UNews - Deb Marek

Summer Games work earns group Senate Volunteer Award

trevor.kenney — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:35:37 +0000

Thanks to the dedicated volunteer work of these four individuals, for four days in July 2012, more than 2,600 athletes came to Lethbridge to compete in the 2012 Alberta Summer Games.

The Senate of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is proud to recognize their service with the 2013 ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Volunteer Award.

Nancy Walker, Deb Marek, Cheryl Meheden and Jochen Bocksnick sat on the Board of Directors for the games as well as managing their own specific portfolios. They began preparation for the games more than two years before the event, and each played an important role in organizing the games. The games were a success due to the contributions of these individuals, as well as hundreds of other volunteers, many of whom included ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ employees and students.

Senate Volunteer Award winners (L to R) Jochen Bocksnick, Deb Marek, Cheryl Meheden and Nancy Walker.

Nancy Walker was the director of administration for the games, responsible for managing the budget and brokering all contracts and legal agreements. Walker is currently the U of L's vice-president (finance and administration), and has extensive community volunteer experience.

As director of facilities, Deb Marek ensured that the sports and activities of the games had a venue. She also supervised all signage, portable facilities and warehousing. At the U of L, Marek is a manager in Sport and Recreation Services, and has been the assistant coach to the women's hockey team.

Cheryl Meheden's responsibilities as director of protocol included managing opening ceremonies, official receptions, hospitality, games attire, medals, participant entertainment and the torch relay. Meheden is currently an instructor at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, in the Faculty of Management, and at Lethbridge College.

Guided by the Alberta Summer Games' mission to provide the best possible experience for all involved, director of sport Jochen Bocksnick ensured that the games offered the best venues and sport chairs. Bocksnick is an instructor in kinesiology and physical education at the U of L.

The 2012 Alberta Summer Games were a huge success, with over 2,600 athletes participating in 15 sports over the four days, watched by over 7,000 spectators. All four of these volunteers committed hundreds of hours to make this success happen, demonstrating exceptional leadership and commitment.

This story first appeared in the May 2013 edition of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

A place to call their own

trevor.kenney — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 21:26:33 +0000

Kathryn Manson doesn't enjoy 5:15 a.m. wake-up calls, but the 21-year-old
U of L student diligently sets her alarm for that exact time three days a week. As the captain of the Pronghorns women's hockey team, she drags herself out of bed well before the sun comes up and makes her way to Nicholas Sheran Arena for morning practice.

"Practice doesn't start until 6:15 a.m. but most of us are up much earlier than that because it takes so long to dress for hockey," explains Manson. "Once we're on the ice, our practices are really fast paced – probably to keep us awake."

Manson jokes about her alertness that early in the morning, but it's clear she feels at home on the ice. Unfortunately, off the ice is a different story.

Assistant coach Deb Marek, left, head coach Chandy Kaip, middle, and captain Kathryn Manson, right, are excited about the new dressing room facilities being constructed.

Although established in 1997, the Pronghorns women's hockey program has never had a dedicated dressing room. Tangibly speaking, this means players have to haul equipment in and out for every practice and game; on a deeper level, the lack of a space to call their own makes these Pronghorns feel like a visiting team in their own rink.

"It's unheard of in the CIS these days for a women's team to not have their own space," says Chandy Kaip, now in her third season as the Horns' head coach.
"These girls are here every morning at 5:30 a.m. and have to lug their bags in. Then, afterwards, they have to dry their stuff out at home, whether that's a dorm room or a basement or a freezing cold garage."

Thankfully, all that is about to change. In 2010, the City of Lethbridge announced renovation plans for the arena that include the addition of a dressing room for the women's hockey team. A grant from the Daryl K. Seaman Canadian Hockey Fund has allowed for the finishing touches to be added. The addition of private showers and washrooms, as well as an athletic training space and a coaching office will make this a truly personal and private space for these student athletes.

"The impact of this gift will be immediate," says Deb Marek, assistant coach of the Horns and manager of facilities and services for Sport and Recreation Services here on campus.
"Our players are already excited and we anticipate a surge in pride when the project is completed. This new space makes our women's program more professional and appealing in the eyes of our current and even potential players. It's going to be a great recruiting tool."

Manson, who's been dragging equipment in and out of the rink for the last four years, is looking forward to her own stall in a dressing room full of Pronghorns pride.

"People don't realize how huge it is for us to have our own dressing room," says Manson, speaking on behalf of her team. "It's going to make our lives so much simpler – it will certainly make getting up at 5:15 a.m. that much easier."
Finally, the women's hockey team will be home.

GET THE FACTS

· Daryl (Doc) Seaman, who passed away in 2009, has been described as a hero, icon, pioneer, philanthropist, visionary and legend. He was an original owner of the Calgary Flames and was instrumental in bringing the team to Calgary in 1980.

· Manson broke her arm during the team's trip to Europe after colliding with another player at a game in Germany. She's been in a cast for 6 weeks and has missed 10 games.

· In addition to the new dressing room, Nicholas Sheran Arena is also adding dressing rooms for minor hockey and Lethbridge Sport Council office spaces.

· The enhancements supported by the Daryl K. Seaman Canadian Hockey Fund include: two large whiteboards, a workbench for prepping sticks, a small fridge, a projector or large TV, a washer and dryer and a stereo.

This story originally appeared in the Legend. For a look at the February issue of the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Rec. facilities popular with community

trevor.kenney — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 15:48:37 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge recreation facilities are proving to be a hub of activity, and it's not only for students, faculty and staff of the institution.

Lethbridge City Council celebrated the success of a healthy partnership with the U of L Monday after the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ presented an update on the community usage rates of their recreation facilities.

"I am pleased to go before council to present them with information on the partnership we have," says Deb Marek, facilities & services manager at the U of L. "We are proud to report that residents' use of these facilities is high."

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge operates and maintains the Max Bell Regional Aquatic Centre, the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness and the Community Sports Stadium.

All facilities received a portion of their construction funding from the City of Lethbridge, with the city continuing to contribute $30,000 dollars annually towards the operation of the Community Sports Stadium.

Highlights from the report include the following statistics.

In the last year:

• The Max Bell Regional Aquatic Centre was regularly used by a variety of community groups with 78,000 overall visits to the pool.

• The 1st Choice Savings Centre had 149,500 community pass holder visits (45 per cent of overall visitors) and 4,685 community members with a pass (47 per cent of the total).

• There were an additional 15,500 drop-in community users, and more than 11,000 registrants of all ages in the recreation programs.

• The Community Sports Stadium had over 200 hours of football bookings and over 100 hours of community track practice. In the future it will be hosting the Canada West Rugby Championships, the 2011 Canada Cup of Football and the 2010 Alberta Summer Games.

Pool renovation coming in 2011

trevor.kenney — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 20:53:09 +0000

The Max Bell Regional Aquatic Centre will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2011 with a $2.7 million renovation.

The facility, the largest of its kind in southern Alberta, will see a significant upgrade to the support systems that control air handling, water circulation and other equipment. To make the renovations and upgrades possible, the building will close for four months beginning in May 2011, and is expected to re-open in Sept. 2011.

While a closure is an inconvenience, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge officials say that the upgrades are necessary to ensure the building remains in top shape for the next 25 years.

"Our facility is used by thousands of people each year, including numerous regular user groups, and we host many local, regional and national-level aquatic events (15-20 per year, on average that draw upwards of 2,000 people)," says Deb Marek, the facilities and services manager for Sport and Recreation Services.

Marek adds that because many groups book events such as swim meets a year in advance, it is necessary to inform user groups about the renovation plan as soon as possible.

"We chose this late spring to late summer time period because many groups stop their programming over the summer, and the pool traditionally closes in August for routine maintenance," she says. "We are also giving people a year of lead time to ensure that the least amount of people and aquatic groups are affected, and to also make sure we could work with other aquatic facilities in the area to look after our pool users."

Recent meetings with other pool operators in the city have begun the process of making room for U of L pool users. The pool hosts more than 75,000 client visits per year.

"We have recently met with the City of Lethbridge and Recreation Excellence (the pool service provider for city pools)," says Marek. "They will do their best to accommodate user groups that are displaced from our facility by making their pools available for rentals and expanding hours if necessary."

In the end, all pool users will benefit from the upgrade.

"We expect that with this renovation, our aquatic facility will be a more comfortable place for people to visit, and will have the necessary equipment upgrades to ensure it is maintained at the high quality our users and the community expects," says Marek.

Updates about the project will be available on the U of L website and the Sport and Recreation Services website as it draws nearer to being started.

U of L truly a sporting hub

trevor.kenney — Fri, 07 May 2010 20:09:59 +0000

As the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge began to remake its recreational identity in recent years, the promise of attracting high calibre athletic events to southern Alberta was touted as a key benefit to adding new facilities.

That promise is beginning to be realized, and the recent announcement that the city of Lethbridge will serve as host to the 2012 Alberta Summer Games is testament to the fact that Lethbridge can now tout the U of L as a hub of sporting activity.

"The Lethbridge Sports Bid Committee actively goes out and seeks these types of events and with our facilities, we're a natural host for these kinds of things," says Deb Marek, manager, facilities for Sport and Recreation Services.

Lethbridge would likely have been overlooked for an event the magnitude of the Summer Games had the Community Sports Stadium not been constructed. It will host all the track and field competitions as well as football for the 2012 event. Meanwhile, the 1st Choice Savings Centre will host basketball and the Max Bell Aquatic Centre will welcome both swimming and water polo, giving the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ five high profile events with thousands of athletes, parents and spectators getting a look at the facilities.

"It's always great to bring kids from all over Alberta to our campus and this will bring a lot of people here. It's an opportunity to show them our facilities, and show them our ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ as a whole," says Marek.

While the 1st Choice Savings Centre has already established its reputation as an elite facility, having hosted numerous large-scale events, the Community Sports Stadium is in its first full season of activity. Community groups are quickly coming on board as the stadium will host a total of eight track meets in April and May alone, as well as high school rugby, soccer, and summer football and rugby camps.

"When you look at our recreational facilities as a whole, we operate the entire 12 months," says Marek. "We have our own summer camps that utilize the facilities, and we also have an abundance of community rentals as well. We are truly a community access facility group."

Vigilance, vaccination encouraged to stem flu

trevor.kenney — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:02:14 +0000

If there ever was a doubt that H1N1 Infleunza would impact the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, that was cast aside when the Pronghorns women's hockey team was forced to postpone a Canada West hockey series at the end of October.

With a quarter of the team's roster unable to play because they were experiencing flu-like symptoms, the Pronghorns and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan athletics programs made a joint decision to postpone the Oct. 30-31 series and reschedule it to January, 2010.

"I applaud the actions taken to protect the health of the sports teams involved,"
U of L Health Centre manager Lori Weber, RN, says. "As a reminder, all those involved in any sport should be taking extra vigilance with cleaning sports equipment, not sharing water bottles, mouth guards or other equipment and notifying their coach/team when they are ill."

While the Pronghorns likely could have played the series shorthanded, the decision to postpone was made as much to protect fellow teammates from becoming ill and stemming the spread of the flu.

"It was very important to postpone this series to ensure that our team members and our visitors were not further exposed to the flu-like symptoms that have been spreading through the community," says Pronghorns assistant coach Deb Marek. "We currently have six players and coach Chandy Kaip away ill, and their health and well-being is critical."

For Weber, the incidence of sickness served as an opportunity to remind the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community to continue to be vigilant in practicing established protocols to ward off the flu.

"The team illness is unfortunate, but not a surprise considering that there are currently more than 300 students, staff and faculty listed as ill on the
U of L's flu registry – about three percent of the school's student and employee population," she says.

The registry's numbers have been picking up steam of late, moving from just over 70 registrants to more than 300 in a span of 10 days.

Weber continues to advise persons to take advantage of the free H1N1 vaccinations that are currently being offered by Alberta Health Services at various sites throughout southern Alberta. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is expected to have its own vaccine in short order and will begin administering shots when given the go ahead from Alberta Health Services.

"The fact that we have less than five per cent of our population ill is a testament to people paying heed to the warnings we have posted throughout campus," Weber says. "But with flu so prevalent in the community, it's impossible to keep it out of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ environment. Therefore we urge people to get vaccinated and continue to be diligent with hand washing and sanitizing to keep our levels as low as possible."

Horns forced to postpone series

trevor.kenney — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:46:44 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan athletics departments have jointly announced that the upcoming Canada West women's hockey series scheduled for October 30th and 31st has been postponed because more than one quarter of the U of L team is currently experiencing flu-like symptoms.

"It was very important to postpone this series to ensure that our team members and our visitors were not further exposed to the flu-like symptoms that have been spreading through the community," said assistant coach Deb Marek. "We currently have 6 players and coach Chandy Kaip away ill, and their health and well-being is critical."

The Pronghorns will face the Huskies January 2 and 3, 2010 instead of October 30 and 31, 2009.

U of L Health Centre manager Lori Weber, RN, said the team illness is unfortunate, but not a surprise considering that there are currently more than 300 students, staff and faculty listed as ill on the U of L's flu registry – about three percent of the school's student and employee population.

"The teams are doing the right thing in postponing their games and asking their players to self-isolate if they exhibit flu-like symptoms," Weber said. "This reinforces the fact that this illness, whether it is the seasonal flu or H1N1, is to be taken seriously."

Weber said that symptoms may include fever over 100 degrees, sore throat, cough, fatigue, headache, body aches, runny or stuffy nose, vomiting and diarrhea.

"You can be contagious for one day before symptoms begin and possibly seven or more days after. A person is more contagious on days with fever," she said.
"I applaud the actions taken to protect the health of the sports teams involved. As a reminder, all those involved in any sport should be taking extra vigilance with cleaning sports equipment, not sharing water bottles, mouth guards or other equipment and notifying their coach/team when they are ill."

Weber added that staying at home and resting aids the ill person in their recovery and protects their teammates from exposure to influenza.

"Vaccination clinics are being held in Lethbridge, so please consider getting vaccinated."

To view complete information on flu-like illness and steps to take if ill please visit the U of L website at http://www.uleth.ca and click on the "Be Fluless, Not Clueless!" icon.

1st Choice Centre sees rise in usage

trevor.kenney — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:57:20 +0000

Southern Alberta is finding another reason to come to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge – the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport & Wellness.

Having now completed its second full year of operations, there is context to the facility's usage numbers and not surprisingly, they are on the rise.

"We expected it to be quite popular, however maybe not this popular," says Manager, Facilities & Services, Deb Marek. "We haven't really ever marketed the facility."

Despite ongoing construction, limited use over the summer months and repair work following severe flooding a year ago, the facility still saw a significant rise in visits over the past year. Even more noteworthy was the percentage ratio of community and student users, with about 45 per cent of total visits by members of the community.

"It's a given we'll have the students but to see that many community members coming in is very exciting," Marek says. "The facility was funded partially by the City of Lethbridge, so their expectation is that the community is going to use it and it's nice to see people are coming."

The increase in total member visits from the facility's first year is a healthy 7 per cent, much of that coming from community members, whose usage increased 14.9 per cent in the period from May 1, 2008 to Apr. 30, 2009. That increase is reflected in a substantial uptick in total memberships sold, an impressive 11.3 per cent.

The 1st Choice Savings Centre has also attracted some of the area's biggest events, both sporting and conventional. The 4A South Zone High School Basketball Championships have relocated to the U of L after years at the Enmax Centre, while the facility also welcomed the South Western Alberta Teachers' Convention Association this past spring.

"We're really excited to host some of the bigger events. It's very important to host community events and we found that a lot of the people coming in were seeing the facility for the first time," Marek says.

Looking ahead, the U of L will serve as host to both Alberta high school volleyball and basketball provincial tournaments in fall 2009 and spring 2010 respectively, an important showcase for potential students.

"That's our target market for future students," Marek says. "If we get the opportunity to show it to kids from right across the province, to show what programs we have and to show off our facilities, that's critical for their recruitment in the future."

Stadium will serve as athletic hub

trevor.kenney — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:47:25 +0000

A touchdown dance is in the offing and chances are it will be a crowded end zone the weekend of Sept. 25-26, when the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's new Sports Stadium Complex is officially, and finally, opened.

Plagued by multiple weather delays over the course of its two-year construction, user groups from throughout southern Alberta are understandably elated that the finish line, or goal line, is now within sight.

"This has been in the works for a lot of years and to finally stand here on a turf field is just spectacular," says Catholic Central High School football coach Mike Nightingale.
"It's going to be just amazing on those Friday nights when the lights are turned on; it will be a spectacular atmosphere."

The 2,000-seat, multi-use facility is the first of its kind in southern Alberta and a major addition to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's athletics program.

Having opened the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness in February 2007, the addition of another elite-level venue further raises the status of Pronghorn Athletics.

The new stadium also strengthens the relationship between the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the southern Alberta community. High school football and minor football will be major tenants in the fall, while the new artificial surface opens the possibility for use by soccer and rugby groups. As well, most major track and field meets will utilize the facility and the introduction of a junior football program to the city remains a possibility now that a suitable venue is in place.

"I see it being used 24/7 for track, rugby, football, soccer, it's going to be an amazing thing," says Craig Brack, Wilson Middle School principal and a longtime figure in local football circles. "It's going to be great for fans to be able to come out and watch a game in the proper way. It's first-class all the way."

Bringing people to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is a key priority for the institution and the stadium will do just that.

"The partnerships between the city and the U of L are very strong in terms of providing quality facilities for both our athletes as well as community members," Manager, Facilities & Services, Deb Marek, says. "It brings people to campus who would not normally come to campus and that's critical for us. There's still that barrier with people coming across the river to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, it can be seen as intimidating, and the more we host these events and bring the community here the better."

The benefits for the community will be widespread but it will be most appreciable in what's available to the city's youth.

"I think you're going to see a lot of events gravitate towards this facility. It will open up a lot of opportunities for our kids," says Nightingale.

UNews - Deb Marek

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