Gord took a tour. He was very impressed

Algoma University’s bid to become the 20th member of Ontario University Athletics continued this week as committee members toured Sault Ste. Marie and the Algoma campus.

The committee, which included OUA President, and Windsor University Director of Athletics, Gord Grace, officially toured the athletics facility – the George Leach Centre – on Tuesday afternoon.

“(The tour) has been impressive,” Grace said after getting a tour of the George Leach Centre. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to my colleagues here yet but we’ll get a chance to debrief regarding the visit and offer some feedback to Algoma, hopefully in the next few weeks.”

If successful, Algoma would join the OUA in six sports (all of which would include men’s and women’s teams):

• Basketball
• Wrestling
• Soccer
• Nordic skiing
• Curling
• Cross country running

The school can phase the sports in over time.

“Right now, our requirements are that you are in a certain amount of sports by category,” said Grace. “We’ve talked about being a little more flexible and that’s something that we would take back to the membership too but I think most members would be in support of being flexible on how many teams enter at one time.”

Algoma Athletics Director Mark Kontulainen added that the school has planned to add locker rooms to the centre, should the school be successful in the bid.

The school has begun the process of interviewing coaches for the potential new sports the school would house as OUA members.

The committee will now prepare to make a presentation at the OUA Annual General Meeting in May, which Algoma can, and likely will, be a part of.

The presentation will be made to the overall membership, which includes the 19 other athletic directors.

A final vote on Algoma’s possible membership will not officially come until the CIS AGM, where a vote will take place.

That meeting is set for June.

Should the application be successful, Algoma would join the OUA in September 2013.

The last school to apply for membership was the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), based out of Oshawa, in 2006.