Wesmen Athletics

Wesmen Players And Coaches "Blogs"

During The 2010-2011 Season, Coaches And Players Of All The Wesmen Teams Will Give Readers An "Inside Look" With Insightful "Wesmen Blogs"..

Stay up to date on all the inside scoop on the Winnipeg Wesmen by reading coaches and players "blogs" all season long.

Mike Raimbault (Men's Basketball Head Coach)

Blog #4  Monday, October 18, 2010

The exhibition season is over and it is now time for the real thing.  Conference games are now upon us.  We rounded out our exhibition schedule this past weekend with games against Lakeland and Briercrest.  The first night Lakeland gave us everything we could handle.  The are an extremely athletic team and are a well coached group.  The next day we played Briercrest college, another tough group of kids who competed hard on every possession.  These games were our final opportunity to prepare for conference play as we kick off our regular season schedule this weekend with a single match against Manitoba.  Friday night should be an exciting game as Manitoba has been putting up some big numbers during their pre-season schedule.  We have to focus in on our game preparation all week and leave it on the floor Friday night.

Also this weekend is Basketball Manitoba’s Super Coaches Clinic.  For any coaches out there, this will be a great event with many fine presenters coming in to share ideas about the game.  For more information, check out Basketball Manitoba’s website!

Blog - #3 Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Last weekend our team traveled to the beautiful city of Montreal for three exhibition matches.  Upon landing in Montreal we headed straight down to Vanier College for an exhibition scrimmage.  This was a good challenge for us having just landing in Montreal and taking on a program that regularly sends their top kids to quality programs both in the CIS and the NCAA.
The scrimmage went well and it gave us a chance to fine tune a few last minute details before taking on our first CIS opponents.

Both games against Concordia and Ryerson were close matches in which we ended up on the losing side.  However, both contests provided valuable learning experiences for our group.  With our new group and so many new faces it is very important for us to learn from every single time we are on the floor.  We had a chance to face some new challenges as a group and to learn from the experience.

Aside from just the basketball being played, having a chance to travel as a team in the pre-season is important for building team cohesion and unity.  It is important to spend time away from the court together as a team.  On a side note, Montreal proved to be a difficult city to navigate through, but we managed to find our way without too many problems.

Next up for the Wesmen are two final exhibition contests against Lakeland College and Briercrest College.  The season is flying by and conference play is almost upon us!  

Blog - #2 - Wednesday, October 6, 2010

We have one more day of practice and then we are off to Montreal for our first taste of competition since our early exhibition games against SDSU.  Since our early pre-season games the team has been training extremely hard both in the weight room and on the court.  The guys have been spending a lot of time in the weight room and we are steadily getting into better physical condition.

I am sure that the guys are excited to finally be progressing into the exhibition portion of our schedule.  We leave Thursday afternoon for Montreal and will be busy during our entire stay.  Our trip starts off with a scrimmage against Vanier College on Thursday night.  This will be a great opportunity for us to get our legs moving after being on the flight, fine tune a few things, and compete against a tough Vanier team.  It will also be an exciting night for Kenny Perry who spent one season playing for Vanier previously. 

Friday night we have a tough test against Concordia University in the opening game of their tournament.  This will be our first test against CIS competition.  The following night we will face off against either Ryerson or New York Tech.  Overall the trip will be a good opportunity for us to continue the learning process that began several weeks ago now.  Hopefully the trip will help us to bond and gel as a team as we continue to grow and gel as a group.  Be on the lookout for scores and stats throughout the weekend.

Blog - #1 – Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Last night was the annual alumni event here at the University of Winnipeg.  The night provided us the opportunity to connect with many of the former Wesmen players who have laid the groundwork for us to be where we are now.  It was also our first opportunity to compete as a single unit against competition other than ourselves.  The alumni team featured many former Wesmen greats suincluding Norm Fromel, Erfan Nasajpour, and Matt Opalko.

All in all there were many positives from the game itself.  It was a good test for our new group providing us with an opportunity to try out some different line-ups and combinations.  Aft this point we have a lot of work to do as a group still, but so far we are gelling and growing one day at a time.  We need to continue building each and everyday as the season is quickly approaching.
   
Following the game there was a function where the current and former Wesmen had the opportunity to share a meal together.  Many great stories were told and many laughs were shared.  The overall message of the night was greatly summed up by all time Wesmen leading scorer, Ken Opalko when he said, “Once a Wesmen, always a Wesmen.”


Kenny Perry - (Men's Basketball Player)

Blog #3 - Monday, October 18, 2010

Hello Wesmen Family and Friends

This past weekend was our last set of games of the pre-season as we played in the CMU tournament in Winnipeg this past weekend.

Our first game was a good test against the highly powered offensive team of Lakeland College from Alberta. It was throughout the entire course of the game as they competed with us in the game and took leads at many parts of the game. However we fought hard and came together as a team to pullout a win 88-82. Nolan Gooding had an impressive 24 pt game to along with 8 rebounds and the Winnipeg native Brayden Duff muscled in a hard earned 18 pts.

In our second game we played against a very disciplined Briercrest College team from Saskatchewan who was loaded with sharp shooters. We exchanged leads in the early beginning however, we went on a run to take a 12 point lead to close the first quarter....in the 2nd quarter they came out fired up and took the lead at many points. At halftime Coach Raimbault regrouped us to get us focus and we came out fired up in the 2nd half where we blew the game wide open to end up winning 118-91, Kelvin Smith the Freshman from Los Angeles, had a breakout game scoring an impressive 30 points. We ended up having five guys in double figures.

I feel that those final two pre-season games helped us tune up some things before league play starts this upcoming Friday, October 22nd as we head over to U of M to face our cross-town rivals the Bison at 8 pm. Please stay tuned and keep checking back as we prepare in a important week of practice for this week's season opener.

Thanks
K.P

Blog #2 - Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Hello Wesmen friends & Family

After a good week of practice we went to Montreal for the Concordia Nike Invitational Tournament.  We arrived in Montreal on a cloudy Thursday afternoon where we got off the plane and went to scrimmage my alma mater the Vanier College Cheetahs.  In the beginning you could tell that we were sluggish as we had no legs in our shots, as Vanier competed with us early. However, we ended up pulling it together to win 3 out of 4 scrimmages against a talented young group. 

As Friday came along we prepared to play Concordia in a very anticipated game sense it was their home opener. We came out strong in the beginning as we traded leads back and forth in the early going. In the second half we went on a run to take an 11 point lead.  However, we ran out of steam as their pressed brought them back in the game to win by 5 points.  I was the leading scorer with 19 points, followed by Nick Lother with 15, Lynden Drayton-Barrow had 14 and Nolan Gooding had 13, although he played a solid overall defensive effort by taking several charges. 

Our last game of the trip was the consolation final against Ryerson.  We came out bad in the beginning, which Ryerson was able to take a commanding double digit lead in the early going. It took us a substantial amount of time to wake up and play. We made a run in the 2nd half, but it was too little too late as Ryerson ended up winning by 15 points.  Our leading scorer was Lynden Drayton-Barrow with 17 points followed by myself with 13.  
Thanks
 K.P

Blog #1 - Wednesday, October 6, 2010

First and foremost, I would love to give a warm welcome to alumni, family, friends and fans as we brace ourselves for the 2010-2011 season. My name is Kenny Perry and I am a 4th year transfer from Halifax, NS and this is my first year here with the Wesmen. We have a fairly new team this year with a lot of new faces.

We all arrived in Winnipeg during the week Aug 17th as we went into training camp to prepare for our two exhibition games against the South Dakota State Jackrabbitts, an NCAA division 1 team from the Summit League conference. The games were good for us as a group because we had an early chance to play together as a team. We ended up losing both games by a substantial amount of points. However, it was a great experience for us to grow as we prepared for the preseason over the past month.

Additionally, the new head coach, Mike Raimbault has done a great job in getting us into game shape as well as preparing us to be student-athletes. We have been training hard every week both in the gym and in the weight room as well as working in the classroom. As a result, I must say we have been managing well with basketball and school.

It should be interesting to see how we will do this upcoming weekend as we go to our first preseason tournament in Montreal as we play the host team Concordia in their invitational. Please check in on our blog for weekly updates.
Thank you
K.P

Pedro Daza ( Men's Soccer Head Coach)

Blog #3 - Sunday, November 21, 2010



Blog #2 - Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Blog #1  - Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Wesmen Men’s Soccer is working hard on developing a strong and committed team.   Tryouts were held in August and attracted strong talent.  Training has been held on a regular basis so that the final roster could be determined and to prepare for our participation in the MCAC league.   We had two official MCAC league games – first one against Providence College and Wesmen won 2-1.  The second game against CUSB (St. Boniface) ended in a 1-1 tie.  We also had three exhibition games with two wins and one tie.  In addition to our regular training we have introduced soccer specific cardiovascular and conditioning training. 
Soccer players on average run approximately 12- 14 km per game so we are integrating the conditioning needed.

The talent on the team is extremely diverse with players from many cultural backgrounds – majority of the talent is local with four international players from far away as Brazil, England and Africa.

For years, I’ve watched our players leave Winnipeg to attend Universities outside our province so they could participate in soccer programs and play in the CIS or NCAA. Wesmen is providing an opportunity for our talent to play for their home city and achieve academic and athletic excellence.These are exciting times for the athletes, the coaches and for Winnipeg.  For me and for many players, it is a dream come true.Go Wesmen!

Mick Gale (Men and Women's Soccer Coach)

Blog #1 - Tuesday, October 12, 2010

After this weekend the work really starts soccer recruiting begins in earnest for CIS I am off to Kamloops this week and then Toronto and from there on to U.K where there are a total of 68 applications to be vetted.
It is no use complaining as a successful team is what was asked for and the fun has only just begun. The bus is moving so jump on now before it gets too fast. Players are slow to adapt and when considering the future there needs to be some soul searching if we are to e prepared for the exciting times ahead.

Janelle Deniset (Women's Soccer Player)

Blog #1 - Wednesday, October 27, 2010

------------ Hey there Wesmen family,

The Women’s soccer team finished off great in an overall successful first season. This past weekend, we competed in the MCAC championships and brought back the gold. We came out undefeated in regular season games giving us a bye to the final. The championship game was played against Providence College, and finished in a 10 -0 win for the Wesmen. Not a bad start for the women’s soccer program, if you ask me. Sheri was named regular season MVP and Julia was named MVP of the final and tournament MVP. Way to go girls!

The women’s soccer program was a completely new experience for the university and it was also quite a different setting for the players. Not only did players have to get used to playing with each other, they had to get used to not playing against each other. There are players representing every youth club in the city, with a long past of competition and rivalries. But trust me, it took barely any time at all for this great group of girls to come together and play as a team. In the few months that I’ve had to get to know this team, I’ve realized that not only do we have a skilled group of girls on the field but off the field, we also have a group of genuinely good people. I’m looking forward to spending plenty of time for the indoor futsal training.

Even with the strong start, the entire team knows that much work lies ahead of us if we plan to compete at higher levels. I think we are all ready to work hard and put the effort to get there. Thank you for your support and I hope to see you all out cheering as loud next season!

Cheers,

Janelle

Diane Scott (Women's Volleyball Head Coach)

Blog #4 - Monday, November 22, 2010

I must apologize I have been negligent the last couple of Monday's from my blogging, no excuses only action is an acceptable response! Maybe there is a purpose in my negligence, provides me with a little more fodder to work with this week, gotta keep it fresh and interesting!
Proud to say we (WVB) turned a corner in the last couple of weekend tilts, dug a little deeper, got a little raw, exposed some weakness, pin pointed needs and set in motion our direction of growth! Grow we did, we moved forward from the place of being scared to achieve, scared to go out side our comfort zone to a place of belief! Believing in ourselves, believing in the plan (short term & long) takes a special form of trust, at least initially! Change is uncomfortable, change is never smooth, and it's different for each and every member of the team, but.......it is so worth it!
We just passed through a couple weeks of major growth, personal, and team. Some players fought the change/challenge for a little bit, but as it takes time they have come to embrace it, just enough to allow themselves to move through that door and become even more! If we could all just trust the process from the beginning wouldn't it be a little easier? Alas, that's what makes it interesting......the challenge is the fun part, we just don't see it that way in the beginning!
We have competed match in and match out, we have shown we have what it takes to be in the race with each and every team in Canada West, it's going to be a dog fight this season! We head into Trinity Western this up coming weekend with a new confidence, a stronger belief and the attitude that we belong! Each and every weekend is a new challenge, an opportunity to get a little bit better. We will, because we are! Hup...Wesmen!

Blog #3 - Monday, October 25, 2010

The Traveling Wesmenettes were on the road this past weekend to Souris and Brandon for a couple exhibition matches with BU to re-boot and get back on track competing! After a couple of weekends off, a few days of R'n R mixed in and some key skill focus we needed an opportunity to play and be challenged, we got it! Brandon is an experienced big team, gritty and aggressive, a combination of a bunch of teams rolled into one! Just what we needed to get us back to the focus of competing, challenging and being challenged, showing off our improvement and exposing our areas still in need of growth and maturing!

We started Saturday off by holding a volleyball clinic at HGI in White Ridge in the morning. So much fun, the kids were awesome! It was a great opportunity to get out into the community, allow the girl's to connect with the up and coming volleyballers of the future, share their skills and knowledge and be great role models. Very important for young girl's to get the opportunity to see confident athletic women in their own environment, sharing their time, teaching them skills and supporting their growth. Then it was back to U of W to hop on the bus and head out west.......

Saturday evening's match was held in Souris at the high school, it's like stepping into a time capsule, all of a sudden we are all back in Grade 12, fantastic and freaky all at once! The gym is small and tight, the bleachers extending almost to the court side, you can feel the crowd. Makes the court seem small, but just like the movie Hoosier's all the measurements are the same! The only adjustment had to be in the serving space, not a lot of spike serving happening! All good.... dealing with change and adversity come with the territory and really test the mettle of the team, their focus and management of the moment!
We were a little rusty to say the least, but that was the reason for this little tour, to get the rhythm back!
It was also obvious we are better in many areas from our training these last few weeks, and that is encouraging! Officially we lost in 4, but played the 5th set to 25 to get our money's worth so to speak!
The Young's (Rhonda & Bob, parents of Becky on BU) hosted both teams to a pizza and salad reception after the match which was awesome! It was great for the teams and it completed the small town hospitality experience! Back on the bus to head to the Super 8 in Brandon for the night, leaving one with the feeling of a "Rock Star" touring lifestyle (low end mind you!) to perform another day in another town!

Sunday we simulated our usual routine of a team meal (breakfast at Smitty's) before heading to the gym for our game day training at BU! Never thought we'd feel happier to be in that gym, but after the small gym experience in Souris it felt better then ever before, room to serve! Lol! It's not easy to get up and have to be on less then 12 hours after our last match, but that's why the girl's are paid the big bucks! As a player I use to love match day pre-match training, it helped me get back on track, loosen up and maintain a solid routine. I would give anything to be in their shoes again, loved being the athlete!
We hit Gullivers for a pre-match meal (yes, seems like a lot of eating, but it's necessary, these girl's are burning calories and need to be energized!) as a team, great food and they treat all teams very well! Our bus driver Bob joined us, which is always a nice gesture to connect with the driver, he totally loved watching the matches and getting to know the team!

Our Sunday afternoon match showed many signs of improvement from the evening before, which is wonderful! We competed stronger, improved in some areas from the night before and gave ourselves chances to win points and sets. Competing is critical in our league, it's not just an effort it has to be an attitude, an unspoken expectation and commitment! Every team is solid in Canada West, and any team has a chance to win every weekend. It's like competing for the National Championship week in and week out!
We lost in 4 (25-27, 17-25, 25-23, 20-25), but played a very solid match overall, and certainly not our best either! We are capable of being better, and we will strive to get there, 1 point at a time!
The most important thing is that these girl's know they can be more, they have a very good handle on their limitations and their potential, they are learning to make adjustments and changes for the betterment of the team and in turn are benefitting as individuals; they are cooperative and unselfish, which makes them a good team now and will make them a great team in time! I am proud of their growth to date, their spirit is great and I am privileged to have the opportunity to coach them!

As a player I use to have this quote up in my locker, I would read it everyday and take inspiration from it!
This team of young women resinates with this quote:
"The competitor in the race goes on after he (she) is tired, goes on to the point of absolute exhaustion: he (she) even trains himself (herself) painfully in order to be more capable of greater and more prolonged effort and of exhausting himself (herself) more completely. The idea of effort is the very essence of athletics. The real prize is the honor of victory!"

We will be honored for our efforts! I truely believe in that!
Diane Scott
WVB

Blog #2 - Monday, October 18, 2010

Phew, finally over that Thanksgiving turkey "hangover", seriously can one find more ways to eat the same bird over and over again! Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the big meal and am already looking forward to Christmas dinner, but before we even get there, there is plenty to talk about......!

After the last couple weekends sans volleyball so the focus could be on rest, recovery, school and life we (WVB) are now back on task for what lies ahead, what we've been in the gym training for these last 2 months and what has been on our mind since the end of last season, competing! With a couple of re-boot exhibition matches vs BU out in Souris and Brandon this upcoming weekend, all focus will be on performance in our Canada West conference. The team has been working hard, challenged to go outside their comfort zones and has improved a bunch over these last few weeks post our Lea Marc Bronze. We are chomping at the bit to get to the real stuff; Bison's, Dino's, Bird's, Sparten's and a second helping of Bison before the Christmas break!

I can honestly say it will be very exciting for our team, their ability to continue to improve over these weeks has been awesome to see, and I know there is so much more to come. The key for our young team, is to keep it all in perspective; not expect too much too soon, but not limit ourselves by limiting our expectations. The skill is strong, improving each day, our depth is certainly present and in place, our potential great, the team effort motivating and the leadership is strong! I have seen improvement in every single player, each contributing all that they have and reaching a little deeper, this is definitely a "Team"!

So with my time to reflect this past weekend (out at the "Hunting Shack") about all the reps in the gym, the team meeting's, events, tournaments and matches, the one thing that stands alone for me was the weekend we spent together as a team out at the "Hunting Shack", a chance to be a team away from volleyball! Needless to say it was a hoot! Some stories too "team" too share! I will not bore you with all the details, but I am going to share a little about what I have learned about each of them by giving them a "Nic. name";
Jina "I Want It Now" Barker, Alicia "Give Me The Gun" Perry, Alix "I Rock" Krahn,
Kelsey "Sunny" Konihowski, Sonia "Full Throttle" Rossy, Lauren "Bring It" Sears,
Miranda "Ginger" Grayson, Kaelyn "Go Me" Gauthier, Brit "The Princess" Habing, Kaley "Gilly" Gilham,
Erika "Can My Parents Come" Willows, Mac "Attack" Jeffrey, Carleen "The Krusher" Kruschel,
Di "The Potty Scotty" Scott!
Porta Potty that is!!!!!!

Alas, they crack me up!
Diane

Blog #1 -  Tuesday, October 5, 2010

" Hard to believe, but we are already into the second month of our 2010-11 season, time flies when you're having fun! It has been a whirlwind of events, expectations, guidelines, effort and adventures already! We've covered the orientations, the Rock Climb, Doping guidelines, pot-lucks and Alumni matches, oh yeah and then the academic balance with all the volleyball training and competing! Feeling overwhelmed? Feeling exhausted yet? That's the best part, because that's what it means to be a university athlete, full throttle, pedal to the metal, hang on and enjoy the ride!

Speaking of which, our university women's volleyball team has been going full out for the month of September, 18 practices, 12 matches, 1 road trip, 2 tournaments, lot's of growth, lot's of competition, tons of blocks, digs and kills and a Bronze medal this past weekend in our Lea Marc Invitational as a reward for their effort!

I can't say enough about how excited and pleased I am with this group of young women; athletic, responsible, gifted, confident, fun, respectful and we've only scratched the surface! Their strength is their willingness to be more, to reach higher, work harder and it is already paying off! Don't get me wrong there is still plenty of work to do, but this group is on task! They worked extremely hard all summer, they are willing to keep each other accountable and they have gained the respect of every team in Canada West these last couple of weeks through their play and perseverance!

We have a couple weeks to re-energize, work on skills and systems, gain strength and continue to grow, we have time to decompress and focus on school, with a great base set in place for our official season to begin! We will play a couple exhibition matches with Brandon and be ready for our first league match against the Bisons October 30 here at home! Looking forward to this season!

What makes me most proud is the character of our team; the young women in the room are all unique and special in their own way, they compliment one another and together we are stronger! Most importantly they are fun and funny...they crack me up! They celebrated my birthday (29 again...) with me by buying me a gift....an awesome Adidas track suit, school colors of course! It touched me in a way they will never know, and I'm pretty sure Sue Sylvester would be envious!"

Alix Krahn (Fourth Year Women's Volleyball Player)

Blog #4 - Friday, October 22, 2010

The saying goes, practice makes perfect. Well I like to think of it as practice makes almost perfect. Practicing is what our team has been focusing on these past two weeks, as we prepare for our fast approaching season. After a week of literally hitting the floor, we were off the ground and flying high?! Well needless to say that after the first practice back at offense, we all agreed that we were probably only getting a few inches off the ground. Maybe we were not “flying high”, but it brought with it a whole new set of aches and pains, and by this week we were back at full capacity.

This weekend was, yet again, another weekend of rest and recovery for us. Although we were not playing, we still felt the need to be in the gym, as we attended the men’s basketball tournament at CMU. The men’s basketball team took on Lake Land College on Friday afternoon and it was an exciting game. The teams were point for point as we cheered louder and louder. We ended up coming out on top with a 88-82 win and while the men got the glory of winning the game, we were glad to be apart of it.
As we head into another weekend, we are making our way to Brandon to play a couple of exhibition games against the Brandon Bobcats. It is a chance for us to get out there and compete again before the season and, perhaps more importantly, prepare for our up and coming home opener on October. 30, 2010 against the U of M Bisons. See you in court!

Blog #3 Thursday, October 14, 2010

Dig Deep, or at least that what we were doing this past week! After finishing the weekend on a positive, defeating UBC in three, we entered into last week with one challenge on our minds defence! Although our defence had been decent and at times pretty good on the weekend, it has proven to be our biggest obstacle. A combination of this weeks and last weeks practices have left our legs black and blue and enough burnt skin on the gym floor to make any coach happy (if only for a while).  Its hard to come up with a rough number of how many times we have hit the floor this week, but it shows that we were willing to commit to playing defence. Willing to move our feet to the ball and commit to the play, which has been one of Diane’s challenges for us in practice.

After a weekend of hard play and a week of getting down and digging, most of us were relieved to know it was thanksgiving weekend. Thoughts of family, rest, studying, and of course food filled our minds as we finished the week. Some of us travelled home to visit family, while others remained in Winnipeg. Regardless we all have a lot to be thankful for and one thing for sure is the opportunity to play on a CIS volleyball team. Along with that a great coach, support staff, team mates, and the list goes on. These next few weeks for us are preparation for the up and coming exciting 2010 volleyball season, and during this time we hope to commit to each other and to the challenge of getting better everyday. As we push ourselves and each other to take the steps we need to as a team, we are reminded that the sky is the limit. Carpe Diem!!


Blog #2 -  Thursday, October 7, 2010

Go, Fight, Win! Those three words have been used as a slogan at the university over the years and they sum up this weekends volleyball action at the 2010 Lea Marc Invitational tournament. It was a weekend of putting it all out on the court, battling through the ups and downs and earning the hard fought win!

The tournament, which began on Friday October 1st, featured five teams; Brandon University, University of Manitoba, University of Regina, UBC and of course your real home team the Winnipeg Wesmen. We opened the weekend in a battle against Brandon that resulted in their defeat over us three sets to one. Later on that evening we went on to face U of M. The sets were tight 23-25, 21-25 and 26-28, with U of M coming out on top. The next morning we rose to the competition and defeated Regina three sets to one. That evening we went on to face the three time reigning nationals champs, the UBC thunderbirds! It was a hard, long fought battle. We came out of the gate strong winning the first two sets 21-25, but were unable to finish losing the next three sets. Angry and little pissed off (in the right way, as Diane would say) we came into the gym on Sunday morning hungry for redemption. We were focused, determined and willing to commit to whatever we needed to do to win. Once again we came out of the gate as a solid unit winning the first two sets 25-20 and 25-16. We were faced again with the third set challenge, knowing the UBC would not leave without a fight. Seeing this as an opportunity to prove ourselves, we stuck together through the battle coming out on top 26-24.

Overall the weekend was a success. While our start may have been slow we improved continually throughout the weekend, finishing with a third place defeat over UBC. The growth over the weekend was  a reminder to all of us of how far we have come and of course of how far we still need to go. Each week we will strive to become stronger, faster, better. We have learned that working together means winning together. Look out Canada west conference here we come!


Blog #1 - Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Greetings Wesmen volleyball fans,

    As the 2010 volleyball season is upon us, we the members of the women’s volleyball team are asking ourselves, are you in… or are you out? We have settled on this set of questions as our team slogan to define our commitment to the team this season. I’m pleased to report that every team member and coach involved in our program has decided that they are in!

This year’s team is exciting and athletic. With the leadership of three veterans, Lauren Sears, Kaley Gilham and myself (Alix Krahn) and five second year players, Carleen Kruschel, Alicia Perry, Miranda Grayson, Kaelyn Gauthier and Sonia Rossy, we have been looking to add some fresh new talent to our program. This year we are thrilled to announce that we have five rookies joining us on the floor: Jina Barker, Brittany Habing, Kelsey Konihowski, Erika Willows and Mackenzie Jeffrey. These talented young ladies have proven to be tough and hard working throughout these first few weeks of practice, competing everyday for a spot  on the floor. Day in and day out we and our head coach, Diane Scott are fully committed to pushing ourselves and each other to strive for excellence on and off the court. The experience of the veteran players, along with the addition of five bright, young rookies, reflects the depth that the 2010 roster will bring to the court.

The team was more thoroughly introduced to each other the second weekend of September, when we took a trip to St. Ambrose for some team bonding. Not only did we bond, but we learned a few things about ourselves. To start off with, we got a chance to shoot clay pigeons with a semiautomatic shot gun. To most of our surprise, we all turned out to be a pretty good shot! Next up was quading. While most of us managed to stay dry, others of us chose to stray from the beaten bath ending up rather wet and stinky. Needless to say it was a figure-it-out moment, that lead to growth. In the evening we spent our time eating smores and talking around the camp fire. Particularly memorable were the stories Diane told us about her experiences with previous teams she had coached and her own battles with volleyball. We sat around the fire, inspired and exhilarated, feeling confident that impossible is nothing.
   
With the feeling of burning desire and passion in our hearts, we hit the court the following Monday with determination, to prepare ourselves for the upcoming weekend tournament in Regina. We practiced hard all week, leaving early Friday morning. The tournament was composed of eight top CIS volleyball teams. We opened strong on Friday against the University of Calgary, defeating them three sets to two. Later on that evening we went on to defeat the University of Saskatchewan in four sets. The following morning we played Regina and were defeated three sets to one. In the evening we were, once again, defeated by Alberta. The game was an intense, hard fought battle that went to five sets, ending with Alberta coming out on top. Our final day of the tournament we faced Saskatchewan again for third place and we were defeated three sets to none. The weekend was an excellent challenge for us. It was a good measure of where we were at and where we need to be.
   
This next week brought with it our alumni match on Monday which was a great chance to play against some of the graduated players and catch up. Now the challenge at hand is the upcoming weekend, where we will host our own Lea Marc invitational tournament. The weekend will be another chance for us to play some of the top CIS teams and push ourselves to take another step forward. As the season fast approaches we look forward to seeing you out at games. Just as we are a team, we also view you as a vital team of support that we need in order to succeed in achieving our goals. So as we have asked ourselves, we would like to invite you to ask yourselves, are you in… or are you out?


Tanya McKay - (Women's Basketball Head Coach)


Blog #3 - Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Our Wesmen Women's Basketball Team comes off a great win over Manitoba - Friday, Oct. 22nd, 2010.  65-47.  Our game vs. Manitoba was our first league game and a great start to our Season.  The team was prepared, played hard and played very well as a team.  The Wesmen team fields a balance attack from the inside and the outside.  Rookie Steph Kelysen continues to make her mark as an impact player at the CIS level.
The team now enjoys a bye week having Oct. 29-31st off in action.  Next week Calgary comes to visit.  We play Oct. 5th and 6th.

Blog #2 - Thursday, October 21, 2010

The Wesmen Women Basketball Team  had an up and down tournament this past weekend.  Last Thursday we boarded a bus to Thunder Bay, Ontario to compete in the Lakehead Women's Basketball Tournament.  Playing without 4th year guard Amy Ogidan gave plenty of opportunity for others to play and step up.

Friday night we lost a close one to Laurentian 50-53.  The girls played hard but we shot a mere 21% hitting only 16 of 72 shots.  Hard to believe we could miss so many - but the hoop felt like it was the size of a pin hole.  Nothing would drop!

Saturday things didn't get any better.  Losing 60-70 to Bishop's - once again we shot poorly.  We made 14 of 61 shots.  Defensively we played hard and really went after the boards - but our offense just wasn't clicking.

Sunday a better story.  Winning 89-61 over Lakehead we made an impressive 32 for 75.  The combination of tough defense and some finishes really increased the tempo of the game.  All 11 players got in, all contributing to a great win.

The Wesmen finished 1-2 in the tourney.

Coming up - league play - opening with the Bisons. Friday, Oct. 22nd at U of M.  We have had a great week of Practices.  Amy ogidan returns to the line-up.  The team is looking forward to an exciting uptempo game.

Blog #1 - Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Our Wesmen Women's Basketball Team after a hard and gruelling September of training - is ready to jump into the season. Coming off this past weekend - Bob FM Tournament - the Wesmen pulled out a 2 and 1 record beating Lakehead and Brandon. The always tough cross town rivals - the Bisons - gave the Wesmen more than they could handle in pre-season losing 60-69. A great start however, to an exciting season.

Coming out of the weekend - rookie Stephanie Kleysen made her presence known. Starting all three games - Steph led our team in offensive rebounding, overall rebounds per game and deflections.

This coming weekend the Wesmen head to Thunder Bay to play in the Lakehead Invitational. We will play 3 games - Lakehead, Laurention and Bishops. We will play without 4th Year Amy Ogidan (injured her ankle this past weekend in our Brandon game). We are looking forward to seeing our rookies make an impact filling in for Amy.

Amy Ogidan - (4th Year Women's Basketball Player)

Blog #2 - Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Last week was a great week for our program.  We practiced hard and remained focused on working out some of our offensive and defensive kinks.  With out first league game against the University of Mantioba Bisons approaching many of us were beginning to feel a type of nervous excitement.  The Bisons are often described as our "cross town rivals", it is not unusual for us to play them several times a year in pre-season and regular season.

Before our CIS days many of us grew up watching both the Bisons and Wesmen play in up-tempo, action packed games.  Many of us have spent years, if not most of our childhoods playing with athletes on the Bisons during provincial team and club team season. This history sets the stage for a friendly rivalry, that I know many other inter-provincial CIS teams share. 

Personally, I had just finished nursing my ankle back to "health".  I  unfortunately missed our pre-season tournament in Thunderbay the prior weekend to give this annoying little injury as much attention as it needed.  I was relieved to find out that the decision had paid off, and that I could play in our first league game. 

The game itself was everything you would hope a first league game would be.  We had a few off moments, but the good far outweighed the bad.  I was most impressed with our ability to highlight our strenghts and our depth as a team.  The energy on our bench was phenomenal, I lost my voice in a useless attempt to out shout the shouts of of our amazing friends, fans and family.  Thank you so much to everyone who came out! It was amazing to see all of the UW students, staff and administration in attendance on bison territory... Definitely just another day that I was proud to be a Wesmen :)

Till next week,

Ogi #14

Blog #1 - Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Normally each year the Bob FM Shoot Out marks the end of a hard month of practices. By this time we have normally had our annual intersquad and alumni game, rookie night and plenty of team bonding. As the tournament approaches I find practices become more focused and we are all excited to play on our home court in front of our friends and family. This year was particularly special because all members of our team are from Winnipeg, which allows us to use our Wesmen slogan "your REAL home team" with pride :).

The attendance and fan support was the best I have seen throughout my time here. We played Lakehead Friday, University of Mantioba Saturday and Bradon Univeristy Sunday. We finished the tournament 2-1, suffering a loss to U of M. Although we lost to our "cross town rivals" I was pleased with the effort and energy in which we played. We are a young athletic team filled with the potential for anyone to shine each night. It was excting to see our rookies play so well, Stephanie Kleysen was a stand out scoring 16 points in her first ever CIS game. The next night we had some veterans step up, and by the third night we had over four players in double digits. It's this kind offensive depth that has made our first few games exciting.

We are on the road Thursday Oct.14 to play in Lakehead Thunderwolves pre-season tournament which also includes Bishop's University, and Laurentian University. Our first regular season game will be against Univeristy of Manitoba Oct. 22 and our official home opener will be Nov.5 and 6 against the University of Calgary Dinos. Which will also be the same weekend as our childhood cancer fundraiser BUZZ OFF CANCER (information below).
Till next week!
Ogi #14

BUZZ OFF CANCER FUNDRAISER FOR CHILDHOOD CANCER-
NOV.6 FOLLOWING UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG’S GAME VS. THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY DINOS IN THE LOUNGE AREA OF DUCKWORTH CENTRE.

INTERESTED IN DONATING 8 INCHES OF UNDIED/UNTREATED HAIR? OR KNOW ANYONE WHO MIGHT BE...PLEASE E-MAIL: amyogidan@hotmail.com

TO DONATE MONEY ONLINE VISIT: <http://www.cancercarefdn.mb.ca/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=549&ceid=366&cid=6&cerid=0&cdt=11/6/2010>

T-SHIRTS AVALIABLE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG WESMEN GEAR STORE- $15 OR $10 FOR STUDENTS ALSO GIVES YOU FREE ENTRANCE ON THE DAY OF EVENT.

ALL PROCEEDS GO TO CANCER RESEARCH IN THE CHILDHOOD STREAM OF CANCER CARE MANITOBA.

CHILDREN SHOULD BE FULL OF LIFE NOT ILLNESS! SPREAD THE WORD...THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR THE SUPPORT!

Anneke Hildebrand - College Wesmen Women's Basketball 2nd Year

Blog #1  - Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Throughout the past two years, my life has been very unexpected. Last-minute decisions, change of plans and new commitments are are just a few of the things I've experienced. To some, including myself at times, the unpredictability of my past and current schedule sounds intimidating, however, I think it's important to say that the surprise of new opportunities and changes have not only been positive experiences for me, but have also opened doors to which I never knew existed before.

After a year of studies and basketball at Canadian Mennonite Univeristy, I transferred to the University of Winnipeg soley for the 5-year integrated Education program. I was very excited upon acceptance into the faculty but it was difficult to leave CMU.  I had a very positive experience there (on and off the court), and it was hard knowing that competitive ball wouldn't be an option for me the following year.
Starting this year, I was hesitant to join any sort of sports team, having already commited to a full courseload, two part time jobs, and a volunteer position, along with attempting to maintain my sanity! Playing competitive basketball didn't cross my mind, and I was unaware that the University was adding a college basketball team to their athletic program.

After being strongly encouraged by several people to join the college Wesmen team, I decided attending a try-out to see what it was all about wouldn't hurt. To my surprise, the time commitment seemed reasonable, and I recieved a lot of support from the coach, Suki Chhoeun. She emphasized that this was a team for women to play competitive basketball, while still maintaining not only their education but prior commitments as well. It was a relief to hear that basketball could still be a part of my life, but not take it up entirely.

Practices have been going well and the group of girls involved with the team are great! With a new team comes a lot of energy and everyone has been working hard, whether that be in team practices, individual practices or training to prepare eachother for the start of the league. I think I can speak on behalf of the team and say that we are all excited to compete in our first league game and many other games to follow.

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