Conestoga’s Recreation Facility Coordinator Jenni Bauer was selected as a coach with Team Ontario to compete at the Hockey Canada Under-18 National Championships held November 9 through 13 in Regina. Bauer said the lessons learned through the experience will help her serve Conestoga's athletes and varsity teams.
Jenni Bauer, an employee with Conestoga’s Athletics and Recreation Centre, was selected as a coach for Team Ontario. Bauer said the lessons learned through the experience will help her serve the college’s athletes and varsity teams. Photo credit: Melodie Lariviere, Spoke
The championship brought together teams made up of the best female hockey players throughout Canada born in 1999 or later, and served as a platform for Hockey Canada scouts to evaluate candidates who will compete at the International Ice Hockey Federation U18 Women’s World Championship and other international events.
In her role at Conestoga, Bauer coordinates distribution of space in the college’s Recreation Centre, handles event set-up and manages department communications. The Centre serves the college’s varsity teams, intramural and extramural teams and provides a range of fitness and health and wellness activities for students. The Centre is also used by community groups and was one of the first Canadian providers of Nike Sports Camps in Canada.
Bauer, a Conestoga Community and Social Service Management graduate, has also worked with the college’s Student Life department and said her own hockey and coaching career, combined with the leadership opportunities she was involved with through Student Life, helped her coach the roster of 20 hockey players she worked with on Team Ontario.
Although she brought a unique set of skills and talent to the team, Bauer said her coaching duties at the tournament will also benefit her current role at the Recreation Centre.
“At the college I need to make connections with our athletes and coaches to anticipate their needs and make sure our facilities meet those needs. Coaching with Team Ontario was incredibly exciting on a personal level, but I was able to participate in a national high performance competition and gain knowledge about the logistics and coordination of the event,” said Bauer. “It’s an experience I will draw from when working with our college athletes and the community groups that use our space.”
Renovations at Conestoga’s Recreation Centre, located at the Doon campus, were recently completed and the college community participated in an official opening on October 3. The facility provides a full range of recreation and athletic services and now houses a 35,000 square-foot fitness centre outfitted with state-of-the art equipment; a new triple gymnasium to accommodate basketball, volleyball and badminton; community and social spaces; and health and wellness offices.
Visit the Athletics website for more information.