By Ian Ewing
Four sports programs at the University of Ottawa are set to receive a hefty windfall. Women’s soccer, men’s football, and men’s and women’s basketball have each been selected to receive additional funding for the next five years through a new national recognition program, which aims to promote the U of O name through success in sport.
The program is another step in the ongoing quest for excellence that began with a previous varsity sports review a decade ago, explains Colin Timm, the athletic department’s assistant director of programs and services. Timm, a strong proponent of the direction U of O is taking, chaired the committee that undertook the recently-released “Varsity Sport Evaluation for National Recognition.”
“Back in 2002, the school decided to move to more of an excellence model,” he highlights.
That meant supporting fewer varsity programs, but at higher levels. For the school’s legion of 19 largely self-funded competitive clubs, there was no chance of being elevated to varsity status during this review – which typically occurs every five years – since the committee focused exclusively on picking out the best existing varsity teams for the new elevated funding status.
The more targeted focus seems to be paying off, Timm says.
“Now [in 2012], we’re getting success,” Timm notes, pointing to the national bronze medals won by the women’s soccer and women’s basketball teams last season – results they’d like to achieve more consistently.
This year, with major capital investments for new athletic facilities largely behind them, the Sports Services budget had room for new initiatives, and “to make a significant impact for up to four teams,” Timm adds. The money would go largely towards coaching and support staff for those teams.
Criteria were developed to evaluate the teams based on performance history provincially and nationally, athletes’ academic excellence, and national recognition and revenue generation potential.
Lionel Woods, the long-time coach of the Gee-Gees women’s volleyball team, also sat on the evaluation committee. His team finished fifth in the evaluation, achingly close to a selection and the increased funding. Although they remain undefeated this season and have produced better provincial performances than the men’s basketball team in the past five years, their dearth of national appearances and the low national audiences for volleyball in general hurt their ranking.
Although he’s understandably disappointed that they didn’t make the cut, Woods believes the process was fair.
“I kept asking, week after week, were we committed to honouring the evaluation? I think we were,” he describes.
“This isn’t limiting any other team from being successful,” Timm adds, highlighting that no varsity team had its funding cut as a result of the new program.
The deeper question of whether national recognition for its own sake is a worthy goal for an athletics program or for a school is another matter. Timm says the rationale for it comes back to student recruitment, and making the school well-known for success in all areas.
Woods, if understanding of his role, is less enthusiastic.
“In the business of education now, we have a role, I guess, as a brander of the university,” shrugs the volleyball coach.
Both Woods and Timm are quick to point out that varsity sports are but one component of the overall athletics program at the University of Ottawa. Woods would prefer to publicize all the facilities and options available to every student and faculty member, and wonders whether promoting those perks might be effective at drawing potential students too.
“But the number one purpose for me is, basically, to try to have the best possible experience for the student-athletes I’m working with,” Woods emphasizes.