Even though she is in college in Prince George, Dylan Passeri has been back in Williams Lake or on the road most weekends with youth hockey.
The 21-year-old is an assistant coach for the U18 Female Timberwolves this year along with Keon Harry, the other assistant coach.
Her sister Sofie Passeri, 15, is on the team and Dylan heard the coach, Rick Skerry, could use some help.
“I didn’t think it would be a great season for them with just one coach,” she said. “That would be so hard on the coach and the girls.”
Having a female role model is important too, she said.
“I am happy to be there for them. It definitely makes a huge difference to be able to divide our attention amongst the girls and coach them accordingly.”
Assistant coaches are additional bodies on the bench the players can talk to and Passeri said the girls are comfortable to talk with her if they have issues.
“I like being there for them. I never got that when I was growing up. I always had male coaches.”
During the Valentine’s Day weekend, the team won at a tournament, clinching a spot at provincials being held in Port McNeil on Vancouver Island this year, March 20 to 24.
“It is going to be a crazy trek to get there,” Passeri commented.
To accommodate her assistant coaching schedule with going to the College of New Caledonia (CNC) full-time, she planned for no classes on Fridays and to start in the afternoon on Mondays so she could travel with the team on weekends.
The commitment has been greater than what she expected when she signed up, she admitted.
Born and raised in Williams Lake, she has an older brother and three younger siblings. She attended Kwaleen Traditional Elementary until it closed, then Chilcotin Road Elementary for Grade 5 and 6. She attended Columneetza Secondary for Grades 7, 8 and 9. Then went on to Williams Lake Secondary where she graduated in 2021.
In Grade 11, however, she moved to West Vancouver to play soccer for a year with the West Vancouver Metro Team. During her Grade 10 year she was travelling to the coast once a month to train with the European Football School and was eventually invited to try out.
“I made it and made the move. The only reason it ended was because of silly old Covid. I had to come home when Covid happened.”
Growing up she also played hockey.
“I was actually on the provincial championship girls hockey team in 2018 - we hosted provincials in Williams Lake that year,” she recalled.
Upon graduating from high school, Passeri said she did not know what she wanted to do next.
She took a gap year and got a job at Consus Management Ltd., a resource company in Williams Lake.
“I fell in love with what I was doing and it was really my bosses that pushed me to go to school and I am very happy that I did,” she said. “I kind of stumbled into it I guess.”
She still works for Consus doing block layout and also works closely with her band, Esdilagh First Nation, for the management of their woodlot.
From CNC she will move to finish her forestry degree at the University of British Columbia and plans to return to live and work in Williams Lake after she’s done.
“I love it here, my whole family is here, I love spending time with my family. It makes sense for me to come home.”
In winter she skis and in summer she likes to hike, bike and camp and said getting outside as much as possible is important.
“I love the fresh air.”
Passeri confirmed she is the only girl she knows with the name Dylan and said she enjoys meeting other females with more masculine names.
“I think it’s fun,” she added.
