sweat Fall 2012
the official magazine of the ocaa
mom’s number one fan canadore, back on court
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national pride
Live Action Role Playing
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sweat
28 cover
PLAYING FOR TWO
on the
balancing sports and parenthood
news
8 10 13 24 34 features photo contest
fall 2012 winning entries
news
the underdgos the big move one step ahead re-cycle
TECH FITNESS TRAINER
NEW APPS FOR HEALTH AND FITNESS
TOUGH COMPETITION
rivalries in the ocaa
the strength of conditioning play hard and train harder
From country to college
athletes on the national stage
sticks and stones
trash talking in the ocaa
tales from the underworld live action role playing
hardwired
coaching habits in the ocaa
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an indepth look at supplements
seeing red
is anger in sports a help or hinderance?
taking control
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play(hard)list workout jams to the wall dodgeball athlete’s corner
george halim: hazing stinchecomb-brown & sero: twins
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coach’s corner
lambton’s shane bettridge
scores and stats
recapping the 2012 season
core
15 18 19 secret ingredient
helping hands
mascots in the community
ranking the stats and bats
sweat compiles and fantasy baseball team
the comeback kids
basketball is back at canadore
a far fall
the flips and fumbles of cheerleading
health
life
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both sides of the story
a new transgender sports policy
a+ athlete
loyalist tops all academic list
the other cheerleader
parents in the ocaa stands
courtesy marilyn warren
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photo contest
1st
photo of the semester armando villavona seneca’s armando villavona captured intensity and power in this engaging image featuring the seneca and sheridan women’s rugby teams.
runners-up
2nd
jess raymond Humber’s Jess Raymond took a beautiful shot of not only the soccer game, but also the elements affecting it. Her photo captured the true essence of a “rainy match” with water splashing up from the turf.
3rd
c o n g r at s !
We at sweat are incredibly thankful for the submissions to our fall 2012 issue. Each year sweat features sports photography from all over the ocaa, and the quality of images that we recieve continues to astonish both our staff and our readers. We encourage that anyone considering submitting for sweat next semester, send your photos to sweat@humber.ca Thanks.
tony borysek Sheridan’s Tony Borysek gives a unique look at a men’s volleyball game at Georgian College. The angle from which the photo was taken provides a panoramic view of the gym. Each athlete is poised to play.
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letter from
the editor chanelle seguin
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trength. Struggle. Success. This is more often than not the formula of sport. Sometimes it takes a while to reach success, but after building strength and overcoming struggle, one finds success. sweat has captured this formula. Through this issue, you will find compelling articles about athletes with strength, struggle, and success. The stories in this issue provide an eye opening experience to the side of sports that one would not necessarily consider. At the beginning of the semester, many of my colleagues were discouraged about the idea of writing a sports story. More than half of them expressed that a lack of sports knowledge meant they couldn’t write sports. Now, there is a magazine full of their stories. The stories they didn’t believe they could write. Stories like: Andrew Russell’s tale of the journey some OCAA athletes are privileged to take part in as they represent their country – a story of success. LARPing may not be something many are aware of, or would even consider to be physically demanding, but Victoria Brown proved that strength and overall athletic ability are necessary to do well in this activity. Then, there is Sarah Lennox’s story about student-athlete-parents within the OCAA and the struggles photo by sarah lennox they have prevailed over. Sweat is evidence of hard work. It is a liquid that beads on the skin and soaks the uniform. Sweat is the body crying for more, or less. It is a physical sign that either tells an athlete to give up or give it all. Well, my team and I may not have literally sweat, but we gave this magazine our all. In fact, I think nearly every writer could say their writing became stronger and they suffered through struggle. But this, right here, is our success. The formula works.
the
letter from W
president fred batley
elcome readers to the Fall/Winter 2012 edition of SWEAT Magazine, your source for all the happenings in college sport in Ontario. Congratulations to Sweat for winning gold at the Columbia awards in New York in Fall 2011 and Spring 2012. The OCAA has spent the past few years reviewing our competitive structures to ensure we are aligned with the Canadian Sport Policy and Sport Canada’s Long-Term Athlete Development Models (LTAD). These discussions will conclude later this year and will ensure the OCAA is in a good competitive framework moving forward. The OCAA is proud to announce the launch of OCAATV.com which will showcase an archive of league games in men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball as well as archives of OCAA Championship action. A big thanks to all of the Fall OCAA Championship hosts and congratulations to all of the fall semester medal winners and all student-athletes who participated in varsity and campus recreation programs. Your continued COURTESY FLEMING ATHLETICS participation is a testament to the great efforts of the athletic staff around the OCAA. Congratulations also to Durham College for hosting a very successful 2012 PING CCAA National Golf Championship. The OCAA was well represented at the championships with Georgian College’s Colton Kalkanis winning the Men’s National Individual title and Humber College winning their fourth consecutive Men’s National Team title. Finally, on behalf of everyone in the OCAA I would like to wish a happy retirement to Mike Lindsay of Fanshawe College after 41 years of service to college athletics in Ontario. Mike was a big advocate of enhancing the student-athlete experience and his knowledge and insight will be missed.
sweat fall 2012 Masthead Editor-in-chief chanelle seguin executive edtor dona boulos managing editor sarah lennox managing editor online graeme mcnaughton art team kaitlyn campanella graeme mcnaughton photo editor stacey thompson copy team shazia islam christian quequish andrew russell research sharon tindyebwa doreen dawang section editors victoria brown dion caputi kollin lore sarah macdonald andrew schopp online production lime blake andrew russell advisory board blair webster scott dennis ryan kelly josh bell-webster adviser lara king publisher carey french contact 205 Humber college blvd. toronto, ontario m9w 5l7 416.675.6622 ext. 4518 sweat@humber.ca
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news The Bruins then went on to lose two more lopsided games against Georgian before claiming their BY: kaitlyn campanella first ‘W’ against the Mohawk he Sheridan Bruins entered Mountaineers 19-15. the 2012 Ontario Colleges “Going into the final game of the Athletic Association (OCAA) season season we were very aware of the with two new varsity teams – men’s caliber of the opposition,” says Bruins and women’s rugby. head coach Carlos Moniz. The men’s team was put into Sheridan’s season ended the way Division 1 in the west along side it began on October 28th in their some of the OCAA’s top competitors final game of the 2012 season – with including the 2011 gold-winning a 104-0 loss against the Humber Humber Hawks. Hawks. The new team made their “We wanted to create a solid league debut in a match against the foundation on which to build,” says defending champions, ending in a Moniz. “We knew that wins would 104-0 loss. be hard to come by and we did not
The Underdogs
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The big move
BY: kaitlyn campanella
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wo Northern Ontario schools are preparing to compete at the university level next
season. Sault Ste. Marie’s Algoma University and North Bay’s Nippising University have been granted approval to enter teams in the 2013-2014 Ontario University Athletics season. “This is going to be a great step in growing our school and for the players and for the community” says Algoma men’s basketball head coach Thomas Cory. The 2012-2013 OUA season brought forth the introduction of seven new Algoma University
One step ahead
BY: graeme mcnaughton
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didas has become the first major athletic company to enter the barefoot shoe market, with the introduction of the adiPure Trainer. Adidas says the shoes, which have individual slots for toes and closely resemble a barefoot, are designed to mimic the foot’s natural movement while providing traction and durability. “To compete at the highest level, you have to make each workout count,” says Jeff Cooper, a spokesperson for Adidas Canada, in a press release. “No matter what your sport may be, the adiPure Trainer will help you prepare and ultimately perform better.” Vibram, an Italian shoe company, first
Re-CYCLE
BY: dona boulos
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echnology continues to advance in ways that make consumers expect more. They fall so easily in love with innovative tools and creative inventions. Fifty-year old Izhar Gafni, an amateur cyclist and inventor from Israel, worked on his idea of a cardboard bike for years. Yes, that’s right, a cardboard bike. And it’s waterproof. Now that’s innovation. In an interview with Reuters, Gafni said, after years of trial and error, he finally mastered this bike,
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want to just concentrate on a week to week strategy but a year long plan that would create a positive culture for our players and team for years to come.” Trent’s men’s rugby team, as former underdogs, can relate to the feeling of upset and imbalance. Prior to their move into the OCAA circuit, Trent competed in the OUA for their final season in 2008-2009 with a 0-6 record. Trent’s OCAA team dominated the east division this year with an impressive 6-0 record. The Bruins finished their inaugural season placing fourth out of five teams with a 1-5 record.
“We have had a year of tremendous growth,” says Moniz. “Our first practice was held on August 21 and it literally started with ‘this is a rugby ball and you have to pass it backwards.’ This was a very satisfying year for the coaches due to the fact that we came so very far as a team.”
PHOTO BY RYAN KELLY
teams including cross-country, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s Nordic skiing and men’s and women’s wrestling. Sault Ste. Marie’s Algoma Thunderbirds, having competed in the OCAA since 2001, will join the ranks of the Ontario University Association (OUA) in September 2013 in men’s and women’s basketball, curling, cross country, Nordic skiing and wrestling. “Every team (in the OCAA) has been a rival because of the humble beginnings of the program. We want to compete and beat everyone in our last season,” says Cory. The Algoma Thunderbirds are also set to field men’s and women’s soccer teams in 2014. The UOIT Ridgebacks were entered into the league in 2006 - the most recent new membership approval preceding that of Algoma. “We welcome Algoma University to our membership, and are excited to count the
Thunderbirds as our latest league member,” says OUA executive director Ward Dilse in a press release. The Thunderbirds won’t be the only new addition to the OUA in the upcoming 2013 season. Nippising’s OCAA men’s and women’s volleyball teams took to the court this past fall for one final season before joining the OUA circuit in September 2013. Nippissing University already competes in the OUA in cross country, men’s and women’s ice hockey, Nordic skiing and men’s and women’s soccer. Ranking at the top of the east region, the Nippising Lakers have proven that they are ready for a little more competition. “We understand that it will be a challenge but it is very exciting and we look forward to the future,” says Nippissing women’s volleyball head coach Marc LaRochelle in a press release.
introduced barefoot shoes in 2005. The Vibram FiveFingers shoe was invented in 1999 by Robert Fliri, an Italian design student. The shoes were originally designed for boaters so they could maintain grip on wet decks without losing the dexterity of bare feet. The FiveFingers shoe is now available in several different models, ranging from casual activities to water sports. Dr. Greg Wells, an assistant professor in kinesiology and physical education at the University of Toronto, says there is a definite advantage to barefoot shoes over traditional running shoes. According to Dr. Wells, barefoot shoes, along with other minimalist footwear, are designed to allow the balls of the feet to absorb most of the impact from hitting the ground. Traditional running shoes are designed so that the heel absorbs most of the impact. It is this heel strike that can lead to injuries and long-term damage for runners.
It is this long-term benefit that has led to Dr. Wells, a marathon runner and a former professional swimmer, adopting the footwear for his day-to-day life. “When I’m in the gym, doing weights or anything non-cardio related, I’ll wear them,” says Dr. Wells. “I will wear them when I walk around the neighbourhood as well.
which is now apparently ready for mass production. “I was always fascinated by applying unconventional technologies to materials and I did this on several occasions. But this was the culmination of a few things that came together. I worked for four years to cancel out the corrugated cardboard’s weak structural points,” Gafni said to Reuters. Andrew Paradowski, the technical delegate for the Ontario Cycling Association, says the idea of the cardboard bike is appealing. “If you claim that [the bike is] solid and won’t melt in the rain, then it’s an interesting concept,” he says. Paradowski explains that all bikes
must go through the expected safety tests, which he says are called rupture tests. Assuming this environmentfriendly bike is indeed approved and ready for riding, what’s the catch? Although the bike seems safe, how danger-free can cardboard really be? For one, the wheels can not be inflated, which poses a problem for suspension, says Paradowski. But aside from the technical details of the structure, which can always be fixed and altered, this mind-blowing invention would only cost a rider $20. Paradowski did not fail to mention the obvious fact that bikes are not cheap and could be considered a “rich person’s sport”. And if you’re
on a budget, biking equipment might be hard on your wallet if you like to stay healthy and active. This being said, although he can’t see pro-riders riding the cardboard bike, it does open doors to the biking world. “The cardboard bike is benefiting cycling as a whole, especially when it comes to accessibility,” he says. “Now, any kid in the world can ride, and that’s beautiful. I think that’s the real message.” It’s strong, it’s light, it’s ridiculously cheap, and it’s made of cardboard.
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features
thestrength of conditioning
the benefits of strength and conditioning coaches BY: CHANELLE SEGUIN ave Younan sprints from end to end down the court, feverishly
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Rugby player, Adriana Renton, trains at Humber College. PHOTO BY CHANELLE SEGUIN
trying to keep up with the fast paced game. There are few breaks in basketball. It’s a consistent test of conditioning. His face is flushed a deep red and his hair is soaked. His teammates and coaches yell from the bench “come on, Dave!”, “let’s go, Dave!”, “keep it up, Dave!” Younan feeds off the support. And just when it looks like the 6-foot-7 powerful forward is about to collapse from exhaustion, he takes a deep breath and runs down the court again. Younan says his endurance and training is due to a personal workout regimen he follows every day. Despite his regular workouts, Younan says the weakest point in his game is his vertical jump. “I think if I had a strength and conditioning coach they’d know what certain exercises to get me to do to improve on that and how I can get better,” says Younan. Teresa Arnini, a strength and conditioning coach and High Performance Centre co-ordinator for Humber Athletics, says it’s important to develop the muscles within the leg using plyometric exercises that focus on an individual muscle group rather than focusing on generic repetitive exercise that could actually decrease power. “I’ve got to take them back and I sort of say, for example, instead of doing power jumps, they would probably go in a leg press machine,” says Arnini. “So, again, I’ve got more strength and power. I can get them to do some rear foot split squats. That’s going to create power again.” Strength and conditioning coaches essentially guide the athlete through rigorous and specialized training that helps them excel in their sport. For a short distance runner, developing their hamstrings is important for maximum speed. For a swimmer, strong rotator cuffs — the muscles that allow you to turn your arm in clockwise and counter clockwise motion are vital. Each athlete is dependent on different muscles and, therefore, requires more personalized training, making specialized coaching necessary. Interest in strength and conditioning coaches is on the rise throughout the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association with both full-time and parttime positions for coaching staff. Arnini says the additional support could have an enormously positive impact on athletes. “It has been noted, through therapy, that injuries have been reduced or very minimal, and it’s because of the commitment these athletes are making to the High Performance Centre,” Arnini explains. Arnini has been training varsity athletes at Humber for three years, since the centre opened. The room is an athlete’s playground with the most advanced equipment, such as battle ropes, rollers, dynamax medicine balls, and ladders, to target every muscle group.
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Arnini says Humber’s athletic director, Doug Fox, decided to initiate the idea of a strength and conditioning centre, as he wanted to push the Humber Hawks even further. “Along with the athletic therapy staff, Doug realized that we can be that much better with regards to our strength and conditioning and reduce the amount of injuries if we create an area, more or less given to the athletes, to help them condition,” says Arnini. The Humber Hawks have certainly used the strength and conditioning coach to their advantage. The Hawks have a decorated gymnasium with banners of “OCAA Champions” hanging from the rafters as a sign of all their hard work. Arnini credits the wall full of banners to the improved rigorous training the athletes demonstrate on a daily basis. More schools in the OCAA are following suit. St. Clair College in Windsor has been discussing the idea of a strength and conditioning coach as an option for the beginning of the year. Jay Shewfelt, athletic co-ordinator at St. Clair,
improving,” says Hesley. “So it’s definitely good for young aspiring high school students to come here and obviously work out and play sports.” The most prominent contribution this type of coach can bring to a team is the ability to specialize training for specific sports and individual athletes. “They’re going to work with our teams on an individual basis and work closely with the coaches,” says Shewfelt. “Ideally we would like to have them in here sooner so they could be doing something pre-season. We’re into our seasons now so their focus will be different.” St. Lawrence has three different campus sites, Brockville, Cornwall, and Kingston, the Kingston campus is the only one with a strength and conditioning program. Led by Steve Reid, the St. Lawrence Kingston campus is one of the few schools in the OCAA with a strength and conditioning coach. Reid has been a part-time strength and conditioning coach for three years at St. Lawrence, said, in his opinion, the benefit of a strength and conditioning coach is providing a personal fitness
our practices to get us back in shape,” says Logan. “This kind of training is essential for the first year guys who come back for a second year of rugby. Without the training your strength will start to deteriorate from year to year.” Logan, who has been sidelined with an ankle injury, says he considered training with Reid to get the strength back in his leg. “I started to do some training, but I didn’t want to overexert myself for rugby,” says Logan. For students looking to become specialized coaches, the certification process can be rigorous. The National Strength and Conditioning Association, an organization founded in 1978 and based out of Colorado, developed the tests trainers must complete to become certified. If a trainer wants to work with athletes, they need to pass their Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists (CSCS) or National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Personal Trainer. The NSCA-CPT is a personal trainer certification with a focus on athletes and/
Injured rugby player, Shawn Logan (left), watches as his team plays a match against seneca on Oct. 14, 2012. photo by chanelle seguin says the new coaching position is not final, but athletics is on board, and now Shewfelt and his team are awaiting a decision from administration. “I’m 90 per cent sure we are going to be hiring a strength and conditioning coach on a part-time basis very shortly,” says Shewfelt. In fact, at press time Shewfelt confirmed that a strength and conditioning coach had been hired on a part-time contract. Rob Maggio has filled the position and is currently working with the varsity teams Younan, along with his teammate Elijah Hesley, believe that the new hire would be invaluable to St. Clair athletics. Hesley, 20, a second-year combo guard for St. Clair says a strength and conditioning coach would help draw more focus to the college’s athletics. “We haven’t had the best history in some of the sports, but it would definitely show that we’re
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routine for each athlete. “Essentially just getting them into the routine of being fit, not just playing the game but also having the fitness level for it so they can perform on the field without getting tired out at the end,” says Steve Reid, a part-time strength and conditioning coach at St. Lawrence College – Kingston campus. “Things like stretching, and how to perform proper recovery so that they don’t over train are important for me to teach.” Reid adds that he gives nutrition advice to his athletes as well, as healthy eating is just as important as training. Shawn Logan, 19, a second-year police foundations student, is a member of the Vikings men’s rugby team at St. Lawrence. He says Reid has been extremely helpful for his team and is serious about fitness for the athletes at the college. “He trains all the teams and he even comes to
or athletic training. The prerequisites for this certification are CPR and AED, a minimum age of 18 and a high school diploma or equivalent. For the CSCS, with more emphasis on sport training, a trainer needs the same CPR and AED certification as a trainer with a NSCA-CPT as well as a degree. It’s the second quarter in the Saints exhibition game against Eureka College, a liberal arts school in Illinois.Younan’s body is rested and his breathing is normal. His years of training kick in as he fights for a rebound beneath the Saints basket. Pushing and shoving to gain an extra inch on the opposition, Younan jumps towards the net and grasps the ball, pulling it towards his chest. He protects the ball, waits patiently for an open teammate, and then delivers a flawless outlet pass.Younan sprints down the court for another shift.
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FROM COLLEGE TO COUNTRY
BY: ANDREW RUSSELL
Kelly Nyhof and Andre Brown sit proudly in front of their team Canada uniforms. photo by andrew russell
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ou can feel the passion. Even through the quiet demeanor and humble words, there’s a tangible feeling of excitement. Few athletes get the chance to wear the Canadian red and white, and there’s nothing quite like it. Slipping the jersey on signifies not only that you are among the best in the country, but at the height of your athletic journey. For four college athletes, their dreams of representing Canada began with the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association. Race-walking is an odd spectacle to watch: the rhythmic shaking of the hips, the violent swinging of the arms, and the laboured snapping of one foot in front of the other as the athlete hurries down the track. The restrained look on the athletes’ faces is so overt you want to cry out “just run!” But Rachel Seaman, a former track star from Fleming College and now Canadian Olympian in race-walking, wouldn’t have it any other way. Having recently finished a promotional event for the Canadian Olympic team, Seaman has returned to her warm and sunny San Diego home, and is relaxing with her husband Tim. “My parents were two of the best marathon runners in Canada, so I’ve always been involved in
Track and Field,” says Seaman, fondly remembering how she began in the sport of race-walking. Her parents Nil and Christine Lavallee, who are themselves marathon runners holding Canadian marathon records in the 1970s, have encouraged Rachel her entire life and got the chance to watch their daughter compete on the world stage at the London 2012 Olympics from their family home in Peterborough. For those unfamiliar with the sport, race-walking is a long distance athletic event that first became an
“Making team canada has given me a whole new perspective on the game.” nyhof Olympic event in 1908. Although it’s a foot race, it’s different from all other track events, as the runner is required to have one foot on the ground at all times. During a race, a group of judges lined up along the course watches the runners’ cadence. If a judge thinks a runner’s technique is causing them to lift both feet off the ground, the runner will be issued a red flag. Three red flags and you’re disqualified.
And if it seems like an odd sport, that’s because it is. Seaman admits she used to mock her own sport. In fact, that’s how she got her start. “My sister actually started race-walking first. And I started making fun of her one day at practice,” says Seaman, adding that race-walking is often mocked in the world of track and field. “I started (imitating) her and the coach said I was pretty good. So I started from there and I’ve been doing it ever since.” Despite the sport’s idiosyncrasies, Seaman has accomplished what very few people get to do. On July 27, she flew with Team Canada to London to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics. “You have this feeling of responsibility when you’re representing Canada,” she says of her Olympic debut. “I had so much support from my community in Peterborough. I felt like I had to really conduct myself well because everyone was watching. Even people who had never watched [race-walking] were watching because I was competing.” From competing at the college level to representing Canada against the very best international competition, it’s a journey very few people ever make. Defeats, bad performances and injuries can put a promising athletic career in jeopardy and block the final push from amateur to professional. For Jon Nadler, getting a chance to wear a Team Canada jersey was his favourite part about training camp. “How do I explain it?” the 19-year old says with a laugh, thinking back on his first day at training camp with Canada’s junior rugby team. “It was so exciting to wear a Rugby Canada shirt. I always told myself I would never buy one, because it’s like how hockey players never touch the Stanley Cup until they actually win it. It’s kind of like that (superstition).It was really cool to wear it for the first time.” A prop – similar to a running back in football – from Algonquin College in Ottawa has his sights set on making the Men’s Canadian Rugby team. An honour Nadler has been striving for since he began playing. And at such a young age, Nadler has already completed a European tour with Team Canada’s under-19 rugby team. For Nadler, it’s been a tough road to the national stage, having suffered a devastating injury that threatened to derail his chances. “I separated my shoulder on my first tryout for Algonquin. So I had trouble with the whole weight program for Team Canada because my shoulder was healing.” His shoulder injury would sideline Nadler for much of the year, returning with just three games left in the season. Despite only three appearances with the Thunder, Nadler managed to catch the eye of the national coaches and land a spot in Team Canada’s training camp, a testament to his natural ability and determination. “Training camp was tough physically and mentally,” says Nadler of earning a starting spot on the Canadian Junior Team. Nadler finished his program at Algonquin College and left for the west coast to further pursue his dream. “If it goes well I’ll be playing for the [senior] men’s rugby, at least that’s my goal.” Andre Brown is another athlete with national goals.At a towering 6-foot-9, it’s not hard to imagine Brown is athletically inclined. And in the volleyball
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Jon Nadler (Carrying the ball) gives it his all during a Team Canada rugby game. Courtesy Jon Nadler world where 6-foot-tall players seem small, Brown seems genetically engineered for the game. Hailing from Mississauga, the Ontario native didn’t start playing volleyball until his senior year at Rick Hansen Secondary. “The coach literally came up to me and said ‘Hey, you’re tall. Why don’t you come out for a practice,” Brown explains. He admits it was difficult for him to adapt to the sport at first. And in a game where timing can be more important than physical prowess, volleyball can be discouraging. “At first I wasn’t very good at all, but I worked hard and eventually got better.” Brown made the jump to the OCAA when the Humber Hawks recruited him. And while he never dreamed of playing college volleyball – his first two loves were baseball and hockey – Brown would move on to the Hawks in 2008 and play until his fifth and final year of eligibility. Brown progressed quickly and eventually got the attention of Humber assistant coach Hank Ma, who first mentioned the possibility of playing at the national level. “When I came to Humber, Team Canada wasn’t even in the equation,” says Brown, who was selected to the Canadian Men’s B team in the spring of 2012. “I worked my ass off and got the chance to go to the training centre in Gatineau, Quebec. And when you’re training at the national level it’s a lot more intense,” says Brown, who remembers walking into the gym for the first time. “The competition is so much better; I mean you’re playing with the best in the country.” While Brown was left off the final roster and missed the chance to represent Canada at the FIVB World Championship in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, he looks forward to getting the chance to compete in 2013. “I’m looking ahead to next year and even the Olympics in 2014.”
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The confidence is a reminder of an undying commitment to his sport and the belief in being the best. Kelly Nyhof speaks humbly but her swing is vicious. The 22-year-old from Georgetown, is an imposing 6-2 middle for the Humber Hawks women’s volleyball team. And while she speaks with a restrained modesty, out on the court she hammers spikes at opponents with a ferocity that’s unmatched. Following an OCAA gold medal and placing fourth at the 2011-2012 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Championship she was selected by Team Canada, a remarkable feat for
Rachel Seaman pushes towards the finish line. Courtesy Rachel Seaman
any young player. “I used to be a really raw player,” says Nyhof, who started playing in her final year of high school. She emphasizes the word raw, remembering her awkward transition into volleyball. “When I first tried blocking I fell into the net,” she says smiling. But with her height she has a natural advantage over most women. “Coach Wilkes saw me at a tournament and was the first person to approach me about playing in college,” says Nyhof, who would eventually walk into a starting role with the Hawks program. After a successful run at the nationals last year, she was invited to a tryout with Team Canada in Vancouver. “I was really nervous at first, the caliber of play was so much stronger.” She describes the grueling practices and off-court training that would leave her both physically and emotionally exhausted. If you’re going to play for Canada, there’s no other way around it. She made it through the try-out stage and ultimately made the final 21-member squad. “My jersey actually came in the mail. But putting it on was the best feeling of my life.” When she finishes at Humber, Nyhof’s future with volleyball remains undecided. “Making Team Canada has given me a whole new perspective on the game. Now I’m looking at going to Europe to play professionally.” Whether it’s on the volleyball court, rugby pitch or on the racetrack these four young athletes continue to push the boundaries of what they can achieve. And while their futures are another story that is yet to be told, the memory of the first time they were chosen to represent their country will remain with them forever.
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and
sticks
stones taking trash talk too far
BY:rashandrew schopp talk, also known as chirping, exists in
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all levels of sport.Whether it’s in the stands from fans or on the field among players, trash talk has become an integral part of competitive sport. Trash talkers say it is all part of the game, getting into the opponent’s head to gain a mental edge, while others believe it to be a problem. Trash talking often starts before game time. “In volleyball last year, even before a game happened a guy went up to a player and trash talked him, the officials heard it and carded the player before the game even started,” says Jim Bialek, executive chair of the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) policies and procedures committee. A player of the 2012 Humber College women’s basketball team says she once heard an athlete say to another player, “you’re shit. I don’t even know how you made the team, you can’t even dribble.” Even the athletes’ family members are not spared from the verbal attacks. “I can’t remember the quote itself but I just remember him saying something about my mom,”
Homophobic trash talk is often overlooked. photo by dona boulos photo illustration (right) by sarah lennox.
says a player of the 2012 George Brown men’s Katz, a clinical sport psychologist who has worked soccer team. with the New York Rangers organization. The purpose of trash talking in sports is to “Anything that distracts you from your taunt an opposing player into losing his or her performance in the field of play reduces your focus. A strategic trash talker can prove to be an likelihood of being able to maximize your effective member of any team. For example, in the performance,” says Katz. hockey world, a player with a big mouth can lure Farhan Baig, a member of the Toronto an opposing player into taking a penalty or starting Association of Basketball Officials who refs OCAA a fight, and could remove games, thinks that him from the game. trash talking is “Like any athlete in college In a 2007 NHL incident, to player sports I was exposed to the pretty dangerous infamous agitator Sean safety. Avery was fined $2,500 for standard use of what we call ‘casual “Some people a pre-game tilt with Toronto homophobia’, the use of words like ‘fag’ might say that that’s Maple Leafs tough guy just the nature of the and ‘homo’,” Darcy Tucker. Avery and game where there is Goldstein Tucker came to blows over competitiveness, but an alleged remark made by I think it’s not part of Avery during warm-up towards Leafs forward the game,” says Baig. Jason Blake, regarding his recent cancer diagnosis. “It’s going to be compromising player safety and “Players have refined their talents on the court so that is something that we take very seriously,” to find specific ways to get under a player’s skin, he says. “I don’t think that Player A punches Player to take them out of the game,” says Dr. Jonathan F. B out of the blue, I think something happened in
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the first quarter, then the second quarter, things were missed, then it compounds and then you get a punch. We want to put an end to it, we want them to be professional on the court, off the court, part of that is just playing the game,” explains Baig. Classic chirps like “I got trophies bigger than you” or “I’ve seen better hands on a digital clock” are one thing. But when the trash talking turns into racist or homophobic hate speech it becomes a serious issue. “I think that’s even worse than normal trashtalking. That’s a personal attack and goes against the whole constitution,” says Baig. It is a growing and often overlooked issue in sports culture, which only now is gaining attention thanks to big-name sports people like Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke, who are beginning to give the issue a voice. In the OCAA, the way trash talk is handled or punished is completely up to the discretion of the referee officiating the games, says Bialek. “The officials are the ones that will deal directly with any trash talking. It’s for them to deal with. It doesn’t go into anybody else’s hands but them,” he says. Referees have a number of ways to discipline athletes who use abusive language, and can eject a player from a game as a last resort. “They can assign any penalty, in volleyball, if they trash talk across the net, like anything it will probably be a warning then they will take a point away, loss of ball; basketball, it could be a technical; soccer, it could be a yellow card so within the confines of a game the officials are the ones to deal with that,” Bialek explains. Still, there is nothing in the OCAA rulebooks that directly refers to trash talking. The 2012-2013 OCAA Code of Ethics states, “THAT members avoid any intimidation or harassment of the opponent” and “THAT members avoid any blatant humiliation of the opponent.” “If you play sports or if you work for an organization you see the homophobia,” says Brian Kitts, co-founder of You Can Play, an organization dedicated to fighting homophobia in sports. After meeting Brian Burke at a University of Denver hockey game, Kitts and Burke, along with Glen Whitman– who runs an elite gay hockey team based in Colorado–decided to jump start the You Can Play project which fights for gay rights in the sports realm. “We went out for beer and realized that we had some of the same ideas and decided that we would go ahead and put this together,” says Kitts. “I think that whether you are gay or straight - sometimes you know that things aren’t right and especially if you are gay. Glen and I knew that this is something that could help people who care about sports.”
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Kitts has been around sports his entire life and has worked with the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets organizations for more than ten years. “It’s just one of those things, that whether you’re a fan, or whether you’re a player and whether you are gay or straight, it starts to really sort of rub you the wrong way,” he says. One of YCP’s primary goals is to rid sports of homophobic trash talk. “Human nature wants to find ways to cut people down sometimes, but I think there is another side of human nature that wants to lift people up and so I think what we are doing is asking people to recognize talent and recognize skill rather than tearing someone down,” says Kitts. The issue is personal for Andrew Goldstein, a college and professional lacrosse goaltender, who is
recognized as the first team-sport professional athlete to be openly gay. In 2003, Goldstein became open about his sexuality to his team. “Like any athlete in college sports I was exposed to the pretty standard use of what we call ‘casual homophobia’, the use of words like ‘fag’ and ‘homo’,” says Goldstein. Goldstein has played lacrosse at both the college and professional levels. He was a two-time All-American at Dartmouth College and played professionally for the Long Island Lizards of Major League Lacrosse. Athletes know that trash talking, from both opponents and fans, is all part of the game. Any athlete competing at a high level knows how to block it out and avoid letting it shift their focus. But when the words shift from harmless schoolyard taunts to flat out hate speech, it is hard to simply ignore them. “As a human being those words are like a dagger to your heart,” explains Goldstein. “They are words that make you feel incredibly alone and make you feel like the world is against you and that people don’t respect who you are fundamentally as a person. It is incredibly hurtful,” he says. “Until people are made aware of it, they continue to use these words, phrases and terms that seemingly mean nothing to them, but mean everything to that one or two closeted gay teammates, that they don’t know about.” Goldstein and Kitts agree that the problem is not homophobia, but ignorance ingrained in sports culture. “It’s just one of those cultural things. Some people pick on people because of their race, and some people do it because they perceive their sexuality as a negative thing and a lot of times it’s not that they don’t mean it but they have never been corrected,” says Kitts. Kitts says that players rarely get talked to about the language they use during games. “They have never been told; ‘look, you calling a kid a fag has the potential to hold him back if he is.” Baig says, nipping it in the bud is the best way to rid trash talking of all forms, be it homophobic or otherwise, from the game. “I don’t think there is any room in the game for trash-talking.” For the OCAA, Baig says putting an end to trash talk requires a multi-level solution. “It is not just the officials that are responsible, but I think it’s the players and coaches that are responsible,” he says.
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The Humber Hawks cheerleading team performs at their first competition of the year.photo by STACEY THOMPSON
a far fall the flips and V
ictoria Passafiume’s wrist was in a lot of pain. At countless visits to hospitals and clinics, every healthcare provider tried a number of treatments to help alleviate the discomfort she was feeling. The pain started after she slipped and injured her wrist during cheerleading practice. After more x-rays were done, her final diagnosis was a sprained wrist. Cheerleaders are athletes in a competitive acrobatic sport, and are no longer strictly a group of people on the sidelines getting a crowd pumped up. The moves require strength and agility, but without rules and regulations, injuries can abound. Head coach for the Fanshawe Black Falcons cheer team, David Tracey, remembers when cheerleading had no regulating system. “When I started cheerleading (in the ‘80s) there wasn’t a lot of rules or safety guidelines,” say Tracey. Back then the mentality was go as high and hard as possible, she explains. In the Journal of Athletic Training, Frederick O. Mueller, PhD, in his article Cheerleading Injuries and Safety, states that in the 1980s the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission had reported a rough estimate of 4,954 hospital emergency room visits as a result of cheerleading injuries. Tracey says, back then, a cheerleader in middle school was doing the same level of stunts as a college student. Over the last ten years, the application of policies regarding levels, restrictions and permissions has made the sport a lot safer. In the 1960s, cheerleading involved pom-pom shaking, getting the crowd excited and the occasional jumping in the air. Coaches during this period may have been cheerleaders in their past, but they were not required to have certification because safety was not a concern. Fast forward to 2009, cheerleading became a major gymnastic activity. Partner stunts, human pyramids and throwing teammates into the air are now a regular part of the sport if athletes want to cheer competitively. Certification for coaches has become readily available and required in the last 10 years. Tracey says that cheerleading in Canada is about three years behind American cheerleading. But being behind in the cheerleading game for Canada was a good thing because it allowed Canada to understand what policies should be implemented to help promote safety. Now cheerleading in Canada follows the United States All Star Federation’s guidelines during competitions. This organization runs world championships and most of these rules are adjusted for the high school and college circuit. On its website, the USASF provides guidelines that cheer teams need to follow. There are age grids for both domestic U.S. teams and international teams. Cheerleading injuries and safety measures show that reducing injuries in this sport will come down to training and equipment. Better training of spotters–the “safety net” of the team–the use of sprung mats on wet surfaces, restrictions on doing complex stunts when an athlete is not ready, and certification of coaching staff. Kristina McCahon, head coach for Humber’s cheerleading team, focuses
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fumbles in cheer BY: stacey thompson
on injury prevention by training her athletes to perfect the basics before stunt progress, while making sure they are fit enough to use the skills that are required. We start off every year with a skills clinic. This year there were two,” says McCahon. “At the very beginning we explain in the stunting positions what each person’s responsibility is. In terms of throwing a girl in the air, where they should be looking, what part of the body of the top girl each person is responsible for. Every time we teach a new skill, the team sits down and we explain the common errors that are made, the trouble shooting for that, and if something is to go wrong how to bring down our top person safely.” Fanshawe focuses on core exercising, hill running, lifting and passing an athlete to a team member. This not only helps with strengthening joints but also with handling people safely right down to the ankles. “If you train properly off the floor, when you do the activity you don’t get fatigued as quickly so you decrease injuries,” says Tracey. Being strong enough to do a skill means the coaches can teach the right techniques faster and there is less room for error. Even though all cheerleaders need to train outside of practice time, Humber male cheerleaders have to hit the gym fairly regularly so they are able to lift a female into the air. They need to be at a high level form of fitness, says McCahon. Mariah Owen, Humber’s assistant cheer coach, says being a high-level team, they need high-level fitness, and encourage high-level stretching to prevent injuries. “I think there is a difference between being hurt and being injured,” says Owen. “ If you fall and hit the ground and nothing is broken and didn’t hit your head, we expect that you will get back up and continue to practice, as long as you are okay. There is a very big difference, if you are hurt you will feel better tomorrow, if you become injured you really need to take the steps to getting better.” Amanda Liddle, one of Humber’s athletic therapists, sits in on practices. “I’m looking out for any injuries,” says Liddle. “Mainly with cheer there are spinals, concussions and mild to severe knee sprains.” To help ensure safety of the team members, coaches have pull out dates for routines when it comes to competitions, says McCahon. If skills aren’t consistent and strong, they can pull it from the routine until they know the stunts can be done safely and with confidence. “Because when you go out there, we don’t want you thinking ‘will my skill hit’, we want you to feel good about yourself and your routine,” echoes Owen. “At the end of the day, the crowd and the judges and coaches, if you’re not feeling good about the skill, we can feel the energy, and we don’t want our athletes to have a bad experience ever.” Cheerleading injuries will happen. It comes with participating in a physically demanding sport. Now with proper training for coaches and athletes, the worst of the injuries can hopefully be avoided. So in the spirit of it all: LET’S GO CHEERLEADERS, LET’S GO!
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ranking the stats and bats sweat compiles a fantasy baseball team
BY: Graeme McNaughton
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Shaun slemko from durham college throws out a pitch against the university of windsor on oct. 6, 2012. photo by Al Fournier
egular readers of the sports section in 1989 noticed something a little different in their newspapers that spring. There was something new for baseball fans, something that allowed them to build the team of their dreams. Dugout Derby debuted in a dozen of the largest American newspapers, and was the first exposure that many had to fantasy baseball. Adding a new layer to the typical baseball fan, players in this new fantasy league tracked their favourite players through various game play statistics. Stats that didn’t necessarily lead to a win in a real game could lead to a win for your fantasy team in that week’s matchup. This new found love for baseball statistics lead to some players becoming increasingly valuable commodities, even if they weren’t playing for winning teams. Home runs and RBIs may put points on the scoreboard, but no team has ever won on the basis of how many walks they attained, or how many times they came to the plate to bat. In 2009, Forbes magazine estimated that as many as 11 million people play fantasy baseball. But this is for Major League baseball. There are many other leagues out there, including the Canadian Intercollegiate Baseball Association. Created in 1996, the CIBA is the only league in Canada for intercollegiate baseball. The Ontario Division has three OCAA teams: Humber, St. Clair, and Durham. While these players may not be ready to suit up for the Toronto Blue Jays on opening day, they offer a new chance to play some fantasy baseball.
Pitchers
SHAUN SLEMKO DURHAM
ROB COOPER ST.CLAIR
JOSH SIKICH ST.CLAIR
Even with a split 2-2 finish on the regular season, Slemko was able to keep his ERA below 1.000. He may not have had a perfect record like Cooper, but it was still tough to get a run off of Slemko’s pitches.
In 29 innings pitched, Cooper only allowed three runs and struck out a whopping 43 batters. You can’t argue with stats like that from the left handed pitcher named to the CIBA All-Star Team. Did we mention he can hit? Cooper finished the season with 15 RBIs.
While he may not have the amazing statistics as his teammate noted above, Sikich would be a welcome addition to any fantasy team, keeping a low ERA and high stikeout rate. Bonus points if your league counts hit batters, as Sikich sent four batters to first base in 2012.
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OUTFIELD
CURTIS LAMBKIN S T. C L A I R
The rookie outfielder came to the plate more than any other college player for the 2012 season, and he didn’t waste his chances. Lambkin got to first base more than any other player in the CIBA, and got on base for more than half of his hits.
THOMAS LITVINSKAS H U M B E R
While Humber may be the lowest ranked baseball team of the Ontario colleges (7-9 for 2012), this didn’t stop some players from trying to steal a few runs when on base. Litvinskas was able to steal nine bases during 2012.
MICHAEL DEL FUOCO D U R H A M
He is able to hit the ball. He’s taken walks. He’s stolen bases. He’s hit home runs. If you’re looking for a player to get you points for multiple offensive stats, then Del Fuoco is your guy.
INFIELD
MITCH DELANEY S T. C L A I R
Every fantasy baseball teams just need a monster at the plate. Delaney’s our man. He leads the CIBA in both home runs and RBIs, making him a must have for any fantasy baseball team.
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TYLER MITCHELL D U R H A M
While his lone home run during the season didn’t help the Lords win any games, his base appearances did. Mitchell was able to get on base for nearly half of his hits, a statistic any professional player would love to claim.
DUAINE BOWLES H U M B E R The rookie catcher made an impact in his first season with the Hawks, hitting a respectable 16 RBIs, and lead college players in doubles. Impressive for his first year.
WAYNE FELTHAM DURHAM
While Feltham’s modest hitting stats are 18 hits, 6 RBIs, he offers a unique skill for fantasy league owners: he can pitch, a great option when you need an extra pitcher.
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the comeback kids after 20 years, canadore is back in the game
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BY: shazia islam
he shiny new hardwood floor beckons the sounds of squeaking basketball shoes and the hard-hitting dribbles of a leather ball on its smooth surface. The end lines, sidelines, center circle, and half-court lines are all in place to form the symmetrical configuration of the court. The equally new scoreboard awaits the commencement of the games when its technology will record the hoop dreams swishing through the nylon mesh basket. The team roster’s been settled and the jerseys handed out. It’s time for the games to begin for Canadore College’s varsity men’s basketball team, the Canadore Panthers. The Panthers are on the comeback trail after a twenty-year hiatus. From tryouts to exhibition games and finally to the first games of the season, establishing a new team of young talented athletes takes sound coaching, strong physical and mental stamina from the players, good quality equipment and up-to-date facilities, and most importantly, enthusiastic support from faculty and students. Twenty years ago, the team won the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) silver medal, but soon after the achievement, their elite coach left after cutbacks within the college and the school subsequently had to drop its basketball program altogether, says Linda Turcotte, athletics director at Canadore College. Getting a new team back into the action started several years in advance with the first two priorities being finding the right coach and securing financial support,Turcotte says. “There are a lot of eyes on us.” After recruiting head coach Leo Bechard for the job, the search for the team began last summer in a series of high-school tournaments that covered all of Ontario. Turcotte says as many as 40 players were recommended for the roster. Sixteen players were then chosen to be part of the official Panthers team. Turcotte mused about the impact of social media during the tryouts as young up-and-coming basketball players sent in YouTube videos to the coaching staff showcasing their agility and ball handling. But despite their ambitious drive, these potential star athletes still need a fair amount of support to not only help them play well but also ensure they do well academically. Turcotte says the college has a solid mentor program that includes the president of the college, George Burton, as one of the mentors. Players are connected with a mentor during the season. “Someone helps them along with academics and personal issues. They might have coffee with them to find out how they’re doing to give [the mentor] a sense of their health and well-being. It’s a very holistic approach.” For the team captain, the pressure was that much more intense. John Gore, 25, is a mature student who is back in college for a turn at a second career. Gore is in the social service worker program and says being involved in sports as a kid helped him get through school. Now he’s back fulltime and, prior to sustaining a shoulder injury, was
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named the team captain and point guard. “I’m a natural leader and have the passion to win, so I took part in the open runs in the summer and talked to the coach,” Gore says. Gore’s experience working with kids with disabilities and the support skills needed for this type of job could be transferred to being a role model and providing encouragement to a group of young athletes, most of whom are fresh out of high school. “When he speaks, they all listen because it’s coming from one of them,” says coach Leo Bechard. One of the main challenges the coach identifies is getting his players to work as a cohesive unit. Gore acknowledges the players still see themselves as individuals, so strategies to train them to
Ontario Regional Health Centre Walk/Run, and helped raise over $100,000. Their involvement was part of giving back to the community. The Panthers now enjoy a fully equipped gym with a newly renovated floor. “The community here loves basketball; it’s a basketball town,” says Turcotte, so there’s no shortage of support. But at the end of the day, it’s not just about winning. The college takes the academic standing of their players seriously, says Turcotte. Players have to maintain a 2.0 grade point average and if not, they’re kicked off the team. “We have academic advisors for every player and a tracking system,” that sends out academic alerts if the player starts to miss school, says Bechard, who was once a student advisor and counsellor himself. He encourages his players to think realistically about their futures and use the skills they develop as athletes in the real world of work. “I’m 67 years old and I’m a certified volleyball referee, a certified slow pitch
Canadore can finally cheer on their men’s basketball team after a 20 year hiatus for the club.
photo by shazia islam
work together will help the Panthers stick more readily to the game plan. But even in the world of professional basketball where the cult of personality is intense, a player’s ego is often times difficult to suppress as pointed out by Steve Nash, winning player for the Los Angeles Lakers and one of Gore’s sources of inspiration, in a recent article in Toronto’s free daily paper, Metro. In the article “Lakers ready for showtime”, Nash is quoted as saying that it is a challenge to go from being “the guy” to letting go of that title in order to work and win with the team. Coach Bechard echoes this very important lesson in team sports to his young players. “At times, it’s very frustrating because everyone wants to take it upon themselves to make sure they do well and try to win. The challenge is to get them to play as a team and stick with the strategies we’ve come up with in practice.” The Panthers have suffered some heavy losses since starting the season, but Bechard remains optimistic. “We’re very fast and we have some good ball handlers.” And they’ve got a height advantage in comparison to other teams in the league, Bechard says. The college and the residents of North Bay have mobilized behind the fledgling team. From kids to corporate sponsors, everyone wants to pitch in to help the Panthers. Bechard says he wants the people of North Bay to adopt this college team as their team. The Panthers recently participated in a community fundraiser, the Annual Northeastern
umpire, and I coach college basketball. Anybody in sports is better prepared for what they’ve got to confront when they move on to something else.” In Bechard’s opinion, playing team sports teaches his players essential communication skills that will help them form lifelong networks of friends, colleagues, and co-workers. For Gore future plans involve finishing his diploma and getting a job in the social service field. The program choices among the players show a diverse range of interests and career goals including carpentry, culinary arts, and eco-tourism. The coaching team includes associate coach Stacy Gallagher, who’s got a lot to say about running the team, says Bechard, and their collaborative effort gives additional support to the players. “They know I’m in charge and that Stacy has my respect.” Bechard and Gallagher work the team hard and emphasize the importance of practicing like they’re playing an actual game. As Bechard’s approach becomes second skin to his players, their journey through the season might bring greater rewards with wins leading them to the playoffs. Like Bechard says, in order to guarantee the success of Canadore College’s brand new Panthers, everyone’s got to invest in the team. It is only through a much larger team effort from the community as a whole that the Panthers can continue to grow and achieve their full potential as athletes and citizens of this ever-changing competitive world.
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keeping identity in sports BY: christian quequish
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Kerry Small and the Humber Hawks women’s basketball team play a game against the Seneca Stings. PHOTO BY CHRISTIAN QUEQUISH
or Aboriginal athletes, there are many struggles when trying to pursue education and a positive recreational experience in college. For Kerry Small, Humber College women’s basketball player, her struggle was one of race and identity, and it started at home in Greenville, B.C., where she endured bouts of racism and bullying for having different-coloured skin. For Byron Wabano, Cambrian College’s men’s basketball team, his struggle was on the court, enduring racial slurs as he played high school basketball. Endeavoring to persevere, these First Nations athletes are up-and-comers in the college basketball scene. “When I moved down to Vancouver in 2001, I saw guys playing basketball all the time, so I would just sit there and watch.” She says the guys realized she lived in the same apartment complex, and they came to her door. “These five boys with this one basketball came to the door and asked, ‘Can Kerry come out and play?’ and that’s how I started playing basketball,” says Small. Small is stifling laughter as she describes a ratty, run-down basketball court. It had no lighting, and there was sand all over the court. “We used to have our parents take turns and bring their car and turn their lights on so we could play when it got dark,” says Small, who was around 11 years old at the time. “We played for hours upon hours.” Those are some of the earliest memories that Small has of when she started loving basketball, but not all of her childhood memories are positive. For Small, the challenge isn’t on the court – it’s in a past tainted with racism, and hate crimes that shouldn’t be acceptable anywhere. But Small wasn’t raised in an urban setting: being a half-native, half-black woman from the Nisga’a Nation in British Colombia, Small has come a long
way, professionally as well as personally to represent Humber at the varsity level. Her story starts in Greenville. “They used to tease me because I was darker,” says Small. “I remember when we’d go outside to play in kindergarten, nobody would play with me – it was like that every day of my life.” Life was not so easy for Small during her early school years, in the late 1990s. “I’d be walking down, and sometimes kids would just throw rocks at me, and when it was winter, people would get a bunch of snow and just put it in my face,” says Small. “Rocks were the worst. I hated them the most.” She was enduring severe forms of racism and hate crimes during her childhood years. It didn’t stop there – Small was bullied for being different from the rest of the children. She says she recalled being punched and pushed to the ground as a child, and getting her lunch taken away. Small figures it was because her family were the only visible minorities in town. “I was very quiet when I was that age, my confidence and self-esteem were low,” says Small. Pausing for a moment, Small wonders whether she would have graduated were it not for the influence of basketball. For Small, this was a turning point – but her battle with racism continued. “The black people would tease me throughout high school because I was native. They said racial jokes like, ‘you don’t pay taxes’ or ‘you get your school paid for’ or the infamous ‘you drink a lot because you are native.’”
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She says it was not easy growing teammates’ cultures as well. Despite causes) a significant amount of stress in athletics. up feeling like she didn’t fit in. this, Wabano says he experienced leading to a decline in performance, “We need to create an atmosphere Small has played for the Humber some racism while playing basketball or alternately, a feeling of alienation of communication and dialogue so women’s basketball for a year now. for Timmins High School. “I that takes the athlete away from that that each athlete that comes to play, She says she was encouraged by her sometimes got called a Native Shaq, context.” regardless of race has an opportunity coach to take on a leadership role in or a savage.” He says he believes that the lack to feel comfortable and excel in what the team and really push herself. As However, he says his time at of cultural awareness is a significant they love,” says Jacobs. well, she has learned a lot about her Timmins prepared him for basketball reason why Aboriginal athletes don’t Jacobs says dealing with social First Nations’ heritage through the at the varsity level when he joined last a long time in elite sports. problems in reserves often takes Aboriginal Resource Centre, which the Durham Lords in 2010. “It’s not that they’re not capable, priority over recreational facilities gave her pride as an aboriginal. Today, Wabano studies at they’re highly capable, and in many and equipment; thus, making Greenville, B.C consisted of Cambrian College while playing for instances more capable than most recreational opportunities for First about 1,200 and there were almost Cambrian’s Golden Shields. He says, mainstream athletes, but there’s no Nations difficult. no recreational opportunities during he doesn’t experience racism at all, give from the sports system,” says “The Aboriginal Sport and her childhood. She says that the but if people are going to express Schinke. Wellness Council’s (ASWC) mission reserve has since improved. their bigotry, he’s just going to play He remarked that coaches aren’t is to develop athletes, coaches, Wabano, like harder. properly educated on how to work officials and volunteers from a ”These five Small, had some early “When I play with Aboriginal athletes, and as a holistic perspective,” says Jacobs. struggles with racism The ASWC has developed an boys with this one basketball, racism result they neglect them. in his athletic career. shouldn’t be an issue. According to the constitution, ‘Aboriginal Coaching Module’, basketball came to For Wabano, born I just go there and try the Ontario College Athletics says Jacobs, that teaches coaches to in Moose Factory First the door and asked, to play ball and try Association believes in integrity, approach their job from a perspective Nation and raised ‘Can Kerry come out to win,” says Wabano. respect and fair play. According to that branched away from traditional in Moosonee and and play?and that’s “I’ve got teammates the OCAA code of ethics, all student coaching models. Timmins, Ontario, and family to support athletes are given an opportunity “They’re getting exposure on the difficulties were how I started playing me, so yeah it doesn’t to participate regardless of gender, how to create a unique, diverse basketball ,” less severe, but racism bother me as much.” ethnic background or race. environment,” Jacobs explains. “Not is a problem he has The difficulties “We expect all of our coaches to just the physical side … it’s about small learned to deal with in facing First Nations follow the code of ethics set by the dealing with that emotional, mental his own way. in varsity sports OCAA,” says Blair Webster, executive and spiritual side.” Wabano’s interest in sports began stems heavily from the fact that most director of the OCAA. Jacobs says that it is unfortunate early, when he was recruited for the First Nations find the culture shock Schinke says he believes that that racism still exists today in local primary school basketball team associated with moving away for culture is a significant aspect of sport. Canada, and that he finds it to be very in Moosonee. school too much to bear, according “I don’t think people know systemic. “I probably got into sports when to Dr. Robert Schinke, EdD, Canada exactly how to engage with cultures “One of the strategies I think I was in grade eight; I didn’t play research chair in multicultural sports at this point, so understanding is really important is … surround basketball until that point,” says and physical activity. how significant it is at this point is yourself with a great support Wabano. For a number of years, Schinke uncharted,” says Schinke. network – family, friends, coaches Wabano and his team would has studied sport psychology in Rod Jacobs, senior manager for that you trust,” says Jacobs. “Surround compete against three other teams in relation to First Nations athletes the Aboriginal Sport and Wellness yourself and be able to go and share Moosonee, as well as against Moose ranging from youth to professional Council says there are programs with those people.” Factory students when the weather and national athletes. He is currently to help bring awareness to coaches permitted. a professor at the school of human about the difficulties Aboriginals face “We normally had to wait for kinetics at Laurentian winter to come along for the river University. to freeze,” says Wabano. “After that, He says one of we would drive across it to Moose the most profound Factory to play against other schools.” difficulties First He says that there were fewer Nations face is recreational and educational that people don’t opportunities in Moosonee, so his understand how to family packed up and moved to connect with them. Timmins, Ontario in 2006. “The expectation The move was a bumpy transition is on the Aboriginal to life outside the reserve for youth to assimilate Wabano, but he says it was ultimately within the culture in a rewarding experience. order to be accepted,” “The Native kids were fresh off says Schinke. the reserves, and we didn’t really He says this causes see that many Caucasian people till a significant amount then,” says Wabano. “Then you get of stress for the First to Timmins, and the population Nations athlete to face at Timmins High School is 900 on his or her own. students, maybe 100 of them are “What happens Native.” when their cultural He says that the First Nations and identity is silenced Caucasian students would sit and eat while their athletic separately, and rarely interacted. identity is being He says when he first started developed is that there playing, his teammates were seems to be a lack of interested in his culture, and he balance in the athlete,” kerry small (left) finds comfort in sports. Photo by christian quequish was able to learn a lot about his says Schinke. “(This
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12-12-13 2:20 PM
both sides of the story the transgender community and transgender athletes speak out on new policy
BY: LIME BLAKE With files by: sarah lennox
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lympic cyclist and public speaker Kristen Worley stands at the front of a class of third-year sports management students from Humber College who have come to hear her speak about gender inclusion and diversity in sport – a topic integral to the graduating class on the cusp of their academic careers and ready to tackle leadership roles in the world of sports. “I really feel that you guys are the momentum of change,” Worley says to the students once her presentation finally begins. Gender inclusion and overall diversity is a topic Worley and others in her field have been advocating for years now, primarily against out-of-date policies created by the International Olympic Committee. “I don’t live in a world of accommodation; I live in a world of inclusion,” says Worley one of two openly “transitioned” transgender Olympic athletes. “Transgender”, while often a misunderstood term in our society,Worley says is ultimately an umbrella term that indicates when a person’s gender (between the ears) doesn’t match their physical sex (between the legs). Worley uses the example of a person who is born physically male, but mentally identifies as female. She identifies as a “transitioned” person, who is someone who has undergone the process to physically match their body to the gender with which they identify. The subject of transgender rights has been fuel for debate and discussion among human rights activists and members of the LGBT community of late. As recently as June 2012, the Canadian government revised the nation’s Human Rights Act to include “gender identity” and “gender expression” under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This summer the CCAA also introduced new policy regarding transgender athletes. Sandra Murray-MacDonell, executive director of the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association, says they recognized that there was a need to include policy to accommodate transgender students in varsity sport. “In regards to our transgender rule, it would fall under eligibility, and trying to provide access – equitable access – to student athletes who may be undergoing (the transitioning) process,” says Murray-MacDonell. “So, basically, identifying where these student athletes would be playing – would they be playing on the women’s team, would they be playing on the men’s team, and what would be reasonable with regards to access for these individuals.” Murray-MacDonell says the CCAA is often asked to look at the transgender student – not just through an athletic standpoint, but also in different capacities. “We wanted to be proactive and create a policy so our athletic directors knew where they stood and where exactly that student athlete stood, too, and where they could participate,” she says. According to Murray-MacDonell, the Canadian Sports System’s pre-existing policy on transgender students followed the IOC’s “very out-dated” policy, which is incredibly strict in its definition of gender identity and expression. The policy relies on invasive physical examinations to determine an athlete’s birth gender if suspicion arises relating to skill or physical appearance. This is a huge issue, Worley says, as many female Olympic athletes who are born with a genetic condition called Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS) are tested to verify they are actually female. Instead, the CCAA turned to a policy passed in 2011 by the National Collegiate Athletics Association, as well as the Canadian Centre of Ethics and Sport – both of which mirrored policy ideas that Murray-MacDonell says the CCAA felt resonated best with what they were trying to develop. “We didn’t want roadblocks and we didn’t want athletic directors making their own decisions,” Murray-MacDonell says. “We wanted a policy that was consistent across the board.” She says the CCAA worked with the notion that if a female transitions to become a male, that student would want to naturally participate on the men’s team. And vice versa. In June 2012, the CCAA finalized its own comprehensive policy. Under section 15 of the operating code, titled “Policy on Transgender Student-Athlete Participation”, the document details a number of term definitions as well as regulation codes that clarified that a transgender student-athlete must undergo hormone replacement therapy before they are able to participate on the appropriate gender-specific team. The following July, the OCAA revised their operations code to include a section with similar details. The obvious question is whether gender differences pose advantages in competition. According to Raj Suppiah, physiotherapist and director of Foundation Physiotherapy, women and men are, physiologically different. Women are
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more flexible because of a hormone called relaxin that loosens ligaments and they have more fatty tissue for the breasts and thighs. Men have a higher lung volume capacity to help build muscle. Though these facts are scientifically proven, Suppiah says the athletic ability of each gender is kristen worley is an olympic cyclist. a hot topic for debate. courtesy kristen worley “Because we are born different and we do have different underlying genetics, does that mean just by changing your actual genitals or changing your organs, does that actually change your genotype inside you?” he says. “That’s the question.” Suppiah has been a speaker for OutSport Toronto, educating LGBT athletes on training and injury prevention. “In my opinion, I believe if they have the female body parts and if that’s what constitutes a woman according to that sport’s regulation, then by all means, they have the right to participate,” he says. A transgender athlete may have an advantage or disadvantage in his or her chosen sport, but Suppiah says all people are built differently and, therefore, have their own strengths and weaknesses. A biological or physical trait may give an athlete an unfair advantage, but it doesn’t mean he or she will win against competitors. Suppiah says no matter the gender, all athletes have the ability to come out ahead. “With the right training and the right coaching and the right discipline, you can get over that unfair advantage,” he says. Murray-MacDonell says the CCAA recognizes the exclusion of transgender students in athletics would escalate into a human rights issue in any regard, and so it was in the best interest of the organization to respond proactively. “We haven’t had to use the policy yet, so it’ll be interesting to see how it all flows out whenever there is a situation,” Murray-MacDonell says. So far, she says, there has been positive feedback. However, Worley says students then feel the need to out themselves as a transgender, when the policy is not respecting the student’s privacy. That students must regulate hormones in order to be eligible to play on the gender-specific team they identify with is a human rights issue, Worley adds. She says that only 12 per cent of transgender individuals undergo hormone replacement therapy. Even fewer follow through with sexual reassignment surgery, even though it’s medically covered under OHIP. “It’s different issues for different people,” she says. “So who says you can’t identify (as one gender or the other)? ... It is the social structure that’s telling you you can’t be.They’re telling you to conform. So why are we telling someone to measure somebody’s hormones?” Anthony Burgess, a 20-year-old transgender Humber student, however, often asks himself if a varsity athlete excels in a skill isn’t that all that matters? Over the past year and a half, Burgess has undergone hormone replacement therapy via testosterone intake, has changed his name and gender, and had surgery to the chest so that his body would present appropriately as male. In January 2012, Burgess tried out for Humber’s indoor soccer team without fear of probing questions by coaches or peers related to his gender identification and presentation, that may have “outted” him as a transgender individual. “I felt right – playing for the right team, basically,” he says. “It was pretty cool, it was a great experience. I hadn’t played soccer for so long… I was a bit rusty, but it was cool to just try out and be a part of the team and be around other guys playing soccer and not feel any different.” Burgess says the CCAA’s transgender policy is great, there are still challenges, transgender people face complex issues and find it hard to relate to the homosexual community. Murray-MacDonell realizes there may be some room to make adjustments down the line. But for now, the fields and courts are alive with optimism. “We’re pretty positive in the CCAA that it’s a positive step in the right direction,” says Murray-MacDonell, “and we’ll see where it goes.”
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Tales from the Underworld
the physical demand of Live Action Role Playing
BY:herevictoria brown are still two more days to go
T
and Ryan Whitney’s feet are sore from the constant running in oversized boots. Carrying 20 to 30 pounds of armour strains his shoulders as Whitney, suited as half-Aga warrior Eli, runs from a monster closely on his heels. But when faced with a horde of monsters the only options are to fight or flee. Ryan Whitney, an English studies student at Ryerson University, has been involved in LARP or Live Action RolePlaying for a year and a half now. Whitney plays with Underworld, a Toronto based LARP that meets at a horse farm in Peterborough for eight weekend events starting in May. When he compares the athleticism of LARP to his other hobby, biking, Whitney says there’s no doubt both require stamina. “Usually battles here can go on for anywhere between 15 minutes to an hour, sometimes it’s not so much about having the strength,” says Whitney. “You have to have the stamina and the ability to keep going.” Though the OCAA may never see a gold trophy on the shelf for varsity LARP, the activity can definitely contend athletically. LARP is definitely athletic says Edward Watt, co-owner of Underworld, but not a sport in the traditional sense, as there are no teams and no way to ‘win’ the game. “I would say 80 per cent of players are getting a hardcore workout to the point where on Monday you are sore from head to toe,” says Watt. LARP has only started to gain in popularity in North America in the last couple of years, says Watt, and has just started to appear in media. Patrick D.K. Klatskin, president of Toronto-based LARP, Epoch, explains that the social stigma of being a geek is fading, and that people are now becoming proud of this label. “Those that normally wouldn’t have taken the plunge into this are doing so.” says Klatskin. Despite the fact that the media has brought more attention to this activity, LARP groups have been around for nearly 30 years. Though there’s no exact date for when it all began, one of the oldest LARPs, Dagorhir, was created in 1977 and still runs in the United States. NERO International was also one of the first organizations to popularize LARP in North America and has been around since 1986 in Canada and the United States. Now, Underworld offers 100 acres THE savar, a cat-like species, walks across the campgrounds during ancoach Underworld fname last LARPname//photo event. PHOTOby: BY fname Laurenlname Phair
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A good setting is important when LARPing. LARP often takes place in the countryside to give characters more range for action. PHOTO BY lauren phair
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of land and forest to immerse the players in, says David Ashby, Watt’s business partner in Underworld. With all of that land, Ashby says running around with 50 pounds of armour can be quite a workout. “It’s definitely as athletic as a sport. You get into shape fast,” says Ashby. When it comes to how athletic LARP can be compared to sports, Doug Fox, athletic director at Humber College, says LARP definitely involves a lot of exercise. “Even though they’re play acting with swords and things like that, there’s lots of muscle involved with that,” says Fox. “And they’re running through the woods the whole weekend, so the active part of it is certainly there.” Mental training and stress release is also a big part of the sport, says Fox, and having to stay in character all weekend definitely creates opportunities for mind and body conditioning. “You see people all the time with Monday to Friday jobs, and on the weekend they have a different life, and that’s something you really see there,” says Fox. One of the aspects of mental training in LARP is getting into character with creative costumes and weapons. The most commonly seen weapon in LARP is the boffer sword. This is created by putting layers of closed cell foam around PVC pipe that makes the shaft of the weapon so players can’t feel the pipe when getting hit. The end of the sword is then rounded to stop any piping from coming through the top. “What we’re selling is immersion, and if you wear a modern watch or you’re using your iphone or camera, it ruins the immersion for other players,” says Watt. For Mark Berg, an accounting student at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, the athleticism of LARP was the first thing that drew him to the activity, and he even gave up playing hockey for LARP. “It’s not like a one hour game. From Friday at 10 p.m. to Sunday afternoon, you’re just going the whole time,” Berg says. As a student, Berg says he could only afford one activity, and LARP appealed way more to him. “When you play video games, there’s no
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reward for being in shape but LARP totally rewards your dedication to working out,” says Berg. During the game Watt explains that anything you can physically do, players are welcome to apply in the game. This can range from climbing trees to getting away from a player in a monster costume to crawling on hands and knees through bushes for an assassination attempt. Though safety rules do apply, such as no full tackles or blows to the head or groin, players can enact more intense combat by getting a red armband, says Watt. With the armband, players can experience activities like grabbing someone’s weapon during a fight or bear hugging a player and pulling them to the ground. “These are things we don’t normally allow, but if both players are wearing red armbands it allows extra level of contact,” says Watt. Talmon Firestone, an athlete who has been training in taekwondo for 18 years and the executive director of NSD-Fusion, said LARP could be compared to the workout of a marathon because of the non-stop two to four-day game play. “When it comes to the stress it puts on the body, its more cardio or hiking type of experience physically,” he says. During combat, knowing a fighting style doesn’t give as much of an advantage as someone may think, says Firestone. It can make a player over confident, and not realize that martial arts combat and medieval style combat are two different things, he says. “While it does help, it’s not the greatest help in the world because there’s no punching and kicking in LARP it’s swinging of swords,” says Firestone. Although combat is a big part of LARP, the game also involves role-playing, which allows someone to decide if they want their character to be athletic or not, says Firestone. “Some people who aren’t necessarily physically inclined, can still participate because they can play roles that aren’t as physically demanding,” says Firestone. A wizard or mage is a great character to choose if that person is looking to stay more on the roleplaying side of things, as they use spells to do their fighting. Instead of wielding weapons, wizards or
mages can throw beanbags that represent magic at opponents. It’s ultimately up to the player to choose how they want to play, says Watt. “You should be sore and tired at the end of the event. That’s the way it works,” says Watt. There’s definitely a lot of healthy aspects to LARP, says Fox, such as running, fighting, and being interactive with other players that make LARP a great alternative to sports. So whether it’s volunteering for the role of a spider or playing as a member of the bounty hunters guild, LARP offers roles for everyone. “As Dave likes to say, as long as you can get over the fact that you’re putting on elf ears and spending the weekend in the forest, you’ll have a great time,” says Watt.
creativity with a character is vital when larping. photo by Victoria Brown
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A+athlete
athletes balance academics and come out on top
BY: DION CAPUTI t’s easy to lose sight of what collegiate
I
sports are really about these days. Some would say it’s about the opportunity to fill the old trophy case, impress colleagues around campus, or perhaps to fulfill lofty professional ambitions. While intentions may vary, schools across the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) know and understand the true goal is to mold young men and women into upstanding citizens through teamwork and time management. One school in particular is developing an exceptional reputation for producing quality athletes in the classroom. Each year the OCAA records an All-Academic awards list comprised of full-time student-athletes who have achieved honour standards at their respective institutions. Loyalist College led the way with a staggering 46 All-Academic athletes in the latest OCAA 2011-12 awards list. The next highest totals were 39 (Seneca) and 38 (Humber, St. Clair). Seneca College’s sport and recreation director Linda Stapleton believes in the value of the OCAA’s All-Academic records. “It’s extremely important,” says Stapleton. “It’s very important for colleges to honor those student-athletes who find that balance in their life.” The feat is especially impressive considering Loyalist is considerably smaller than many OCAA schools, with roughly 100-120 varsity athletes currently enrolled. Loyalist women’s volleyball coach Tony Clarke credits the small-school atmosphere with promoting academic success. “If we have issues with attendance, we find out. We’re a smaller school, and we say at Loyalist, ‘you’re not a number, you’re a name.’ A struggling student can’t hide, we can see
what’s going on,” he says. The athletic department is aided in-part by its former varsity women’s volleyball player and honour roll student-turned assistant coach, Amy Hoskin. After three years in the program, Hoskin has developed connections with faculty, enabling her to help keep tabs on the academic progress of athletes, according to Clarke. Representing the school as an academic award winner is no small achievement to Hoskin either. “I was really proud of it,” she says. “You have to be good at managing your time and juggling things. There’s a lot of pride in saying that.” Hoskin heaps praise on Loyalist athletic director Jim Buck for the institution’s continued success in the all-academic rankings. “He really pushes the all-academics. As soon as we hear a student-athlete is struggling, we’re on it. (Jim Buck) has a lot to do with it and he’s doing the best he can.” The man – who many within the Belleville, Ontario college’s athletic department refer to as “J.B.” – has solidified Loyalist’s place among the heavyweights in producing top academic numbers. And although he’s a proud coach, he says school comes first. “Ultimately, we’re all about graduating students,” he says. “Even though we’re here for athletics, we’re here, really, to produce outstanding students and kids. I’m a strong believer in the college system – it has a wonderful impact on a lot of people.” Despite spearheading the operation, Buck modestly dismisses any notion he’s the primary reason for Loyalist’s classroom success. “It’s a number of things,” says Buck. “Coaches recruit good students and do study hall sessions, we have so many good profs providing progress reports, and obviously great kids. It’s a formula of a lot of things.”
Former women’s volleyball player and honour student, Dominique Dawes, also became an assistant coach for the team she once competed for. She attributes part of the academic success to proper recruiting. “We recruit based on academics,” says Dawes. “If we don’t offer a program they want, we don’t push them to come here. We want our students to be happy, and because they’re happier, I think it gives them a better chance to succeed.” St. Clair College’s co-athletic co-ordinator Jay Shewfelt echoed Dawes’ sentiments on recruiting. “A lot of it has to do with the type of athletes that are recruited,” he says. “If it’s all about winning (to the recruits), you’re not going to have as academically strong an athlete.” The Loyalist Lancers have enjoyed noteworthy success academically, and although the competitive fire for athletic achievement is burning hot, the program’s heart remains in the right place. “I’d love for us to hang a few more banners in our gym,” says Jim Buck. “But I’d feel comfortable knowing if I walked away today, that we’ve had a great impact on kids’ lives.” The reality of the OCAA is that most student-athletes will go on to something other than professional sports. Producing intelligent young adults ready for the work force is a staple of Loyalist College’s athletic department. It appears as though the generally sparse trophy case and lack of national accolades have caused the institution’s true victory of academic success to be ignored. It appears things may be changing, as Linda Stapleton’s strong Seneca athletics program has begun to take notice of what has been brewing in Belleville. “They’ve had a wonderful result,” she says. “We could all learn something by investigating what they do.” The Lancers are the little guys – the underdog. Just remember… every dog has his day. Perhaps that day has arrived.
Lancer athletes understand the commitment it takes to be a studentathlete for a varsity team. photo by amy hoskins
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12-12-13 2:19 PM
playing for two
balancing parenting and athletics
BY: sarah lennox
Jones says her son Robbie reignited her passion for basketball. PHOTO BY SARAH LENNOX
and love for the game (basketball) crept back on at St. Clair, Angela Passador, wouldn’t comment “I’m lucky.” me and I was pretty much shooting around when I on why the program was dropped. Jones says help It’s not something you would expect to hear was 10 days late,” says Jones. “I was in my driveway from the school would lift some of the childcare from a person who’s been through as much as shooting a basketball and I said, ‘when I have this weight off her shoulders, but she’s lucky enough to Bienka Jones, 22. The St. Clair College basketball kid, I’m definitely playing again’ and I did.” have the support of family and a new boyfriend she player’s life has played out like a movie, full of Four months into the pregnancy, Jones saw her calls her “knight in shining armour.” hardships that, fortunately, led to triumph. Jones child’s father for the last time. On June 24, 2011, “It’s tough,” says Jones about balancing her was a star basketball player throughout her high she became a single mom to son Robert, named commitments. “It’s time-consuming. You learn a school years, offered as many as 12 scholarships for the grandfather he would never meet. She lot on a daily basis about yourself and about others, after graduation. She chose the Royal Military looked at little Robbie and knew she wanted to but I know that for people who put in the extra College of Canada to stay close to home and get make him proud. work, they get great results. You have to keep paid to go to school – she made over $11,000. “He motivated me and I knew that I didn’t want motivated, for sure. It’s doable.” Everything seemed perfect, but while Jones was at to work a low-income job of any sort and I wanted Now that he’s old enough, Robbie comes to University in 2008, her father died. It was the first to be able to provide for him,” she says. “I look at most of his mom’s home games. He has his own in a chain of adversities for the young student. him and I want to be able to give him the world and basketball nets and basketballs. “He was my basketball coach for the majority of more, so I buckled down and went back to school.” “If he actually sees a basketball, he’s running to my life and I was away at university when he passed Jones tried returning to St. Clair for it,” says Jones. “He knows what to do. He throws away, so I kind of stopped [playing] and didn’t want international business in 2011, but quickly realized it in the net.” anything to do with basketball for three While it looks like Robbie will be years,” Jones says. “Just be positive and don’t let the small things bug you carrying on the family tradition in An illness required Jones to obtain because they will eat at you if you let them.” Windsor, things on the court aren’t a medical release from school a few much different for two-year-old Marques JONES months lather. Symptoms like vomiting Hamilton, who lives in Toronto. blood and passing out regularly had it wasn’t for her. Now she’s studying liberal arts Marques has been going to the gym friends and family worried Jones had the same at St. Clair, but plans to continue her education since he was born because his parents, Samantha liver disease as her dad. After four months of tests, in hopes of obtaining a PhD in psychology. She Evans and Norman Hamilton, are former students a doctor was able to provide a diagnosis –it was a managed to start school when Robert was just a and current assistant basketball coaches at Seneca combination of mono and bronchitis. Jones tried few months old by sticking to evening classes. College. returning to college in 2009 to St. Clair College, Jones’ family stepped in to take care of little Evans, 24, had Marques on New Year’s Day but wasn’t happy with the law and security Robbie during the evening, while she studied and 2010. After giving birth to her son, she decided to program she chose. After leaving the program in hit the court. He’s now over a year old, allowing take the recreation and leisure services program to 2010, she started working two unfulfilling jobs and her to attend classes during the day while he’s help underprivileged children go to summer camp. the relationship with her new boyfriend became at daycare or with her mother. Unfortunately Thanks to her organizational skills, she managed to abusive. Jones says a surprise pregnancy in 2010 St. Clair dropped its daycare program, leaving go back to Seneca in September 2010, maintain turned out to be a blessing in disguise. student-parents to find their own childcare. The three jobs, play basketball for Seneca and take care “When I got pregnant, it was like that passion early childhood education program co-ordinator of Marques.
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of Marques. “The only hard part was getting someone to watch him while I go (to school) and then come back to watch my son,” says Evans. “When I’m at school, it’s not about worrying about him and how he’s doing; it’s about getting my school done and coming back, making sure he’s all right. Gradewise, I was fine.” Unfortunately for Evans, Seneca’s daycare program had an age restriction that kept then nine-month-old Marques from attending. Evans and Hamilton arranged their schedules to make sure their son was always taken care of, with the help and support of both grandmothers. Because both parents had multiple commitments, Marques spent a lot of time in Seneca’s gym. Luckily, the women’s and men’s basketball teams had practices right after each other. “When I was practicing, his dad would have him on the sidelines in a stroller just playing with him and then as soon as my practice was done, we’d flip,” she says. Now, Evans works a nine to five job at a private recreation centre, coaches basketball at Seneca three evenings a week and plays basketball on the weekend. In the fashion of a true coach, Evans had advice for other students with children. “Just be positive and don’t let the small things bug you because they will eat at you if you let them. Just stay ahead and go two steps further.” Marques has acquired his mom’s confidence, preferring the standard basketball nets used by his mom and dad to shorter nets. He dribbles and tries to shoot, even if he can’t quite reach the nets yet. Evans has already decided to coach her son until he’s in grade seven or eight and his dad will take over from there. Marques is only two, but his mom already sees his future in basketball. “He’s a ball hog, so he can be a point guard.” Another toddler from the Windsor area little Andrzej Musialowicz isn’t old enough to learn any sport, let alone his dad’s specialty. His crosscountry running father, Bart Musialowicz, 25, has had hopes of a cross-country future for his son long before the infant could even walk. “I’m going to encourage it, definitely, for him to go for runs with daddy,” the St. Clair civil engineering student said. Musialowicz may see runs as a future option, but the protective dad isn’t taking “the little man” on runs just yet. He prefers running on grass to pavement, so he’s leaving the walks up to mom. “I have a jogging stroller, but I haven’t tried it out yet,” he said. “It’s (for) six months (and up), but I’m a little scared to use it yet.” Though he won a coaches award for crosscountry, the modest runner doesn’t want to train Andrzej and said he’ll leave the job to someone with more experience. The self-proclaimed “middle of the pack runner” uses the sport as a way to manage stress “I find that running is a good outlet for getting away from the other two (academics and Andrzej), not that he (Andrzej) stresses me out a whole bunch, but being around a crying baby sometimes gets frustrating, especially if I’m trying to do my work,” says Musialowicz. “I look forward to my runs, getting out for an hour, away. Even with a crying baby, the all-academic award recipient kept up his 4.0 average the spring 2012 semester he became a father. OSAP helps the
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evans says her organizational skills make balancing sports and a kid easy. photo by sarah lennox young dad continue to pay for his schooling and even throws in some money to help with his child. According to the OSAP website, fulltime students are given $200 extra a month per dependent child. The runner said he wouldn’t be able to do everything he does without the help of OSAP. Musialowicz claimed he doesn’t have any trouble balancing his commitments, but it’s hard to believe he can take on fatherhood, academics, athletics and 20 hours at a tutoring job each week. The cross-country season is over, but Musialowicz spent more than 12 hours each week running. The secret? According to the athlete, it’s all about the planning. Andrzej’s mom takes evening classes at the University of Windsor in contrast to Musialowicz’s day classes. The two aren’t together, but they’ve worked to make sure they have contrasting schedules. This means there’s almost always a parent available to watch their son. If something comes up, a grandmother from either side steps in to watch the infant, but their babysitting is rarely needed. “There’s a lot more planning involved – you know, planning my time, my days, but (Andrzej has) actually made my time management skills a lot better,” Musialowicz says.
“I can’t really waste my time going out partying now. Every moment I have to myself, I have to devote to schoolwork, basically, and it’s actually worked out pretty great. I’ve been more on top of my schoolwork than ever before.“ Even with perfectly planned schedules, Musialowicz still misses out on some opportunities. He’s part of two engineering clubs on campus, but he has to play a minor role in each because of time constraints. “There are more things I would like to do,” he says. “There was a research opportunity here at the college that I would like to be involved in, but my plate was too full.” Missing out on opportunities may sound like a letdown, but Musialowicz’s seems more than content with his new life as a dad. Beaming, he shows off a cell phone picture of a chubby baby with a full head of dark hair. Like Robbie, Andrzej was also named after his deceased grandfather. Musialowicz may not have his own father around for tips, but he’s managed to make things work. If these parent athletes have anything in common it’s that none have any complaints. “A child should always be priority and you work everything else around the child,” he says.
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the other cheerleader
Overly involved parents are not new to the OCAA. photo by dona boulos
kim metcalf rarely misses her daughter’s games. photo by dona boulos
“Keep pounding! Keep Pounding!” Kim Metcalf’s voice echoes across the gym. Four games at a time are playing in the Humber gym; people everywhere are cheering and blaring demands, but Kim’s voice conquers all. This intense volleyball mom knows every play and every move her superstar daughter, Shawna Metcalf, makes. “Watch how low Shawna gets to the ground,” Kim and her husband, Darwin, point out. At the start of a game, Kim is helping the team warm up. The team is on one side of the volleyball court; Kim is on the other running back and forth, throwing the balls back to their side. “That’s called shagging,” she explains. “I want to see you jump high, Shawna!” Kim tells her daughter before the game. Sometimes Kim literally sits on the edge of her seat while watching her daughter’s sport. She moves around the stands to get a better look. She’ll tell people who are in her way to move. “Are you guys going to be standing there the whole time? Because this is an important game,” she says to a group of kids standing in her view. This kind-hearted lady means business when it comes to her daughter’s sport. It’s all fun and games until the ref makes a bad call, because Kim will be the first person to call it out. Standing, yelling, and hands in the air. “She yells at refs a lot,” says Shawna, star of Cambrian College’s women’s varsity volleyball. “She refs too, so she understands the game. If they make a bad call, she’s definitely the first one to say
BY: dona boulos
something.” “I honestly think that when I stop playing volleyball (my mom will) miss it more than I will,” said Shawna. In her first year at Cambrian, Shawna broke three personal records and has made it her own “personal goal” to break her career record for points over all and over all kills. Shawna, who has played varsity volleyball at Cambrian for four years, chuckles when thinking about her mom’s involvement in her athletic career. “Oh my God, she’s always around,” says Metcalf. “She considers herself the manager of our team. She travels with us everywhere. She even refs volleyball just so she can make enough money to pay for the hotels. She loves the sport, that’s for sure.” It can be easy for parents to become caught up in their kid’s game. Although Shawna’s mom is more supportive than obstructive, many parents become too disruptive during their child’s games, which can sometimes have extremely negative side effects on the coaches, the referees, the game itself, and most importantly the athletes. According to a 2011 psychologytoday.com article by Dr. Jim Taylor about the psychology of sports/parents, there are “red flags for overinvested sports parents.” Dr.Taylor’s study shows that merging with your child can become a hazard. “In your zealousness to see your children find athletic success, you are in
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danger of becoming so involved in your children’s efforts that you may not distinguish between your own needs and those of your children.” Another “red-flag” is living vicariously through your children. This can make the game all about the parents rather than making it about the child. Naturally as a parent, when your child succeeds you feel like you have succeeded. When your child fails, you feel like you have failed. “With living vicariously through your children, it is all about you.” Dr. Kate Hays, a Toronto based sports psychologist with Athletic Edge Sports Medicine, says “It’s one of those things that can be a very positive aspect (for the parent) because they may recall how much they enjoyed the experience themselves and how much they learned and how well they did. And so they may be enthusiastic supporters for their child to have that experience as well.” “If a parent is trying to live either through an unfulfilled dream or hope that their kid can replicate their experience, then it becomes more about the parent and less about the student and their involvement in their sport.” “I’ve always told Shawna that if I over step my boundaries, she needs to let me know,” says Kim, who considers herself a very athletic person and still plays competitive baseball at 51 years old. Luckily Shawna and her mom “have really good communication.” She says that if her mom is bothering her or is becoming too overbearing she just tells her to back off and she always respects that. Shawna says sometimes her mom interferes with the ref’s job. “I’ll tell her sometimes to let the refs do their jobs, so I’ll tell her to back off a little bit but then I realize where it’s coming from: it’s just her passion for the sport.” Dr. Hays says the key to a healthy relationship between parents and young athletes is communication. “I think it’s really useful for parents and young athletes to have a regular opportunity to review how things are going,” she says. “And if they set that up from the very beginning then it gives a chance for the parent and the student to talk about what is working well and what they would like to have different.” Another sports enthusiast is Claude Emery, the father of Erin Emery, a former star player and now assistant coach at Durham College. He admits, “You can’t help when you’re getting pulled into an emotional game.” “It’s quite loud and sometimes parents get overly excited about the game,” he says. “But my wife and I keep a healthy distance. It’s one thing to cheer them on, but it’s another thing when it becomes vindictive.” Claude says sometimes parents say malicious things to other parents about athletes. When it comes to being disruptive during a game, Claude says negative behavior doesn’t have a positive effect on the players, coach or game. Sometimes “the ref makes calls on the field that don’t always go your way and you feel that the game or calls are one-sided,” says Claude. “It’s only human nature. But it’s important to put yourself in the coach or referee’s position and many parents don’t realize how it feels (to be them).”
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Over the years, both Claude and his wife have been coaches, team executives, team equipment managers, chaperones, and fundraisers “for team after team”. Similar to Kim Metcalf, Claude and his wife have always been involved in sports and they ensured their children would be afforded the same opportunities. An article from the National Association for Sport and Physical Education proves that parents are a vital part of youth sports.When parents act inappropriately at games, it can affect the whole team. When it comes to disruptive parents at games, Dr. Hays says “the analogy that comes to my mind is secondary smoke. It may be someone else’s parent who is yelling at your friend but you can still end up feeling the effects of that yelling and feel embarrassed for your friend and uncomfortable about all the emotional tension going on.” “If parents can work on being positive role models then that can be a very good thing,” she said. Dr. Hays says that if parents focus on being positive role models during the game, it will translate to the players on the court. In all her years in sports, Shawna Metcalf said she has experienced parents talking about other players during games and it definitely affects the relationship within the team. “There’s no place for those things in sport and in fact that’s what ruins sports for kids or will turn a child off to competing. Some parents get too caught up in the win, win, win,” says Claude. Scott Dennis, vice-president of marketing and sports development for the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association says when he worked at the OCAA office about six years ago, (he) would get parents e-mailing about statistics on the website thinking they’re inaccurate, which he says the members of the OCAA would agree still happens. “Also, if their son or daughter didn’t win the OCAA athlete of the week award, parents would call in and try to get an explanation as to why their kid wasn’t selected. They were always looking for the best interest of their kids but it’s just not something that should be going on,” says Dennis with a chuckle. These types of issues in sports need to be addressed right away, in order to avoid future complaints or misunderstandings. “I think if you talk to the athletes I think they would be pretty embarrassed and would put an end to it inside the household,” says Dennis. “In the same way that we’re suggesting that the parent should differentiate between themselves and the athlete, we hope that the coach or the athletic director will be able to differentiate between the parent and the athlete,” says Dr. Hays. Kim Metcalf is loud, intense and admits to being a little crazy, but Shawna says she wouldn’t have it any other way. “I rather have an overbearing mom, like mine, than someone who doesn’t show up at all,” says Shawna.
kim metcalf is so dedicated to her daughter’s team that she considers herself the manager. photo by dona boulos
parents watched their daughters play volleyball at the Humber Cup tournament on Oct. 26, 2012. photo by dona boulos
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SECRET INGREDIENT
DO YOU KNOW WHAT’S IN YOUR SUPPLEMENTS? BY: SARAH LENNOX
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owders, pills, drinks, bars and gels– across the country, including OCAA athletes. All supplements come in many forms, but sports leagues and groups that adopt the antidon’t let the labels fool you; they aren’t all created doping program are educated about the list of equal. Athletes across the world are advised not prohibited substances and given unannounced to take any supplements, but why shouldn’t they substance tests. when the containers promise great results? “The way the doping control program According to sport dietitian Nicole Springle, works is every athlete who’s subject to it can be MAN, RD, cross contamination and the tested any time, anywhere,” says Luke. “There’s purposeful inclusion of banned substances in uncertainty built into the program (so) athletes supplements are quite common. don’t necessarily know when they will be tested “They (supplement companies) actually may and (we) don’t test every athlete.” put illicit substances in (supplements) so that According to Luke, athletes can be chosen people see results, but it may at random, “They (Supplement companies) not be reflected on the label,” chosen based says Springle. “People need to actually may put illicit substances on historical be aware that in Canada and the in [supplements] so that people see trends, U.S., supplements just aren’t as or chosen closely regulated as we would results, but it may not be reflected on because of tips the label,” like to believe.” sent to the Jennifer Sygo, registered organization. Nicole Springer dietitian with Cleveland Clinic Around 10 to Canada, says athletes have to be extremely 15 violations result from these tests each year careful when choosing a supplement and that and the director of the agency says a number they can look to their coaches for guidance. of athletes have claimed supplements were the “There was a big issue a few years ago with cause. a big product in the States called Muscle Milk “Supplements that are sold–there’s no and they found harmful trace metals,” says Sygo. regulation attached to them,” he says. “In other “Just because it’s popular and well known doesn’t words, there’s no guarantee that what’s in mean it’s safe.” the product is what’s listed on the label of the Some products claim to be all-natural, product.” but they also go without proper regulation or Even though some supplements contain enforcement. Springle says athletes face the banned substances, Luke says it’s difficult to same contamination risks whether a product is connect the two in cases of positive tests. When said to be natural or not. There’s even a risk with an athlete tests positive for a banned substance, common vitamins used by many people. Some he or she is given the right to a hearing with an vitamin D supplements carry the 100 per cent arbitrator from the Sport Dispute Resolution natural claim, but fail to mention the vitamin Centre of Canada. Athletes can argue against the is extracted from sheep’s wool that’s been accusation, but to prove a supplement was the eradiated, unlike vitamin D from a food source. cause, the product would need to be analyzed. “There’s a natural component to it, but it’s Sanctions as a result of positive tests range from definitely not in its complete natural form or else a warning to two years of suspension from sports people would be just eating these things in food,” teams in Canada. says Springle. “The best advice we can offer (athletes) to Though there are safe supplements available, reduce any risk of them testing positive is not to neither dietitian would recommend anything use supplements,” says Luke. without first assessing an athlete’s individual The director did say, however, that if athletes diet and health needs. Sygo and Springle agree, were to use supplements, they should look for however, that a good diet can provide the products with the words “NSF-certified” on vitamins and nutrients any athletic body needs if the labeling. The stamp of approval comes from the right foods are consumed. Springle suggests an organization in the United States that tests eating foods like nuts, oils and avocados for the supplements at the request of manufacturers. natural fats to increase energy. She also says skim Products with the label have been tested for milk powder is a good substitute for protein quality and are regulated. powders. “Those products certainly would put you at “Your best bet is to go food first and less risk of running into these problems (testing supplements as an adjunct,” says Sygo. “If they’re positive),” says Luke. “We identify that as a way not needed, don’t take them.” to reduce your risk. Ultimately, to avoid the risk Jeremy Luke, director of the Canadian Anti- altogether, the answer’s not to use them.” Doping Program, says supplements have been According to the Canadian Centre for Ethics a concern for anti-doping groups for up to 10 in Sports’ website, all supplements are taken at years. The program is responsible for the doping the user’s risk. tests done on athletes from up to 70 organizations
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hardwired BY:fter sarah macdonald a long day of class, of mental
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exertion, Humber Hawks women’s volleyball player Taylor Hutchinson stretches her cat-like limbs on the pale gym floor and feels the sinews and muscles under her skin move and ache. Hutchinson, tall and lithe, is surrounded by other girls doing similar moves before they spring up and into action. Skipping in place to get the blood flowing, muscles warm, these girls are ready to practice their serves, passes and the strategies that have helped them become winners. Hutchinson’s mind is still working furiously but without her truly realizing it. It’s automatic, reactive, she says. The routine is consistent and good and produces results. But why does it happen? But what drives a player like Hutchinson to skip in place three or more times a week or serve or focus on defense drills? It may seem like a pain at first but repetition and the blasé feelings that often come with it force you–unconsciously–to move all for the sake of the game and your success. What becomes of this repetition is a good, consistent set of habits. Habits are a routine pattern of behaviour, according to Judy Goss, director of sport science at Canadian Sports Centre Ontario. They are like a set of codes every individual is born with and only he or she has the power to alter. Every person’s brain is wired differently and the choice to drink a tea before leaving the house versus drinking a coffee at exactly 8:50 a.m. at your desk at work is one of the many quirks our minds have to offer. In terms of sport and athletics, these quirks can get even quirkier when it comes to the plethora of unconscious abilities and tricks our brains hold over our bodies. New York Times journalist Charles Duhigg’s bestselling book The Power of Habit delves into
the idea of how habits work and, subsequently, how we work because of them. Habits are, as Duhigg says in his book, choices we all deliberately make at some point but then, eventually, stop consciously thinking about and automatically do.The automatic nature of the habit is intriguing never more than in the world of sport. In his book Duhigg references NFL coach Tony Dungy and how Dungy was able to shape one of the worst teams in the league into something of a success story and all of it he attributes to changing the habits of athletes through a cue, routine, reward system. While national level sport success stories are fascinating, many coaches and athletes encourage this kind of behaviour with their teams in all levels and kind[s] of sport. Coaches work with athletes to help shape their minds. As Goss points out, the “body will respond in an automatic way. We train it every day to do what it’s supposed to do in sport.” Dungy tells Duhigg that if his players thought too much or hesitated to follow their instincts, the taking decision making out of the game system he created would fall apart, thereby causing his players to lose a game. Habits change because someone makes a choice to do so and slowly, surely, chipping away at it will do the trick—most times. Dungy’s system of making his players perform moves as a result of an automatic reaction versus any sort of process of thought really enhanced their abilities. This is ever present in OCAA sport. The theory of changing an athlete’s habit resonates whether they are playing at college level or professionally: each player is in control of their own performance.
While the athlete is in total control of the specifics involved in physically and mentally changing a habit, credit is owed to how a coach approaches the daunting task of shaping, mentoring and aiding his or her athletes. Hutchinson, 19, insists that head coach Chris Wilkins is the reason for her current skill level and performance on the championship winning team. Only in her second year with the Hawks volleyball team, Hutchinson recalls the terror she felt of moving to college sports when [she] came to Humber but through what she calls the “go out and be an idiot” approach from her coaches, her performance has increased substantially. “Do not care about what other people think,” Hutchinson says. “Go out and just act like you are the best.” This may seem like a cavalier work ethic but it isn’t at all. A casual tone set against a rigid practice schedule–along with the ever looming schoolwork and grade point maintenance–Hutchinson appreciates this philosophical style of coaching to make her play in the most effective way. Like Duhigg writes in The Power of Habit, over-thinking a move can ruin an athlete’s chance at succeeding, something Hutchinson has learned from Wilkins and co. “They help me realize I can’t think about what I do or over think it and nothing happens the way I want it to,” says Hutchinson. “If I over think passing [or that] my knees have to be a certain way, my arms have to be a certain way or I have to step towards the ball, really all that thinking just doesn’t work with me. The natural movement of where I want to go, and how I pass, if I don’t think about it, it’s perfect.” Coming to this realization takes time, which is necessary for the changing of any habit—not just
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changing habits in the fight to win Coaches who drill good habits into their athletes will develop consistency and therefore success, according to Charles Duhigg. photo by dona boulos
the ones players are troubled with. Hutchinson recalls the first time she realized her own capability of shutting herself off from worry and simply relying on her athletic instinct. In addition to this, the practice of going through game tapes to alter and adjust how a player plays is still effective. Coupling up confidence boosting notions of forgetting thinking in the game and rewatching old moves to improve performance go hand-in-hand, says Hutchinson. “We have a website called Huddle and our coach uploads videos,” she says. “He’ll say before a certain game he wants you to watch an hour of video. On that website he’ll circle things that he sees that you either did wrong or you did right. He’ll circle something and say ‘look at how we didn’t close that block.’” For Hutchinson “watching video is a key part so we can see where we did wrong.” “I like to see what I can work on and what I did right,” she adds. An individual effort can contribute largely to an athlete changing his or her habits on the court or field to be the best player they can be but as
Philosophizing on the court always in sport, team mentality plays a very significant role. Joey Martins, only in his second year as the women’s volleyball coach for Niagara College, managed to take his team to a championship game in his first season while this hadn’t been done for years. Martins, humble and jovial on the topic, doesn’t really know how the previous coach led the team; all Martins knows is how he shaped the team he has now and how it will inform his coaching in
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the future. “Our biggest thing is focusing on team first,” says Martin. “It’s not so much about the individual athlete. It’s more so about buying into our team’s philosophy and what we as coaches and our program believe in.” And while Martins says the key to the success of his team and athletes, currently, is this philosophical approach to the team as an entity to which no individual can really succeed if the entirety of the team doesn’t succeed. Believing is really the crucial step. “Our first year players and our second year players, we make sure our second year players, the players that have played at Niagara College, are helping the first year players on a daily basis whether it be with school, academic or personal life or volleyball,” says Martins. “They are there for each other and they understand that.We build a family like environment within our team and our program.” Without giving away key tactics, Martins alludes to the best practices he has seen when it comes to forming a good habit in an athlete, which comes down to the repeatability aspect. Ask a player to change the way in which he or she performs or make a play and then to do it again and again until it becomes unconscious habit will help with success. “If they have a bad habit, you break it down and explain to them and then you keep doing it over and over again until it becomes habit to do it properly. You have to explain to them why,” says Martins. “It’s something to tell an athlete ‘do this’ but if they don’t know why they are doing it they will not understand as well or do it as often unless they know exactly why they are doing it.” Humber women’s volleyball coach Chris
Wilkins says he bases a lot of his approach to coaching his athletes through being a former student athlete himself, and being most often moulded by previous coaches, as well as looking south to American college league coaches. But it’s the philosophy and making athletes comfortable in their space that Wilkins instills in his athletes to get them to succeed. “I sort of adopt a motto of what their philosophies on winning are,” says Wilkins. “And you know making sure athletes know that you care about them and that you want them to succeed.” A friendly, approachable attitude makes it easier to let athletes know how you want them to play and, if it needs changing, how to communicate it effectively. “They have got to be comfortable to be able to tell you when there is something they don’t understand or they don’t agree with,” says Wilkins. This idea of respect, Wilkins says, is vital to the approach of changing habits. In terms of discussing or altering the way an athlete plays, there needs to be a “two-way street of respect”, says Wilkins. “They’ve also got to feel that you’re comfortable to be able to tell them where their shortcomings are, what they need to improve on, and being able to give them an objective opinion without them thinking otherwise,” he says. In the end though, the mind is going to come out on top. “That’s what we all are trying to do in terms of athletes and enhancing performance,” says Goss. “You’re trying to bring some self-awareness to the athletes for them to identify and notice how they respond and react under stress and pressure. So once they notice what the good things are and the bad things are then obviously you try to change them.”
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seeing red
is anger in sports a help or a hinderance?
in these photos the humber hawks engaged in a rough battle against the conestoga condors on oct. 10, 2012. photos by chanelle seguin
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BY: SHARON TINDYEBWA
n a brisk fall evening, about 30 people gathered to watch the Centennial Colts men’s soccer team play against the Algonquin Thunder. Algonquin was leading 2 - 0 and the tension in the stands was palpable. “Oh, come on!” yelled one fan as the Colts missed a goal. The players on the field shared the frustration in the stands. “Fuck!” one athlete shouted, loudly enough to be heard from the fourth row of the bleachers, as the opposing team intercepted the ball he was about to kick. He paused for a minute, his eyes frantic. Someone in the stands called out to him to keep going and a few others clapped in support. The player didn’t acknowledge the fans but quickly ran after the ball. Anger and frustration are a part of every sport, whether it’s after missed goals, failed passes, bad calls or huge losses. Some coaches use anger as a way to galvanize their team and some athletes use it to push themselves. Anger can be both destructive and motivational. Whether anger is something that should ever be encouraged in sports remains a point of contention on the field. Jimmy Zito has been playing soccer since he was four years old. At the age of 25, he began coaching professionally and has been head coach of the Algonquin men’s soccer team for the past two years. He led Algonquin to one provincial championship and was named coach of the year at the annual Ottawa Sports Awards in 2011 for his work coaching the Ottawa Fury. Zito says he thinks anger can be a positive force in sports as long as it does not get out of hand. “It’s good to be a little bit angry but not to the point that you are mad and you are crazy and are not running around with control,” he says. Zito knows what it is like to let anger get the best of you. At the age of 18, while playing for Algonquin, he got a red card 20 minutes into an OCAA provincial final. “I couldn’t control myself and I side tackled someone out of bounds and it cost my team the provincial.” The Humber Hawks, the team that they lost to during that game would go on to win the national championship. Zito says that he has never gotten over that experience but it taught him the importance of being in control. He and his team would later become two time OCAA national champions in 2002 and 2004. Zito now shares his painful lesson on control with athletes. Linda Stapleton, director of sports and recreation at Seneca College, says she doesn’t see how anger can ever benefit an athlete.
“Anger does not have a role in sport. It is not positive, it is not constructive.” Stapleton says she thinks athletes should have passion but that is different from anger. “The difference between passion is that you love what you are doing. Passion can be focused and it can be controlled – anger sometimes cannot be controlled.” Stapleton says she has seen too many incidents of anger getting the best of a team. “I have seen more instances where anger has spun the team out of control. Whether it be anger of a coach or anger of a key player but you can just see how they spin out of control and lose focus.” Stapleton says coaches can make sure that athletes do not allow their anger to get out of hand by knowing how to talk to them in challenging situations. “If you are aware of a player’s buttons, you can manage that as a coach.You can work with them to recognize what they are.” In many sports, aggression is an important part of the game. There is a thin line between aggression and anger and sometimes it seems one creates the other. Fabian Rayne, coach of the Humber men’s rugby team, says both anger and aggression can be good for athletes but it is all about control. “You have to be in a controlled manner while being aggressive,” he says. “For our boys, you know a lot of them are elite high-caliber players and they understand that line and I don’t think they cross it very often. There are one or two times they do something silly but for the most part that controlled aggression is pretty good for us.” A former professional athlete in the Canadian Football League, Rayne coached his rugby team to being crowned the 2011 OCAA champions. He is also the founder, president and CEO of Fab Your Life, a health and wellness company in Markham, Ont. and currently teaches in the health and fitness program at Humber. Rayne says sports give athletes a way to channel anger into a positive force. “We all have some anger inside of us and a lot of time sports [are] a good way to release that anger, again in a controlled fashion,” says Rayne. “A lot of these guys, they may have issues at home, in the classroom, issues at work, and this is kind of the place for them to come and get their stress out in a controlled aggressive environment.” One of Rayne’s players, Jason Chuck, disagrees with his coach. Chuck, 24, says he does not believe anger should ever be a part of sports. “I don’t think anger is a motivator,” he says. “We have had a couple of players let emotions get
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the best of them and overall they affect the team in a negative way.” Centennial men’s soccer team coach, Julian Carr, says whether anger is positive or negative depends on the individual. “There are some individuals that get angry–they get angry at themselves–and it pushes them forward and it propels them to a positive state of mind.” Other athletes get angry with themselves and are unable to move past, which prevents them from turning the anger into motivation. “If they are somebody who has a very fixed mindset then they are going to get down on themselves, take themselves out of the game further, start to take the teammates out of the game by their mental attitude and by their body language and then they become useless to the team on the field at that given time.” St. Clair women’s basketball player, Jenae Grayer, says she is one of those athletes who uses anger to push herself forward. Grayer admits she often gets mad on the court but says it is always at herself and not the team. She says she may get angry for missing a pass or when a game is not going well but the feeling usually elevates her instead of bringing her down. “When I get angry, it is like a burst of energy. For me when I get angry, it is all about myself so I either put myself down or I put myself on a high.” Grayer maintains that while there are some times she may get down on herself, most of the time her anger is positive. “When I get angry, it is mostly all energy and intensity.” Grayer says her anger can also serve as motivation for other players on the team. “For me, bringing that aspect lifts everybody up,” she says. She describes herself as a leader on the court who
uses the intensity brought on during a bad game to lift teammates up who may be lacking enthusiasm. “I think it pumps up people more than anything when I bring that intensity because it is all high energy.” Ken Ambrose, Grayer’s coach, agrees that anger can sometimes serve as motivation for athletes. Ambrose says he will sometimes get angry with his players and try to get them back in the game if it isn’t going well but admits that the approach doesn’t work with all athletes. “I think you have to know your athletes. I think that if I get angry with some of my girls, it motivates them but if I get angry with a few others, I am thinking of a couple in particular, they go into a shell.” Ambrose says being a coach is akin to being a psychologist and knowing how to read each person. “Some players you have to coddle, some players you get mad at, some players you have to soft-con.” Ambrose has also seen athletes use anger to push themselves and he cites Grayer as one example where anger acts as a positive motivator for an athlete. “When she does something wrong the way she motivates herself is she gets upset with herself and she gets mad and so on and so forth and she wants to prove she is a better player than what she has already shown.” Ambrose echoes Carr and Grayer’s sentiment that whether anger is positive depends on the individual. “You got to be careful with anger because if you take your head out of the game then you are not doing anyone any good but if you can turn it on yourself and push yourself more – and Jenae can – then I think that is good for you,” he says. Sports psychologist Mario Faveri says that
tech fitness trainer F
BY: shazia islam
itness at the tip of your finger? It’s a trendy, affordable way to stay in shape. For just a few dollars or even for free, you can enjoy the benefits of having a personal training system that fits conveniently in your palm and causes less stress on your wallet. There are many new health and fitness apps you can tap your way to a healthy body and soul by watching the demos on apps such as Nike Training Club, iFitness, and iMuscle. The latter actually teaches fitness enthusiasts the various muscles that are used during a workout. But does this mark the end of actual, live personal trainers? Calum Shaw, a personal trainer at Humber College, says apps can help people keep track of their workouts but they’re not a substitute for a live trainer. “I think the advantage of having a personal trainer is that you’re accountable to somebody. You go once a week or twice a week to see them because you make that commitment to a person; it’s much harder to make that commitment to a phone app,” says Shaw, who helps students at Humber stay in shape during the long semesters when completing school assignments becomes their sole
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the idea that anger can ever serve as motivation or play a positive role in sports is a myth. “One of the things that we still find is coaches who still believe if they promote anger among their athletes that their athletes will perform better. In other words they will be faster, they will hit harder and so on. But the reality is that there is no evidence to support that at all. If anything, it interferes with their performance,” says Faveri. While coaches like Zito, Rayne, Carr and Ambrose all say that anger can be positive if it can be focused, Faveri says that anger always interferes with an athlete’s ability to focus and concentrate – two things that he deems key to an athlete’s good performance. In addition to affecting an athlete mentally, Faveri says anger also has negative physical aspects. “One of the things that anger does is it creates body tension and body tension is the enemy of the athlete.You lose your ability to be coordinated.You lose your ability to transfer your weight easily and freely.” According to Faveri, the idea that anger can be positive is part of our culture, a myth that is cultivated by coaches and the media, and one that he works with athletes and coaches at the Performance Enhancement Centre to correct. The idea that controlled or focused anger and aggression can be positive is one that still seems to resonate. Not all in the sports world agree, however, and they argue that anger is the antithesis to control and focus. Without a clear consensus on this, whether anger can ever serve as motivation comes down to who you talk to, and it appears to be up to coaches and athletes to figure out what works best for each individual.
courtesy william hook (flickr) raison d’etre. Shaw also works at an off-site gym and currently has several clients on his list of people who need that human connection to stay motivated. Shaw says he enjoys personal training, which was a natural choice for him after he got into shape in high school. “It just carried over.” Shaw does not discount the advantage of iPhone fitness apps and says they can help people stay on track with their exercise and nutrition regimen, and can serve as a complement to the work a real trainer does with his/her clients. Shaw himself does not own an iPhone but he says apps that include calorie counters are useful because part of staying in good shape is to know how much food we consume every day. He even has his own idea for an iPhone app that fitness buffs and newbies might find relevant. “Some kind of food journal type app where they have to write down everything they’re taking at the end of the day or maybe it’s exercise or energy output and food intake. And then at the end of the day, it comes up with a total and that will give you the total calories you burned, total calories you took in, and whether or not you`re going to gain, lose, or stay the same weight that day.” Sounds like the next big app to hit the iPhones of fitness enthusiasts everywhere.
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“Since I’m so fit, I don’t get tired very easily. It keeps my body going,” she says. “If I sat around, it would just make my body worse. I have to have structure in my life.” The athlete was on the soccer team at Centennial but had to quit due to scheduling conflicts. Outside of school she also plays: tennis recreationally, gymnastics regularly, and volleyball leisurely. In her life, she approaches it like she approaches a game, always striving forward with a goal in mind. She currently volunteers at Variety Village which provide sports, life skills, and learning programs to impact lives and strengthen communities, and one day, she hopes to work for them. The work that Variety Village does helps many children like MorganLynette growing up, as many children with epilepsy live in fear of being active. This fear grows out of a stigma that people with epilepsy are physically limited to what they can do, one of the many myths surrounding the disorder. “Epilepsy is a really common brain condition, but very few people who have epilepsy talk about it publicly,” says Suzanne Nurse, an epilepsy information specialist for Epilepsy Ontario. “And so because it’s not something we hear Jamie Morgan-Lynette says her epilepsy has not hindered her about just in general conversation, we ability to play the sports she loves. photos by Emily Crewe don’t get a lot of information about it in the general public, and I think that convulsions, and results in a blank stare as if the person is daydreaming and various subtle perpetuates the myths surrounding the condition. movements like, in Morgan-Lynette’s case, So there needs to be greater public awareness, shuttering of the eyes. According to her mother there needs to be more information shared of what Karen Morgan, it is difficult to keep tally due to the epilepsy is.” Another reason there are several myths, varying nature of epilepsy, but the student athlete can have anywhere from 0 at her best condition, according to Nurse, is that for all of recorded (from the age of 5 to 6 ½, there were no seizures), human history, people didn’t really understand what caused people to have seizures and developed up to as many as 100 absence seizures per day. Despite her condition, Morgan-Lynette is explanations such as being possessed by demons fortunate to have a mother whose compassionate and other untrue theories. That sort of history is work for Central TorontoYouth Services carried on perpetuated today. One person who does talk about her epilepsy at home, and a father who, according to Morgan, “compromised his career to be available ” for his is Tiffany Barnes, a 25-year-old volunteer at the Epilepsy Support Centre who was diagnosed with daughter at school. In her essay for the OBCL scholarship, Morgan- the disorder at the age of 17. Currently she is Lynette wrote that it was her parents who taught heavily involved in ball hockey. “I try to talk about it as much as I can so people her the most about her condition and supported her with “disclosing and explaining the specifics of realize I’m as normal as my sister or the person sitting next to me,” she says. “But the more we talk my seizures.” Despite being in full understanding of her about it, the less there is going to be those stigmas condition, managing it is a different story. It has and myths.” Of all the myths, which can simply be read led to learning and development problems, where even talking can be a challenge for the 21-year- on any epilepsy website, the misconception that old. However, Karen Morgan was able to share the children with epilepsy are physically limited to what they can do can put kids in a difficult situation. accomplisnhments of her daughter growing up. For Morgan-Lynette grade school was “Every student in the grade 1 to grade 6 program were running these laps around the school: before memorable, having won athlete of the year in school, recess, lunch hour, afternoon, and Jaimie Grade 6. However, what followed in middle school would log hundreds of kilometers because they’d was quite the opposite. In her essay, she described her teachers as give them a popsicle stick for every lap,” says Morgan. “Sometimes she would push and push and unsupportive and felt she was excluded from she’d have a seizure at the very end, a grand mal, participating in class and sports. “They just didn’t get it [epilepsy] to the same but we always said do not let these things stop you, extent,” says her mother. “We lived right across that was paramount.” And Morgan-Lynette has never stopped. She the street from the school, and as part of her being was able to comment in a short interview on how able to participate one of us really used to have to be there because they didn’t have the manpower much sports helped her cope with her condition.
taking control keeping epilepsy out of the game
BY: kollin lore “I can say that epilepsy has shaped my life, because I have had seizures since I was seven months old. It is part of my life. It is part of me, but it is not me. I just have epilepsy,” – Jaimie MorganLynette, 21, student athlete, in “How Epilepsy Shaped my Life.” In 2006, Lawton Osler, owner of Osler Business Consulting Ltd. funded the OBCL Epilepsy Scholarship which recognizes up to ten students each year, aged 16-29, who use the challenges of their condition as motivation. In the summer of 2012 a student-athlete from Centennial College, Jaimie Morgan-Lynette, 21, inspired Osler and a panel consisting of Epilepsy Ontario board members with her essay on how epilepsy shaped her life, and was one of eight recipients to achieve this year’s scholarship. Epilepsy is a seizure disorder caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain–the thought of someone falling to the ground and convulsing would come to mind. Known as tonicclonic (formerly grand mal seizure), this is only one of several types of seizures described on the Epilepsy Canada website. According to the World Health Organization, epilepsy is the most common brain disorder worldwide, and as noted on the Epilepsy Canada website, an average of 42 people learn they have the disorder each day and 15,500 every year. An individual’s epilepsy varies depending on the frequency of their seizures and the effectiveness of the medication. For Morgan-Lynette, though there were moments where her seizures would be better controlled by adjusting her medication in consultation with a healthcare provider, she generally can have a tonic-clonic seizure every week. The 21-year-old would also have absence seizures, which causes unconsciousness without
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to have somebody consumed with dealing with a seizure.” Morgan notes that another reason for the lack of support is liablity issues, which Nurse emphasizes. “If the school–the teachers and administrators– are aware that a child has epilepsy, sometimes there is a desire to protect the child from having seizures and being hurt,” says Nurse. “But the flip side of that is that sometimes children don’t participate or are not allowed to participate in sports or activities with their peers. That’s unfortunate because all the evidence that we have and there is more and more pointing to this is that exercise is really important for all children, and that includes children with epilepsy for all kinds of different reasons.” Nurse notes that there are studies showing exercise, in fact, inhibits seizure acitivites in the brain. On top of that, not being able to participate in sports deprives a child of being part of the group and interacting with peers. “Being on a team with other people made me feel like for that hour, hour and a half, I don’t have to worry about my doctor, medications, appointments,” said Barnes. “I can just go and be free and not have to worry about everything and go have a good time and laugh and chat about anything but for what’s going on with me. It’s helped me socially and physically as well.” There are different precautions to consider when participating in sports that can vary depending on the individual. Nurse says “there’s a very big spectrum” in terms of the types of epilepsy people may have. How frequently they may have [seizures] and how well controlled they may be with treatment.”
Nurse notes the importance of consulting with a healthcare professional when developing an exercise program, as different features such as temperature level or dehydration could induce seizures for different individuals. Nurse also emphasizes the precautions to take for water sports, contact sports, and biking. She notes that activities that could be dangerous if a seizure occurs, such as swimming, require special consideration. According to the Canadian Epilepsy Alliance swimming can be safe and enjoyable, but always with a buddy who is an experienced swimmer. Inform the lifeguard about your seizures,
and consider wearing an easily identifiable bathing cap or flotation device. According to advice on Epilepsy.com, swimming may be contraindicated for a person with uncontrolled seizures unless the person is very closely supervised by properly trained people. Contact sports like football and hockey can also be precarious for people with epilepsy. It’s important to use the right safety equipment and a good fitting helmet, which is recommended for any type of player, says Nurse. However, the most important lesson to take is that despite the precautions, people with epilepsy should not live in fear and they are not physically limited to what they can do. “I think the best thing people can do is to be
informed of what the risk can potentially be,” says Nurse. “And to make an informed decision as to which sports or types of acitivies they most want to engage in.” Another winner of the 2012 OBCL epilepsy scholarship is Rahman Mohamed, 23, a York University student majoring in sociology. During the summer, Mohamed had brain surgery – a procedure that is offered when medication fails. Before his surgery, Mohamed played badminton on Fridays, an activity he looked forward to every week. In his spare time he would also play dodgeball, soccer and tennis. He hopes to educate young people about the misconceptions of epilepsy. “I want to show people that epilepsy doesn’t hold you back from achieving your dreams, from being who you are. People with epilepsy can advance,” he says. Mohamed isn’t an athlete, but playing sports is a hobby he thoroughly enjoys. “There were times where I was playing sports with so many of my friends and I was actually winning in the games. I was taking my medication; I had no seizures, no problems. Sports always made me feel better.” Unlike Mohamed, Morgan-Lynette would have seizures on the field, her condition being more uncontrolled, says Morgan. Yet the two OBCL recipients are similar in how they use their will to overcome their condition. “After a seizure, my father would often tell my coaches to put me back in the game and I often returned to the soccer pitch and finished playing the game,” wrote Morgan-Lynette. “The seizures continued, but so did I.”
“Probably the biggest rivalry is Humber and Sheridan men’s basketball for interest, crowds, buzz, all that kind of stuff,” says Babcock. Although Babcock credits Humber and Sheridan for having the best rivalry in the OCAA, he also notes that many of Durham’s varsity teams clash heads with St. Lawrence and Loyalist. Loyalist athletic director, Jim Buck BY: chanelle seguin agrees that Durham photo by Al fournier is a heavy “You can’t force it,” says Jim Flack, athletic director at Sheridan College and head coach of the competitor for his athletics due to proximity. “We set some pretty good rivalries with schools men’s varsity basketball team for Sheridan, when asked how the Humber versus Sheridan men’s that are near by,” says Buck. “The two immediate ones would be St. Lawrence Kingston and Durham basketball rivalry came to be. College. Most of the times it intertwines among “It has to happen out of natural progression.” The rivalry has often been compared to the all the sports.” Buck fondly remembers a basketball game that reputation of Duke-North Carolina games for men’s basketball. And, while Americans are more ignited a spark between Loyalist and Durham. “Durham’s men’s basketball team at that time passionate about their college sports, Humberwas the number one team in Sheridan is the closest thing the country, they hadn’t lost “When we approach the OCAA has. Flack says there was a (humber game) days now I look a game and we were nowhere near as talented as they were period from 1985 to the at it with fondness instead of on paper,” says Buck. “They early 2000s that had either came in here and they were anticipation” Humber or Sheridan or both loaded up with talent. I was in the OCAA final. The longFlack actually coaching basketball standing competition is well at the time and our kids just known all over the OCAA. Ken Babcock, athletic director for Durham played absolutely unbelievably and everything sort College admits that the Humber—Sheridan rivalry of went our way and we beat Durham.” Another OCAA rivalry is one between is the poster child for OCAA competition.
Redeemer and Mohawk. Dave Mantel, athletics director for Redeemer University, says the fire of the Redeemer–Mohawk rivalry is fueled by the fact that the campuses are no more than 10 minutes apart. “Since, I don’t know, 2008 or maybe even 2006, it could go back that far, both of our volleyball programs have been strong,” says Mantel. “In 2010 we played (at Redeemer) at the provincial championships in the bronze medal game. I think in that game they won the first two and then we came back and won the next three.” Mantel says the intensity and close, dramatic games that Redeemer and Mohawk put on are another reason for the rivalry between the crosstown schools. “Most every Mohawk—Redeemer game goes to five which adds to the intensity and excitement around those games,” says Mantel. The OCAA has exemplified some pretty impressive games over the years. So what is the best approach before a rivalry game? Flack says his mentality before a Humber game is the same as any other game now because the OCAA men’s’ basketball program is getting stronger. “When we approach (Humber game) days now, I look at it with fondness instead of anticipation,” says Flack. “We have to play against Mohawk and Fanshawe and other schools who have their programs really growing. We can’t focus on that game too much because we have to be prepared for our other games. Sure we get excited for it, but it’s just like any other game on our calendar. “
tough
“IT IS PART OF ME, BUT IT IS NOT ME. I JUST HAVE EPILEPSY” MORGAN-LYNETTE
competition
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Stripes is the newest member of the mascot family for the Hamilton Tiger Cats football team. photos by kaitlyn campanella
helping hands
How some mascots go above and beyond the game
O
skee wee wee, oskee waa waa, holy mackinaw, Tigers… eat ‘em raw! A chant that is foreign to many but second nature to Hamiltonians, traditionally led by the original cheerleader Pigskin Pete – Hamilton’s Canadian Football League team, the Tiger Cats mascot. The original Pigskin Pete, Vince Wirtz, led the crowd in the chant for the first time in the 1920s and was followed in suit – top hat and all, by Bill Wirtz, Paul Weilier, and the current Pete, Dan Black. Along with the long running tradition of Pigskin Pete comes the Ticats’ original mascot T.C., first appearing in 1984. Since the summer of 2004, the newest cat on the roster, Stripes, has been pumping up the fans alongside Pigskin Pete and T.C. “It’s a very rewarding feeling to make people laugh and cheer,” says Stripes. Stripes, one of two official Hamilton Tiger Cat mascots, is best known for his game day dance moves and fan engagement. However, this CFL mascot has a number of responsibilities both on and off the field. “There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes on game days. Everyone works to follow a schedule. One minute I might be out on the field, the next I might need to be cutting a promo up in the stands,” says Stripes.
BY: kaitlyn campanella
“There is a whole stadium full of people to visit and entertain, so I try my best to visit as many places as I can.” Stripes’s season does not end following the Grey Cup ceremonies, as it does for the teams. Stripes has become a staple in the Hamilton area and can relate to the importance of community and the excitement that mascots bring to children and adults alike. “I remember watching shows growing up, like Sharon, Lois and Bram, The Elephant Show and Polkadot Shorts, and always thinking how cool the mascot characters were. It’s really cool to think that I can have a similar effect on kids,” says Stripes. Stripes says that going to community events is a very important part of his job; he visits many festivals, sporting events and elementary schools at least once a month. “Sometimes I’ll be at an event with a lot of kids, who might not have had the chance to see a mascot before, so it’s really rewarding to make them laugh,” says Stripes. “Lately I’ve been involved with a lot of events to help promote healthy living choices, which help promote a good message.” Along with staying anonymous beneath the mask–keeping the cat in the bag–Stripes’ main priority is to be a positive influence in the community. “Any event I go to, I try to get involved as possible to help make a difference.”
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A
BY: sarah macdonald
pithy downbeat, a mesmerizing chorus and a bass line with sass make for some good jams in any situation. But the ones we listen to while working out help give that extra push of motivation. Would you get through that last bicep curl without the swagger and croon of “No Church in the Wild” by Kanye West and Jay-Z? These songs were chosen for their fast beat and motivating sound. Hopefully this list will help out any student who may be in a rut with their current workout playlist. With a mixture of traditional rock (David Bowie) to millennial New Yorkers (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) to mash-ups of old and new (Danger Mouse) and everything in-between, these songs will make conquering the elliptical all that much easier.
to the wall
Chelsea Dagger – The Fratellis Bad Romance – Lady Gaga Infinity Guitars –Sleigh Bells Date with the Night – Yeah Yeah Yeahs I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys D.A.N.CE. – Justice (MSTRKRFT Remix) Howlin’ For You – The Black Keys 99 Problems – Danger Mouse Rebel Rebel – David Bowie Treat Me Like Your Mother – The Dead Weather Take Me Out – Franz Ferdinand
courtesy marvin kuo (flickr)
BY: kollin lore
F
orget basketball, hockey, and baseball, if you want to watch a hardcore sport go see a dodgeball tournament! In a high school gymnasium, the sport that has its players “dodging, ducking, dipping, diving, and dodging” is mostly all fun and games, but as part of the Ontario Colleges Committee on Campus Recreation (OCCCR) extramural schedule it can also bring out quite the intensity in its athletes. “What really fuels me is the competitiveness,” says Michael Lasuik, 24, who was part of a Humber Lakeshore team that won 27 games and only lost one from 2009 to 2012. “Whether you get a new team that is all baseball players who can throw really hard or a team that uses strategy well – it’s a really competitive sport, and people who watch it absolutely love it.” Some of the other teams that have competed or shared hosting duties since dodgeball was introduced to the OCCCR schedule in 2009 are Humber North, George Brown, Boréal, and Centennial. Several round robin tournaments occur throughout the school year. Games
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play(hard)list courtesy jaap stronks (flickr)
Jump in the Pool –Friendly Fires No Church in the Wild – Jay-Z & Kanye West (f. Frank Ocean) Four Kicks – Kings of Leon Dead Disco – Metric Kids – MGMT Juicebox – The Strokes Rock n’ Roll Queen – The Subways Cousins – Vampire Weekend Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt – We Are Scientists Warp 1.9 – The Bloody Beetroots (f. Steve Aoki) Bombs Over Baghdad – Outkast Don’t Stop – Fleetwood Mac
are best of seven and each tournament takes a day to complete. “Word is still getting around just because it’s not a typical sport,” says Tammy Nopuent, program co-ordinator at George Brown. “And then when they finally do come out for tryouts or something and make it to the tournament they don’t realize how intense it actually is.” Outside of the college system, some athletes have come to take the sport seriously, including Lasuik, who has competed worldwide in cities including Hong Kong, Chicago, and Las Vegas, also represented Canada in the Malaysia World Championship in March 2012. The 24-year-old athlete who also plays hockey, baseball, softball and ultimate Frisbee, considers dodgeball his favourite by a mile. Lasuik led his own team, The Devil Bats, to a $700 win at a provincial, “Elite-8” dodgeball invitational tournament in Mississauga on November 3. The same tournament also saw Humber Lakeshore compete as one of the top 8 teams in Ontario, losing a nailbiter in the quarter finals. According to Victor Gravili, the coach of the Lakeshore team, the key to success is development and making sure athletes develop the know how of how to play smart dodgeball. He also has a philosophy
in terms of strategy. “It’s not a shocker that my reputation each season is building a strong defence and pushing out offence,” says Gravili. “I think it takes offence to get to the playoffs, but it takes defence to win those championships.” Athletics facility manager and program co-ordinator at Lakeshore, Sonya Herrfort, has been there with the team every step of the way. “It’s a sport that has such strong athleticism. With students that are playing, it impresses me to watch a match and watch how athletic they are. It truly is awesome.” she says. “You’ve got the diving of volleyball; you’ve got the throwing of baseball. It’s very unique compared to other sports.” According to Lasuik, on top of volleyball and baseball there are also basketball athletes who can jump and hockey athletes with great reflexes.The clashing of different skills from different sports is what makes dodgeball that much more interesting. However, the sport still has a long way to go before it ever becomes mainstream. There are still many critics who consider it as a game and not a sport. “I think it’s time we move away from the nostalagia that it’s a game, [because] there is skill involved,” says Gravili. “In soccer anyone can kick a ball, and the same thing applies for dodgeball, anyone can throw and catch, but it’s how well they can do it.”
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athlete’s
corner
twin city meet the twins of durham women’s soccer team photos courtesy durham athletics
We have not really played together for a few years, because she was at Humber for a few years and I’ve been at Durham. Our experience has been bumpy. 75% of the time we get along the rest of the time not so much. Because we live together when away at school, I’ve learned to not let the little arguments get to me and I forgive and forget in a heartbeat. For the teams it’s not a nice sight to see us bickering all the time. My advice, I suggest other twins playing together to treat your twin like your best friend, as our matching tattoos say, “Blood made us sisters, Hearts made us friends”.
One of the challenges I have come across playing with my twin is giving her constructive feedback. I know my sister performs better when she is given feedback about her good performance and her errors; however, it has been apparent that she doesn’t like to hear it from me. It’s almost like she feels I’m putting her down, but that is not the case. At times this leads to arguments and affects our playing chemistry.
KAELA STINCHCOMBE-BROWN
KENESHA STINCHCOMBE-BROWN
photo by stacey thompson
T
here’s a secret in the sports world that hasn’t been kept very well. It’s a secret that most athletes are a part of, sometimes unwillingly, and it seldom benefits their slap shot or free throw. Somehow it creeps into the locker rooms at every level. It would be ignorant to say that hazing is on the rise, because it’s always been around. Unfortunately, there’s no way to keep track of it. I’ve had the unwilling privilege of having a front row seat to the action. I’ve seen everything from streaking in a family restaurant, to pre-game dance routines in a dress in front of hundreds of family and friends. The mental and physical effects hazing has on players is something I’ve noticed through the years, and although it may come off as innocent, its nature and reputation speaks for itself. Dr. Christopher Kowalski who has published articles in the International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, paints a picture of what happens when hazing occurs, usually in a person’s first year and at the beginning of a season. “A young rookie who doesn’t want to take part in this begins to develop anxiety issues as the ‘rookie party’ approaches,” Dr. Kowalski says in his University of Iowa
DANIELLE SERO Being a twin everyone views you as one person instead of two. The coach sometimes expects you to be just as good as your twin even if you’re not. The most difficult challenge is being compared to my twin, I feel like I deserve to be recognized for me and my choices. As a team is it nice to work together but when it comes to setting us apart in different team settings or functions it is nice to be recognized as your own person.
I personally like it sometimes because we aren’t always the center of attention or the ones getting mixed up. On the other hand some people mix up which set of twins they are talking about and then things get even more confusing. I find that on the field we are able to play better together as we have been playing and practising together for many years, but it can have its downfall–if one was to make a mistake and the other get too heated. This could potentially throw one of us off our game.
BRITTANY SERO
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the mental hazards of
hazing in college
office. “So for the days leading up to the party, and the days following, it’s difficult to cope, especially at a young age. That stuff stays with you forever.” The “stuff ” Dr. Kowalski refers to are the hazing rituals a rookie has to endure, often involving humiliating tasks or consuming massive amounts of alcohol. Although a lot of it is kept behind closed doors, it always seems to get exposed after tragedy strikes. In 2012, John Rich (pseudonym to protect player’s identity), a former Ontario College Athletic Association (OCAA) rugby player, witnessed what can happen when rookies feel pressured by their peers at rookie parties. “The rookies had 40’s [40oz bottles of beer] duct-taped to each of their hands, and they weren’t allowed to leave until they finished drinking them,” says Rich. He also recalls an incident involving an intoxicated player who was left alone in his residence room. “We took him back to his room, and I guess he got up and smashed his head on something.” Rich says that ultimately the player was fine, but it’s a scenario that has capacity to be much worse. Rich adds that although it’s meant as a form of team bonding, the rookies have the choice whether they want to participate. “They didn’t have to show up if they didn’t want to,” Rich says. “The night of, it’s embarrassing, but personally I wouldn’t be thrilled to do it if I was them.” While this is technically true, rookies have a hard time saying no to the pressure exerted by seniors of the team. The proverbial “goal” of hazing is to bring a team together, and if you don’t participate, you’re usually left out.
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From day one, our athletes knew that things were going to be different. Our plan was to change the culture and make our program competitive and well organized. But we understood that this isn’t something that changes over night. As it shows in our record this year (1-6-1) this is a stepping stone to things getting better and I feel as though we have opened some eyes in our Conference and our opponents know that Lambton will be ready to compete next year. With all that being said I can only take so much credit because the individuals that make up my coaching staff put in tireless hours in working and helping to make our program better and successful. No individual has a minor part. I think as a whole
Peter Baxter, Laurier’s athletics director, said one of his athletes tried to defend the hazing act. “He said to me, ‘the other day I saw a YouTube clip of Brett Lawrie wearing a tutu in the Blue Jays locker room’,” Baxter recalls. “The problem these days is that young athletes are seeing that their idols are doing this on TV, so that makes it alright.” In that case, doesn’t it make sense that an aspiring professional baseball player who emulates his idol’s batting stance or pitching mechanics, will also follow his lead off the field? “Absolutely,” Dr. Kowalski says. “If you take your outside experiences and implement them into your sporting rituals, you’re hurting the team, because then you have kids who can’t discern between what is proper, and they can’t think straight.” Sommer Christie, a mental performance consultant with Canadian Sports Psychology, has been around hazing, and stresses that the most important thing is not performing the act, but doing something to stop it. “The biggest problem is athletes don’t report it. They’re embarrassed, or afraid to be ridiculed by their teammates,” says Christie. Christie, a former member of the Canadian National Women’s Rugby team, has been through hazing, but in a way that benefited her and her team. “I remember we used to go rock climbing,” she says. “When initiation is fun, people look for that; they’re looking forward to becoming initiated, being part of the team. When you’re forced, that’s when it becomes dangerous.” Unfortunately hazing continues to happen under our noses, to our friends, and our opponents. The mental and physical effects can be detrimental to a person, and in some cases even fatal.
our Athletic Program has gone through some major changes over the past couple of years and a change for the better and we are looking to the future to not only do better but become very successful. We look to put our players in successful situations and then ultimately it falls in their laps to make our program better. We as a coaching staff organize the team but it comes down to our athletes and the hard work that they put in to make Lambton a contender.
coach’s corner
When being approached to write in Coach’s Corner and being named the OCAA Men’s Team of the Week, I was extremely honoured and with that it seemed as though my coaching staff and I had started to move in the right direction. The theme for this edition “Strength. Struggle. Success.” could not have been more perfectly suited for our team this year. With a new coaching staff having been formed and looking for a clean slate, we knew we would be starting something from the ground up. Our first step was to shed the reputation that has been built over four seasons without a win. We wanted to change the attitudes and beliefs of not only our student athletes but the entire sporting population of the OCAA.
In 2010, St. Thomas University in New Brunswick became the center of attention when one of its rookie volleyball players, 21-year-old Andrew Bartlett, was found dead in his apartment building. In 2011, Robert Champion, Marching 100 drum major at Florida A&M University’s was beaten to death after a hazing ritual on a charter bus with his teammates. The fact remains that hazing is always an inside job. It happens with almost every team in some shape or form. “I had a coach who told our team that if we engaged in any hazing; so even carrying the bags, or the equipment, depending on what it was, we risked suspension or even being expelled,” Dr. Kowalski says. But what if it’s not the players who are the sole contributors of hazing? Brian Crow, a professor of Sport Management at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, insists that the issue starts from the top. “Coaches need to acknowledge that hazing happens, and that it isn’t a positive experience,” says Crow. “Coaches might tell them with their mouths not to do it, but with their actions they’re just telling them not to let them find out.” In 2010 Dr. Kowalski and JenniferWaldron, also a professor at the University of Iowa, conducted a study among 21 high school and collegiate athletes and their coaches on perceptions of hazing. Of those athletes, 13 said their coaches either ignored hazing, encouraged hazing, or allowed it under a controlled environment. Three of them said their coaches punished it. In Waterloo this past September, Wilfrid Laurier University’s baseball team was suspended four games after defying the school’s zerotolerance hazing policy.
shane bettridge
BY: george halim
courtesy lambton athletics
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SCORES & STATS
Men’s and Women’s
champions
Men’s and Women’s
cross country OCAA Invitational - ST. LAWRENCE (K)
golf OCAA Invitational - FLEMING Men’s: Mitchel Kenedy | Seneca | 73 Women’s: Avery White | Georgian | 82 OCAA Invitational - FANSHAWE Men’s: Mark Nagy | Humber | 73 Women’s: Candi Campbell | Humber | 80 OCAA Invitational - NIAGARA Men’s: Mitchel Kenedy | Seneca | 68 Women’s: Tiffany Albath | Durham | 83
Men’s 8KM: Clint Smith | Fanshawe | 26:11.9 Women’s 5KM: Jocelyn Fry | Fanshawe | 20:04.5 OCAA Invitational - FANSHAWE Men’s 8KM: Andrew DeGroot* | St. Clair | 25:17 Women’s 5KM: Jocelyn Fry | Fanshawe | 19:55 OCAA Invitational - SENECA Men’s 8KM: Clint Smith | Fanshawe | 24:44 Women’s 5KM: Jocelyn Fry | Fanshawe | 18:19
OCAA Invitational - DURHAM Men’s: Colton Kalkanis | Georgian | 70 Women’s: Tiffany Albath | Durham | 78
OCAA Invitational - HUMBER Men’s 8KM: Riley Olesky | Fleming (P) | 24:30 Women’s 5KM: Liz Sequin | George Brown | 18:52
men’s soccer
EAST DIVISION | GP | WINS | LOSSES | TIES | POINTS | ALGONQUIN SENECA CENTENNIAL CAMBRIAN DURHAM FLEMING LA CITE ST. LAWRENCE (K) GEORGE BROWN
8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
5 5 5 3 3 3 2 1 0
0 2 2 4 4 6 4 6 6
3 2 1 4 3 0 2 1 2
18 17 16 13 12 9 8 4 2
WEST DIVISION | GP | WINS | LOSSES | TIES | POINTS | ST. CLAIR HUMBER FANSHAWE CONESTOGA SHERIDAN MOHAWK NIAGARA LAMBTON REDEEMER
8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
men’s rugby
6 6 5 5 4 4 1 1 0
1 2 2 2 2 4 5 6 8
1 0 1 1 2 0 2 1 0
19 18 16 16 14 12 5 4 0
EAST DIVISION | GP | WINS | LOSSES | TIES | POINTS | TRENT SENECA ALGONQUIN LOYALIST ST. LAWRENCE (K) FLEMING
6 6 6 6 6 6
6 4 4 2 2 0
0 2 2 4 4 6
0 0 0 0 0 0
30 20 19 12 11 2
WEST DIVISION | GP | WINS | LOSSES | TIES | POINTS | HUMBER CONESTGOA GEORGIAN SHERIDAN MOHAWK
6 6 6 6 6
6 4 3 1 0
0 1 2 5 6
0 1 1 0 0
30 21 18 4 1
Men’s and Women’s Men’s Individual
Colton Kalkanis GEORGIAN
Women’s Individual Men’s Team
Tiffany Albath DURHAM HUMBER
Women’s Team
ST. CLAIR
women’s soccer
EAST DIVISION | GP | WINS | LOSSES | TIES | POINTS | ALGONQUIN DURHAM SENECA LA CITE CENTENNIAL ST. LAWRENCE (K) LOYALIST CAMBRIAN FLEMING
8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
7 7 6 4 3 2 1 1 0
0 1 2 3 4 4 7 7 6
1 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 2
HUMBER*
22 21 18 13 10 8 3 3 2
HUMBER
WEST DIVISION | GP | WINS | LOSSES | TIES | POINTS | SHERIDAN FANSHAWE HUMBER CONESTOGA ST. CLAIR MOHAWK LAMBTON REDEEMER NIAGARA
8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
7 7 7 2 2 2 1 0 0
1 1 1 3 3 4 3 5 7
0 0 0 3 3 2 4 3 1
21 21 21 9 9 8 7 3 1
women’s rugby
EAST DIVISION | GP | WINS | LOSSES | TIES | POINTS | ALGONQUIN ST. LAWRENCE (K) LOYALIST FLEMING
6 6 6 6
6 2 2 1
0 3 3 5
0 1 1 0
HUMBER
ALGONQUIN and HUMBER
30 11 11 6
HUMBER WEST DIVISION | GP | WINS | LOSSES | TIES | POINTS | HUMBER SENECA CONESTOGA SHERIDAN MOHAWK
6 6 6 6 6
6 4 3 2 0
0 2 3 4 6
0 0 0 0 0
29 18 14 11 0
women’s fastball DURHAM HUMBER ST. CLAIR SENECA CONESTOGA MOHAWK
| GP | WINS | LOSSES | POINTS | 15 14 1 28 15 13 2 26 15 9 6 18 15 5 10 10 15 4 11 8 15 0 15 0
Men’s and Women’s Men’s INDIVIDUAL
Clint Smith FANSHAWE
WOMEN’S INDIVIDUAL Richelle Moore ST. LAWRENCE (K) Team
FANSHAWE
HUMBER AND ALGONQUIN FIGHT FOR GOLD IN ONE OF THE MOST DRAMATIC OCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS. photo by andrew derienzo * INDICATES NATIONAL CHAMPION
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