winnipeg, convinced that a medal was a realistic goal. “The score was very tight, we made last-minute decisions, but in the end the team came home with the bronze medal.”

Martine was an assistant coach of junior and senior athletes at the National Training Centre in Montreal. She has coached at several Pan American Junior Championships, a junior world championship, and at senior international events. She was an intern coach with the inaugural WCIP developed by the Commonwealth Games Federation for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast.

Importance of WCIP to Martine: “The WCIP gives the opportunity to share knowledge and to learn from other coaches. It helps mentors and interns to develop the steps that will help them accomplish their goals and offers specific learning opportunities on which to focus. What is interesting about the 2021 WCIP is the involvement of Canada’s 2018 WCIP interns (at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games) as mentors, giving us the opportunity to continue our own coaching development and learning.”

Importance of WCIP to Breanne: “The WCIP helps the interns to move into coaching at a higher level of competition and provides them with support during the process. This support helps them to make such a transition easier. WCIP’s goals are to help the interns enter the coaching world with confidence and to give her the tools to enhance their development alongside mentor coaches who have expertise, to learn from them, to assist them and to share their experience with the larger group.

Commonwealth Sport Canada’s Women’s Internship Coach Program