AWESOME VOLLEYBALL PROVINCIALS

The 2011 Volleyball provincials were all a huge success.  The last two weeks of November were full of exciting volleyball action right across the Province.   MHSAA, along with hundreds of great volunteers, hosted 12 Championships- Province wide , and participating student athletes had a great experience, and for the vast majority, a special memory of fun and friendship.  The students will remember when they went to Provincials for years to come.  For the vast majority, this may have been their last shot at organized Volleyball.  We hope that they will continue on to recreational leagues and stay active, while a smaller group will continue on and play CIS in Canada or for a college in the USA.   

Very special thanks go out to the convenors of our Championships and all of their volunteers.  In order to host a Championship, a school must “buy in”, and all staff and students need to support it.  Along my travels, I was able to visit every host school, and saw some wonderful things happening.  It was great to see elementary kids at one school with flags and hats that they made cheering on the visitors, while another school had students making and freezing Lasagna for a week prior to Provincials for their banquet.  Another had a throng of parents volunteering to organize the luncheon, while gymnasiums were decorated with team logos, signs and banners.  Some schools created Player of the Game awards, while others had some great opening ceremonies, bringing in some outstanding motivational speakers and entertainment.  It is great to see the kids get dressed up as well.

Provincials are a wonderful experience for student athletes, and they allow them to not only have the opportunity to reach their goal of making it to the top of their category, but also a chance to meet students from across the Province and make new friends.  The friendships made at Provincials do last a lifetime! 

On a personal note, it is always great to be able to meet up with former student athletes that I have had the opportunity to meet over the years.  Many of them are now coaching, or have sons or daughters playing.  It is great when they come up to say hello, and introduce their children to me, and I can see a second generation of student athletes.

Thanks go out to the volunteer teacher and community coaches who put in so many hours working with their teams.  They are real heroes in my mind!!!

Have a great Day!

Mo

HAZING

A very unfortunate Hazing incident occurred recently in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. A 15 year old was subjected to sexual abuse as a result of Hazing.

Hazing, a type of initiation, or ritual, has gotten way out of hand over the last number of years. What used to a be a fun activity to make rookies a part of the team, has become a rite of passage, and each year, the veterans try to think up something worse for the next crop of rookies.

MHSAA defines hazing as

"Any humiliating or dangerous activity expected of a student to belong to a group, regardless of their willingness to belong”

When a group of athletes plan a hazing ritual, no one really thinks about any potential long term effects that it may have. They look at it as a fun thing and a way to be  part of the team. This is a bad approach, and coaches must educate their teams and athletes about what is acceptable and what is inappropriate. Having the rookies carry the equipment bags or fill the water bottles are possible ways to ensure the rookies earn their way onto the team, but any physical or emotional contacts are way out of bounds.  There are documented cases where Hazing has resulted in suicide and emotional dysfunction.  Hazing can be termed as a form of bullying.

We would encourage principals chat with their coaches to ensure that this will not happen at the school level. I am not naive enough to think that it is currently not happening, but I know that we have to bring this to the attention of the students and let them know of potential consequences and we have to definitely let coaches know the limits of acceptability.

The MHSAA will also have to do a better job of getting the message out.

Morris Glimcher

SAGE 2111

MHSAA presented a new initiative at the 2011 Professional In service, SAGE.  On October 21, we introduced the Alberta Interscholastic Athletic Administrators development course. Twenty Four individuals participated and completed an introductory course- Principles, Strategies and Methods. They shared a number of strategies on how to work with coaches and administration. There was some very good discussion and the evaluations were very positive. It seemed like there was a need for courses like this, and we will be bringing in some more courses in the future. Our goal is to train local facilitators in order to keep costs to a minimum.



We appreciate the co-operation with ASAA and AIAAA and look forward to working with them on more educational opportunities. The MHSAA has also been working on a template for a school athletic handbook, and hopes to have that finalized in February.



Volleyball Provincials around the corner. Champions Cross Mentoring program this morning. Lots to do with high school sport,



Mo

Cross Country Provincials- What a Great Day!!!

The 2012 Cross Country Provincials were held yesterday at Spruce Woods Provincial Park.. Close to 1200 athletes from all parts of the Province participated. It was a super day, although, early on, it looked like it would be very cold and gloomy. A forecast for five degrees put a damper on things, and while driving out, there were high winds and snow on the ground. By the time we arrived at the site, the sun was beginning to shine and there was very little wind. It was a great day for running the challenging course!



The host school, Carberry Collegiate contacted CFB Shilo to see if they would be willing to get involved, and they were more than happy to be there. A crew of 7 soldiers arrived with a Howitzer cannon which served as the official "starting gun". WOW- Quite the boom to start off the races- I am sure that none of the athletes, coaches or spectators ever experienced that type of start. It was also great for members of our military to be able to interact with the student athletes.



Thanks to the organizing committee from Zone 7 schools, as well as Glenboro Collegiate for making the event a success. We are looking forward to returning to Spruce Woods next year.



Morris Glimcher

What a Quick September

The first month of the school year has flown by very quickly. Lots of Zone meetings across the Province and a great time to reconnect with everyone. We had a good chance to review the Motions that were passed at the Annual Meeting and think about their implications a bit more. There were some issues in Golf that will have to be reviewed , and we will also be looking at MHSAA 50th anniversary activities. We had our first Board meeting of the year and that went well. We have 7 new Board members this year, so the first meeting is always a bit of a learning curve. Had the opportunity to travel to the Canadian School Sports Federation meetings in Newfoundland along with President Scott Kwasnitza. This is always a great opportunity to share ideas with the other Provinces and find out what issues the others are dealing with. Great group of people. We are currently reviewing some national opportunities that will be of benefit to schools across the country.

Getting ready for Cross Country and rural soccer Provincials...Let's hope this beautiful hot weather stays with us for a few more weeks.......

Mo

Legion Athletic Camps

I hope that everyone had a great summer! We have not had these kind of temperatures in years!



I had the opportunity to visit the Legion Athletic Camps at the International Peace Gardens this summer. What a great camp. There were kids from all over the Province, as well as NW Ontario, Saskatchewan and other places in Canada, USA and even Mexico. Most of the coaches working there were high school coaches, and it was great to see them share their skills with student athletes from other areas. The Legion Camps are celebrating their 50th year of operation and kudos have to go out to George Phillips and his family for their commitment and dedication for running the Camps, and to the Royal Canadian Legion for their ongoing support. These camps are there for the right reasons- for the kids. Thanks again to the Coaches for giving up some time of their summer vacation.



Morris Glimcher

COACHING SUPPORT

The MHSAA recently had a Board Meeting and will be placing a special emphasis on Coaching for the next year.  We will be introducing an introductory 3 hour Course called Call Me Coach.  This is a collaborative effort between MHSAA, Coaching Manitoba, CAC and Canadian School Sports Federation.  This course will include basic philosophies of high school sport as well as a number of scenarios to discuss.

We are also going to be introducing a Mentorship Program.  This will see a number of veteran coaches being grouped with rookie coaches.  The vets will answer questions via e-mail, and assist them in practice planning, dealing with parents, setting policy, setting team expectations, etc.

We are also working with Alberta to deliver their new Athletic Administrators course to Winnipeg.  This is a very exciting initiative, an can be a great resource for all teachers and coaches.

There will be some super things happening next year to benefit coaches,

Morris Glimcher