Hello Everyone,
This email looks massive, but I've broken it down into a few sections to make it easier to read. Going forward, I will primarily link to the Events Schedule section of the SWA website instead of including everything, but there is lots of new information. This year, the Board has revamped our schedule through discussions with the Western Provinces, with one of the biggest changes being our focus on making the 2023 SWA Provincial Championships a top-tier event. My hope is that, over time, Provincials will become the highlight of the year for many of our athletes and provide something to look forward to in the same way that many train for Westerns and Jr/Sr/Masters Nationals. I (Lucas) will be leading the work on organizing this event and I am looking for a few others to help me make this a reality. A few highlights from my vision are below. If you are interested in helping, please let me know. Your role will be to help determine the details of the events and bring it to life in 2023.
2023 SWA Provincials High-level Vision:
Date: Saturday, March 25, 2023, in Saskatoon, SK
Venue: TBD, but not at a gym/TC
Participation: 50-70 athletes (Open competition with all ages competing together)
Banquet: Evening of the event with each athlete & coach eligible for up to 2 tickets (Remainder open to membership)
Awards at Banquet (Not finalized): Overall Male/Female, Top 3 Male & Female Teams (3 athletes & 1 coach per team determined before the competition & based on medal placement scoring), SWA Hall of Fame, Community Volunteer Award, Training Centre Award
Qualification: Total required during the 2022-2023 season
40% International Marker (May be adjusted slightly before Oct 1 competition)
Male: E.g. 137.5kg @ 81kg Male (167.147 Sinclair) - 26 above in 2021-22
Female: E.g. 87.5kg @ 64kg Female (113.596 Sinclair) - 56 above in 2021-22
New Information:
High-Performance Athlete Criteria Funding: See the linked document for more information on the upcoming policy that will be used to support SWA athletes competing at the National & International level.
Western Canadian Championships: Based upon the SWA Survey results, Team Qualification will be based on the results of competitions from May-Oct 2022 (Jr & Sr Nationals, Ogopogo, NA Open, Commonwealth Games, Oct SWA Comp) using Weight Class Sinclair rankings. We do not know how large the teams for the event will be, so we have not finalized our funding documents yet. However, we will be trialling an option for participating athletes (A Team receiving more than B Team) & coaches/officials to use a reimbursement system for funding rather than directly funding & organizing all aspects of travel/accommodations. We will provide more information well in advance of the competition.
2022 SWA Board of Directors Election Details: Elections for SWA President & Member-at-Large (3-year terms) will occur leading into the 2022 SWA AGM on Dec 11, using the same process as the last 3 years. Please see the linked document for details & timelines.
SWA Town Hall: We will be trialling an open format (Q&A) town hall on Sept 20th from 6:30-7:30 pm via Zoom. The meeting information will be sent to members & posted on the website in advance. My hope is that these will help me and the Board stay more connected with the membership and help us communicate more openly about what's coming.
SWA Athlete Facebook Groups: We have created Junior/Youth (& Parents), Open (all-ages), & Masters Facebook groups for verified athletes to join. These may be used to help communicate information relating to specific events outside of the website/newsletter (e.g. Masters Nationals) or by athletes to connect with one another.
SWA Masters Committee: We are looking for active Masters athletes or coaches to participate in the committee. For more information, contact Jil Reid <jilreid99@gmail.com> and/or Dwayne Dreher <edir@saskweightlifting.com>.
SWA Clothing: We are planning to do a pre-order for SWA branded clothing (Shirts/Hoodies) this Fall. Keep an eye out for future details over the next few months!
Masters Provincials Host (Feb 11, 2023): We are looking for a Training Centre to host this event. If you would like to be considered, please contact Dwayne (edir@saskweightlifting.com).
SK Winter Games: If you are interested in being considered for either Coach or Manager in your region for the 2023 Saskatchewan Winter Games, please contact Ken Trofimuk (Kenbod@saskweightlifting.com) and Dwayne Dreher (edir@saskweightlifting.com) for more information.
Updates:
2022 Commonwealth Games: Congratulations to Alexis Ashworth on an incredible performance that won her 2nd overall in the Women's 71kg class (Link to Leader-Post article)! To my knowledge, this is the 1st time an SWA athlete has ever won a medal at the Commonwealth Games. Jocelyne Moe (IWF Level 1) also represents Canada as a Technical Official at the event.
2022 Masters Nationals - July 9-10 (Results & Record Certificates): Congratulations to Charles, Raelene, Cassandra, Crista, and Frances for their outstanding lifting, all of whom earned medals, at Masters Nationals last month. Thank you to Chad Benko for his coaching expertise that helped the athletes succeed.
2021-2022 SWA Rankings & SWA Records: These are up-to-date. Certificates for the Commonwealth Games & Masters Nationals can be found here. If there are any errors or omissions, please let us know.
Autism Program: The SWA partnership with Autism Services of Saskatoon has been a big success and was renewed for an expanded program during the 2022-23 season. If anyone is interested in building off of this program in other areas of the province, please let Dwayne know. There is funding available to help with programs of this nature.
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:
Aug: SWA Strategic Plan Review
Sept 17: Tentative registration deadline for Oct 1 Westerns Qualifier
Sept 20, 6:30-7:30 pm: SWA Town Hall via Zoom
Sept 24-25: Ma Strength Level 1 - Chinese Weightlifting Technique - Registration fee $250; full-price $500 subsidized by the SWA (Limit 25) - Training Centres are encouraged to use MAP funding for this event
Sept 26-27: Ma Strength Level 2 - Coaching & Programming - Registration fee $250; full-price $500 subsidized by the SWA (Limit 25) - Training Centres are encouraged to use MAP funding for this event
Sept 30: Deadline for SWA Scholarship Application
Nov 1: Deadline for membership renewal to be eligible for voting & candidacy in the SWA President & Member-at-Large Elections
Dec 5: Deadline for Nominations for SWA President & Member-at-Large Board positions
Dec 11: SWA AGM via Zoom & Election Results
2021-2022 Competition Schedule:
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 Qualification. Participating athletes are eligible for a $150 reimbursement for entry fees and certified coaches will be eligible for up to $600 in expense reimbursement based on the criteria outlined in this document, maximum 1 coach per Training Centre.
2022-2023 Competition Schedule (Registration will open ~7 weeks & close ~3 weeks in advance, zero late registration accepted):
Oct 1: SWA Meet (In-person ONLY, Subject to Doping Control, Medals for Jr & Sr) - Qualifier for Westerns & Nationals
Registration opens: Aug 12
Registration closes: Sept 10
Presentation of Best Lifter Awards for the 2021-2022 season
Oct 22: Saskatchewan Winter Games Trials (Virtual, 1 medal category for all) - Only for Winter Games athletes qualification
Registration opens: Sept 2
Registration closes: Oct 1
Nov 19: Western Canadian Championships in Alberta (In-person only)
Team Qualification based on Weight Class Sinclair: Competitions from May-Oct 2022 (Jr & Sr Nationals, Ogopogo, NA Open, Commonwealth Games, Oct SWA Comp)
Dec 2-10: Masters Worlds in Orlando, Florida, USA
Dec 3: Junior Provincials (Live Virtual, Medals for Jr & Sr) - Last qualifier for Junior Nationals
Registration opens: Oct 14
Registration closes: Nov 12
Jan 14-22: Last Chance Qualifier for Saskatchewan Winter Games
Online video submission for unfilled positions only
Mid-Late Jan: Canadian Junior National Championship
Tentative & may impact the timing of the Dec meet if moved
Feb 11: Masters Provincials (In-person ONLY, Subject to Doping Control, Medals for Jr, Sr, & Masters)
If you are interested in hosting this event, please contact Dwayne (edir@saskweightlifting.com).
Registration opens: Dec 16
Registration closes: Jan 21
Feb 19-25: Saskatchewan Winter Games in Regina
Weightlifting in the 2nd half of the week
Mar 25: SWA Provincials (In-person ONLY, Subject to Doping Control, 1 medal category for all)
Requires qualifying total & includes a Banquet/Awards Night
Registration opens: Jan 27
Registration closes: Feb 26
May 6: End of Season "Casual" Competition (Live Virtual, Medals for Jr & Sr)
Registration opens: Mar 17
Registration closes: Apr 15
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