BCSS Join Forces With CIAAA

BC SCHOOL SPORTS JOINS FORCES WITH CIAAA TO SUPPORT SCHOOL ATHLETIC DIRECTORS

BC School Sports (BCSS) and the Canadian Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (CIAAA) are pleased to announce a new partnership to assist Athletic Directors in providing the quality, safe and educational environments for high school athletic programs to thrive.

With an overwhelming vote of the membership at the recent BCSS Annual General Meeting, the BCSS membership agreed that beginning in 2019-20 all Athletic Directors across BC will receive membership within the CIAAA. Membership benefits include access to the Leadership Training Program, Certification Program, Workshops, Resources and Networking.

BCSS Executive Director, Jordan Abney, stated “across BC our AD’s have been asking for more support, more resources and more training. AD’s are doing this job off the side of their desks and receive little formalized training for this critical and highly visible role. It is very positive that our member schools have recognized the importance of providing our AD’s with the tools required to be successful and have taken this first step.” Abney continued “co-curricular activities are such an essential part of a school’s culture and a student’s educational experience, and the partnership with the CIAAA will ensure school sport continues to evolve in a sustainable way.”

The CIAAA is a not-for-profit organization that aligns with the mission of provincial school sport associations like BCSS by providing support directly for the Athletic Directors who lead and coordinate their schools’ interscholastic athletic programs. The CIAAA was nationalized in 2013 from provincial bodies in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and with British Columbia AD’s joining on a partnership basis, the organization will have approximately 1200 members in the 2019-2020 school year.

A major CIAAA deliverable is the Leadership Training Program, which consists of 17 four-hour courses on various topics that affect school Athletic Directors, including basics for school athletic administration, legal issues, character and leadership development through sport, managing challenging personalities, building school culture, and much more. The organization also provides shorter workshops on specific topics that can be delivered in any appropriate development setting. The CIAAA is further committed to its athletic director certification program, as well as to servicing AD’s by providing extensive resources that can help bring best practices into every AD’s tool-set.

CIAAA President Scott Bezubiak, speaking of the decision by BCSS, said “the CIAAA is proud to have BCSS as a partner in educational athletics moving forward. Our focus is to provide quality professional development and collaboration for Athletic Administrators. The partnership with BCSS will strengthen our community of leaders of school sport programs. The CIAAA works alongside dedicated educators that believe in offering quality programming at their schools with the intention of developing leadership and life-skills in their student-athletes.

In an effort to bring immediate value to the newest CIAAA members, CIAAA with the support of BCSS is pleased to announce that the 5th Annual National Athletic Directors Conference will be held in Vancouver from April 16-18, 2020. CIAAA Executive Director Drew Hanson said that “the National Conference is a most motivating setting for Athletic Directors. There is nothing more professionally rewarding than being surrounded by like-minded people who can both validate the hard work you do while challenging you with ideas to improve. Having our conference just a block from the ocean at the Coast Coal Harbour Hotel should see us attract Athletic Directors from across the country.”