(photo credit: North Pole Hoops)
It won’t be too much longer until student athletes make their way to Renfrew to pursue their academic and athletic dreams, and your help will be needed.
Renfrew Prep Basketball is looking to build on its successful first season of preparing young competitors from across Canada for the collegiate level and is looking for capable billet families in and around Renfrew to house their incoming crop of players.
Founder and Coach Marek Kopiowski says that they’re looking for homes able to take in two of their athletes at a time if possible, providing them with a private space to sleep and study in between classes and training.
However, it goes beyond just bed and board. Billets are almost like a second family to the young men, teaching them about life beyond the court and classroom as they finish the last couple of years of high school.
Potential billets will need to go through a vetting process that begins with a vulnerable sector check by local police, with Renfrew Prep providing you with the required documents.
Renfrew Prep will also drop by the home for an interview about billeting and to check the home to see if it meets the basic requirements for their athletes, like a no-smoking environment and access to a bathroom and kitchen area.
The best candidates will be open-minded and willing to learn about the players, who are coming from as far away as Edmonton, Calgary, and Saskatoon and will be adjusting to life in the Valley during what may be their first time living so far away from home.
The entire vetting process will take between two and three weeks, and Kopiowski suggests potential billets should get in touch as soon as possible so they can be approved ahead of classes starting this fall.
(written by Kasey Egan)