Date/Time
Date(s) - May 7, 2014
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Location
Fortis BC Centre
Categories No Categories
Barret Kropf
Sports Missionary with Athletes in Action, Head Coach Trinity Western University Mens Hockey Team.
Barret and his wife of Bridget have been married 22 years and have 3 sons: Jalen 20, Joshua 17, and Jacob 13. After a short junior hockey career, the Kropfs dove into full time ministry in a variety of capacities, including youth pastors in Melfort and Estevan Sask, before departing on a faith step to become full time sports missionaries. First with Hockey Ministries International working with junior and pro teams to establish chapel programs in Canada, and a one year stint in the Czech Republic as a coach and chapel leader.
Upon returning from the Czech Republic the Kropfs begun work with Athletes in Action and took on a variety of coaching positions at the Collegiate and Junior A levels, first with the Briercrest Clippers in the ACAC, where he won a coach of the year award in 2005, followed by a Junior A stop in Wilcox Sask with the Notre Dame Hounds. Kropf has also been Head Coach for Team Sask on several occasions as well as an assistant with the Czech National Team, winning a bronze medal with them at the 2006 World Junior A Female Championships. Barret is a best selling author of a book called HOME AWAY FROM HOME, telling the stories of the real heroes in hockey; the billet families who take in junior players.
With his Athletes in Action duties, Barret was chaplain for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 2007, winning a Grey Cup with the underdog team, and then bookending a 7 year run as the teams pastor with another Grey Cup win here in 2013.
In May of 2013, Trinity Western University offered Kropf the Head Coach position of their struggling mens hockey program. While juggling responsibilities of finishing well with the Riders, and commuting back and forth from BC to Sask until November, Kropf was able to see the Rider players earn success on the field, and his own hockey program turn a corner of their own.
The TWU Spartans finished the season in 3rd place in their conference, their highest ever, and have now had an improbable run through the playoffs, upsetting Simon Fraser University and now heading into the league championships. For the teams efforts, Kropf has been awarded Coach of The Year, the only coach to ever win such an award in both the BCIHL and the ACAC.
Kropf has a passion to see sport used as a platform to share the life changing message of Jesus Christ. Has had the opportunity to travel the world in a variety of capacities in doing so, and counts Matt 5:14-16 as his passage for life….. with a desire to let his light shine… so they may praise his Father in heaven!
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