Did you know … SIRC has a regional office in Toronto? You can check books out of the Ottawa and Toronto locations if you are a member of SIRC?

Recently SIRC and SPORT4ONTARIO hosted an Open House at our NEW regional office in Toronto. After consulting with Amanda Street-Bishop, the Information Specialist at the SIRC@SPORT4ONTARIO Office, Nancy Rebel and Brandie Adams brought over 400 books, journals and DVDs from the SIRC Collection to the Toronto office for people to browse through. The event was fantastic! Numerous sport groups in the GTA attended the event to find out about SIRC services and to help choose what they would like included in the SIRC@SPORT4ONTARIO Library. Debra Gassewitz, president and CEO of SIRC, gave a brief presentation and then launched the new Check Out service.

SIRC members in Ottawa and the GTA are now able to borrow SIRC resources on a weekly basis. Currently there are over fifty publications being circulated on nutrition, team building, officiating, mental training, administration, coaching, strength training, leisure management and more. Popular books include:

o Successful Sports Officiating: fundamentals for all officials.
o The Women's Basketball Drill Book: More than 180 drills from the game's top coaches.
o Speed for Sports Performance (DVD)
o Complete Conditioning for Tennis.

SIRC is looking forward to organizing other events in the future. Stay tuned to see what we’re hosting next!!

Also, as a new feature to our blog entries, SIRC is excited to let you know about new titles that have recently been added to the SIRC Collection:

o Actively Engaged: A Policy on Sport for Women and Girls. (Canadian Heritage)
o Rock Climbing. (Human Kinetics)
o Softball Coaching Development Program Level 3. National Coaching Certification Program. (Softball Canada)

2012 NHL All-Star Weekend

As the NHL season takes a break, the City of Ottawa is catching All-Star Fever! The 2012 All-Star Weekend Celebration kicked off yesterday in Ottawa with a parade of the NHL Trophies escorted by future NHL hopefuls, Timbits hockey players, down the Rideau Canal Skateway. Fans lined the canal, on the ice and on the banks, just to catch a glimpse of Lord Stanley’s Cup. Beyond the obvious highs of the All-Stars coming to Ottawa, the city will benefit from the excitement built up within the community.

All of Ottawa and Gatineau will be involved in the weekend. Events will be held at various sites around the city, including the Rideau Canal Skateway, Théâtre du Casino du Lac-Leamy, Ottawa Convention Centre, and Scotiabank Place. Not only is it an opportunity for the All-Stars to show off their skills but there is the NHL Junior Skills National Competition for the best 7-12 year old hockey players from across the country. Fans can also get a taste of being a pro at Scotiabank NHL Fan Fair at the Ottawa Convention Centre.

The weekend isn’t just about the greatest hockey players in the world coming together, there is also the Energizer Night Skate happening tonight at 7pm on the Rideau Canal Skateway. Participants will light up the night sky over the Rideau Canal while raising money for a good cause. Each participant receives an Energizer LED headlight and an Energizer Night Skate toque. All proceeds from the event go to the Sens Foundation which helps fund charitable organizations that improve quality of life for children and youth across Eastern Ontario.

Thursday, January 26

• 2:30-3:00pm Trophy Procession Down the Rideau Canal
• 3pm-10pm Scotiabank NHL Fan Fair
• 8pm2012 NHL Fantasy Draft

Friday, January 27

• 10am-10pm Scotiabank NHL Fan Fair
• 7pm Energizer Night Skate

Saturday, January 28

• 9am-noon 2012 NHL Junior Skills National Championship
• 10am-6pm Scotiabank NHL Fan Fair
• 7pm All-Star Skill Competition

Sunday, January 29

• 4pm 2012 Tim Hortons NHL All-Star Game

For full schedule of events and details click here.

Contact SIRC for more information on hockey!

West Ottawa Soccer U14 Girls Heading to Nicaragua - July 4-13

Six local youth and their support team are off to Nicaragua this week to complete a project for SchoolBOX, a Canadian charity whose mission is to make education possible for those who can’t afford it. The team is part of the West Ottawa Soccer Club (WOSC), which is an organization that encourages its athletes to give back to their community. During their ten day stay, they will be helping to build a school as well as engaging the local youth in some soccer games.

Dina Bell-Laroche who is the team coach, a community leader and a veteran of five Olympic games, believes that this kind of experience makes good athletes, great leaders.

The club has been doing its own fundraising by organizing the 5km True Sport 4 SchoolBOX charity run last year through which they managed to raise more than $1700 in pledges. The club was also a part of the Amazing People Gala, which is a local event that highlights extraordinary accomplishments from ordinary people. It was here that they received a $7000 scholarship with over $50,000 raised for the SchoolBOX project.

The six local athletes are Kathleen Carson, Priya Nagpal, Tiffany Ingram, Gabriele Donnelly, Jessica Aiello and Talia Laroche. The support team includes Peter Donnelly, Lynn Aiello, Karri Dawson, John Carson and Dina Bell-Laroche. Eric Collard, co-chair of the Amazing People Gala will also be joining the team on their travels.

Bell-Laroche is passionate about this project and with giving back - "Sport is more than just a game. Sport can teach life lessons off the playing field that can build self esteem, empowering people to set a goal and achieve it, and believe in something that is larger than them. I'm so proud of the accomplishments of these young athletes and the leadership they are demonstrating to support a community thousands of miles away."

For more information you can visit www.schoolbox.ca.