Dear editor,
In “Camosun has a sports team?” (May 13, 2015 issue), former Chargers men’s basketball team member Lachlan Ross expresses an apparent dissatisfaction over what he considers to be a low number of students attending the Chargers games.
The article underlines the deficient state of Chargers promotions on Camosun’s two campuses, pointing to the outdated advertisements, slow-moving Chargers merchandise, and a general lack of awareness of the program amongst the student population.
Correspondingly, representatives from the Camosun College Student Society and student-athletes assert that students are not filling the stands during regular games because of the location of the Chargers home gym and the Athletics office at Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence at Interurban and the lack of student-friendly social media.
In fact, Camosun students currently make up approximately 25 percent of game audiences on any given date. We’ve consistently watched that number increase over the years and we’d love to see that number continue climbing.
However, the fact is that the average age of our students is 26. This means that most students likely have part-time or full-time jobs on top of studying and homework and they may also have children and families to take care of. Additionally, Camosun students don’t live in campus residences or benefit from campus-life facilities as their counterparts seeking degrees do at UVic and VIU. A large percentage of the Camosun student body is transient and don’t spend a lot of their spare time hanging out after classes.
For students who are looking for their sport fix, there is an abundance of games and activities in Victoria for spectators to choose from that includes CIS sports, Western and Junior hockey, football, lacrosse, etc.
Despite vying for fans in a highly competitive market, we manage to attract big, diverse crowds for the majority of our Friday-night games and we are VERY proud of our die-hard Chargers fans—no matter what their age!
While the article paints a subdued picture of our events, our fans, and our operational efforts, one cannot argue that the Chargers program is one of the most successful in the PACWEST conference. And although this year was an exceptionally successful season, we must attribute today’s achievements, in large part, to the accomplishments of our past teams, coaches, and players who now number 800-plus strong! We are not an overnight success, we’ve celebrated many past victories, we’ve maintained long-lasting relationships with our sponsors and alumni, and we’ve successfully developed a strong presence in the media (both traditional and social media) over the course of many years.
Like all good organizations, our growth and development is constant and it is always our goal to improve. But we also need a commitment from all college departments, our yearly student interns, and the student-athletes themselves to maximize the awareness of the program and to keep the Chargers in the hearts, minds, and spirit of our Camosun community.
If you would like more info on the Camosun Chargers or have questions regarding our operational plans, processes, and protocols, please contact me, Bonita Joe, at joeb@camosun.ca.
Seems like you missed the point on the previous article and didn’t state why Lachlan’s facts were incorrect…. More of a whiny, disgruntled response then what could have been a very good opportunity for some positive publicity.
Also for a College basketball program… 25 % student attendance isn’t a number I would be bragging about.