The King's Connection Magazine Volume 23 Number 4//Fall 2013 | Page 14

EAGLES NEWS EAGLES NEWS King’s Welcomes New Coaches and New Program E agles Athletics welcomes three new coaches and one new program for the 2013/14 season, badminton. Led by Coach NAEEM HAQUE and Assistant Coach GRACE BOX, King’s is the third institution in Alberta after Concordia and NAIT to offer badminton at the collegiate level. Athletes from the three intuitions will play each other for the chance to represent Alberta at the Canadian Collegiate Athletics Association’s Nationals. Naeem Haque has been involved in coaching badminton for almost 30 years. In that time he has coached Jr. High, Sr. High and post-secondary athletes and a number of nationally recognized competitors while coaching at Concordia University College of Alberta. He was honored with the Badminton Alberta “Excellence in Coaching” award as well as receiving the ACAC and CCAA “Coach of the Year” awards in the 2003-2004 season. “We feel extremely privileged to have a head coach with the experience and leadership excellence of Naeem, and look forward to seeing how he will continue to build badminton in Alberta and contribute to the lives of our student-athletes at King’s,” says Athletics Director Grace Scott. Grace Box is a very dynamic coach whose outgoing personality and internal drive inspire her athletes. She is a very positive person who strives to make the practice environment both challenging and fun. Grace’s experiences and accolades in collegiate badminton will serve to show athletes just what they can achieve through dedication and hard work. Grace’s Assistant Coach position is supported through the 2013-2014 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Female Apprentice Coach Program, which provides grants for professional development for young female coaches. King’s alumnus (‘01) MATT OOSTERHUIS returns to King’s men’s soccer. Matt has been very active in the local soccer community for the last six years volunteering for both the Drillers and Victoria soccer club programs. One of the most important goals Matt has as head coach is to help elevate the soccer program to the level of excellence that has become the standard for King’s teams. He is 100 per cent committed to challenging and supporting student athletes in their quest to be the best that they can be. ? 12 /// The King’s Connection /// Fall 2013 2013 Badminton. Back row, left: Head coach Naeem Haque. Back row, second from right, Grace Box 2013 Men’s Soccer. Back row, second from right: Head coach Matt Oosterhuis. NEW GYM FLOOR FOR EAGLES ATHLETES K ing's Eagles have a newly refinished gym floor to start the 2013/14 season. Last year, Athletics kicked off a fundraising campaign to refinish the floors in order to update the basketball lines. Thank you to The King's Foundation, The King's Guild and numerous individuals for their generous support. ? The King’s Connection /// Fall 2013 /// 13