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New direction attracts coach to OC
Olds, Alberta, July 22, 2010: The changes are continuing at a fast and furious pace in the Olds College athletics department and 
John Riemersma couldn’t be any happier.
A recent addition to the OC health and wellness staff, Riemersma will serve as a recreation and athletic programmer as well as head men’s volleyball coach for the Broncos.
And with the school preparing its application for full membership with the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference, he believes now is the perfect time to be jumping aboard the good ship Bronco.
“They’ve been bugging me about coming here for a while,” Riemersma quipped. “But there’s a lot of good things happening now and it’s exciting to see.”
Most recently he had been athletic director at Prairie Christian Academy in Three Hills as well as involved in Pilots athletics at Prairie Bible Institute. Riemersma was originally brought in to run the Pilots ACAC volleyball program that ended up being scrapped before it got off the ground.
However, he does bring plenty of high level volleyball experience to the on-court portion of his new gig at Olds College. A former player at the ACAC level with Briercrest College, Riemersma finished his kinesiology degree at the University of Lethbridge where he began down the coaching road which led to stints as coach with the provincial U16 and U18 boys teams, the latter which won a national championship.
The OC athletic department’s desire to achieve ACAC status along with the health and wellness centre were two carrots that helped lure him to Olds to join director of health and wellness services Greg Lendvay’s athletic revolution.
“With where we’re going as a program, we’ll definitely turn some heads,” he said. “Greg’s really trying to make sure that everyone is in place for the move up. His passion and excitement in moving that direction is great.”
With only one week under his belt, Riemersma is just beginning the process of learning about the volleyball team he’ll take charge of later this summer. As far as the programming part of his responsibilities at the OC, he’s looking forward to bringing the college community and the community at large together for recreational opportunities in the new facility.
As well, the shared space with Olds High School provides an opportunity for sport development, something Riemersma sees as integral to growth for rural athletes and the college’s athletic department.
“I think we can really work together,” he suggested. “There will be interaction with the athletes … and it allows us to expand the knowledge base of coaches from all sides.”
The Broncos volleyball teams will compete in ACAL again this year, but with a slightly altered league lineup. With Concordia University College of Edmonton and Camrose’s Augustana College moving up to the ACAC, the second rung of college athletics will feature volleyball teams from Olds, St. Mary’s and Ambrose of Calgary, Prairie, CUC of Lacombe (women’s only), and Portage of Lac La Biche.
The regular season begins in late September with the Broncos slated to hit the court for their first league game on Sept. 30. Previous to the league openers, the teams will play in a number of preseason tournaments, including some against ACAC opponents.
