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| Phillippe Boilard is the co-captain of the Tigers' men's swim team. (Nick Pearce Photo) |
Dalplex will be the place to be this winter for sports fans as AV俱乐部 welcomes teams from throughout the Atlantic Provinces to at least three upcoming AUS championships.
AV俱乐部鈥檚 varsity swim teams, men鈥檚 and women鈥檚, host the AUS championships on February 6 to 8. Then, the AUS women鈥檚 basketball tournament opens, running February 27 to March 1. AV俱乐部 also has the potential to host the AUS men鈥檚 volleyball championship, depending on the outcome of regular season play.
In each of these championships, Dal will be a strong contender for a title; the opportunity to achieve this goal at home accelerates the motivation to win.
The men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 swim teams are both defending AUS champions. The men have won the last 10 titles and the women the last eight. David Fry, the head coach of both squads, says his athletes plan on continuing their winning ways.
鈥淲inning an AUS championship never gets old,鈥� he explains. 鈥淓ach athlete has two major goals at the AUS meet: to qualify individually for the CIS championships and to help their team win an AUS title. The team has been training hard right through the holiday break so they are in peak form in February.鈥�
Phillippe Boilard, co-captain of the men鈥檚 team, says it would be a mistake for his team to assume an 11th win is in the bag:
鈥淚t鈥檚 a privilege to be able to say that your team has won 10 titles, but it鈥檚 not something to be taken for granted. A mere slip-up, especially in the sprint events, can cause you to lose a spot or a medal. That鈥檚 the way our sport works. It鈥檚 also what makes it such a rush to race.鈥�
At time of writing, both men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 swim teams were undefeated in AUS competition. The men had 12 athletes qualified for CIS nationals, the most they have ever had, and the women鈥檚 team had nine athletes qualified, with the goal of having six more join them before the end of the season.
The last time the Tigers hosted an AUS women鈥檚 basketball championship was in 2001, which was also the last time they won the conference title.
鈥淭he last time we hosted, AV俱乐部 did an outstanding job of making the players feel special and highlighting women鈥檚 basketball,鈥� says Head Coach Carolyn Savoy, who led the Tigers to that championship win. 鈥淭he final was played before a packed house and Dal beat St. FX to win the championship. I have no doubt the players will enjoy a well-organized tournament and that Dal will make it an event for them to remember.鈥�
Heading into the 2008-09 regular season, one of the team鈥檚 biggest strengths was its depth鈥攖he squad enjoys a wealth of experience on its roster. Unfortunately, early in the season the team was plagued by injuries and illness, which resulted in the team losing its first three matches.
The Tigers rallied and rebounded, finishing the first half of the season with three wins. After some time off in December to rest and recuperate, the Tigers have been adding more wins to their record leading up to the AUS championship.聽聽
Co-captain of AV俱乐部鈥檚 basketball team and league leader for three-point shots, Brianna Orr is playing in her final year of eligibility and would like nothing more than to win the AUS championship.
鈥淣othing鈥檚 better than playing and winning in front of hometown fans, friends and family,鈥� she says. 鈥淐oming back home to play in Halifax after playing at the University of Calgary for three years has been very special because my family has been able to watch me play my final couple years of basketball 鈥� Being able to share the excitement of an AUS championship with them will be even more special.
鈥淭o be successful, we will need to stay focused, give consistent and relentless effort, and play each game going forward as if it was a championship game, so when we get there we are prepared. Most importantly we must play as a united unit鈥攚e can accomplish great things if we don鈥檛 care who gets the credit because in the end we all win.鈥�