Nov 17, 2014

Newly certified clubs recognize tangible benefits from Club Excellence

November 14, 2014
Club Excellence Program - OTTAWA, Ontario (November 14, 2014) – Four Canadian sport clubs – the Killarney Swim Club, the Calgary Aquabelles Synchronized Swim Club, the Calgary Olympic Track Club (COTC), and the CALTAF Athletic Association -  are voicing their enthusiasm for recent Level 1 certification through the Club Excellence program.
“Many of the requirements were informally in place, and this process has given us impetus to formalize them and create an even stronger club for years to come,” said Paula McKenzie, Head Administrator for the CALTAF Athletic Association. “We worked together as a team and, through this process, created a clear cut vision of our future which has brought us closer together.”
Club Excellence is the only national multi-sport certification program for club level sport. It strives to build a network of healthy, strong and sustainable sport clubs and sport organizations across Canada. The Club Excellence Cooperative (CEC) was created in 2007 with common goals to identify a stable and supportive environment for coaches, improve implementation of Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) at the community level, and ensure quality club programming built on the True Sport values of fairness, excellence, inclusion and fun. Based on 30 standards, the program recognizes clubs and associations that invest in building capacity to meet and exceed a basic set of operating principles.
The Killarney Swim Club represents the first swimming club to achieve Level 1 Certified status. Killarney’s Head Coach, Mike Meldrum, was thrilled about the achievement. “We believe that Club Excellence is the premiere vehicle to ensure sound governance is being practiced in clubs across Canada. Our experience as a club along the Level 1 pathway has made our club stronger as we pursue our goal of putting an athlete on the Canadian Olympic Team.”
The Calgary Aquabelles are the first synchronized swim club in Canada to be certified by the national program. They released a notice to their membership, conveying their excitement about the Club Excellence certification: http://aquabelles.com/.  
For the Calgary Olympic Track Club (COTC), certification brings tangible returns. “We have been working diligently toward this achievement for the past year, because we strongly believe in the values and goals of the program,” said Chris Coy, Head Coach of the COTC. “Club Excellence ties in perfectly with the very high quality of governance, programming and coaching that COTC strives to maintain. We believe that focussing on excellence in every aspect of our operations, and at every level of athletic development, will produce great success for our athletes, not only in Athletics, but in all areas of their lives."
Less than two weeks ago, the Saint John Track Club became the first club in history to be certified under the Club Excellence program. “The Club Excellence standards provide an umbrella of quality to which all clubs in Canada can subscribe,” said a delighted Club Excellence Cooperative Chair, John Edwards. “As these standards cross all Canadian sports, they are THE Canadian standard of club quality!”
To date there have been 16 clubs, representing 8 different sports across 4 provinces, under review for Level 1 certification. The program continues to welcome clubs through the Affiliate status, which has quickly grown to represent 16 different sports, across 6 Canadian provinces.
For more information on the Club Excellence program and the new AFFILIATE status, please visitwww.clubexcellence.com or contact Kyle Johnston, at kjohnston@cces.ca or (613) 521-3340 x3226.
 About Club Excellence
The vision of Club Excellence is to establish a network of healthy, strong and sustainable sport clubs and sport organizations in Canada. At its core, it is the certification program that aims to increase the capacity of the sport delivery and management system in Canada that can deliver values-based and developmentally-appropriate programs for all athletes. The Level 1 Certification focuses on Sport Delivery and Sport Management. Program Delivery standards integrate the design and implementation of programs which foster the long term development of athletes consistent with guidelines detailed within sport’s LATD model and delivered in a manner consistent with the True Sport Principles. Coaching standards are focused on providing participants with access to coaches with the necessary tools to prepare for, initiate and execute effective programs for the development of participants and athletes. The standards place an emphasis on safety, ethical conduct and appropriate training and certification. Sport Management addresses organizational design, policies, management, and marketing. Clubs that have clear and consistent polices, stated values, and make deliberate decisions in line with their mission and move them toward their vision, will spend less time managing issues, and more time attracting/retaining volunteers and building/delivering programs. These clubs are transparent about their operations and financial management and put policies in place to ensure those responsible do not abuse their position.
Club Excellence Program provides incentives, support and guidelines for clubs in their everyday operations. The Club Excellence program encourages clubs to operate differently, plan ahead for challenges and serve their members more effectively.
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Media Contact:
Kyle Johnston
Program Coordinator, Club Excellence Program

Tentative Aquatic Schedule for November 21-23, 2014

Here is the link to our tentative aquatics schedule for Friday, November 21 to Sunday, November 23 2014:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_i06kI_D5XWWEpYRTdHVEY4cVk/view?usp=sharing