This week’s Commerce Games competitions were bittersweet for the John Molson Competition Committee (JMCC) as delegations grabbed first place in Quebec city and a first round elimination in Texas, all in preparation for the upcoming annual Commerce Games in January.
One of two delegations put together by the JMCC, the hopes were high for the team sent to Quebec city where it participated in the Human Resources Symposium. They came home with the gold medal.
The elimination in the McCombs International Business Challenge was, however, a surprise and a disappointment for Jean-Sebastien Belanger, an executive of the committee who took part in the selecting process for team members. The team came back from Texas empty handed.
“It was a very strong team, probably the strongest team we could put together this year… I would use that same team any day and they would probably win nine competitions out of ten,” Belanger said.
“The committee runs trials during the entire summer. If we see that [some people] have potential, then we keep them,” he said.
Every year, the committee chooses 45 students in total who will represent the school in 12 to 15 different events. Each member can expect to take part in at least two of them and then those who really excel and perform and are at the right place at the right time can do up to three.
The students are guaranteed to take part in either one of two major annual competitions. Thirty members will participate in the Commerce Games and 15 will compete in the Inter-Collegiate Business Competition (ICBC), taking place at Trois-Rivieres and Queens University in January 2008 respectively.
“These are the two big ones, these are the ones we have classes for, that we practice for. Everything else is bonus,” said Belanger.
Last year, the JMCC boasted a victory in Ohio, a second place in Seattle and a third place finish in Ireland along with numerous other international prizes in “bonus” events. This success helped solidify Concordia’s position as one of the top Canadian universities in case competitions, according to Belanger.
The JMCC also has its sights set on the prizes available from central Canada. And so finishing first in the Commerce Games, and in such events as the “Happening Marketing” and the “Financial Open” as well as earning four medals out of eight categories in ICBC – a feat only accomplished by the University of Calgary with six medals – last year, was revered as a major achievement.
Belanger said that competing for Concordia gives a huge advantage when looking for a job. “Any [employer] who knows about Les jeux du Commerce or ICBC, if they know that you come from Concordia, their eyes light up. I’ve seen it first hand … that makes a huge difference.”
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