Games are just tip of iceberg
A lot of work goes into hosting an OFSAA championship
For the first time, four-time Ontario champions Jean Vanier Lynx will have a chance to do something they have yet to do in their impressive nineyear run: capture a provincial girls basketball championship on their home court.
That can all change this week as 16 Ontario high school teams descend on Niagara as École Secondaire Catholique Jean Vanier in Welland hosts the 2019 Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association (OFSAA) girls A basketball championship tournament.
The three-day tournament tips off Thursday, but the excitement level at the school has been building before the event.
“Our senior girls are pretty excited about it,” athletic director Jason Duthie said.
“The students in the school are starting to talk about it a little bit more,” Duthie added. “It’s going to be a busy time, but it’s going to be a fun time, as well.”
Vanier submitted a bid to host the 2019 provincials two years ago, and although Duthie said it was a big undertaking for the school, it was confident that past experience — Vanier previously hosted the 2014 boys volleyball and the ’17 girls volleyball provincials — would help it prepare.
“We have a very good committee that has a considerable amount of background knowledge when it comes to hosting these kinds of championships,” Duthie said.
He acknowledged the school has faced challenges along the way, particularly in securing playing areas.
The tournament will culminate in the gold-medal game Saturday night at Vanier. Still, in order to get all games completed in three days, the school will also be using both gyms at the Meridian Community Centre in Pelham.
For principal Jerome Veillette, the chance to host the OFSAA championship at Vanier is an opportunity not just for student-athletes, but for the entire student body to get involved and get “real-life lessons on the spot.”
“Our whole student population can benefit from such an activity. The amount of volunteer hours required to undertake and run such a tournament is incredible and cannot be successfully done without a commitment from our students and teachers,” Veillette said. “Hosting such a tournament also allows our student population to witness what is required to perform at a high level, and in turn, set better goals for themselves.”
Vanier will require more than 50 student volunteers during the three-day tournament. Students will help out as scorers and team hosts, help run the game clock and shot clock, as well as assist with the livestreaming of provincials.
Even though students will get community service credit for the hours they spend volunteering outside school hours, Duthie said that’s just an added benefit.
“We’ve got a great group of kids here who most of them would do it just to do it, because they enjoy it,” Duthie said. “The community service hours for them are just a bonus,” he added.