UNews - assistant coach

Horns coaches to Go Shoeless for Right To Play

trevor.kenney — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 21:40:27 +0000

Whether it's a frozen hockey rink, cold outdoor stadium or chilly basketball court — it doesn't matter: All the coaches of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorn Athletics teams will be barefoot this weekend to support Right To Play’s ‘Go Shoeless’ campaign.

The Pronghorn Athletics group is part of a national effort involving 12 universities, seven high schools and two community initiatives. They have committed to going shoeless to raise awareness and funds to benefit Right To Play’s worldwide work, and to highlight the critical importance of access to safe play spaces and equipment for children’s education and development.

At home this weekend, men’s soccer head coach Randy Bardock and his entire coaching staff will coach without shoes on Saturday, Sept. 28 as their team takes on the Mount Royal ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Cougars.

“It’s a fantastic initiative and I feel that we, as coaches at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ level, need to do all we can to raise awareness for this program,” says Bardock. “I am proud to be involved in such a worthwhile endeavour.”

Kick-off for both Saturday and Sunday’s game is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Community Sports Stadium.

During the National Female Hockey Challenge being hosted in Lethbridge this weekend, head coach Chandy Kaip will go shoeless as she coaches the Horns during Saturday’s game versus Ryerson Polytechnic ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

On the road this weekend, women’s soccer head coach Ilsa Wong and assistant coach Fred Trinh will go shoeless for Saturday’s game versus the Saskatchewan Huskies in Saskatoon.

While Horns women's basketball has yet to enter its competitive season, women’s head coach Erin McAleenan and assistant coach Claire Meadows will be involved in the initiative on Saturday during their Junior ‘Horns Clinic.

Founded in Canada in 2000, Right To Play is a global organization that uses the transformative power of play to educate and empower children facing adversity. More than 13,500 local volunteer coaches lead Right To Play’s regular weekly sport and play programming, which reach one million children across more than 20 countries.

Visit the Right to Play website for additional information.

Medoruma ready for his international debut

trevor.kenney — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 22:21:02 +0000

Matt Medoruma isn't one to have good fortune handed to him – he understands he's had to work to gain his rewards.

It was a lesson he taught himself early in his university career, and now, after five years with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns men's soccer team, his reward has arrived.

Medoruma, an accounting major in the Faculty of Management, will represent Canada at the 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia July 6-17. It will be the first time the 24-year-old midfielder has ever played at a national or international level.

"Honestly, I would never have thought I'd be in this position," says Medoruma. "I'm definitely honoured to be here and excited for the experience."

Senior midfielder Matt Medoruma will be wearing Canadian colours this summer as he represents the country at the 2013 Summer Universiade.

He essentially walked on to the U of L pitch in fall 2007, having talked to head coach Randy Bardock (who will also be on the Canadian squad as an assistant coach) about continuing to play soccer beyond the youth level. A Catholic Central High School graduate, Medoruma earned a spot with the Horns but after a year of Canada West soccer, stepped away from school.

"I don't think I was ready for university," he says bluntly. "I came in and I wasn't focused with my education and my grades weren't as good as I wanted them to be. So, I decided to take some time off and refocus."

Medoruma travelled to Australia, reassessed his major (finance, at the time) and returned in fall 2009 in a better frame of mind.

"I knew that once I took that break, when I came back it was for the right reasons," he says. "I wanted to play soccer and I was excited about school again. I definitely needed that, and once I came back I was refreshed and ready to go to school."

Taking the term student-athlete seriously, Medoruma took the discipline and diligence he uses so well on the field and applied it to his ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

"It is a challenge to balance your academic life with the time it takes to be an athlete and that was one of the reasons I struggled in my first year," he says. "I couldn't really find that balance, so it was a struggle. It took me a while to find out I needed to put a lot of work into my education and that had to come first. Once I figured it out that I needed to put the time in, then I was fine."

He is five courses shy of completing his degree, after which he will decide if he wants to pursue an accounting designation. Of course, now that he's representing Canada on the international stage, opportunities to continue playing soccer may also present themselves.

"It might open some doors, we'll see what happens when I get out there," he says. "Before I went out for this tryout (Universiade selection camp), I figured it was the last real soccer I would try and play. I'll always keep playing but not to this kind of competitive level. Now that I've made this team, it's up in the air. If some opportunities come from this, then I'd definitely look into it."

Medoruma's strength as a midfielder is his ability to create offensive opportunities for his teammates. He distributes the ball well and fits seamlessly with other players, likely one of the reasons he impressed at camp. He credits Bardock and the Horns program for helping bring his game to this level.

"The program has been great for me, it's helped me so much in terms of my development. I wouldn't have this opportunity if not for how it has helped my game over the last five years," he says.

The Canadian team will have very little preparation time before the Universiade event. Their only training sessions will come in Russia, along with a pair of exhibition contests right before the tourney's start.

Medoruma has no worries though, he's just anticipating the first time he'll pull the Canadian jersey over his head.

"It'll be amazing, something I'd never imagine would happen," he says. "To be able to represent the country, I'll be so honoured to put that jersey on."

GET THE FACTS

• Medoruma has played for the Lethbridge Football Club in recent summers

• He had two goals and four assists for the Horns in 2012

• Lethbridge product and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta defender Niko Saler, who Medoruma played with in youth soccer, is also on the Canadian squad

• Medoruma will document his trip on Twitter under the handle @taylorgang_89

• Kazan is known as the Sports Capital of Russia and in addition to hosting the 2013 Summer Universiade, will also host the 2015 World Aquatics Championships and the 2018 FIFA World Cup

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.

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.

Medoruma ready for his international debut

trevor.kenney — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:12:15 +0000