#CanadaWestCreated: WHL Alumni Machacek finds his calling in the classroom

 

When he initially became a teacher, Cason Machacek didn’t really say anything to his students about his past.

The veteran of four seasons in the Western Hockey League and four more playing defence at the University of Lethbridge didn’t want his name to be thought of as one on the back of a jersey, so much as one on a classroom door.

But he quickly realized that guy who went into the corners with elbows up can be the same guy who made school fun and always had an encouraging word for a kid in need.

“My first year, I came in kind of trying to put off that I was a hockey player and didn’t show them anything about who I was before.” says Machacek, who after graduating from the U of L in 2017 is now in his second year on staff at Wilson Middle School in his native Lethbridge.

“I’m always trying to learn, so this year I came in a little relaxed and showed them, ‘this is I what I did in hockey’. It’s good to be proud of who you are and your story, so this year I tried to be a little more (open) about, ‘Yeah, this was me, and that’s okay’.”

A six-foot-one, 200-plus pound blue liner that left it all on the ice, Machacek never shied from tough stuff, once leading Canada West in penalty minutes for the season, with 122 in 26 games in 2013-14. He was also a consummate teammate and frequently wore a letter throughout his career from major junior to university.

Not surprisingly, he’s incredibly passionate about the two subjects he teaches, physical education and leadership.

“That leadership class is a great opportunity to use the skills I was able to on my hockey team …  now I get to encourage students, and a lot of them are interested in athletics and being good people, so teaching gives you an opportunity to pave the pathway for younger generations,” he says.

“I love seeing kids help out and be kind to everyone. My motto in my classroom is, ‘Why are we being mean? Let’s have everyone here help everyone else.’ Overall what I enjoy most about teaching is seeing the younger kids form their minds, morals, and values.”

Such qualities took root early in Machacek and took him further in hockey than anyone would have thought possible for a kid who at age 14 was still only playing house league.

Asked if he wanted to give the sport up, Machacek stuck with it, hit a growth spurt and had a terrific season playing Midget 15, catching the eye of the Kootenay ICE, who added the rearguard to their protected player list.

As a 17-year-old, he cracked the ICE’s lineup in 2008-09 and went on to play nearly 250 games in the WHL, also having stints with his hometown Lethbridge Hurricanes and the Seattle Thunderbirds.

“Persevering and being able to play four years in the WHL overall was a big accomplishment for me because I played house league in bantam – I didn’t think hockey was going to be something that led to me any kind of future or education or anything like that,” says Machacek, who totalled 28 points and 533 penalty minutes in his major junior career.

“I knew I wasn’t going to necessarily be the most skilled player, but there wasn’t going to be anyone who could say I didn’t work the hardest on my team, so I committed to come into the gym on evenings and weekends, just putting in the work to be the one of the strongest and most reliable people on my team.”

Machacek was able to take advantage of the WHL scholarship program, for which every season played in the WHL, a player is entitled to a minimum of tuition, books and compulsory fees at any post-secondary institution. In 2012, he enrolled at the University of Lethbridge, where he joined the Pronghorns and began studying with the goal of becoming an athletic therapist.

During his time in Seattle, Machacek had volunteered mentoring an elementary school student. While the experience was incredibly powerful, it wasn’t until he took an orientation to teaching class at the U of L that he realized his true calling and transferred to the Faculty of Education.

“I always had a passion for helping and being there for younger generations, but I never thought of it was a career path until my second year of university,” he says.

“It’s that old motto, ‘If you like what you do you don’t work a day in your life’., and as I kept studying in the education program, each day got a little better and I felt like it was a bit of a challenge. Being a teacher is kind of like playing in a sports game; Every day is like a new game, so I really enjoy that part of it.”

Machacek was a fixture on the Pronghorns’ blueline until head injuries forced him to step away midway through his fourth season in 2015-16. He concluded his Canada West career having played 89 regular season games, with 10 points and 260 penalty minutes.

While disappointed he would no longer put ice to metal every weekend, the excitement of the career awaiting made things easier for Machacek.

“I knew I wanted to be a teacher at that point, and I knew I was going to need to have a good head on my shoulders … Hockey was great to me, but now my career was where I was taking my next step, and I wanted to do that to the best of my ability just like I had for hockey for the last (several) years,” says Machacek, who had the full support of the Pronghorns, and remained involved with the team by watching games and filing reports to the coaching staff.

“It was a smooth transition,” he says. “It wasn’t just abruptly quitting, it was easing my way out.”

Machacek graduated with a Bachelor of Education in 2017 and joined the staff at Wilson. He loves his new career, and has embraced it to the fullest, coaching the school’s badminton and volleyball teams, and having his leadership students run school theme days and assemblies.

Each student has their own set of skills, he says. It’s just about giving them an opportunity to shine.

“I really believe in each of my kids, and that’s why I enjoy teaching so much,” Machacek adds. “Sometimes at this age, especially in junior high, they’re starting to question a little bit about who they are, but if they have someone who believes in them, that’s a step in the right direction to help these kids when they grow up.

“I had such good teachers when I was younger, and I want to be that for these students. I want to be the guy who they remember 20 years from now.”

About #CanadaWestCreated
The #CanadaWestCreated series features stories of former Canada West student-athletes who have moved on to excel in their careers and communities. The individuals profiled in the #CanadaWestCreated series exemplify how student-athletes build the skills and connections needed to succeed following the completion of their time in university.