Thursday, September 23, 2010

100th Anniversary Weekend

Hi Folks,
 
What a weekend!  The primary focus was the 100th Anniversary Celebration of Women’s Basketball at Queen’s University.  With that, came a number of activities that included:
·        A free basketball clinic Saturday morning – about 60 players attended
·        A tour of the Athletics & Recreation Centre – about 40 people joined in
·        An Alumni vs Alumni game with 25 former players playing and another 10 in attendance (turns out CBC did film parts of the game)
·        An exhibition game with McGill that was televised “live” coast to coast on CBC (as part of their inaugural Sports Day in Canada show) (see game report below courtesy of our Sports Information Department)
·        A dinner banquet with over 100 in attendance at the Ambassador Resort Hotel
 
I will send out a separate email regarding the other day’s events, hopefully with photos in a future email.
 
For now, the game:
 
From my perspective, I was disappointed with our performance on the court.  No question we were “tight” and fatigued early.  We were out-hustled to the ball on numerous occasions in the first half, although I thought we did a better job in the second half.  Turnovers certainly plagued us throughout the entire game, recording 16 in EACH half.  We were congested on offensive, with poor physical  execution, and failed to identify (and react to) McGill’s main scoring threats.  I know our players are very disappointed with their play.  On a more positive note, the skill level, commitment and drive exhibited by this group of players will allow us to get better……much better.
 
 
KINGSTON, Ont. (September 18, 2010) – The McGill Martlets spoiled the party as the Queen's Gaels fell 78-58 in a Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) women's basketball preseason matchup which was the centre piece of CBC's Sports Day in Canada broadcast.
 
Queen's University acted as the main broadcast venue for Sports Day in Canada which saw the City of Kingston featured as the host city. CBC's Scott Russell was on hand broadcasting segments all day long while the entire city was showcased in front of a national television audience.
 
In addition, the game was being contested to honour the 100th anniversary of women's basketball played on campus.
 
“It wasn't the result we wanted on the court, but overall an outstanding day,” said Leslie Dal Cin, Director of Athletics & Recreation of Queen's University. “There was lots of activity here on campus and across the city. Kingston should be very proud of how it supported the event.”
 
Athletics & Recreation welcomed the entire community to take in the new state of the art Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) which opened in December 2009. Free tours, swims and fitness classes were a part of the programming offered all-day long in the building.
 
The ARC also got rave reviews from several officials on site as well as the CBC broadcast team.
 
In the game, Francoise Charest of Quebec City poured in 24 points while McGill teammate Anneth Him-Lazarenko of Ste Dorothee, Que. Finished with 18 points in the win. Also breaking double-digits for McGill was Natalie Larocque of Quebec City with 12 points.
 
Gemma Bullard of Guelph, Ont., was the top scorer for Queen's with 12 points while Rachel Urosevic of Kitchener, Ont., scored 11 points in the exhibition matchup. Both Bullard and Urosevic were playing in their first CIS game.
 
Hanna Koposhynska of Toronto was named the player of the game for Queen's recording 13 rebounds and nine points.
 
Christine Wallace of North Gower, Ont., tallied seven points before departing the game with an injury. The Gaels were also without perennial leading scorer Brittany Moore of Hannon, Ont. who is nursing a minor injury.
 
NOTES: This was the first time in CIS history, outside of the national championship tournament, that a CIS women's basketball game was televised coast-to-coast... 1,257 people were on hand to see the basketball game while hundreds of others turned out to take part in sporting activities across the campus.
-30-
 
Up Next on the Road:
October 15-17 @ Memorial University (St. John’s, Nfld - 3 game series)
October 22-24 @ Laval Tournament (Quebec City)
 
Up Next at Home:
October 29-31 Tindall Tournament with University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM), Guelph University and Ottawa U.
 
Have a great week.
 
Dave.