Western Canadian Championships
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The Western Canadian Championships are the championship tournaments of the Gaelic Athletic Association, played every year in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada.
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[edit] History
In 2004, the first formal GAA sanctioned Western Canadian Championships were played. The Divisional Board, in order to facilitate tournaments that include unaffiliated teams (i.e. not in the Western Divisional Board), and to allow each teams host critical games (understanding the travel distances between venues), agreed that the Championship would be played out in a League format. Each member team would play each other team twice, over two tournaments. The venue for Championship games would be rotated so that each team is required to cross the Rockies only once each year. Only the 4 member clubs (4 men's & 3 ladies' teams) compete in this Championship.
To date the Men Championships have been fairly open with the closest so far being the 2006 season where each team recorded 2 wins & 2 losses. For this reason the Championship was decided on points difference (sparking call for change). In 2007, Calgary dominated, with Edmonton & Vancouver cancelling out each other's challenges. 2008 will see 4 men's teams competing for the title with the addition of the Red Deer Éire Óg boys to the mix.
The Ladies Championships to date have been dominated by the Edmonton Wolfe Tones, proving that their club spirit and commitment to practice pays dividends. Vancouver made 2007 a year of change, by gaining their first Championship win in Alberta to secure their first crown. The Albertan sides with be keen to bring the Trophy back to the eastern foothills of the Rockies in 2008.
[edit] The Tom's
2008 will be historic also because the teams will be vying for silverware with the "Tom Butler" Cup on offer for the Men's, and the "Tom Gibbons" Memorial Cup up for grabs for the Ladies. The families' of these two Vancouver legends, the former will likely be on hand to present his cup to the first winners, were kind enough to sponsor these perpetual trophies to the Western Canada Division.
[edit] 2008 Championship dates
The Western Canadian Championship is played out over two weekends, and the dates for these tournaments this year are:
- Vancouver
- Saturday & Sunday, July 12th & 13th, 2008
- Calgary
- Saturday & Sunday, August 2nd & 3rd, 2008
[edit] Roll of Honour
| Season | Ladies | Men's |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | ??? | ??? |
| 2007 | Harps | Chieftains |
| 2006 | Wolfe Tones | Harps |
| 2005 | Wolfe Tones | Harps |
| 2004 | Wolfe Tones | Chieftains |
- Roll of Honour (Men's)
- Roll of Honour (Ladies')
- Edmonton Wolfe Tones - 3
- Vancouver Harps - 1
[edit] 2007 WCC Results
- Ladies
- Vancouver Harps became the first team other than the Edmonton Wolfe Tones to take the honors, went he Alberta sides failed to turn up in Vancouver for the second round of matches. The Ladies of Calgary & Edmonton can have no complaints on the field of play though, as it was the Harps who took the tournament honours at the Edmonton Tournament (the only one that included all 3 Western Canadian ladies teams in 2007)
- Best for Vancouver: Stephanie Hahn, Rene McGloin, Tara Philips
- Best for Edmonton: Ainsley Baldwin, Dawn Krawchuk
- Best for Calgary: Maeve McKiernan, Mandy Tuohy
- Special Mention: Radean Adams (Red Deer)
- Men's
- Calgary Chieftains lead the way with 3 wins. The Harps & Wolfe Tones basically ended each other's chances with their draw in their first match-up. Calgary were beaten in Vancouver in the second round, but comfortably dispatched of Edmonton to secure their first title since 2004.
- Best for Calgary: Adrian Lagan, Tim Hamill, Tom McAroe
- Best for Vancouver: Kevin Murray, Peter Agnew
- Best for Edmonton: Brian Daly, Colin Baugh
- Special Mention: Mick O'Toole, Rory Lynch (Red Deer)
[edit] 2006 WCC Results
- Ladies
- Edmonton Wolfe Tones were victorious having won 3 of their 4 games played. The Vancouver Harps had 2 wins (both at home) and the Calgary Chieftains rounded the table out with 1 win.
- Best for Edmonton: Ainsley Baldwin, Dawn Krawchuk, Carlin Acheson
- Best for Vancouver: Rita Burke, Katrina MacAndrew
- Best for Calgary: Cindy Chalmers, Kim Tulloch
- Men's
- After 4 games played each Men's team had won 2 and lost 2. In a nailbiting, see-saw season, the Vancouver Harps topped the table by virtue of points difference, with a 9-pt victory over the Wolfe Tones giving them the necessary edge over the Calgary Chieftains.
- Best for Vancouver: Kevin Murray, John Crimmins, Padhraic Leavy
- Best for Calgary: Adrian Lagan, Calum Bonnington
- Best for Edmonton: Colin Baugh, Larry Conneely
[edit] 2005 WCC Results
- Ladies
- Edmonton Wolfe Tones were victorious having won all of their 4 games played. Calgary Chieftains & Vancouver Harps rounded the table out with 1 win each.
- Best for Edmonton: Ainsley Baldwin, Colleen Whelehan, Carlin Acheson
- Best for Calgary: Kim Tulloch, Mandy Tuohy
- Best for Vancouver: Cathy Jackson, Tara Philips
- Men's
- Vancouver Harps were victorious having won 3 of their 4 games played. There was controversy as the Harps walked off the field protesting the actions of Calgary Chieftains players in their match-up in Edmonton. Calgary were awarded the win in this instance; Vancouver deemed to have forfeited the game.
- Best for Vancouver: Sean Minagh, Shane Donnelly, Tony Doyle
- Best for Calgary: Adrian Lagan, Tim Hammill
- Best for Edmonton: Mick O'Toole, Luc Berthiaume
[edit] 2004 WCC Results
- Ladies
- Edmonton Wolfe Tones were victorious having won all of their 4 games played. The Calgary Chieftains & Vancouver Harps rounded the table out with 1 win each.
- Best for Edmonton: Ainsley Baldwin, Andrea Mooney, Karen Hansen
- Best for Calgary: Cindy Chalmers, Mandy Tuohy
- Best for Vancouver: Nuala Cyr, Linda Louie
- Men's
- The first Men's Championship was won by the Calgary Chieftains, who were undefeated in their 4 games. It was a tense & close campaign, since the two games the Chieftains played against the Edmonton Wolfe Tones were tied. Vancouver Harps very nearly snatched the Championship, but they were unable to win their final game against Calgary.
- Best for Calgary: Adrian Lagan, Noel Tuohy, Ben Lambert
- Best for Vancouver: James Kirk, Sean Minagh
- Best for Edmonton: Gavin McInnie, Mick O'Toole
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