Aboriginal Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity Partners Council

The Aboriginal Sports, Recreation and Physical Activity Partners Council (Partners Council) is pleased to announce the launch of the Team BC processes for the selection of Aboriginal athletes and coaches who will compete at the 2012 North American Indigenous Sport Championships (2012 NAISC)

The 2012 NAISC are a series of 14 championship events that will be held in separate communities across Canada and the United States during the summer of 2012. The 2012 NAISC will include competition in the following sports:

1. 3-D Archery
2. Athletics
3. Badminton
4. Baseball
5. Basketball
6. Canoeing
7. Golf
8. Box Lacrosse
9. Rifle Shooting
10. Soccer
11. Softball
12. Swimming
13. Volleyball
14. Wrestling

The Partners Council has been working over the last ten months, through the efforts of its Team BC Work Group, to develop a comprehensive provincial selection process (commencing this winter and concluding at the end of December 2011) to choose as many as 500 Aboriginal athletes and coaches to represent British Columbia at the 2012 NAISC.

There is a 2-stage process for Team BC selections:

Stage 1 — Regional Qualifications

The Partners Council has established 6 Regions across the province and formed Regional Committees that represent each of the First Nations, Métis Chartered Communities, and Friendship Centres within their region. The regional boundaries are based largely on the Provincial Health Authorities and include the following geographical areas:

1. Northwest
2. Northeast
3. Interior
4. Fraser
5. Vancouver Coastal
6. Vancouver Island

Regional Committees will design and conduct their own selection process for each of the 14 sports, provided they have a sufficient number of athletes and coaches within their region who wish to participate in each sport.

The Regional Selection Processes will be held in advance of the Provincial Championships in order to identify athletes and coaches eligible to compete at the Provincial Championships. Please refer to theTeam BC Selection Process document for further details.

Stage 2 — Provincial Championships

A competitive process will be utilized for the selection of Team BC athletes and coaches. It involves the delivery of Provincial Championships in each of the 14 NAISC sports, provided there are sufficient numbers of regional athletes to host a championship.

The Provincial Championships will follow a uniform process, which will generally consist of the following elements:

• Competition format will be based on the Sport Technical Package developed for the 2012 NAISC (i.e., age categories, competition rules and regulations, etc.).
• Competition will be available to teams/athletes/coaches as selected by each of the 6 Regional Committees (no more than 2 teams may be entered per region in any Championship).
• In team sports, the winning team (athletes plus coaches) of the Provincial Championship will be automatically awarded the right to represent Team BC at the 2012 NAISC. The winning team will have the opportunity to fill their roster by adding additional players from other teams competing at the Championships.
• For individual sports, athletes finishing in first place automatically earn the right to represent Team BC at the 2012 NAISC.

(Please refer to the Team BC Selection Process document for further details)

Opportunities to Host a 2011 Aboriginal Provincial Championship

A Host Application Process has been launched for communities and Friendship Centres to apply for the opportunity to host a 2011 Aboriginal Provincial Championship. To apply to host a Championship event, please refer to the Aboriginal Provincial Championship 2011 Host Application Process and Form.

The Team BC Work Group will select Host Communities/Friendship Centres based on specific evaluation criteria. The host selected will have the necessary level of financial and human resources, available facilities, a strong volunteer base, past successful hosting experience, etc. Considering the level of responsibility, resources and work required to deliver these Championship events, applications that reflect partnerships among First Nations, Métis Chartered Communities, Friendships Centres and other agencies are encouraged.

The selection process will also consider the importance of having Provincial Championships delivered in different communities throughout the province and in regions where that particular sport has a strong history and presence.

Team BC selections will be completed by the end of the 2011 calendar year. Accordingly, the timeframe for delivering the 2011 Provincial Championships is during school’s regular summer break—late June to late August 2011. Due to the nature of some competitive seasons, some Championships might be held in the fall 2011.

All applications must be submitted electronically to the attention of the Aboriginal Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity Partners Council before 4:00 pm, Friday, January 14, 2011.

Background on the Aboriginal Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity Partners Council

The Aboriginal Sports, Recreation and Physical Activity Partners Council (Partners Council) was established as a collaborative community health and social development initiative of the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, First Nations Health Council and the Métis Nation BC. Over the last year, the Partners Council has been undertaking the important task of implementing the Aboriginal Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity Strategy, which includes the creation of 6 Regional Committees and the development of 6 Regional Action Plans that identify community-based initiatives that support the Strategy’s 5 Pillars: 1) Active Communities, 2) Leadership and Capacity, 3) Excellence, 4) System Development, and 5) Sustainability.

The Partners Council, through the sum of its actions, will create responsive and enduring sport, recreation and physical activity programs for Aboriginal people across BC, which will result in healthier, more active individuals, families and communities.

For more information on the Aboriginal Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity Partners Council and how to get involved, please visit the website at:

http://bcaafc.com/initiatives/asrpa-partners-council

For more information contact:

Rick Brant, Director
Aboriginal Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity Partners Council
Phone: 250-710-4604
Email: rbrant@bcaafc.com