National Team Committee

The Nationals Committee will be responsible for helping to ensure that BCPA athletes are appropriately prepared, supported and attired for CPU Nationals competitions.

In previous years, the Nationals Committee has organised fundraisers, arranged pre-Nats events, ordered and designed ‘Team BC’ apparel, and arranged for coaching or handlers for those athletes without.

We would like a motivated, enthusiastic committee who can come on board and assist the BCPA Board of Directors for both CPU Nationals 2024 and 2025.

While no strict requirements are in place, preference will be given to interested athletes who:

• Plan to attend one, or both, CPU Nationals in 2024/2025

• Have competed at Nationals before

• Have a track record of reliability within the BCPA

Initial tasks for the committee will be:

• Exploring Team BC apparel options. Ideally year-agnostic shirts to start, with hoodies/sweatshirts a must by 2025.

• Fundraising ideas to subsidise apparel costs or coaching costs

• Survey athletes to find out if they are in need of coaching/handling or other support while at Nationals

• If this is needed, recruitment of a suitably qualified Team BC coach for Nationals 2024

• Promote, moderate and participate in the Team BC WhatsApp group

Media Director

This position is currently vacant.

If you are interested in taking on an active role within the BCPA please send an email to [email protected] telling us why you would be the right fit for this position.

The BCPA Social Media Director(s) will use the BCPA socials to help connect, share and give information to the public and our members. It is key that the BCPA stay on top of other sporting organizations to see what they are doing in social media circles. As many as three individuals may share this role.

Duties include:

• Maintain IG & Facebook accounts and respond to inquiries
• BCPA, event, clubs and member promotion
• Repurpose information from the website into easy-to-understand content for social media, for example:
  • Volunteer position explanations
  • Information for new lifters
  • Qualifying pathways
• Livestream planning and deployment
• Provide progress reports to the Executive
• Share relevant content from the CPU or IPF to BCPA members
• Communicate with committee and executive members via discord

Webmaster

Role of the BCPA Webmaster is to maintain our website. They handle the technical aspects of overseeing website. They will ensure that the web servers, software are operating correctly, designing the website, generating and revising web pages and examining traffic through the site.

Duties include:

• General website information updates (rules, pics, policies and calendar)
• Maintain web hosting accounts
• Website improvements
• Provide progress reports to the Executive

Fundraising Committee

The fundraising committee will oversee planning, development, management and implementation of the BCPA’s fundraising plan. The objective of the committee is to raise money both for the organization and for athletes going to Nationals and higher level competitions.

The role of the committee will be:

• to develop a fundraising plan and fundraising strategies
• to organize fundraising events (at least one per calendar year)
• to develop an annual sponsorship plan and find potential annual sponsors
• to initiate and manage fundraising activities
• to find and diversify revenue sources for BCPA (e.g. government grants, etc.)

The committee will include a chair, at least one board member, and committee members. We are looking for individuals who are familiar with fundraising for non-profit organizations and/or grant applications and/or organizing fundraising initiatives.

Club Development Director

This position is currently vacant.

If you are interested in taking on an active role within the BCPA please send an email to [email protected] telling us why you would be the right fit for this position.

The Club Development Director will act as a liaison between BCPA clubs and gyms and the Executive. This position is important to help the BCPA develop powerlifting clubs throughout the province.

Duties include:

• Be familiar with clubs and BCPA policies
• Plan and oversee development of powerlifting clubs in BC
• Work with the social media director to promote powerlifting clubs
• Encourage open houses
• Provide important information to clubs such as BCPA Bursary Award poster and deadline
• Encourage clubs to volunteer at meets (for example, provide a full platform crew to wear club apparel)
• Inform and guide clubs and gyms towards hosting sanctioned competitions
• Develop a club award
• Maintain the list of BC clubs and gyms on the BCPA website
• Act as a liaison between clubs and BCPA Executives and provide progress reports to the Executive

You will be required to communicate with the committee and executive via Discord.

Youth and Adolescent Powerlift Committee

(Youth and Sub-Junior athletes, ages 8-18)

This committee will strive to improve, grow and enable young athletes in BC to compete in Powerlifting with the BCPA.

We are looking for individual(s) who have experience with young lifters (for example, you might be a parent, a coach, a teacher) that can help the BCPA to:

• Ensure that young, first time lifters feel adequately supported and prepared for their first competition
• Grow and promote youth and adolescent powerlifting in local communities, schools and groups (Guides/Scouts, as an example)
• Critically review and suggest improvements to the CPU Youth Policy (that the BCPA will feedback to the CPU on the committee’s behalf)
• Advocate for youth and adolescent powerlifters to ensure that lifting with the BCPA is an enjoyable, inclusive and supportive experience

Initial tasks will be:

• Collaborate with the SPA (Saskatchewan Powerlifting Association) to review and improve the current CPU Youth Policy
• Survey newer youth/sub junior athletes or their parents to obtain feedback on how to improve the experience
• Ensure youth and new adolescent athletes and the BCPA are adequately prepared to ensure a successful and enjoyable experience for all. This may involve preparing parents, coaches or handlers, rules clarifications, equipment, etc.
• [Longer Term] Outreach to schools, groups to educate or inform about powerlifting. Several BCPA members are teachers, and may be a good first avenue to explore.
• Promote the Kamloops High School Cup

Disabilities Integration

(Para, Blind, Special Olympics)

This committee will strive to improve, grow and enable disabled athletes in BC to compete in Powerlifting with the BCPA.

We are looking for individual(s) to act as a liaison between the BCPA and disability groups or athletes. As part of this liaison we would like the disabilities integration committee to:

• Work with the BCPA for future calendar planning. This will require communication of disabled athletes’ intentions to compete at sanctioned events to ensure that they can be accommodated. This will ensure Para Powerlifters and Special Olympians can attend qualifying events for higher-level meets.

• Identify, source and get quotes for wheelchair accessible scales for competition. This may involve fundraising.

• Ensure disabled athletes and the BCPA are adequately prepared to ensure a successful and enjoyable experience for all. This may involve preparing coaches and handlers, ensuring venue accessibility, rules clarifications, etc.

• Suggest ideas to the BCPA of ways to grow disabled powerlifting in BC.

• Advocate for disabled powerlifters to ensure that lifting with the BCPA is an enjoyable, inclusive and supportive experience

Records Chair

The Records Chair is responsible for maintaining the past and current Provincial Records for all male and female age and weight categories within the BCPA.

Duties include:

• Have thorough knowledge of BCPA records bylaws and policies
• Maintain BCPA records
• Coordinate records submissions requests
• Maintain quarterly athletes standings
• Provide progress reports to the Executive

Awards and Volunteer Committee

This position is currently vacant.

If you are interested in taking on an active role within the BCPA please send an email to [email protected] telling us why you would be the right fit for this committee.

The BCPA heavily relies on volunteers to keep the organisation going and to host and run meets. We would like to make sure that volunteers are treated well and have a good experience when they volunteer within BC. The Awards and Volunteer Committee will be responsible for liaising with the BCPA board and meet directors and suggesting ways that the volunteer experience can be elevated and consistent across meets in BC.

• Select bursary award candidates
• Responsible for the Volunteer of the Year award
• Develop awards for outstanding members and achievements
• Receive nominations for current awards
• Assist with the coordination of volunteers for BCPA run events
• Collect feedback from volunteers on how the BCPA can increase volunteer retention (eg, rewards, prizes, food)
• Create strategies to encourage new volunteers (this can include creating memes for social media!)
• Liaise with the Club Development Director to encourage volunteerism from clubs in BC
• Work with the Officiating Chair and Scorekeepers Chair to increase the number and engagement of Referees and Scorekeepers in BC
• Maintain records of volunteer involvement in BC
• Suggest or create educational content for the BCPA website and social media to inform members about the requirements of different volunteer positions
• Liaise with the BCPA board and other committee members via Discord

Scorekeepers Chair

This position is currently held by Sara Youd.

The Scorekeepers Chair will knowledge of the IPF Rules and be very familiar with the PLMeet score program.

Duties include:

• Schedule Scorekeepers (SK) and Scorekeeper’s Assistants for all events
• Maintain high standard of SK’s
• Coordinate SK’s clinics as needed
• Update SK’s of any rules or policy changes
• Provide monthly report to the Executive

Officiating Chair

This position is currently held by Mehar Bhogal.

The Officiating Chair will have thorough knowledge of the IPF Rules, BCPA and CPU Bylaws.  They will also be available to answer any questions relating to the rules and procedures.

Duties include:

• Schedule Referees for all events
• Maintain high standard of referees within BC
• Coordinate Referee clinics as needed
• Update Referees of any rules or policy changes
• Administer and grade Referee’s exams
• Provide monthly report to the Executive