Welcome to a brand new season! This has certainly been a hectic and exciting one so far, starting in September for me with the BCBOA Superclinic out in Langley and the Dribble on Wheels camp in Seattle. High Performance practices started up at Douglas College early September, and have been going full tilt since then, including a six week appearance by Steve Ramsbottom and his chair skills sessions. I’m sure the athletes will agree with me that they were a most helpful way to kick off the season.
In October we hosted the WBC’s new Competition – Introduction coaching course, and were blessed with an influx of past and present national team coaches for that wonderful weekend: Tim Frick, Bill Johnson and Michael Broughton. New coaches came from near and far, and learned a ton from the Learning Facilitators. We look forward to the next step! This is also a reminder to those new coaches to make sure to do the online portion of the Morals and Ethics Module. If you haven’t received an e-mail from coach.ca, be sure to notify myself and pass it along to the proper authorities.
The New Year brings more exciting events, including the official provincial team kick off at High Performance Camp January 8th and 9th. Be sure to e-mail me with your availability, and remember that attendance at HP Camp is imperative for those that want to try out for their respective provincial teams. All Canada Games athletes must be at HP Camp as well. For those that are back in town early, there will be practice at Douglas College, New West on Tuesday, January 4th from 7:30 – 9:30 pm.
Speaking of Canada Games, watch the Canada Games 2010 website for news and updates. Our team leaves for the games on February 9th, and results will be posted there! We have high expectations, and will be preparing diligently until then. Congratulations to the twelve selected athletes: Avril Harris, Erik Vliegenthart, Derek Lundie, Deion Green, Matt Ficocelli, Kelsey Dyck, Erin Higgins, Jack Kosterman, Natalie Imbeau, Coti Koski, Steph Park and Nathan Bragg. We also thank all those who have supported the team in their activities so far: Assistant Coach Ross MacDonald, Manager Makiko Harada, all the Program Coaches (Marni Abbott-Peter, Bo Hedges, Kevin Bowie, Arley McNeney), office staff and others that helped out at selection camp (John Lundie, Holly Tawse) as well as all the Division II teams who help us prepare during the season. Last, but certainly not least, a big thanks to all the parents who drive, feed and help all of our Canada Games athletes to prepare for the games. We’ll be representing all of you in February, and will make you proud.
For those of you heading home for the holidays, safe travels, and a Merry Christmas to all!
