Hello Everyone,
I hope you are all doing well. As we close out the 2021-2022 season, I want to take a moment to thank you all for continuing to participate in and contribute to the growth of the sport of Weightlifting in Saskatchewan. At a time when many sports have struggled, we have had one of our best years ever as we brought on several new training centres, had many lifters (young and not-so-young) competing in their first competition, and had a record-breaking year for our elite athletes in more ways than one. Without your support, we could not have continued to thrive throughout the pandemic.
I look forward to seeing many of you back in-person this fall as we get back into a more "normal" season. I will be back on the platform in October, and I hope to see you there.
Updates:
3rd Annual SWA Membership Survey: The survey is open and closes on July 4, 2022. Several important questions in this survey will impact how we approach the 2022-2023 season. Please fill out the survey if you are able. Your feedback is valuable and appreciated. If you have any questions or concerns, please let Dwayne and me know.
2nd Annual SWA Scholarship: The application is open and closes on Sept 30, 2022. The criteria have been adjusted from 2021 to allow for a broader pool of applicants. If you have any questions or concerns, please let Dwayne and me know.
2022 Senior Nationals - May 19-21 (Results): Congratulations to Bella Brown, McKay Brown, and Abra Thompson on their impressive showings at Sr Nationals! Bella swept gold in the W45 class and set new Jr & Sr Provincial and Canadian records! This is the first time the SWA has ever had a national record holder. Wow! Thank you to Chad Benko for his diligence and coaching leadership throughout the weekend. Congratulations as well to Ken Trofimuk, who successfully upgraded to become an International IWF Level 2 Official.
2022 Junior Nationals - June 4-5 (Results & Athlete Certificates): An incredible showing from our largest Junior Nationals team (12) that collectively brought home 16 medals, 12 Provincial Records, 12/12 athletes with totals, 6 Canadian Records, 3 National Champions, 2nd place Overall for Woman (Bella Brown) and many memories. Congratulations to all our athletes, and thank you for representing the SWA so well. We are proud to have such a strong team with a bright future in the sport. To recognize your achievements, we have put together certificates for each of you that can be found here. We look forward to seeing all of you back at Nationals in 2023! Thank you to Chad Benko, Jason Cain, and Hanna Jacobson for your leadership and coaching expertise that helped the athletes to succeed this weekend.
2021-2022 SWA Rankings & SWA Records: These are up-to-date. Certificates for the Everyone Welcome Meet & Junior Nationals can be found here. If there are any errors or omissions, please let us know.
Canadian Weightlifting Gender Equity Technical Official Training Initiative: More information can be found here. Congratulations to Kathee Lee, who was selected for this initiative!
2022-2023 Platform Coaching Requirements: Starting Oct 1, 2022, all coaches must be Competition Introduction Certified to be eligible to coach their lifters on the platform at an SWA sanctioned competition or be supervised directly by a qualified coach & be actively pursuing completion of certification. Coaches may be eligible for reimbursement of completed courses. Please consult https://saskweightlifting.com/course-reimburse for information regarding the courses required and reimbursement.
Important Dates:
July 4: SWA Membership Survey Closes
July 23-24: Summer Board Planning Meeting
Aug: SWA Strategic Plan Review
Sept 17: Tentative registration deadline for Oct 15 Westerns Qualifier
Sept 24-25: Ma Strength Level 1 - Chinese Weightlifting Technique - Registration fee $250; full-price $500 subsidized by the SWA (Limit 25)
Sept 26-27: Ma Strength Level 2 - Coaching & Programming - Registration fee $250; full-price $500 subsidized by the SWA (Limit 25)
Sept 30: Deadline for SWA Scholarship Application
Nov-Dec: SWA President & Member-at-Large Election Nominations & Voting
Early Dec: SWA AGM & Election Results
2021-2022 Competition Schedule:
June 8-12: Masters Pan-American Championships
July 8-10: Canadian Masters Championship - The qualification deadline is June 30th. Registration is limited on a first-come-first-serve basis. The SWA is funding the travel expenses of a coach as selected by the SWA Masters Committee. Please contact Dwayne (edir@saskweightlifting.com) & Jil Reid (jilreid99@gmail.com) for more information.
July 28-Aug 8: 2022 Commonwealth Games - Congratulations to Alexis Ashworth, who will be competing as 1 of 8 Canadian women in the 71kg class (Link to Global News news piece, Leader-Post article) and Jocelyne Moe (IWF Level 1), who was selected to represent Canada as a Technical Official this Summer.
Sept 15-18: 2022 North American Open Series 2 hosted by USAW and CWH - Interested SWA athletes are encouraged to participate with results eligible for Westerns & Nationals (Tentative) Qualification. If funding allows, we MAY help provide limited funding for coach(es), official(s), &/or other support.
2022-2023 Competition Schedule (Registration will open ~6 weeks & close ~2 weeks in advance):
Oct 15: SWA Meet (In-person ONLY, Subject to Doping Control) - Qualifier for Westerns & Nationals, Tentative registration opening in Aug & closing Sept 17th
Oct 22: Saskatchewan Winter Games Trials - Only for Winter Games athletes qualification
Nov 19: Western Canadian Championships in Alberta (In-person only) - Competitions for qualification TBD (See annual survey question)
Dec 3 or 10: Junior Provincials (Hybrid/Online) - Last qualifier for Junior Nationals & Saskatchewan Winter Games
Mid-Late Jan: 2023 Junior Nationals (Tentative & may impact the timing of the Dec meet if moved)
Early Feb: Masters Provincials (Hybrid/Online)
Late Feb: Saskatchewan Winter Games in Regina
Mar 25: SWA Provincials (In-person ONLY, Subject to Doping Control) - May require qualification & include a Banquet/Awards Night (Based on membership feedback)
Apr/May: End of Season "Casual" Competition (Hybrid/Online)
May 20-21: Canadian Senior National Championship
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or feedback.
All the best, and I hope you have a great summer,
Lucas King, 2Lt. BKIN. MBA
President, Saskatchewan Weightlifting Association