VIU WINS BCCAA AGGREGATE TITLE

By Brent Dunlop

For the fourth consecutive year the Vancouver Island University Mariners have won the Provincial BCCAA Aggregate title.

The Aggregate Champion is the institution with the most accumulated points by each of the teams they field over the course of the competitive season.

VIU won silver medals in women’s volleyball, badminton and men’s soccer. A bronze medal went to women’s basketball and for the first time in many years all Mariner teams qualified for provincials.

Meanwhile, Mike Clark and Jenny Aronson placed fourth in mixed doubles at the 2010 CCAA Badminton Nationals in Edmonton after winning gold at the BCCAA Provincial Championships hosted at VIU in late February.

Megan Yim also participated at the nationals earning her spot by winning silver in women’s singles and then receiving the wildcard berth to nationals.

Mike and Jenny were part of the BC team that won the national team supremacy title.

The women’s volleyball team also needed a wildcard berth after losing in the finals  to the UBC-Okanagan Heat in the provincials.

At nationals in Quebec the Mariners won their first match versus Humber but lost to  UBCO in the semis and  MacEwan blocked their chances at a run for the bronze medal.

Lindsay McLoughlin was named to the tournament All-Star team.

The provincial basketball championships was hosted at VIU March 4-6 and both
Mariner teams medalled.

The Women defeated UNBC Timberwolves for the bronze and the Men’s team were
defeated in the gold medal game by the UNBC Timberwolves.

Mike Wohlers, Jacob Thom and Kayal Gromme were named to the tournament all-stars.

That wraps up the athletic season  and on April 7 the Athletic Department will celebrate its successes at the 30th Annual Mariner Awards in the Coast Bastion Inn.

 

BCCAA BADMINTON NATIONALS AT VIU THIS WEEKEND

By Brent Dunlop

It’s all about badminton this weekend as Vancouver Island University plays host to the 2010 BCCAA Badminton Provincial Championships from Saturday and Sunday.

Players from Team Canada will also take part.

Team competition begins at 11 a.m. Saturday followed by the individual events on Sunday starting at 9 a.m.

Individual event winners will represent BC at the National Championships.

VIU’s medal hopefuls will be Megan Yim a bronze medalist in women’s singles from the 2008 CCAA nationals and Mike Clark and Jen Aronson in Mixed doubles.

Currently in the team event the VIU Mariners are sitting in the bronze medal
position. A strong performance this weekend would earn them a medal !!

Top competitors include:

Jacky Ruan is originally from the Jiangsu Province badminton team in China where he was a 3 -time Provincial singles and doubles champion.  He was also a China Youth National silver medalist in doubles and bronze medalist in singles.

Upon the start of the badminton season at Capilano University, he was the winner of the 2009 BC Open Elite Singles and Doubles finalist.

Jacky currently studies ESL and hopes to someday work in the field of finance which he studied 2 years at university while at home in his native China before moving abroad to work and represent ClearOne Badminton Centre.

Jacky brings a speed that is unparalleled and cat-like reflexes that enable him to react ever so quickly during his matches.  He is definitely a spectacle to watch!

Peter Huang who has been in Canada for the past three years was a former Taiwan National Team member where he represented Taiwan in many International events and reached the Canadian Open singles finals in 2004.

He brings a thundering smash and calmness on court that allows him to analyze situations very rapidly and execute strategic plans to defeat his opponents.  Peter is currently enrolled in the Business Management program at Capilano University in hopes of one day fulfilling his dream of becoming a Chartered Accountant.

He is also a part-time coach at ClearOne Badminton Centre where he works with many of Canada’s brightest young talents.

David Yuan, who formerly placed in the top 16 for singles at the 2008 US
OPEN Badminton Championships, is the player’s team leader at Capilano University.

David brings a wealth of knowledge in competitive sports from his rigorous studies in the field of sports education.  He is passionate about teaching the sport of badminton and is one of the most popular coaches at ClearOne Badminton Centre.  He is known for his determination and work ethic on and off court.

David is an individual who never quits and is not afraid to take on any challenges giving one hundred percent effort each step of the way.  In the latter part of 2009 David took on a challenge with a friend to lose 20 lbs in the span of one month and was victorious in his challenge and was awarded a two-day all expense paid shopping spree in the U.S.

His smooth as silk movements around the court and soft net play are only a few of the outstanding weapons in his arsenal of play.

 

VIU TO HOST BASKETBALL, BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Vancouver Island University Mariner Athletic Department will host the 2010 BCCAA Women’s and Men’s basketball provincials championships March 4-10, but before that they will host the 2010 BCCAA Badminton Provincial Championships Feb 20-21.

The badminton championships will feature some of the best badminton to ever be played in Nanaimo, featuring players from  Team Canada !!  

Six of the BCCAA’s best teams in the men’s and women’s divisions will attempt to bring home the gold and a ticket to the national championships.

VIU PE STUDENT LANDS DREAM JOB AT THE OLYMPICS

By Brent  Dunlop

When Canada’s men’s and women’s hockey teams pursue gold at the Winter Olympics, Vancouver Island University physical education student Luke Couture will be as close to the action as you can get without  being in the lineup.

Couture, 19, of St. John, NB, is a volunteer on the ice crew at Canada Place – known outside the Feb. 12-28 Olympic period as GM Place.

“I’ll be cleaning the ice, assisting the Zamboni driver, doing repairs to the glass and ice,” said the second-year student.

“You might see me on TV for a few seconds between periods before the commercials kick in.”
Couture expects to see some great action but said his volunteer duties will come first.

“I have an 82-page instruction booklet. I’m really impressed by the level of organization,” Couture said. “There are 10 pages alone on radio calls and communications.”

He got the chance to work at the Olympic hockey venue through Trevor Murphy, manager of community and fan development for the Edmonton Oilers. Couture had worked for Murphy when he ran Hockey Canada’s Atlantic Regional Centre in Saint John.

Murphy put Couture in contact with recruiters for volunteers at the Vancouver Olympics. Couture applied and then kept following the detailed steps of the application process for six months.

“Then I came home late one night in mid-summer and found out I’d been accepted for hockey. I was bouncing off the walls. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I would have accepted a job picking up garbage just to be part of the Olympics.”

Couture played goalie at the high school triple-A level in St. John but it is his skill on the badminton court that helped him earn a President’s Scholar Athlete Award at VIU. Student athletes from across Canada who have achieved top academic marks as well as being top athletes in their chosen sports are eligible for the awards. The scholarship is renewable if the student-athlete maintains a 7.0 Grade Point Average.

VIU president and vice-chancellor Ralph Nilson sees Couture’s involvement in the Games as a prime example of the university’s strong endorsement of student engagement in our communities and VIU’s support of the Olympics.

“The world spotlight will be on Canada’s West Coast in February. This period

of time is an opportunity to showcase all that we have to offer – our magnificent natural landscape, our diverse cultural environment and our warm, welcoming spirit.”

Couture sees his stint at the Winter Games as a chance to talk to competitors who have turned their Olympic dreams into reality. He is working toward becoming an Olympian himself.

“I’m training for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. That’s my dream. That’s what I’m shooting for.”

It’s also a chance to see first-hand the complexity of an international sports event. Couture sees golden opportunities to make contacts as he explores career possibilities in sports management and sports psychology.

Couture said his commitment to work at the Olympics will require him to be away from VIU for two weeks but he will only miss a few classes because there is a reading week during the Games.

“I’ll just have to be disciplined to make sure I get caught up,” Couture said.

Bruce Hunter, VIU Director of Athletics, is confident Couture will take full advantage of the learning opportunity at the Olympics.

Hunter said VIU scholarship athletes like Couture have a solid record of keeping up their academics while training and competing at the university.

“More than 50 per cent of our athletes have an average of B-plus or higher. The typical athlete at VIU is an academic high-achiever.

“It will be a real eye-opener for Luke, to be up close to the action at the biggest sporting event in Canadian history. He will be able to take a lot away from the experience.”