Mark Kosak was a happy man last week. And for that matter, so was his boss, University College of the Fraser Valley President Dr. Skip Bassford. The two have learned that UCFV is one step closer to entering the arena of university sport in Canada .  

Kosak is UCFV's new athletics director. Since he arrived on the scene last summer, his number-one goal has been to turn UCFV sports up a notch, to start competing against other universities instead of colleges.  

"Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the highest level of amateur sports league competition in the country," says Kosak. "And I believe the UCFV Cascades have what it takes to compete at that level."  

Plans for joining the Canada West Universities Athletics Association (CWUAA) had been in the works before Kosak came to UCFV, but like many best-laid plans, they hit a roadblock - or two, or three.  

CWUAA had been accepting applications only every two years, and the criteria for acceptance were very strict. But UCFV felt confident, and in 2002 was ready to apply. Unfortunately, that was about the same time that the university's former athletics director took an unforeseen early retirement. No director, no application, said CWUAA. And that was that until 2004.  

Or so thought UCFV.  

Just as Kosak was putting the finishing touches on the application this fall, he discovered that CWUAA had changed its bylaws. From now on, applications would be reviewed only every four years, and none would be accepted in 2004. The next intake, Canada West announced, would be in 2007.  

"Needless to say, we were shocked," says Kosak. "We were all prepared for the Dec. 1 deadline, and then in October we find out the rules had changed. That's when the wheels started turning."  

With the full support of the UCFV Board of Governors and President Bassford, Kosak contacted the CWUAA president, based in Regina , and pleaded his case. Bassford backed him up, citing the "extraordinary circumstances" that prevented UCFV from going before Canada West earlier.  

"That was the second week of October," says Bassford, "and we've been waiting since then to hear their decision." That decision arrived early in December. UCFV will be allowed to apply, and has until Jan. 15, just over a month, to submit an application.  

"This is great news for UCFV and the surrounding community," says Bassford. "If we are successful in our bid, it will mean a whole new level of competition for the players and some exciting action for spectators. UCFV would be welcoming top-notch university teams from across Western Canada , from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies to the UBC Thunderbirds. It's a higher calibre of play, and will help put UCFV on the map."  

UCFV's application to Canada West will go before the entire membership in May 2004, at which time a decision will be made whether to admit UCFV to the league.  

"The list of criteria for acceptance is tough," says Kosak, "but we feel we can live up to and surpass it." Among the details required in the application is financial information about the athletics department, the history of the program, and the demographics of UCFV and the communities it serves.  

"They also want to know about the standard of our facilities," says Kosak. "In order to meet the minimum standard, which is seating for 1,000, we will have to expand our existing facilities."  

Kosak is referring to UCFV's gymnasium on the Abbotsford campus, which was completed in February 2002. To meet the CWUAA standards, the gym would need to double in size. However, Kosak says that's not a problem.  

"The building was built with the idea of future expansion," he says. "We would just need to knock out the south wall and add on."  

Kosak says there is also the possibility of pursuing a larger expansion, one that would become an athlete development centre for the entire Fraser Valley , and potentially play a role in the 2010 Olympic Games. "But an expansion of that size would involve a number of players at all levels of government, and we've just started to talk about that."  

If accepted into CWUAA, which is a regional association of Canadian Interuniversity Sport, UCFV would begin interuniversity league play as early as September 2005. The two sports registered in the league would be basketball and soccer.  

"UCFV has already demonstrated its considerable talent in basketball with two national championships for our men's team, in 2000 and 2002, and with the women's team working on its ninth conference championship in just over a decade. Now we're ready for the big time," he says.  

Canadian Interuniversity Sport has a coast-to-coast membership of 50 universities, divided among four regional associations. CWUAA, which covers Manitoba to B.C., has a dozen member universities, not including University College of the Cariboo, the newest member slated to start play in 2005.