Heads Up - Athletics - Oct. 26, 2023

Athletics OCTOBER 26, 2023

GO BLUES!

Prep School athletics highlights

A-Day Prep recap

On Saturday, October 14, we welcomed our SK–7 students on campus for a morning of Soccerfest and competitive athletic games. We began our day with a walk up the avenue, followed by a Prep School rally in Laidlaw Hall. Decorated in colour house gear, SK–4 students took to the Prep Fields and played a variety of small games in front of parents, siblings, friends and the Upper School community! Down on Lords Field, our Year 5–7 students competed in soccer games with their house and were invited to watch their peers compete on the pitch or volleyball court shortly after.

Our U12 volleyball team played a competitive St. Andrew’s College in our Prep Gym and came out victorious in a third set thriller!

Both the U13 and U12 Blue soccer teams came out strong with a victory against St. Andrew’s College.

We would like to thank our faculty and staff for organizing these events and for our students and parent volunteers for your involvement!

Year 7 athletes going strong

Our Year 7 athletes are entering their last week of regular season play and will compete next week for a spot in the final 4 tournament. Best of luck goes to our U13 volleyball team who finished first in their division and will play against Country Day School next Tuesday in a quarterfinal game. Our U13 White team will travel to HSC for an early afternoon game of soccer in Hamilton.

U13 Blue soccer finishes 2nd at National Championships!

A HUGE congratulations goes out to our U13 Blue soccer team on their 2nd place finish in Halifax this past week. Defeated 4-1 in the finals to Saltus Grammar School, our team played tremendous soccer the entire weekend and should be proud of this amazing accomplishment. Stay tuned for a more detailed account of this trip next week!

What happened to championships for Year 4 to Year 6?

I must admit that the shift to a school sports model that has removed championships post-pandemic has been challenging. It has been an adjustment for athletic directors, coaches, athletes and parents, leaving many with questions about what is the point of playing games throughout the season and what will replace a final day of competitive games. That being said, as our Year 4 to 6 teams conclude their seasons this week, I’d like to provide some insight into the reasons for this change and highlight some positive aspects of it.

The Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association (CISAA) has undertaken an implementation process for Fair and Appropriate Play across elementary school sport from Under 10 (Year 4) up to Under 13 ( Year 7). This fair play implementation has resulted in schools with more than one team, mandating equal ability teams. UCC has implemented this and that is why we have White, Blue and sometimes Grey teams.

The CISAA School Sport Model is based on a number of long term development principles and best practices for children in sport. This research based model for school sport integrates age appropriate guidelines that have been developed nationally by the collaboration of Canadian Sport For Life, Coaching Association of Canada (CAC), National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), Safe Sport Training and a number of other national and provincial sport organizations.

Mini-meets have replaced single games, resulting in more opportunities to play a variety of teams in a single afternoon.

Equal level teams are now able to attend the same competitions and therefore bus costs can be shared amongst teams.

Historically, a season would have two to three Saturday games to ensure facilities were available for single games. The removal of single games and championships have allowed our busy students to focus on their outside commitments without the stress of overcommitting to programs.

We continue to offer our students opportunities for highlight tournaments and when possible will create a “travel team” to attend these events. An example of this is our U12 basketball trip to Montreal. During the regular season we have two equal ability teams but we create one travel team to attend the LCC Invitational Tournament.

In Year 7, championships are introduced and we recognize an “A” team as our Blue teams and our “B” team as our White teams.

Outside of school, I know a large number of our students belong to clubs and academies, all-star teams and unique training environments. With that in mind, I encourage us all to reflect on the role that school sports play for our students and how this new model might support some of the things that are important for these age groups.

Upper School athletics highlights

Fall is certainly here, and with that arrival comes a few things: The Jays struggled to advance in the postseason; the Leafs are off to a hot start; the Argos are atop the East division in the CFL and UCC teams are in full swing. As the weather turns and the thermostat drops, the energy and excitement on the fields and courts are rising as the Blues prepare to finish off their regular seasons and focus their attention on the playoffs.

Notable Events Thus Far:

A-Day was fantastic! It was so great to see the community come out in full force to support the College and the athletic program. By all accounts it was a very successful day with many great performances and hard fought matches. Thank you to the PO, the BBC, the Blue Army Generals and everyone for their unwavering support to ensure this potential rainy celebration was a hit. It certainly was!
Varsity soccer travelled to Ridley College for the annual CAIS national tournament, performing exceptionally well, making it to the semi-finals where they lost in OT to the eventual CAIS champs.
Varsity football lost a nail biter in OT to Saint Andrew's but rallied back after that loss to win at home on A-Day versus Cardinal O'Hara from Buffalo and a road win versus a strong Bill Crother's team.
Varsity hockey made the trip to Stanstead College in Quebec where they went 2-1 on the weekend and galvanized themselves as a strong unit focused on team and hard work. They are sitting at a 10-3-1 record at this stage.
Varsity volleyball remains unbeaten in CISAA play and continues to prove they are amongst the top teams in the province.
Varsity 4 rowing team just came back from participating at the Head of The Charles Regatta in Boston. They performed with grace, composure and focus, earning UCC a spot in next year's competition (no easy feat).
Junior varsity football shutout SAC on A-Day earning them top place in the league.
U14 cross country has had a great year as they travelled to Sunnybrook, Norval and Centennial Park performing up to their abilities.
U16B Soccer is on a streak of putting their best foot forward the past few games, putting them in contention for the playoffs.

What's Coming Up:

All sports: The playoff season begins next week for most teams. This is a very busy and hectic time for the athletes and coaches so please pass along your best wishes as they represent themselves, the team and the College in these season culminating events.
In preparation for the 2024–25 U15 AAA hockey team, we will be hosting upcoming skill development skates for Year 8 students on November 1 and November 8 from 8–9 a.m. For more information about the 2024–25 UCC U15 AAA team please contact Brett MacLean and/or Dan Noble.
Varsity volleyball will be travelling to Stratford this weekend to participate in an elite level tournament to not only showcase their talents as a team but to prepare themselves as they will host the semifinal match at UCC on Friday, Nov. 3.
The varsity hockey team will be hosting the annual Barrow Tournament from Nov. 3 – 5 at the William P. Wilder ’40 Arena & Sports Complex. This event will be a great way to see some outstanding hockey and cheer on the team as they continue to develop.

Only a few more weeks of fall sports to go and then we will be looking at the changeover to winter athletics once mid November rolls along. Please remind your son to keep an eye out on their email and to pay close attention to announcements made in assembly as tryouts for those winter sports will be relayed along in the next week or two. Go Blues!

Here are a few of photos from the recent action...

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