Every two years the BC Games Society hosts a meeting with our BC Summer and BC Winter Games Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) partners. The purpose of the meeting is to provide PSOs with information about Games operations, to share best practices and processes established by PSOs, and to engage in discussion to assist the BC Games Society in planning and policy development.
Representatives from 31 Provincial Sport Organizations gathered on October 30 and reviewed information about the BC Games Core Sport Policy, zone realignment, and registration fees. The responsibilities and opportunities for coaches at the BC Games were also presented along with information about BC Games medals, awards, and bursaries for athletes.
Dale Loewen from BC Athletics shared the process that their organization implements with respect to nominations for the W.R. Bennett Award which is awarded to one BC Games athlete and includes a $2500 bursary. BC Athletics collects nominations from each zone and then appoints a committee to review and choose the top male and top female nomination to forward to the BC Games Society for consideration.
Dan Wallis from Karate BC presented how their organization has adopted the BC Games zone model to streamline the development of their sport provincially. At the Games, Karate BC’s junior officials and junior coaches program has been very successful and allows young participants to stay involved in the sport for a longer time. "The BC Games is a huge event for us and through our involvement we are seeing great improvement in our coach certification and officials’ development,” said Wallis.
Tamara Rosenlund from Volleyball BC shared how they have implemented a program in the BC Games off-year that imitates the BC Games by creating an event that has both competition and social elements. Volleyball BC hires coaches on a two-year cycle so that they have a vested interest in developing towards the BC Games. In their first year, coaches lead teams at the Volleyball BC event and then work through to the BC Summer Games in their second year. “Through this program we have seen a real benefit with the development of our coaches in all areas of the province,” said Rosenlund.
Small group discussions about subjects such as practice times, female coaches, and transportation planning took place. PSOs had the opportunity to bring forward issues or challenges that their organizations face and possible ideas for solutions.
The BC Games Society values the relationship with our Provincial Sport Organization partners and we extend our gratitude for their ongoing commitment and expertise to ensure the continued success of the BC Summer and BC Winter Games.