By Darryl G. Smart, Just Smart Enough
Updated 22 hours ago
It was a dress rehearsal for something much larger for Wilfrid Laurier University and the City of Brantford.
Last Friday, eight women's hockey teams, including one from the Laurier Brantford campus, took part in an Ontario Colleges Committee on Campus Recreation tournament at the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre.
The committee is recognized as the governing body for campus recreation activities within the Ontario College Athletic Association. The development and promotion of quality programs and services allow students to enhance their educational experience through the participation in the recreational sport and wellness activities.
Though it wasn't a varsity-level event, Friday's eight-team extramural tournament pitted Laurier Brantford against other OCAA schools.
"If there's a demand for certain sports, we'll accommodate it." Greg Stewart, manager of athletics and recreation at Laurier Brantford
And if the grassroots level effort was any indication of what's to come in 2014, the Laurier Golden Hawks will give the local campus and city more to cheer about.
"We're really happy with what's gone on," said Greg Stewart, manager of athletics and recreation at Laurier Brantford. "It's a real positive for the school and city."
With great facilities, such as the Gretzky centre for hockey and the proposed $50-million YMCA-Laurier Brantford athletic complex, to house a number of teams, local sports fans soon will get the chance to break out their purple and yellow.
Sports are part of the university experience and Laurier Brantford is slowly bringing that to its students with men's and women's hockey and indoor soccer, said Stewart.
"If there's a demand for certain sports, we'll accommodate it," he said. "Having teams like this really gives students that extra experience. It's great to see them involved and it's something they can be proud of.
"Laurier is all about student involvement," said Stewart. "The university prides itself on it and we want to become a bigger part of that."
And it's something that students appreciate.
"It's great we can have a team like this," women's hockey player/coach Heather Law said. "Right now it's all student run. It gives everyone, not just the players, something to be proud of."
She said that, if and when varsity athletics come to the Brantford campus, more students will want to be there.
"If you look at the numbers, the Brantford campus keeps growing," Law said. "There will be enough students for varsity teams. It's a small campus and that's one of the things that makes it a great place. And because it's so small, students will come to cheer on the teams because everyone knows everyone."
Laurier Brantford, which announced its affiliation with the OCAA last April, will enter competition with men's and women's soccer teams in 2014, said Law. They will expand the program with men's and women's basketball teams in 2015.
"Right now, there's lots to be excited about at the campus here in Brantford," Stewart said. "Brantford has a long history in sports, like basketball, rugby and soccer."
And because of that long history, Stewart said he hopes Laurier Brantford will build relationships with associations at the grassroots level and beyond.
"With the Galaxy (of the Canadian Soccer League), Brantford City Soccer, CYO and Briers basketball, there are lots of relationships we can forge," Stewart said. "The opportunities are endless. We want to help make the sports in the city better."
But first, Laurier Brantford is putting its energy into the planned YMCA/Laurier athletic complex.
"As far as a facility, we've been all over the place to see what to do and, most important, what not to do," Stewart said.
"This is a great opportunity not only for Laurier but for the entire city. We're doing everything we can to make sure we do it right."
dsmart@theexpositor.com or twitter.com/darrylsmart1
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