Monday, May 17, 2004

Contact: Bob Warick

Executive Director

University College of the Fraser Valley

Community Relations and Development

Phone: 604-864-4611

Email: warick@ucfv.ca

UCFV women’s basketball playing in China

Abbotsford – The University College of the Fraser Valley women’s basketball team has just left for a two-week sports exchange with a pair of universities in the People’s Republic of China. 

The Cascades left on Saturday to fly to Chengdu, in the central part of China, to play two games against the Sichuan Normal University (SNU), followed by a week in Beijing to compete against the Beijing Normal University (BNU).  

In between games, the Cascades will participate in combined practices and training sessions with the Chinese athletes and coaches, exchanging ideas, drills and philosophies about basketball. Opportunities for sightseeing and touring the fascinating features of China will also be incorporated into this educational exchange. 

“This is the opportunity of a lifetime,” says team captain Kalisha Reid. “China is a place where I would never have expected to play basketball, let alone have 12 days to experience the culture of China. This is something that we obviously will never forget and a great way to cap off my four year career here at UCFV.”

This is the first exchange of this kind for the UCFV athletics program and was initiated at the invitation of the Chinese hosts, with the support and cooperation of UCFV’s International Education Program. 

UCFV currently enjoys a relationship with SNU and is fostering ties with BNU who are interested in developing a partnership with UCFV in the proposed education park in Chilliwack.  These Chinese university teams will be invited to visit Abbotsford and Chilliwack at some point in the future in order to complete the exchange.

Athletics director Mark Kosak is heading up the UCFV delegation of 12 athletes, two coaches, and a manager/trainer. “This is a terrific privilege and a fantastic educational opportunity for our student athletes,” says Kosak. “The whole team is excited and I’m confident that they will represent our university and indeed our country, very proudly.”

Dr. Graham Fletcher from the UCFV Kinesiology program will also be along to meet with colleagues from SNU who are performing research similar to that being done at UCFV. The entire exchange will be videotaped for documentary purposes.

This past season the Cascades finished as bronze medalists at the CCAA National Championships, after capturing their fourth consecutive BCCAA title.  The team has extended its conference winning streak to 57 consecutive games stretching over three seasons.

“This is a great way to end a successful season for our program. I don’t know a whole lot about Chinese university basketball but I expect them to be talented,” says Al Tuchscherer, head coach. I suspect that they would not have extended the invitation for this exchange unless they felt confident in their progess. We have a veteran team though so we should be alright.”

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