The most wonderful time of the year
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Don’t worry; I’m not referring to Christmas time. Its still 28 C as I write this article. Although, this is one of my favourite times of year! September is just around the corner. Students are starting to emerge from their summer slumber, or in some cases, they are excited to come back to school after working hard in the 35 C-plus weather that we experienced in Medicine Hat over most of the summer. Either way, it is very nice for myself and other staff members at Medicine Hat College who feel like we are in the middle of the Sahara desert with no one to talk to during the month of July and the first part of August. That might be a bit extreme, but it is nice to see the hustle and bustle again.
September is the beginning of school, but it is also the beginning of a lot of Medicine Hat College programs. One of the most amazing programs (OK, I’m slightly biased) that will begin in the month of September is the Alberta Sport Development Centre – Southeast Athlete Enhancement Program.
The AEP is a leading edge program designed to develop emerging athletes in the areas of strength and conditioning, mental skills, and sport nutrition.
What is an emerging athlete? An emerging athlete is someone between the ages of 13 and 18 years of age who has a desire and potential to advance their athletic career.
Why do I refer to the AEP as leading edge? We currently have the top experts in southeast Alberta working with us at the ASDCSE.
Our two strength and conditioning coaches, Alex Graham and Ed Stiles, have a breadth of experience and are doing extraordinary work in the field. One example of this extraordinary work is the work that Alex has recently been doing with some of the top level hockey players in town. Charlie and Brady Risk have been working with her over the course of the summer and have both recently signed junior A contracts. They have both mentioned that they have made great strides in their physical development under the leadership of Alex.
Courtney Marchesin is our mental skills coach, and in the field of sports psychology, she ranks among the best. In a recent presentation by the Canadian national team sport psychologist Frank Van Den Berg, he referred to Courtney as a colleague and one of the top in the field.
Last, but not least, Kimberlee Brooks our sport dietitian has not only done amazing work with our athletes but most of the emerging athletes in the province of Alberta. She reviews and gives her stamp of approval for all of the Alberta Games menus. Her services are highly sought after, and she brings a whole lot of professionalism to our centre.
At the ASDC-SE, we have a lot to be proud of, specifically the quality of service that we provide. Our staff is incredible, and any emerging athlete that they work with seems to have a great deal of success.
Cory Coehoorn is the coordinator of the Alberta Sport Development Centre – Southeast. He would love to hear from you and answer any questions that you may have related to their programs. He can be reached via email at ccoehoorn@mhc.ab.ca or via phone at 403-504-3547.