Abenaki would like to invite all members to the Annual General Meeting.

The date is Wednesday Nov 16 at the community room in the Cole Harbour Sobey's (Sobey's located on Forest Hills and Cole Harbour Road).

The meeting starts at 6:30pm.
 


Agenda:


- Opening remarks by Commodore.

- Paddling Program Review - Paddling Chair

- Equipment Review - Equipment Chair

- Membership - Registrar

- Swimming Program Review - Swimming Chair

- Canteen Review - Canteen Chairperson

- Property Review - Property Chair

- Financial Review - Treasurer

- Elections to the board: Vice Commodore Position - Nancy Letchford

Closing remarks
 

 

 Abenaki winter training begins November 7th and runs throughout the off-season until spring training starts on April 2nd. Winter training consists of general fitness training including running, swimming, soccer, and strength training, and sport-specific activities such as pool paddling, technique work, video analysis, and kayak polo. Abenaki winter training is open to all age groups and I recommend it for anyone who wants to make a huge improvement in their strength, fitness, and technical ability. I ran a similar group last year at Cheema at it was a great experience for all involved, most of whom went on to have very successful summer seasons.

Abenaki's winter training program consists of 6 sessions a week, which take place at the Dartmouth YMCA. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons from 4:30-6, Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 6-7, and Saturday morning from 9-11. There will also be other training opportunities with the Atlantic Division such as group swims and runs, basketball and soccer, strength testing, and the event of the winter season: the ADCKC Swim Meet. We are also planning on adding some cross-country skiing on the weekends to the program once we get some snow down. I got my group a rate of 7$ for trail passes and gear rental at Martock last year and I am working on doing the same again.

The cost for the program is 75$ a month. This covers my pay as well as rental of the pool. Participants also need to purchase a YMCA membership, which we have a special rate on, $92 for 5 months. Also needed are goggles and proper swimwear (One-piece swimsuits for the girls, spandex or racing swimsuits such as Speedo or Tyr for the guys).

Please confirm with me ASAP if you plan on attending, I can be reached at christianhall@accesswave.ca . I hope we'll have a good group that leads to a successful 2012!

Thanks,
Christian

 

 

Dear Abenaki Members:

My name is John O'Brien and I was elected to the position of commodore at the semi AGM in August . I would like to thank the membership for having confidence in me and I can assure you that I am looking forward to working with you and the board in 2012 and beyond.

2011: In a glance

Abenaki had a very successful year in 2011. We had spring and fall programs and this gave our athletes the chance to train all year and it certainly showed! Abenaki sent a group of these girls that trained hard to Nationals. These paddles did themselves and Abenaki proud!
Any paddles who did not qualify for nationals also did themselves and Abenaki proud. Although they may have fell short of their goal this year, their hard work over the summer will help them reach their goals in the future!

Our other groups of paddlers also had some great moments, the Atom boys winning war canoe by open water at champs, while the girls cheered them on was priceless, and the Pee Wee Bantams they had their best results in years at the end of year champs!. Watching the paddlers confidence and skill in paddling grow from July to end of August was great to witness.

The kiddy kayakers were also great, a number of them were scared at the beginning of the summer to get into a boat and at the end of the summer some of the paddlers wanted to go to the end of the lake by themselves.
Keep an eye out for a new program we are working on for those kayakers that are ready for a bit more action on Bell lake!

I would like to thank ALL the paddling staff for the their hard work delivering great programs helping to make our Abenaki paddlers so successful in 2011.

I would also like to thank the swimming staff for their hard work making our swimmers better and for fostering such a safe environment for swimming. A large majority of swimmers passed their levels and we know it is because we have the best lifeguards/swimming teachers in HRM!

I would like to thank Abenaki's Manager this summer, Ashely Dinsdale. She did a great job running the day to day function's of the club and organized great "fun days" and our year end celebration.We do know how important these days are to families that do not paddle or take lessons and just want to come to the club and have some fun.

I would like to say a special thank you to all the parents and guardians of Abenaki paddlers and swimmers! Your hard work and commitment to our beautiful club and programs are what makes us a success. Even when the weather didn't cooperate most of the paddlers and swimmers always had happy faces. Your dedication to your children and the club made Abenaki a success and a fun place to be this summer!

Fall 2011:

Although the club stoped operating at the end of summer there are few things you may not be aware of. There is a fall paddling program going on in Sept and Oct at the club. If you are interested in more information please contact Christian Hall you can find his contact on our web site. Abenaki is also doing some maintenance to the faculty's. The sewer system is being replaced thanks to a grant from the HRM. Also the roof on the main club house will be re singled also in part to another grant from the city.

Feedback:

For those members who filled out the survey thank you very much. Your feedback is important and is taken seriously by the board. The feedback will help us improve things for 2012. If you did not fill out a survey your feedback is still important. You can send any comments to myself or any board member.All the email addresses are on the web site so you can contact any board member. I encourage any feedback you have, if it is positive or negative, any feedback is better then none!


Thank you for your time in reading this email! I know you are all busy with other activities and the busy school year.

In closing I encourage you to attend the annual general meeting that will be held sometime in late October, an email will be sent out notifying the membership with the time and place.
There are also some vacant board positions that we would like to fill at our AGM so if you are interested in volunteering on our board you can contact any board member for more info. On behalf of the whole board I would like to say Thank You and see you in the spring!

John O' Brien
Commodore
AAC

 

 

Don"t forget Abenaki when planning your child's birthday party or team banquet!! 

For a minimal fee we can provide a BBQ, lifeguard and maintenance person to assist with boat use

so you can host a great event!!

 Please contact Ashley for details!!   

 

 

 
The summer of 2011 is fast approaching and I am very excited to be returning to Abenaki Aquatic Club as the Club Manager.
Growing up in Cole Harbour, I spent my summers paddling and enjoying all that Abenaki has to offer.  Since then I have been very involved in the club as an employee for 8 summers; working as a lifeguard, swimming instructor, swim team coach, head lifeguard, assistant manager and manager.  Throughout the years, if not at Abenaki you could find me working at Cole Harbour Place, in the Aquatic Department.  

After taking some time away from the club to further my education and travel, I was able to work with youth from around the world. I worked for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line as a youth counselor, where I planned daily activities to entertain children and teens. During this time I also volunteered weekly at an orphanage in Saint Lucia.  I was also able to work closely with students at various junior High and High Schools in Australia and happily volunteered at Keira High School planning and implementing extracurricular activities.  These experiences have been eye opening and truly enjoyable.

I am a graduate from Mount Saint Vincent University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree.  I was fortunate to continue my education at the University of Wollongong in Australia, where I graduated with a Bachelor of Education.  I am currently employed by the Halifax Regional School Board as a teacher, and I am happy to be continuing my career working with and educating the youth in our community.

I am looking forward to the summer of 2011.  I know that Abenaki Aquatic Club will prove to be a fun, safe and motivating place for your families to spend their summer days.

Please contact me at adinsdale@staff.ednet.ns.ca or 237-2609 if you have any questions or concerns.
-Ashley Dinsdale
 
 

Abenaki is very pleased to announce that Christian Hall has accepted the position of Head Coach for 2011. Planning has begun for the spring paddling program and interviews will be conducted in March to select the remaining coaching staff.  The summer of 2011 promises to be an exciting year with Nationals taking place in Welland, Ontario.

 

Hello, my name is Christian Hall and I am excited to be named the new head coach at Abenaki Aquatic Club.I have been a competitive paddler since an early age when I began paddling at Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club in Gainesville, Georgia.  I come from a paddling family; my mother paddled on the Canadian National Team, while my father coached the Canadian National Team in addition to Senobe, Orenda, and Lanier.  Since moving to Nova Scotia from Georgia, I have paddled at Banook, Mic Mac, and most recently Cheema.  I have been a national gold medalist on multiple occasions and a member of the Atlantic team, and these paddling experiences have served me well when coaching.

More recently I have worked at Cheema Racing Club where I coached the peewee boys and the bantam advanced group.  This fall and winter I coached the men’s kayak fall training group, as well as the bantam winter program.  I am also a student at Mount Saint Vincent University.  I look forward to bringing my coaching experience to Abenaki. 

I am excited to meet everyone at the club and get started with our spring paddling program.  I can be contacted at christianhall@accesswave.ca if anyone has questions or ideas regarding the 2011 paddling season.

-Christian

 
 
 

Club hours:

Monday to Friday 8:30am - 8:00pm

Lifeguard on duty:

Monday to Friday 1:00pm - 8:00pm

Saturday and Sunday 1:00pm - 6:00pm

Canteen open Monday to Friday 10:00am - 4:00pm