Ontario Winter Games Team Selection 

 

 

 

Preamble

 

The Ottawa District Badminton Association (ODBA) has a proud history of producing very strong junior players and continues to demonstrate this with every passing Ontario Winter Games (OWG). This document explains a new trial selection criteria geared at preparing the OWG team 1 year in advance and providing further training opportunities from a qualified coach within the district.

 

The next OWG are expected to be held March 6 to 8, 2010 in Bracebridge.

 

 

1.      Qualification Criteria for ODBA OWG Team:

 

a)      Be a member of an ODBA affiliated club when selected and until the end of the 2010 OWG;

b)      A player living in the District but not a member of an ODBA affiliated Club is not eligible;

c)      To be selected to the OWG Team, OBA rules with respect to age prevail;

d)      There is no age restriction for the OWG Training Team, subject to Training Team selection criteria in section 2 below;

e)      A player must commit to a one year training program;

f)       A player must attend the Bob O’Reilly District Championships (any absences must be discussed and approved by the OWG team coach and manager);

g)      A player must attend monthly training sessions. Absences must be discussed in advance with the OWG coach.

 

 

2.      Qualification Criteria for OWG set by OBA:

 

a)      The age of the participants shall be greater than 13 years and less than 19 years in the season that the OWG is played.  Districts shall have the right to decide on limits within this age range;

b)      Any player who is a member in good standing of a club affiliated with an OBA member district association;

c)      A non-Canadian citizen, who does not have landed immigrant status, must have resided in Canada for 12 months prior to the date of the OWG;

d)      A player is not eligible if such player has played in a closed championship in any other province or in any other country in the playing season in which the OWG is held;

e)      Any player who is a member of affiliated clubs in more than one district and competes in a closed championship in one district is automatically declared a member of that district for the OWG;

f)       Athletes can only “try out” for one District for any one OWG;

g)      If an athlete has moved “home’ District between one OWG and the next, the athlete is eligible to represent their new District

h)      If an athlete has moved “home” club to a new District between one OWG and the next the athlete is eligible to represent their new District;

i)        An athlete is not eligible to participate in the OWG if they have previously represented Ontario or any other province, territory, or country in the CWG, Devlin, Clarkson, Paulson or Ontario Cups or similar inter-provincial team events;

j)        An athlete is not eligible to participate in the OWG if they have previously been selected to represent Canada at the Junior World Championships, the Junior/Senior Pan-Am Games, the Commonwealth Games or similar international events;

k)      Please note that OBA eligibility rules prevail for actual participation at the OWG.

 

 

3.      OWG Training Team Selection

 

Qualifying district level tournaments will take place between September 2008 and March 2009. The Training Team will be established in March 2009, starting with the top 4 ranked players in U19 that meet the qualification criteria for 2010 OWG, after all qualifying district events (see page 2), in singles, doubles and mixed doubles, for both sexes. These players will be invited to join the training team. In the event that any player decides not to join the team, the invitation will be presented to the next qualifying player until the team is complete.

 

It could happen that a player is ranked in more than one event.  While not prescriptive in what events a ranked player will eventually play at the OWG, each ranked player counts only ONCE in determining the total number of players named to the OWG training team. The event for which a player will be chosen (singles, doubles or mixed) is based on the player’s highest ranking. For example: a player is ranked third in singles and second in doubles, this player will obtain the doubles position and a space on the OWG training team will be offered to the fifth ranked player in singles .

 

The Training Team will consist of 20 players in total (4 men’s singles, 4 women’s singles, 4 men’s doubles, 4 women’s doubles, top 2 men mixed doubles players and top 2 women mixed doubles players). The eventual OWG Team will have 10 players (5 male, 5 female) and two alternates.

 

The qualifying events are as follows:

 

  • OWG Fundraiser (Casselman)
  • The Smash (RA)
  • Deep River Open
  • The Drive (Gisele Lalonde)
  • The New Year's (Turnbull)
  • The Spin (Franco-Cite)
  • The ODBA District Junior Championships (Casselman)

 

Players who would be eligible based on OBA criteria but have decided to play in other age categories i.e. U14, U16 or U23 may be invited, at the OWG coach and manager’s discretion and in consultation with the junior development committee, to join the Ontario Winter Games training team based on the following criteria:

 

  • A high district ranking in their chosen age category (top 4);
  • A high participation level at district and provincial or national events; and
  • Potential for dedication to the OWG training team schedule.

 

 

4.      Training Information

 

Training sessions will last 2.5 hours and will incorporate fitness, technical and tactical training. Training will continue throughout the Spring and part of the Summer with a break during July and August. The following schedule is tentative and subject to confirmation/adjustments once the training team is established:

 

March 21, 2009           Apr 18, 2009               May 16, 2009              June 20, 2009

Sept 19, 2009              Oct 17, 2009               Nov 21, 2009              Dec 19, 2009

Jan 16, 2010               Feb 20, 2010

 

 

5.   Final OWG Team Selection

 

A final selection will be held in October 2009 to choose the 10 players and 2 alternates who will be participating in the OWG (see above). 

 

In addition to the players who take part in the Training Team, additional players may be invited to this final selection event. To be eligible for an invitation at this stage, players meeting the OBA criteria for participation in the 2009-10 OWG must have earned a top 5 rank in the ODBA Ranking System in U19 or U23, either in singles, doubles or mixed doubles, at the end of the 2008-09 season.

 

 

6.   Commitment from the Players

 

A fee of $100 will be charged for each player who is invited and commits to be a member of the Training Team in March 2009. The fee for participating in the October 2009 try-outs is $20.  The fee for additional players appointed to the team after the October 2009 try-outs is also $100. Fees will help cover some of the cost for shuttles, facility rental, coaching fees and transportation costs and team uniforms for the OWG team. The remainder is funded from Junior affiliation fees, fundraising activities and the overall ODBA budget.

 

Players must commit to attend mandatory OWG training team practices and all anticipated absences must be discussed with the OWG coach in advance.

 

Players must wear official ODBA OWG uniforms at the Ontario Winter Games. 

 

 

 

 

7.   The Second Training Team

 

A second Training Team will be formed that will include younger players. The purpose is to maintain readiness for 2010 OWG Team alternates, to develop promising younger players, to provide sparring partners for the Final 2010 OWG Team, and to lay the groundwork for the 2012 Team. The Second Training Team would train with the first team. General criteria for admission to the Second Training Team are:

 

  • At the end of the 2008-09 season, in May 2009, all interested top 4 ranked players in U16 events who did not qualify for the 2010 OWG Training Team may be invited to join the Second Training Team; a training fee of $100 is required to participate in the training sessions starting in March;

 

  • In October 2009, members of the Training Team who did not make the Final 2010 OWG Team may stay on as part of the Second Training Team; because they already paid a $100 fee;

 

  • In October 2009, other try-out participants who did not make the Final 2010 OWG Team may elect to stay on the Second Team; the $20 try-out fee may then be applied towards the $100 fee for the remainder of the season.

 

Even if some players on the Second Team may not be eligible to play in the 2012 OWG, because of age, they may continue to participate on this Team. First because they may provide excellent back-up for injured players who were scheduled to play in 2010, but also because their play level will contribute to ongoing training activities and training sessions will lead to overall personal skills improvement.

 

 

8.   Desired Outcomes

 

  • Promotion of team spirit and camaraderie by practicing as a team for one year prior to the event, and the ability to participate at an earlier age as part of the Second Training Team.

 

  • Improved participation levels in district events by making District ranking a prerequisite to making the Teams.

 

  • Better preparation for future OWG with the second team and a longer range philosophy.

 

  • The October 2009 try-outs will allow players that are new to the ODBA a chance to make the Team, and will also provide an opportunity to those very competitive players that were not able to participate in all of the previous year’s mandatory tournaments.

 

 

 

 

9.   Team Management

 

OWG Teams fall under the responsibility of the ODBA Junior Development Committee.  Because it is too premature at this time to seek applications for an OWG Team Manager and Coach, the Committee appoints Daniel Leblanc as Interim Manager and Coach to begin the process of implementing these changes, to select the Training Team, to deliver the coaching, and to carry out other related duties. This will be done under the direction of the Chair of the Junior Development Committee. A job description will be prepared, based on existing duties, for the interim appointment.

 

It is the ODBA Junior Development Committee’s intention to appoint a 2010 OWG Team Manager and Team Coach prior to the October 2009 try-outs, so that the new people can be very much involved in leading the team to the OWG. The ODBA Board of Directors will advertise these positions in accordance with its Bylaws and conventional processes. It is recognized that the Interim Manager and Coach may be an interested party for one or both positions. Immediately following the 2010 OWG, the ODBA Board of Directors, on the recommendation of the Junior Development Committee, should endeavor to make appointments to these positions on a 2-year cyclical basis to provide continuity.

 

 

10. Rules of Conduct                       

 

The ODBA believes in fostering a healthy environment for junior development and good sportsmanship through the OWG Training Team initiative. As such, there will be zero tolerance for unsportsmanlike behavior such as harassment, bullying and verbal or physical abuse on the part of the Team members, manager and coach. Any Team member demonstrating such unacceptable behavior will be immediately removed from the team. The ODBA will promote good sportsmanship among the Training Team members as this will not only positively affect all members during training, but at the Ontario Winter Games as well.