When the Olds College Broncos take to the CLC main court for a men's and women's basketball doubleheader on Thursday against Ambrose University College, there will be more at stake than the points in the standings.
The game is being billed as the ACAC Showcase Game, the centrepiece of a day when evaluators for the Alberta College Athletics Conference will be in town to assess, to interview school brass, tour the athletic facilities and witness game-day presentation.
It's the followup to the school's November application and pitch to move up to the highest level of college athletics in Alberta, starting in the 2012-13 season.
ìIt's going to be exciting. I think we're ready,î commented Greg Lendvay, the college's director of health and wellness and the driving force in the athletic department's move to jump up a level from the current Alberta Colleges Athletics League (ACAL).
Officials with Broncos Athletics are hoping the students at the college and members of the greater Olds community will come by the Ralph Klein Centre on Thursday to take in what should be a night of fun and basketball.
ìWe really want to focus on getting kids out to the games,î Lendvay explained.
To help accentuate the atmosphere of the game, the college has developed some game-day events and props that will offer some fun for young fans. The props include an inflatable jumping pit, cash machine, entry gate and blimp all decked out in Broncos colours, along with a shooting tutor for fans to try out.
It's part of a greater strategy by the college and athletics department to engage the community and get locals involved with supporting and identifying with Broncos teams.
A huge helping hand with the potential move to expand into the ACAC is the resolute support of senior administration at the school.
According to Stewart MacNabb, vice-president of student and support services, the direction of the athletics department is part and parcel to an upswing in emphasizing health and wellness on the campus and to the community.
ìFrom my perspective, what we're able to do both with the facilities and with the ACAC is to offer something to students that we haven't offered here before,î he explained. ìWe have students come here from all across the province and beyond for our academic programs, but to turn around and be able to offer students who want to add to their academic interests with participation in competitive sport, this is now something we're striving to do.î
The college's plan calls for moving to the ACAC level in 2012-13 in basketball and cross-country running to go with the curling program that already competes on the ACAC circuit. It's likely that volleyball would follow with the step up the following year.
The evaluation delegation includes the top executive of the ACAC along with two athletic directors from among the member schools.
Part of the evaluation is to determine whether the college can account for the financial commitment it will take to play in the ACAC, which features longer seasons, more travel for teams and a larger membership fee.
ìWe had to demonstrate to the ACAC that we have processes in place to be able to actually cover those expenses,î explained MacNabb. ìThat was part of the application and we feel we've demonstrated that commitment and that allows us to show them that ñ with their blessing ñ we're ready to roll.î
He said a combination of fundraising, along with other revenue sources including game-day activities, will help cover the program's needs even in lean years.
While there are inevitable questions about the Broncos' readiness to compete on the court with established ACAC schools, athletics officials with the college have been confident in their ability to recruit a high level of athlete to the school. Expansion in existing academic programs as well as development of others, including the business program, makes the school attractive to a variety of recruits, according to Lendvay.
After their evaluation, the delegation will submit a report that Olds College will be able to review and comment on or add information. The final report will then be submitted to the ACAC board for their May 1 meeting when the school should hear whether they've been accepted into the fold.
Game time Thursday is 6:30 p.m. for the women's game and 8 p.m. for the men's contest. Locals are being encouraged to attend to lend their support to the program.
