My Vision for 2008-09; Part 4

Related Activities, Beyond Daily Training and Competition

There has to be mention of the role and function of the MWPA in this new club structure and of Provincial level programming. Of course, what I have written about in the past 3 posts should open opportunities for new players and added vibrancy to the current MWPA School Leagues. There will be more energy for volunteer coaches and new blood in the referee pool as we increase the player base on a developmental level through the winter months.

One of the very first things I touched on when I presented my ideas to Trevor was the way this structure could mesh nicely with a summer Provincial Team Program (PT). If we have a HPTC running 10 months of the year there will need to be some monitoring and training in the summer months. Our players involved with National Teams are busy at that time with their international obligations but what about the other elite athletes who want to keep pace with the best in Canada. Well, a summer PT would allow a focussed set of training objectives for a limited group of committed athletes that are not out of the country, province or city. If we establish this summer training group it will provide the basis for a future PT when one is requested by Water Polo Canada for various summer initiatives like the Youth Cup.

The PT being tied into the HPTC allows us to access all sorts of additional services and funds through Sport Manitoba. It also allows for some partnerships like we have established this season with Carolyn Taylor who has been doing bio-mechanical research using Dartfish with us. Many of the components of ongoing Bushido programs do not get recognized by Sport Manitoba right now (Nutrition, Strength, Psychology, Coach Apprentice Program) because we don't offer them as part of a "Provincial Team". That is a quirk of Sport Manitoba that they will not change so it doesn't hurt us to alter our structure a bit and tap into some long hidden resources.

Will the Athletes all Get Along in This System?

So far, so good. By now everyone should know that we are running a pilot of this HPTC right now in Bushido. We have labeled it the Bushido Espoir Program and it initially involved our Youth Women who incorporated a few Neptune players. That success in joint training led to a Cadet Boy being added at the beginning of the year and then 3 Cadet Girls being added a month ago. So, we already have 3 of our 4 Age Group teams involving Neptune players right now. Geoff is fitting in very well with our Cadet Boys each week and even played with our Youth team at the Alberta Open. Heather, Robyn, Olivia, Hannah and Jessica are training well with the Youth Girls and Katie has joined Hannah and Olivia with our Cadets. Sure, there could be a little more social interaction outside of the practice drills but that will come with time, right now there is no fighting so that is the start we wanted given that this is a competitive setting. There is no reason we shouldn't expect that cooperation to grow into actual harmony in time.

So, what are the steps to make this transition? Well, I presented this proposal to Trevor at the beginning of February. I have kept the MWPA up to date on the outline of my ideas since then. Right now I am waiting to have follow up meetings with some Neptune coaches because, as you can imagine, this is more difficult for the Neptunes to embrace than for Bushido since it changes their programs in the most dramatic way. Basically all Bushido coaches support cooperation and growth and Bushido parents support Bushido coaches while they shepherd their children in a pretty positive and supportive way at all times. Hopefully, before the national championships cycle starts, we will have a template agreed upon for the MWPA to acknowledge and report on in a planning update for Sport Manitoba. I'm curious to see how much additional revenue flows to our sport next year.