Six delegates to represent U SPORTS as members of FISU and FISU America Committees
Six delegates have been selected to represent U SPORTS on the international stage as members of FISU and FISU America Committees.
Karla Karch (Mount Royal University), was named as a member of the FISU International Control Committee, while Melanie Sanford (University of Saskatchewan), was appointed as Volleyball Committee Chair for the FISU World University Games Summer International Technical Committee.
Representing Canada on the FISU America Committees are Darren Cates (University of Ottawa) on the Strategic Planning and Development Committee, Trish Chant-Sehl (McMaster University) on the Control Committee, Curt Warkentin (University of Manitoba) on the Sport Committee and Jake Neufeld (University of Saskatchewan) on the Student Committee.
Karla Karch
Karch, who was named Chef de Mission for the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 Summer University Games in April of 2024, is tasked with controlling the qualifications of competitors at the World University Games as well as World University Championships. Karch has experience on the international stage as a distinguished member of the Canadian Women’s Basketball Team, proudly representing her country in over 200 competitions, including two Olympic Games and multiple World Championships. The current director of MRU’s Athletics and Recreation also served as part of Team Canada’s Mission Staff at the 2019 FISU Summer World University Games.
Melanie Sanford
Sanford is a former amateur and professional volleyball player who used her experience as a high-performance athlete to build a successful career in coaching and leadership. Sanford coached the University of Regina Cougars for 19 years (leaving in 2022) and has represented Canada as a technical delegate at the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and International University Sports Federation for a combined 14 years. Sanford is now serving as an assistant coach with the Saskatchewan Huskies.
Darren Cates
Cates was recently named the Senior Director, Recreation and Varsity Sports at the University of Ottawa after serving as the Athletic Director at Royal Military College of Canada since 2004. He has extensive experience in sports administration and leadership. Darren's notable FISU involvement includes serving as Chair of the U SPORTS International Committee (2010-2023) and Chef de Mission for Team Canada at the 2017 Summer Universiade in Taipei and the 2015 Winter Universiade in Granada. He also managed transportation for the Canadian Delegation at the 2011 Summer Universiade in Shenzhen.
Trish Chant-Sehl
Chant-Sehl is an experienced leader in sports management with over 25 years of experience. She has served as Associate Director of Recreation & Healthy Living at McMaster University since 2021. Her FISU involvement includes being a member of Team Canada mission staffs for the 1997 and 2003 FISU Games, including as Assistant Chef de Mission in 2003. Chant-Sehl has also held leadership roles with the Commonwealth Games, Pan Am Games, and the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
Curt Warkentin
Warkentin is the Associate Athletic Director at the University of Manitoba, a role he has held since 2007. He has served on the U SPORTS Sport Committee for four years and the Canada West Sport Committee for 12 years, including seven years as Chairperson. Curt has extensive experience in compliance, scheduling, and sports management, with personal experience in multiple sports. He has been a member of Team Canada Mission staff for the FISU Games in Gwangju 2015 and Napoli 2019.
Jake Neufeld
Neufeld is a U SPORTS track and field athlete and community leader. He has served as a FISU Ambassador as part of the FISU Volunteer Leaders Academy. As part of his FISU leadership training, Neufeld implemented the “FISU Try It Day”, an event aimed at supporting the involvement of high school students with cognitive and physical disabilities in sport at the University of Saskatchewan. Neufeld is a four-time U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian and the recipient of the U SPORTS Track and Field Community Service Award in 2023. Neufeld is the co-captain of the Huskie Track and Field team and has represented Team Saskatchewan at the Canada Summer Games in 2022 and Western Canada Summer Games in 2019.