BC Athletics Bulletin

Your source of up-to-date Athletics news in BC. If you came to this page via email link, click here to get to main BCA site.

ISSUE #39-2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007

Highlights from this issue:

2008 BC Athletics AGM and Awards Banquet information
2007 Athletics Canada Award Winners – Armstrong, Reed, Gmitroski honoured
2008 Olympic Qualifying Standards finalized
2007 Canadian XC Championships – Entries list available

FROM THE BCA OFFICE

2008 BC Athletics Annual General Meeting
January 25, 26 & 27 2008
Hilton Vancouver Airport Hotel, Richmond BC

As in past years the BC Athletics office will use the website to provide information, forms and details regarding the upcoming 2008 BC Athletics Annual General Meeting and Awards Banquet. Information will be updated regularly.

2007 BC Athletics Annual Awards

For the descriptions of categories awarded and nomination forms for the 2007 BC Athletics Annual Awards visit www.bcathletics.org/main/awards.htm

The deadline for all nominations is November 30, 2007 with the exception of the Youth 15 yr category which is due December 7, 2007.

2007-2008 BC Athletics Athlete Assistance Program application

Long Term Athlete Development - A Sport Parent's Guide

This guide is an indispensable tool for any coach, club or association looking to introduce parents to good sport for their children. The latest (but not the last) of Canadian Sport for Life publications includes A Sport Parent’s Guide, a look at LTAD (long-term athlete development) from the parent’s perspective. Introducing concepts such as physical literacy, the five S’s (stamina, strength, speed, skill & suppleness (flexibility), this guide introduces the seven stages of athlete development and demonstrates how parents can support their child as they move through these stages. A must have for any parent of active children; available to download from www.ltad.ca.

Is the Purchase of Track and Field Equipment From the USA In Your Near Term Plans?

As the Canadian dollar approaches $1.09 in comparison to the American dollar, for those contemplating purchasing track and field equipment from a United States supplier, this might be the ideal time to do so. Even if you do not wish to make the purchase for a few months, perhaps it would be wise to convert some Canadian dollars to American dollars and place them in an American interest bearing account.

There is no certainty that the Canadian dollar will not appreciate further against its USA counterpart—predicting the future trend of currencies is a hazardous occupation. But one thing I have learned in the past is that whenever an asset appreciates very quickly, as has the Canadian dollar, there is a very good chance that a top in its value is fast approaching and that drop in value is very possible.

For those who intend to make a purchase but not for the next three to six months, perhaps a good method would be to establish the cost of the purchase and place half that amount in a USA account. By doing so, you have hedged against a fall in the Canuck buck with at least 50% of the purchase price.

Contact me if you need any further information or a few tips on purchasing from a US supplier.

Team BC Athletes and Coaches:

If you are a Team BC athlete attending Grade 9 or 10, please read on about an exciting opportunity to attend the next BC Olympic & Paralympic Youth Leadership Academy in Kimberley-Cranbrook.

The BC Olympic & Paralympic Youth Leadership Academy is an opportunity for young people to learn about the Olympic movement, Olympic values, individual leadership styles and abilities, and how to tackle projects and issues with teamwork. The next Academy will be held February 21-24, 2008 in Kimberley-Cranbrook in conjunction with the 2008 BC Winter Games. For more details or to apply, please visit the Academy website at www.bcacademy.ca. The application deadline is December 1, 2007.

Attention Event Directors

This is a reminder that as of April 2007, there has been a new event sanctioning policy in place. Among other changes, a $25 surcharge has been added for sanctioning applications that are received less than 30 days prior to the event, so please apply for sanctioning in a timely matter.

Children's Fitness Tax Credit Information

The Children's Tax Credit is an initiative put forth by the Government of Canada to provide some financial relief to parents to pay for the rising cost of organized sports, in order to keep our children involved in physical activity. The form can be found on the BC Athletics website at www.bcathletics.org/main/pdf/cftc_form.doc

Below are the instructions (also available from the above link) for filling out the form.

Receipt Number:

The receipt number includes the child's BC Athletics membership number preceded by the applicable year – example: 2007-95-24187

Calculating eligible fees:

Registration and membership costs can include the costs of administration, instruction and the rental of facilities. If the fees charged to parents include part for accommodation, travel, food, or beverages then this part must be deducted when calculating the part of the fees that qualify for the tax credit. For example if club membership fees total $400 and includes a charge of $50 for travel and $50 for a club uniform then the eligible amount would be $400 - $50 - $50 = $300.

Description of Eligible Programs:

Eligible activities must include the following in order to qualify. Make sure descriptions of club programs makes mention and details all of the following:

If you have any further questions please contact Sam Collier – Manager, Registration & Membership Services at (604) 737-3177 or sam.collier@bcathletics.org.

Athletics Canada

2007 Athletics Canada Award Winners

OTTAWA - Athletics Canada is pleased to announce the 2007 Award winners. The winners were presented with their awards at an Awards Gala on Saturday in Toronto coinciding with the 2007 Technical Congress. Congratulations to all recipients, finalists and nominees.

Outstanding Overall Athlete - Jack W. Davies Trophy

Perdita Felicien, Pickering, ON
Perdita Felicien had a great season after missing a few key meets in the spring due to an injury. For her sixth consecutive year she captured the Canadian Championship title in the 100 metre hurdles. After nationals Perdita headed for Rio de Janeiro to compete in the Pan American Games where she raced to a photo finish capturing the silver medal. In August she captured silver at the World Championships running a seasonal best 12.49, her fastest mark since she broke the Canadian record in 2004.

Top Athlete in Track Events - Phil A. Edwards Memorial Trophy

Adam Kunkel, Paisley, ON
Adam Kunkel began the season looking to improve the Canadian Record he set three times in 2006. At the Canadian Championships in Windsor, ON Adam came away with the gold medal and a new Canadian Championship mark in the 400 metre hurdles. The Pan American Games was where he would better his Canadian Record finishing in a time of 48.24. Adam Qualified for the final at the World Championships and would finish 8th due to an unfortunate injury early in the race.

Top Para-Athlete in Wheelchair Events - Wheelchair Para-Athlete Award

Chantal Petitclerc, Montréal, QC
Chantal Petitclerc’s first international performance of the year was a clean sweep at the Swiss Race Series. She came away with Gold in the 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1500 metre events. She set three world records this season; once in the 1500 and twice in the 200 metres. Petitclerc won Canadian titles in the 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500 metre events and in the 10km Road Race. At the World Championships in Athletics Petitclerc won gold in the 1500 metres wheelchair demonstration event.

Top Athlete in Field Events - F.N.A. Rowell Trophy

Dylan Armstrong, Kamloops, BC
Dylan Armstrong set a new personal best in the shot put early in the season setting the stage for a career year. Dylan won the Canadian shot put title at the National Championships and captured gold at the Pan American Games. Competing in his first World Championship, he qualified for the final finishing 9th overall.

Single Outstanding Performance of the Year - Cal D. Bricker Memorial Trophy

Gary Reed, Victoria, BC
Gary Reed is the recipient of the Cal D. Bricker Memorial Trophy for his outstanding performance at the World Championships. As a relative unknown on the international stage, he burst on the scene winning his heat, and semi-final to qualify for the final. Reed was at it again leading from the start in the final coming down to a photo finish earning his first World Championships medal just off the gold by one-hundredth of a second.

Top Para-Athlete in Ambulatory Events - Ambulatory Para-Athlete Award

Jason Dunkerley, Ottawa, ON
Jason Dunkerley is the recipient of the Ambulatory Para-Athlete Award. Dunkerley broke two Canadian and two Parapanamerican records on his way to two gold medals at the Parapanamerican Games in the 800 and 1500 metres. At the Canadian Championships Dunkerley took the title in the 800 metres and finished second in the 400 metres. Greg Dailey of St. Georges, ON is Jason’s guide runner.

Top Marathon Athlete - Fred Begley Memorial Trophy

Diane Roy, Hatley, QC
Diane Roy kicked off the season with a win in Ottawa at the 2007 Canadian Wheelchair Marathon Championships. She would later break the Canadian wheelchair marathon record during the Swiss Racing Series. Diane also set a new 5000 metres Canadian record on her way to the 5000 metres Canadian title.

Best Athlete of the year in Combined Events - Combined Events Award

Best University Athlete of the Year - Dr. Fred Tees Memorial Trophy
Jessica Zelinka, London, ON
Jessica Zelinka won every event she entered at the Canada West Universities Athletics Association (CWUAA) Championships (60 metre hurdles, 60 metres, shot put, long jump, pentathlon). At the Canadian interuniversity Sport (CIS) Indoor Championships she won gold in the 60 metre hurdles, long jump, shot put and pentathlon and was named CIS Top Female Athlete for the season. In May Zelinka improved her Canadian heptathlon with a performance of 6343 points at the IAAF Combined Events Challenge in Austria. She demonstrated courageous effort at the Pan American Games suffering an injury in the final event but fought through the pain to finish the 800 metres and earn gold. Unfortunately the injury would keep her from competing at Worlds.

Best Junior Athlete of the Year - Eric E. Coy Memorial Trophy

Jenna Martin, Bridgewater, NS
The 2007 Eric E. Coy Memorial Trophy was awarded to Jenna Martin. Jenna set a Canadian Junior Indoor record of 54.22 in the 400 metres. Jenna also represented her country at the Pan American Junior Championships, coming home with silver in the 400 metres.

Best Youth Athlete of the Year - Myrtle Cook Trophy

Natalie Geiger, Stouffville, ON
At the World Youth Championships Natalie Geiger finished 5th in the 400 metres and captured bronze with her teammates in the medley relay which consists of a 400 metres leg, two 200 metres legs and an 800 metres leg. She won gold at the Canadian Junior Championships in the 400 metres.

Outstanding Coach of the Year

Wynn Gmitroski, Victoria, BC
This 2007 Outstanding Coach of the Year is Wynn Gmitroski, coach of 2007 World Championships silver medalist Gary Reed. Wynn has been coaching for 28 years which has seen him involved in four Olympic Games, twelve World Championships, and five Commonwealth Games.

Athletics Canada finalizes 2008 Olympic Qualifying Standards

OTTAWA - Athletics Canada announced today the final qualifying standards for the 2008 Olympic Games which will be held in Beijing, China. The 2008 qualifying period begins on April 1 and concludes with the Canadian Championships on July 6. The 2008 Canadian Championships will serve as the trials for the Olympic Games.

“The selection system we are publishing today is one of the essential steps we are taking towards a successful showing in Beijing,” explains Martin Goulet, Chief High Performance Officer for Athletics Canada. “These standards and the associated repeat performance schedule have been designed in order to ensure that - equally across all 47 track and field events - our athletes will really be competitive once selected for the Games. Then, with this team of selected athletes, our first priority will be to create and deliver a performance centered environment that contributes directly to achieve or surpass our set performance benchmarks which includes two Olympic Games medals.”

The A+ standards were established following an analysis of recent World Championships and Olympic Games results as well as a statistical analysis from the past five years in order to reflect what represents - performance wise - a top 12 ranked athlete in the world. The A and B standards, not including road events, are the same as the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) A and B standards. Road events A and B standards are established homogeneously with other event standards using a combination of the World List, Scoring Tables and other equivalencies to ensure balance with the A and B track and field standards. A road event standard must only be achieved once during the two-year qualifying window.

The final standards published today have not changed very much from the draft standards published on June 1, 2007. Some of the modifications include: Women’s throws A+ standards have been adjusted, indoor component has been added, and a rising star criteria has been included.

Please note that the full Olympic team selection document will be available in February. Details on the selection of Rising Stars from the eligible pool of athletes will be provided in this document.

Canadian Cross Country Championships Saturday December 1 in Guelph

Ottawa - The 2007 Canadian Cross Country Championships take place this Saturday December 1 at the University of Guelph. The 2007 Championships will serve as the junior and senior selection trials for the 2008 NACAC Cross Country Championships and 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh, Great Britain.

A number of local athletes will have the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of the hometown crowd. Among them is Reid Coolsaet, second place finisher at the 2006 Canadian Cross Country Championships, and the Canadian champion in the 5000 metres for a third consecutive year. Carmen Douma-Hussar and Hilary Stellingwerff will compete in the women’s Championship, both athletes ran for Canada in the 1500 metres at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan.

Defending Canadian junior champion Danelle Woods from Ottawa, ON will line up to defend her title. Earlier this year Danelle finished as the top Canadian at the World Cross Country Junior Championships. Other notables include Beth Wightman of Toronto, ON who finished 4th at the 2007 NACAC Cross Country Championships along with Lindsey Carson of Cambridge, ON and Marie-Louise Asselin of Sarnia, ON who finished 1st and 2nd respectively at the NACAC Junior Cross Country Championships. Close to 800 athletes will converge on Guelph to compete for the junior, senior and masters national titles.

Schedule of Events

Flotrack.com will be on site to cover the event posting race footage and interviews. Flotrack.com is an internet running site with online coverage from both international and national track and field and cross country events.

2008 National Cross Country Program – Preliminary information

Due to unforeseen NACAC XC delays, Athletics Canada (AC) is unable to publish full details about the 2008 Cross Country National Team Programs at this time. In order to allow coaches and athletes to adequately prepare for the Canadian Cross Country Championships, AC wishes to minimally offer the selection guidelines since the event is just a few weeks away. Further details will be made available by AC staff at the championships in Guelph.

The Gold Standard

The November edition of the Gold Standard is now available. This month's newsletter includes:

Results from around the Track (and Field)

Track and Field

BEST IN THE WEST HIGH SCHOOL SPRING BREAK CAMP 2008

The 2008 Spring Break Camp will be in San Diego, and features many of the top coaches in Western Canada, including Stephanie McAnn (Olympic finalist, pole vault), Tom Nielsen (coach of Canadian Jr. javelin champion), and Graeme Fell (Canadian record holder, steeplechase).

Spring Break Vertical Jumps Camp - Arizona

Hey Leapers! If you are a high jump or pole vault enthusiast, here is your chance to a get a jump on your competitors. Join us in the Arizona sun for some spring training and competition.

Pole Vaulters: Train with vaulting guru Todd Lehman, jumps coach at Paradise Valley College and Sky Athletics. Vaulters at Sky Athletics include 2000 Olympic Champion Nick Hysong and former world record holder Stacy Dragila. Vaulters from around North America visit Todd for his advice.

High Jumpers: Train with Team B.C. Jumps coach Greg Peters. Greg coaches the top two junior women pole vaulters in Canada and has coached several of the top high jumpers in B.C. in the past 20 years.

ACT QUICKLY TO ENSURE YOUR SPOT IN THE CAMP!
We have placed a limit of 6 vaulters and 6 high jumpers for the camp to ensure a high quality training environment.

For information and camp registration call
Greg Peters: 250-847-9696 or 250-877-9413 (cell), email: gregpeters@monarch.net

CROSS COUNTRY

2007 BC Cross Country Team

Head Coach & Asst Coach:

Manager:

officials

Club Officials Needed

BCA Officials provide a valuable service to Clubs, there is a great need to recruit new, young, energetic officials, as many of the current officials have been contributing service to BCA for a very long time.

The BCA Officials' Committee would like to invite all Clubs to place a Link on their website to BCA Officials' web page through BCA's site. On this link please list the number of officials that are associated or belong to your Club. If there are no officials in your Club, please let your members know that a recruitment drive is on for new officials.

If all Clubs encourage at least one member to become an official, the number of officials would increase dramatically and a lasting service would be provided to our athletes.

Job / Volunteer opportunities

Manager, Fundraising Services
SportBC

Position Type: Full time
Application Deadline: November 30, 2007
Location(s): Vancouver
Years Experience: 4+
Compensation: Commensurate with experience.

Applications, including a current Curriculum Vitae and covering letter, will be accepted in confidence by email only to info@sport.bc.ca.

Sport BC thanks all applicants for their interest; however, only those who will be invited for an interview will be contacted.

Job Opportunity at the National Coaching Institute–British Columbia

Director, NCI-BC

Located on the University of Victoria campus, the National Coaching Institute–British Columbia (NCI–BC) offers advanced coaching programs to achieve its mission: to develop world-class professional coaches who are capable of preparing athletes for podium performances in sport and for life outside sport.

Due to the retirement of the incumbent, the NCI is seeking a Director to lead the development and delivery of programs aimed at improving the quality of coaching.

Job Opportunities with Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Association BC

For job opportunities with specific BC Athletics member clubs, please see the BC Athletics home page under "What's Happening."

Resources

2007 USOC Olympic Coach E-Magazine, fall issue

SIRC Newsletter - Female Participation

Females that participate in sport and fitness have better self-image, higher self-esteem and decreased likelihood of depression. However the Canadian Strategy on Sport and Physical Activity for Girls and Women indicate that girls and women are underrepresented in all areas of sport. Many barriers keep women from participating including time and comfort level however there are ways to motivate women to participate including role models and creating a welcoming environment.

SIRC would like to thank the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS) and Women in Coaching (Coaching Association of Canada), for their assistance with this issue of the SIRC Newsletter.