HOCKEY: The Thompson Rivers University WolfPack hockey team will have quite a ‘Saskatchewan’ flavor when it hits the ice in September.   General Manager Chris Hans and head coach Don Schulz have announced the signing of their eighth recruit for the 2012-13 BC Intercollegiate Hockey League Season and the third from the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. The WolfPack have announced that 6’4” defenceman Scott Bollefer is joining the program.  Bollefer played last season with the Nipawin Hawks.  The 195 pound rearguard had eight assists and 28 penalty minutes in only 34 games.  It was his third season with the Hawks. “It was a combination of a good hockey program, location and TRU offered me the education I want to receive,” said Bollefer, who will be enrolled in the Bachelor of Business Administration program at TRU. “ I also heard it’s a fairly new program that has already had great success.” Hans is happy to have Bollefer aboard: “"Scott brings a wealth of hockey experience from his three seasons with the Nipawin Hawks of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL).  Scott is a big, tough, defensive minded defenseman who takes pride in taking care of his own end of the ice.  Scott's addition to our roster makes us a better, more well-rounded team and I expect him to have a significant impact in our league immediately." Bollefer is a two time winner of the Nipawin Community Service and Best Defensive Defenceman awards.  He believes the transition to the ‘more school than hockey’ philosophy will take some getting used to.  “ I think it will be a difficult transition because the last three years it was the other way around.  I know that I will become more accustomed to it.” Doug Johnson coached Bollefer the past two years with Nipawin:”He was a pleasure to coach. He has a great work ethic and is an outstanding citizen.  He is a big bodied D-man that plays a defensive style. He has good feet, a great stick and is very intelligent. He makes a good first pass and is great with his one on ones.  Scott had a huge leadership role for us wearing an “A” and played a top four role on the back end. He was used mostly against the other teams top line and was a stabilizing force for our younger defencemen.” Johnson adds that Bollefer has developed nicely over the past two years. “ His footwork and puck skills have improved tremendously and he always wants to get better. He will keep improving I’m sure and with his size, he could be a dominant force for your blue line in the future.” Helping in his transition will be the fact that he has a former teammate on the WolfPack.  Lucas Daoust played in Nipawin for a season with Bollefer before being traded to the BCHL Merritt Centennials.  “ I am looking forward to playing with Lucas again,” he says. “ Its always nice to see a familiar face in a new setting.” Daoust is also looking forward to renewing the friendship. “I sat beside him in the dressing room before I got traded. He is a hard worker, who might not load up the score sheet with points but will be a guy who makes an impact on the ice. “Chezzer”, as he was known in Nipawin will be a great addition to our defensive core.” Head Coach Don Schulz couldn’t be happier with the newest addition to the WolfPack back end: “Scott is a welcome addition to our D corps,” he says. “ He has a wealth of experience, has demonstrated defensive prowess and presence.  Scott is similar to Ben Bula; they can both be used against other team's top 6 forwards.  He brings welcomed grit and toughness to the blue line and helps fill that deficiency that Chris and I wanted to improve on.  I'm really happy that Scott has committed to us and I expect him to provide contributions on and off the ice. “ Johnson figures the newest WolfPack recruit will not have a problem adjusting to play in the BCIHL:  “ With Scott’s footwork and size I think he will adjust quickly. Like most first year players, I am sure he will have his growing pains but I expect him to settle in quickly and be a guy that’s in the line up nightly playing 5-5 and penalty killing. We wish Scott the best. He has made our organization batter and will be sorely missed next season. He has shown our young guys what it takes to win at the junior level and how to be a great teammate.” Johnson adds that Bollefer will fit right in with the WolfPack’s commitment to community involvement. “ He won the Community Service Award the past two years,” he says. “ He is an outstanding young man in the community. He is always available to do any promotions or help out with those less fortunate.” Bollefer was also looking at the Salve Regina University Seahawks (ECAC) of Newport, Rhode Island as an educational opportunity. He joins Ben Bula (Kamloops, BC)  and  Brennan Wright (Thunder Bay, ON) as recruits who toiled in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League last season.  Bula and Wright were members of the La Ronge Ice Wolves. The WolfPack begin their 2012-13 training camp in September. Other WolfPack signees for the coming season are: Anthony Delong (21, 6’1” forward, Castlegar, BC-Stanley Humphries Secondary:Castlegar Rebels, KIJHL),  Tyler Jackson (20, 5’8” forward  Kamloops, BC-Westsyde Secondary: Kamloops Storm, KIJHL), Rigby Burgart (22, 5’10” forward, Fort St. James, BC-Fort St. James Secondary-Quesnel Kangaroos CIHL-formerly Quesnel Kangaroos BCHL/Calgary Hitmen WHL), Chase Edwards (21, 6’0”, forward, Kamloops, BC-Sa-hali Secondary, Kamloops Storm, KIJHL) and  Colten De Frias (20, 5’8” forward, Kamloops, BC—Brock Secondary, Kamloops Storm, KIJHL. SPORTS CAMPS: There will be a lot of changes when the TRU WolfPack/McDonalds Sports Camps open up at the beginning of July.  Not only will there be a new sport added to the mix for 2012, but there has been an overhaul of the philosophy of the camp experience. Taking over the reigns of the Sports Camps is Erin Connelly-Reed, Thompson Rivers’ new events and sports camp coordinator.   Connelly Reed is a  graduate of TRU’s Tourism Management program (2007) and  the Sport Event Management Diploma (2005) program. She also has experience as a volunteer and player in rugby, soccer, figure skating and baseball. She is looking forward to putting her ‘stamp’ on the WolfPack Sport Camp program.  “Who knows where you can go is our catch phrase,” she says.  “ We want children to come to the camp and have a positive sports experience. Our goal and intent is to have campers remain active throughout their life and maybe some of them will return to TRU in the future as a student or even as varsity athletes.” She adds that the Sports Camps want to provide high quality programming.”This year, we have something new with rugby . I would like to expand even more in the future to include camps such as adventure camps and bringing back quality performance camps.”  Again in 2012, the TRU/McDonalds Sports Camps will run camps for pre-schoolers, multi sport,  development (soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball,  golf, tennis), ball hockey and flag football.  For parents who want their children to keep up on their ‘French language skills”,  there will be  “French only camps”        which is run in conjunction with the Parents for French Society-Kamloops chapter, who take care of registration.  It is a fund raiser for their organization with full support from TRU. “Our instructors go through an interview with one of the principals of the French Immersion schools to make sure their French language skills are adequate to run a full day camp,” Connelly-Reed explains. Connelly-Reed wants parents to know that they have a great instructor-child ratio. “ In most camps, we have a 10-1 ratio.  There will be at least two instructors per group.  Even if we had nine children in a certain group, we would have two instructors.  For the five and six year olds, there will be a 1 to 7 ratio.” Instructors at this camp will include current and former TRU varsity athletes.  All of them have had volunteer or paid coaching experience in the past. All instructors will attend a week long training session where camper safety and development will be the highlight. During this training, instructors will earn their First Aid certification, train in Anaphylaxis awareness, create summer camp programming schedules, learn about age appropriate drills and skills, child development stages and specific safety protocols.” Why should you put your child in a Sport Camp?  Connelly- Reed says.  “Parents should put their child into a sport camp not only to learn more about a particular sport, but to help learn how to live an active and healthy lifestyle. Most of TRU’s camps are ‘team oriented’,  I believe they are very important  learn the fundamentals of working with others,  develop self confidence and  self expression.” If your child is preparing to try out for a high school basketball, soccer or volleyball team in the fall, TRU has what they need.  “ We are making steps to improve the quality of our elite camps (13-18 years old), “ she says.  “It will not be a high intensity camp but it will be designed for them to learn new skills.  This year, we have Scott Clark (WolfPack men’s basketball coach) designing all the basketball camps. Keith Lundgren (women’s volleyball coach) is doing the performance/development volleyball program at the end of  August.” The venues for  the TRU McDonald’s Sports Camps will be Hillside Stadium, the Tournament Capital Centre, TRU Gym,  the tennis courts at Upper College Heights and the Dunes (for golf). The  camps run from July 3^rd to August 31^st. Parents can register their children by logging onto www.tru.ca/sportcamps or calling (250) 852-7135 or going into the TRU Gym and asking for Erin or Jessie.   Cost of a camp ranges from $135.00 for a half day or two camps for a full day at $250.00.  There is also early morning drop off and late day pick up for an extra $ 50.00 per week.