Big changes are coming to high school sports.

B.C. School Sports (BCSS) won its governance proposal vote at their AGM May 1 and this will immediately change the way high school sports is run in this province. The vote passed 212-77, garnering the required two-thirds majority of votes.

As of May 2, the 20 sport commissions in B.C. and their many volunteers are basically out as decision-makers for their respective sports. But some of the commissions are legal entities and it91裸聊视频檚 unknown what they will do moving forward, or what type of influence they91裸聊视频檒l have.

Paul Eberhardt, treasurer for the boys high school basketball commission, has already indicated his commission will continue to work in the best interests of boys basketball, whether it be from inside the new system or from outside.

91裸聊视频淲e are very disappointed that the BCSS Governance proposal was adopted,91裸聊视频� Eberhardt told the Cloverdale Reporter via email. 91裸聊视频淲e do not believe this is what is best for high school sport in this Province. Our Association has been around for 75 years, and we are certainly not going away. We will continue to work hard on behalf of all our coaches and student-athletes to make sure their voices are heard.91裸聊视频�

Jordan Abney, BCSS executive director, said he91裸聊视频檚 thrilled the proposal passed.

91裸聊视频淚t was a lot of years of work from a lot of different people,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淚t was a very strong mandate and clear message about the direction the membership wants to go.91裸聊视频�

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Abney said he was surprised at the 91裸聊视频渂ig margin91裸聊视频� by which the vote passed. The proposal needed 66.7 per cent of 91裸聊视频測es91裸聊视频� votes and ended up getting 73 per cent. Usually there are about 450 schools registered with BCSS, but Abney said a number of smaller schools didn91裸聊视频檛 pay their fees this year as there were no high school sports due to COVID. He said there were only 375 fee-paying member schools that were eligible to vote.

91裸聊视频淥f that, there were six abstentions and 80 schools didn91裸聊视频檛 vote,91裸聊视频� he explained. 91裸聊视频淪o, 295 of 375 schools participated. Given the fact that this was probably the single largest vote in the 53-year history of the organization, it also explains the need for a bit of a tweak from a governance perspective, as well.91裸聊视频�

Abney said there were 247 advance ballots cast and only 48 ballots cast at the AGM.

He said BCSS already has all the paperwork prepared and ready to go out the door so the next steps toward this sweeping change will begin immediately.

91裸聊视频淭he legislative assembly will come together quickly. The transition from the commissions to the SACs (sport-advisory committees) will also help with zone reps91裸聊视频攚e have invites going out to various commissioners91裸聊视频攁nd other committees will be formed.91裸聊视频�

He said he wants to get all the wheels in motion before the summer break, adding the new governance system will mean business as usual for student athletes.

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91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 think the student athlete experience is going to change drastically, especially for the high-profile sports,91裸聊视频� Abney explained. 91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e hoping to continue to maintain the status and level of the high-profile sports and to elevate the experience for athletes in some of the sports that have not had quite the same experience.91裸聊视频�

He added after the transition to the new model, they91裸聊视频檙e going to look at ways to help improve all sports.

91裸聊视频淥ur commissions91裸聊视频攖hat are essentially being phased out here91裸聊视频攈ave really focused on championships,91裸聊视频� he noted. 91裸聊视频淏ut only about 13 or 14 per cent of student athletes make it to championships. So there91裸聊视频檚 a whole swathe of kids that don91裸聊视频檛 make it that far that we are also responsible for. So we91裸聊视频檙e going to take a look at that and look at how we can serve all 70,000 student athletes.91裸聊视频�

Walter van Halst, commissioner for boys rugby and a teacher at Cloverdale91裸聊视频檚 Lord Tweedsmuir, said he91裸聊视频檚 disappointed with the result and 91裸聊视频渧ery disturbed91裸聊视频� by a voting process that he says wasn91裸聊视频檛 transparent.

91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 know what I91裸聊视频檓 going to do now,91裸聊视频� he indicated. 91裸聊视频淏ut I91裸聊视频檓 very worried about the future of high school sports in British Columbia91裸聊视频攚hich were already in decline.91裸聊视频�

According to van Halst, the number of teacher-coaches has steadily dropped across the province.

91裸聊视频淏ig drop in the last five to 10 years, and that91裸聊视频檚 bad for kids because it means less teams that kids can play on.91裸聊视频�

He said the new governance model, which he fought against, devalues community-coaches in favour of teacher-coaches and takes the voice away from community-coaches.

(Community-coaches and retired teacher-coaches are not allowed to be a part of the new governance system, only active teachers and administrators. This is different from the commissions which have quite a high number of volunteers that are not active teachers/administrators.)

91裸聊视频淲hen coaches aren91裸聊视频檛 valued, it91裸聊视频檚 bad for kids, because fewer people will be willing to volunteer. And this new model doesn91裸聊视频檛 show appreciation for community-coaches.91裸聊视频�

He said he doesn91裸聊视频檛 think the SACs (essentially powerless replacements of the commissions, that sit below two new layers of empowered decision makers) will attract the same massive numbers of volunteers.

91裸聊视频淭hese people volunteer because they91裸聊视频檙e passionate about their sport. They feel appreciated and empowered. And that91裸聊视频檚 why they do it.91裸聊视频�

Van Halst also thinks the voting process wasn91裸聊视频檛 entirely transparent.

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91裸聊视频淢any of the ADs, or principals91裸聊视频攂ecause I91裸聊视频檝e heard some principals were voting in place of their ADs91裸聊视频攚ho voted in advance didn91裸聊视频檛 know exactly what they were voting for,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淭he people who voted Saturday (May 1), didn91裸聊视频檛 either because no one knows how many stakeholder groups were consulted.91裸聊视频�

Two days before the AGM, that the B.C. Teachers91裸聊视频� Federation, one of the stakeholder groups listed as being involved in the new legislative assembly, wasn91裸聊视频檛 asked to be part of the new model. BCSS responded with a statement from their board of directors that said, 91裸聊视频淎n invitation for the BCTF to name a Legislative Assembly member is already prepared, should governance pass so they can begin their process. Just as invitations are prepared for all other stakeholder groups, who as a result of our current relationships have varying levels of knowledge of the proposal.91裸聊视频�

Abney disagreed with van Halst, saying the entire process was very transparent. He said the actual vote covered the bylaws and handbook and the proposal was a supplementary document.

91裸聊视频淲hat was in the bylaws 91裸聊视频� was never changed or altered at all,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淲hat was voted on in the advance voting was exactly what was voted on in the live voting.91裸聊视频�

He also said the voting system was very secure. 91裸聊视频淓very school had to register their vote and got a secure pin that was individualized to their school that was sent directly to their principal of record in our membership system.91裸聊视频�

He said a lot of the people that were against the new proposal and unhappy about the change have since contacted Abney to say 91裸聊视频渏ob well done91裸聊视频� and have told him they are looking to move forward together.

91裸聊视频淚 think the margin of victory, over 73 per cent, is a strong mandate from our membership 91裸聊视频� our focus right now is looking forward on how we now put this into action and ensure we91裸聊视频檙e ready to go for the fall.91裸聊视频�

editor@cloverdalereporter.com
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