On June 16, Basketball Manitoba’s Annual General Meeting was attended by 24 people representing many levels and aspects of basketball in the province. Reports were accepted from the President, the Directors of High Performance (Male and Female), the Director of Officials, the Technical Committee, and the Staff. An audited financial statement and a proposed 2011-12 budget showed a healthy financial position for the organization and five sitting board members were re-elected in Joe DiCurzio, Ross Wedlake, Shirley Blanca, Randy Kusano and Bryan Gray. The highlight of the meeting was undoubtedly the round-table discussion which heard from many different people raising a number of different issues as to how we can improve the quality of the game throughout Manitoba. Some of the issues raised were...- Canadian Sport for Life and Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) and how it is and will affect us all
- The over-emphasis on competition (games) as opposed to training (practices) especially at the younger developmental levels and how this needs to be regulated
- The fact that so many scheduled games is causing serious strain on the ability of MABO assignors to cover all the games and tournaments and, as a result, restrictions or a sanctioning process may have to be implemented
- The different philosophies of many club teams and how that affects players and parents in their selection of where to play
- The fact that provincial teams and elite development should be the main focus of all of our programs
- How the availability of facilities (gymnasiums) is so critical and how inconsistent policies are between the different school divisions
- The need for greater and more effective communication between all groups
Everyone in attendance agreed that the necessary changes will be a process over a number of years. The discussion at our recent AGM was an important step in the process. This kind of dialogue is a sign of a healthy organization.
These topics along with a host of others will be part of the discussion scheduled for this fall as Basketball Manitoba revisits its Long Term Strategic Plan for the next 5 years.