Prioritize

Cougar Athletics

When identifying priorities in my community I am going to look at Cougar Athletics as a whole. We need to reach out into our surrounding communities to get support and involvement for our future. MRU is looking to move its athletics into the CIS in the near future. By doing so we are going to need to make some adjustments.

I feel there are three main ideas that must take priority:

Athlete Retention

Moving into the CIS means that recruiting will become even more important than it already is. MRU has already broadened its appeal to athletes, as it now has university status.  Now retention is going to be key to build strong programs that can compete competitively at the CIS level. MRU should make a goal to keep its athletes throughout their years of eligibility so that they no longer move on to other universities. This way when MRU is granted CIS status its athletes will have the mentality that they are going to play out their eligibility as MRU Cougars.

Social Responsibility

There are multiple existing programs that help the community but we could do so much more. There are a lot of athletes, when combined all together and many are minimally involved outside of playing their sport. The athletes should make a collective effort to band together and invest more time into helping the surrounding community. By doing so we would form many beneficial relationships with fans, sponsors, potential recruits, etc.

The Fans!

Fans make playing fun. When the fans are pumped up and drawn into the game, it becomes infinitely more fun to play (or at least I think so). We need to recognize our fans and appreciate them. They need to be attracted to attending our events because they play so many roles. Fans watch our games and cheer really loud, but they are also important part when it comes to funding our programs. Many fans pay entrance fees and make donations that contribute that making our athletics as successful as they are. They need to be recognized on all levels for all their contributions to ours athletics. This way we can attract more fans and ultimately have a larger crowd, more money for scholarships, and a larger community to back us when we need it most.

******

We want our community and those surrounding us to share the enthusiasm and commitment that our varsity athletes hold. Everyone’s involvement is crucial and greatly appreciated for making MRU Cougar Athletics great.

Cougar Basketball

I am a member of the women’s basketball team at Mount Royal University. I just became a part of this community this year and I love it. I wasn’t planning on playing this year as I was at Red Deer and a rival to MRU the past two years. My decision to tryout was spontaneous and I am so glad I did it. I love all the girls on the team and I feel we are bound for greatness (and yes that may sound corny).

We are on a mission this year and it’s coming down to the wire. We started this season with 16 girls but due to injuries and other unfortunate events we are now a very tight group of 14. We are constantly growing as a whole and working on our team dynamics as this season progresses. We work hard, we push once another and we hold every member accountable every day.

We have great support at MRU. Our facility is awesome and perfect for both practices and games; this is not just due to the physical gym itself. All the Cougars on campus are supportive and involved in both sports and the community. The athletic therapists help our athletes every day so that we can perform our best. The events crew and support staff make games exciting and ensure they run smoothly. And the fans, all the dedicated parents, siblings, friends, etc are very important. Without one of these groups our community would feel incomplete. All these communities are connected and vital to the success of MRU Women’s Basketball.

In the future…

• Recognize everyone in the community. There are more than just athletes in the Mount Royal Cougar Athletics community. Everyone deserves to be recognized for the hard they put into making every game a success.
• More community involvement. As athletes at a post-secondary level, it is our responsibility to share our experiences and knowledge with the surrounding communities. Programs like Cougars On The Court are great for getting our athletes helping out the community but we could do more as there are a lot of us (10 varsity teams total).

MRU Women’s Basketball has taken many steps forward as a community but we still have a ways to go before we achieve our goals. Both provincials and nationals are quickly approaching so we have our work cut out for us. It will be hard but with support form all the fans, therapists, and event staff I truly do believe we are up to the challenge!