The following post was written by Leah Suderman, VP of Marketing on Asper’s JDC West Team.
One weekend. Months of practicing, volunteering, and bonding as a team all lead up to one weekend. And that one unforgettable weekend is JDC West. JDC West is Western Canada’s largest business case competition – comprised of teams from twelve undergraduate business faculties hailing from British Columbia to Manitoba. The competition, however, has a broader focus than simply academic as it includes athletic, debate, and social aspects as well. JDC West provides the ultimate platform to mould a strong business student by providing a tremendous networking opportunity – with the 600 some delegates that attend yearly – as well as the competitive spirit that drives to push students out of their comfort zones to pursue their true potential.
This year’s competition was hosted by the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta with the theme being to “empower new beginnings”. With a team of 48 students from the Asper School of Business, over half of them new to the team, Team Toba showed up donned in bright yellow and ready to take on the weekend. The ten academic case teams; prepared with the knowledge gained from their months of practices, led by industry professionals and professors who volunteered their time, including one of Team Toba’s faculty members Professor Mary Brabston. The sports team; ready after months of team workouts and practices learning the intricate details of this year’s sports: Korfball and DBL ball. The debate team; prepared to defend their case to the ground, armed with the knowledge provided by their coach Professor Howard Harmatz, who also acts as the team’s faculty advisor. And the social team; ready with their ten creative costumes to take on any challenge that was thrown their way.
All that being said, Team Toba is more than just thirteen individual teams. Team Toba is a family – made up of 48 students, 2 faculty advisors, and 1 alumni godparent. A family that made its presence in the community known this year through their partnership with the True North Foundation, Winnipeg Harvest, United Way, Shinerama and Siloam Mission. Over the course of seven months, Team Toba volunteered 1,987 hours and raised $16,306 for United Way through our annual Chillin’ for Charity fundraiser. This focus on community involvement is simply another example as to why JDC West is so much more than a business case competition.
After an exciting and competitive weekend filled with cheers, presentations, debates, challenges, and games Team Toba cleaned up for the Awards Gala and proudly walked away with numerous awards. Our academic teams brought home four awards – 2nd place in Business Strategy, Business Technology, and Not-For-Profit, and a 3rd place finish in Taxation. Team Toba as a whole also took home 2nd place for our Wizard of Oz themed skit which was performed on Saturday night in front of all the other delegates. It was a great weekend for our team however, after all is said and done, the students involved walk away with so much more than the outcome of the weekend – podium finish or not. The truth is being apart of JDC West and Team Toba is so much more than where you end up placing in your discipline. You walk away with confidence in skills you did not know you possessed, lifelong friendships with people you might not have otherwise met, and memories that will last a lifetime. Who rocks the house? Team Toba rocks the house.
Tryouts for JDC West Team Toba 2018 will occur during Winter Term 2017.
JDC West is a three-day event that showcases academics, athletics, debate, and an out-of-the-box social competition. This prestigious event hosts approximately 600 undergraduate delegates from twelve of the premiere post-secondary institutions across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Annually, JDC West requires the support of almost 300 volunteers and dozens of professional partners to make this elaborate, multi-faceted competition possible. To learn more about JDC West, please visit jdcwest.org.