The British Columbia Colleges Athletics Association (BCCAA) is the governing body for college/institute athletics in B.C. It was founded in 1970 as the Totem Conference Athletics Association. The charter members were: BCIT, Capilano College, Cariboo College, Douglas College, Okanagan College, Selkirk College and Vancouver Community College. League play led to provincial champions who went on to represent BC in the Four-West Championships (BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, & Manitoba). In 1972 the Four-West, the Ontario Colleges Athletics Association and the Quebec Colleges Athletics Association merged to form the Canadian Colleges Athletics Association (CCAA).
In 1986 the Totem Conference changed its name to the British Columbia Colleges' Athletic Association.
Today there 14 BCCAA member institutions located across the province. A total of 58 teams compete in five sports for the right to represent BC at the CCAA Nationals.
The BCCAA believes that college athletics should be an integral part of a balanced, holistic, educational program of any institution. It provides laboratory courses on physical, mental and social development, teaching lifelong values of teamwork, discipline, commitment, perseverance, fairness, and respect. Statistics show that student athletes are consistently strong academically, develop positive lifestyles traits, and contribute to community spirit and growth.
The BCCAA is committed to working to provide quality athletic opportunities for its members.
Mission Statement
“The British Columbia Colleges’ Athletics Association empowers member institutions in their quest to provide quality athletic opportunities to enhance the overall educational experience of their students.”
BCCAA Values
As “values” pertain to “ One’s principles, priorities, or standards” (Oxford Dictionary, 1993) the following values are the operational values of the organization to implement the mission statement. Values are also seen as the “substance of culture” (Schein, 1985) that exists within an organization.
The goals, rewards, policies and procedures of an organization should not contradict the values that are set out, but rather allow the values to manifest within the organization. These values must be lived out by the board members of the BCCAA, in conducting meetings, in establishing policies, and in carrying on the affairs of the Association in order to become instilled in the hearts and minds of the athletes, coaches, officials and spectators involved within the BCCAA.
Therefore, the following are presented as the foundational values of the BCCAA:
- To provide opportunities for athlete development and athletic excellence in a safe and positive environment
- To develop and encourage the academic success of student athletes
- To foster a holistic approach in the development of the student athletes
- To encourage excellence in leadership modeling and development through athletics
- To assist in the development of coaches and officials within the province
- To develop and empower geographically and competitively diverse college/institute athletic programs within B.C.
- To respect people and creative ideas as crucial resources
- To cultivate respect for officials, opponents, and spectators through the promotion of Fair Play principles
- To promote gender equity in all sports
College Athletics is an integral part of a balanced, holistic educational program of any institution. Athletics provide laboratory courses on physical, mental and social development, teaching lifelong values of teamwork, discipline, commitment, perseverance, fairness, and respect. Statistics show that student athletes are consistently strong academically, develop positive lifestyles traits, and contribute to community spirit and growth. Therefore, athletics should not be viewed as a fringe benefit to strong academic programs, but as a core component of learning, growth and development.
How Important is Sport?
(some stats) Girls who are active in sports are 92% less likely to use drugs, and 80% less likely to have an unwanted pregnancy (Institute for Athletics and Education, 1993). In Northern Manitoba, there was a 17.3% crime reduction in communities with a sports program and, on average, a 10.6% increase in crime in communities without the program (Synthesis of the Research on the Benefits of Recreation, University of Manitoba, 1989). A study of physical education in Regina, Scarborough and Victoria discovered that children involved in physical activity were academically superior to those who were not (Canadian Medical Association Journal, 1992). A six-year study in Quebec showed that children who participated in 5 hours of sport per week had significantly higher marks than children who did not participate (Canadian Medical Association Journal, 1992). Sport B.C. (Feb. 2, 1996) summarized an Angus Reid survey of British Columbians on the affects of sport in the community:
- 87% believe that sports give today's youth positive leisure activities
- 75% believe that sports are a good way to bring communities together
- 62% believe that their is a positive correlation between activity in sport and higher education levels.