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spring 2010

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Blue;Gold spring 2010

Editor Don Wells Assistant Editor Steve Tuckwood Designer Sharmini Thiagarajah

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Photography M artin Dee Richard Lam Christopher Rayan

BLUE+ GOLD is published twice a year by the UBC Department of Athletics and is distributed free of charge to the UBC Alumni and friends.

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UBC SPORT HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

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meet the cordoniers

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On the Cover }

UBC is a long-time family affair for the Cordoniers.

Left to Right, current volleyball players John, Liz and Joe.

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Message from the Athletic Director Welcome to another edition of Blue and Gold. You’ll no doubt notice some changes to this edition, with a slight shift to include more content about you, our Thunderbird alumni. We’ve tried to include as many names as space will allow, as well as short, but informative news items in an easy-to-read digest format.

You’ll also notice a revised look and feel to the publication, which reflects a bold new institution-wide identity that was recently forged for both the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. Founded on the motto UBC: A Place of Mind, this new imagery and identity are intended to help further differentiate UBC within a crowded market of the world’s top universities, and to continue to attract the very best students and faculty from across Canada and around the world.

By the time this edition of Blue and Gold arrives at your home, the 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be underway.

UBC is proud and honoured to be at the centre of the action as our Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre is the venue for men’s and women’s hockey and sledge hockey. While the Games will undoubtedly draw the bulk of attention among sport fans in the Lower Mainland, they will not distract our student-athletes and coaches, who remain sharply focused upon the hunt for regional, conference and national championships.

Our staff is also hard at work preparing for the upcoming championship season, as well as this year’s Big Block Awards and Sports Hall of Fame Banquet to be held April 13. After almost 20 years at the Hyatt Hotel Ballroom, the growth and success of this annual event has dictated a move to a larger

venue at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Tickets are still available and can be obtained by contacting Sarah Saddler at 604.822.6183.

We are also busy continuing to explore affiliation in both the CIS and in division two of the National College Athletic Association (NCAA). The two most important issues that remain unresolved are a thorough exploration of options to ensure that all UBC teams can compete at the highest level, as well as clarifying the academic certification process required by all member universities under strict and rigorous NCAA regulations.

In the meantime, we continue our various initiatives to further enhance our student-athlete scholarship endowments, which are now closing in on the 10 million dollar mark. With that in mind, please mark the morning of April 1 on your calendar, which is the date of this year’s TELUS Millennium Scholarship Breakfast featuring PGA legend Ken Venturi as the keynote speaker.

On behalf of all our student-athletes, coaches and staff, I hope we see as many of you as possible at one of these special events, the various spring and summer alumni golf tournaments, or cheering on the T-Birds during the upcoming championship season. As always, we extend our sincere appreciation for your continued interest and support.

Bob Philip

Message from Thunderbird Athletes Council President Change has been brewing on UBC’s Vancouver campus. In fact, there have been so many changes on campus that it has become almost unrecognizable to former and even some current students: restoration of Main Library, transformation of the old bus-loop into a small park, and creation of Thunderbird Park and the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. However, with all this change swirling around us, there are some things that have not changed.

The support of our alumni has been unwavering, whether it is through events like the TELUS Millennium Breakfast and Big Block Hall of Fame Dinner, scholarships, or even just being on hand to cheer on the Thunderbirds. Varsity athletics are an integral part of the university. The Thunderbirds are ambassadors for UBC and, with your help, we are able to boast some of the most successful student-athletes in the country. We are forever grateful for your support in helping our athletes fulfill their potential on the field, pool, court and in the classroom.

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BLUE ;GOLD spring 2010

Speaking of changes, we hope that you will be able to join us for the annual Big Block Hall of Fame Dinner at a new venue, the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, where another deserving group of UBC Thunderbirds will be welcomed into the Big Block Club in what always proves to be one of the highlight events of the year.

As you tickle from anticipation for the Olympics, please feel free to stop by and practice some of your cheers on our athletes in their upcoming play-off matches. If you are too embarrassed to cheer in public, do not worry, we have “Thundersticks” that you can clap to your heart’s content! All up-to-date information and statistics on your favourite Thunderbird teams can be found conveniently on gothunderbirds.ca. We look forward to seeing you, because as Athletics’ new motto so truly states, “Winning is more fun with you here!”

Lauren Whitehead

2010

UBC Sport Hall of Fame Inductees

The UBC Eight won the 1956 Canadian Championships and a silver medal at the Melbourne Olympics.

For the 18 th consecutive year, the UBC Department of Athletics is pleased to honour some of its alltime most outstanding athletes, teams and builders of sport.

The 2010 inductees will be formally recognized for their achievements at the annual Big Block Awards and Hall of Fame Dinner on April 13th at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.

The 2010 inductees in the athlete category are gridiron great David Sidoo, swimmer Kevin Draxinger, track standout Anne Mackie-Morelli and Canadian basketball legend Carol Turney. This year’s team entrant is the 1956 Olympic silver-medalist rowing eight while the entrant in the builder category is long-time UBC soccer coach and former Glasgow Ranger, the late Joe Johnson.

David Sidoo was a star defensive back and kick return specialist for UBC for four seasons from 1979 to 1982.

He was named a CIAU All Canadian in 1982 and in that same year intercepted a pass to help the UBC Thunderbirds to their first-ever Vanier Cup Championship in a 39-14 win over the Western Ontario Mustangs. David went on to a successful CFL career, playing five seasons with Saskatchewan from 1983 to 1987 before coming home to play for the BC Lions in 1988.

Backstroke specialist Kevin Draxinger remains one of the top competitors in UBC swimming history. “Drax” was a 1992 Olympian and a 1991 world championship finalist in 200 metre backstroke. He picked up a bronze medal in the same event at the 1990 Commonwealth Games and a silver in

1994. A co-winner of 1991 Bobby Gaul Award, he famously dueled Calgary’s Mark Tewksbury in 200 metre backstroke events for most of his university career, placing second in the CIAU championships in 1987 and beating the heralded Olympic champion in 1988 and 1989.

Track’s Anne Mackie-Morelli still holds four UBC records in 400, 600, 800 and 1000 metre events and was named UBC’s female athlete of the year in 1976-77. Coached by Lionel Pugh, she launched a successful international career from UBC, highlighted by a bronze medal in the 4 x 400 metre relay at both the 1978 Commonwealth Games and the 1979 Pan-American Games. She won Canadian titles in 1979 in 400 and 800 metre indoor races and the 800 metre outdoor event. She was selected to Canada’s 1980 Olympic team, but like all Canadian Olympians, was not allowed to compete as a result of the US led boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games.

One of the best basketball players in UBC history, Carol Turney led UBC to victory in the 1974 CIAU national championship and to the national final again in 1975. That same year, she broke a UBC single-game scoring record by scoring 37 points against Calgary. She still holds three UBC scoring records, including a season’s best points-per-game average with 21.1. She remains number two among UBC’s all-time top rebounders, averaging 12 per game in the 197475 season. While just 16 years old, she was selected to play for Canada’s national team, a run which lasted 10 seasons contined on page 4

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P h o t o c o u r t e s y o f U B C P ub l i c A f f a i r s .

2010 UBC Desert Classic

Brought to you by UBC Alumni Affairs and UBC Athletics

Turlough O’Hare and Kevin Draxinger take a break at UBC pool during training for 1992 Olympics.

UBC Sport Hall of Fame Inductees contined from page 3

and included being part of Canada’s first-ever Olympic women’s basketball team at the 1976 Games in Montreal.

The 1956 eight was at the centre of one of the most historic moments in UBC sport history and one of the most memorable finishes in Olympic rowing history. After winning the 1956 Canadian Championships, the Frank Read coached crew went to Melbourne for the 1956 Olympics. After defeating the American entry from Yale in qualifications, the US team edged UBC by less than a boat length in gold-medal race. UBC’s silver medalist crew consisted of Laurie West, Wayne Pretty, Bill McKerlich, Doug McDonald, Bob Wilson, Phil Kueber, Dick McClure, David Helliwell, coxswain Carl Ogawa and spares Gen Smith and Tom Gray.

After an 11-year playing career with the Glasgow Rangers, Scottish-born Joe Johnson came to UBC in 1961 and served as soccer coach for a 25-year career. Very shortly after his arrival, the T-birds moved up to the Pacific Coast League, widely considered to be Canada’s premiere league, and in just three seasons won the PCL championship. With the formalization of university play under the auspices of Canada West and the CIAU, UBC continued to be a dominant force, winning its first Canada West title in 1974 and three CIAU national championships in 1974, ‘84 and ‘85. In 1991 the CIAU inaugurated the Joe Johnson Award for the nation’s most outstanding player in men’s soccer. ;

Golf Tournament and Dinner Monday, March 8, 2010 75200 Classic Club Blvd.

Palm Desert, CA, 92211 The generosity of the Berger Foundation made this event very affordable!

Shotgun start at 12:00 p.m.

Cocktails and dinner begin at 5:00 p.m.

Entertainment, Auction Cost: Dinner Only Individual: $50 Dinner and Golf* Individual: $175 Foursome: $700 RSVP by Monday, March 1, 2010.

For sponsorship opportunities and other questions, please contact Sarah Saddler at 604.822.6183 or sarah.saddler@ubc.ca. * Includes green fees (as well as power cart, range privileges, unlimited bottled water, divot tool, ball marker and yardage book), buffet dinner and a donation of $75 (tax receipted) to the Thunderbird team of your choice.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

TELUS MILLENNIUM BREAKFAST APRIL 1, 2010 7:15 to 8:45 am, Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre

FEATURING GUEST SPEAKER KEN VENTURI

1964 U.S. OPEN CHAMPION AND RETIRED CBS GOLF ANALYST

ONLINE REGISTRATION AVAILABLE AT WWW.GOTHUNDERBIRDS.CA For information please contact Sarah Saddler, 604.822.6183 or sarah.saddler@ubc.ca

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BLUE ;GOLD spring 2010

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News ; notes from the big block club

Left to right: Humanitarian slugger Steve Bell-Irving; “low jumper” Olympian Jeff Pain; Santa Sale saviour Jessica Hanson with mom and dad, and Block Club icon Buzz Moore.

Back on his feet following hip surgery, Buzz Moore was feted in a style that only his rugby fraternity can muster. Hosted and organized by Spence McTavish and Mel Reeves, it was a grand salute attended by an overcapacity crowd of 260 friends and admirers on November 26 at the University Golf Club. Following a moving tribute by Peter Grantham, Buzz staved off rare moments of emotion by keeping a full glass of red wine handy while he took the podium to express his gratitude. A UGC banquet staffer, who remarked to organizers about how the crowd had consumed almost every drop of libation in the house, was politely reminded of the club’s good fortune that the event was held on a week night.

Turns out Spence has a big night coming up himself on September 16. That’s the night when he joins a host of other UBC grads who have been inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame. Spence’s career with the national team lasted a full 17 years, in which he earned 22 full caps representing Canada internationally, on top of approximately fifty other games for Canada, and over a hundred for BC. Former Thunderbird linebacker Matt Clarke will also be inducted on the night along with teammates from the 1994 Grey Cup champion BC Lions. Although Greg Douglas isn’t a UBC grad, he should perhaps be considered for honourary Big Block status for his support of UBC over the course of a 40-year sports journalism career. “Dr. Sport” will enter the Hall in the media category.

Still on the Hall of Fame front, former Thunderbird soccer star Bill Popowich was inducted into Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame on January 21. Three tables of friends were on hand to salute Bill for being a tireless supporter of youth basketball, as well as high school soccer and track and field for more than half a century.

Jeff Pain, a former UBC high jumper, or “low-jumper” in his words, is looking to add to his Olympic medal collection.

The 39-year-old veteran skeleton racer won the silver medal at the 2006 Games and was third in an Olympic test event in Whistler. Set for his Olympic swan song at the Whistler Sliding Centre, he and wife Alyson have co-written a book entitled The Business of Marriage and Medals.

There is at least one other UBC connection to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, albeit a distant one. The late Peter Vajda, a UBC mechanical engineering professor and the university’s volunteer ski coach from 1946-56, was the grandfather of Britt and Michael Janyk, two of Canada’s brightest hopes for podium finishes in the 2010 alpine events.

He was one of Canada’s skiing pioneers, and an engineer involved in surveying and installing Grouse Mountain’s first chair lift in 1949. He was part of the two failed Olympic bid attempts by Whistler in 1968 and 1976, then died in 2003, six months after the announcement of the winning bid for the 2010 Games.

Former Thunderbird volleyball standout Leah Allinger is taking a brief time-out from training for the 2010 AVP and FIVB world beach volleyball tour to join the VANOC staff as associate venue producer for the Richmond Olympic Oval.

She also recently teamed up with Vancouver based haute couture fashion sensation Vivvos and is, in her own words, “designing sexy swimwear for active women.”

A great many UBC alumni participated in the 2010 Olympic torch relay, including 2008 rowing gold medalists Ben Rutledge and Kyle Hamilton, who joined their Beijing teammates to row the torch across Victoria’s Elk Lake. Ben also carried the torch solo in his hometown of Cranbrook.

Four-time Olympian, silver medalist and Canadian Olympic Committee vice-president Tricia Smith carried the torch past Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. Former crew member Ian Gordon and ski racer Joy Fera also carried the hallowed flame, as did former UBC associate athletic director and national team rower Kim Gordon. Former field hockey player and 2008 Olympian Anthony Wright also carried it, as did his mother and two-time track Olympian Thelma Wright.

Another two-generation combination took place in Whistler when former Athletic Director Bob Hindmarch handed the torch off to son Dave Hindmarch, a member of Canada’s 1980 Olympic hockey team.

UBC rowing alumnus Bill Hughes recently underwent heart surgery in Vancouver and is recovering in hospital in Fort St. James. UBC crewmate Glen Smith spoke with him on the phone recently and reported that he seemed in good spirits and wanted to thank everyone for all the attention he has received. Glen also penned an e-mail containing an amusing recollection of Bill’s post-UBC adventures for the reading pleasure of fellow Frank Read disciples. Glen’s tale prompted some equally amusing nostalgia from Bob Falconer concerning UBC rowing history. For anyone interested in the complete story, there is now an on-line history of UBC rowing, thanks to alumni who contributed photos and stories, at www.ubcboathouse.com.

Speaking of history, the long awaited UBC Sports Hall of contined on page 12

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Twister alert

By Don Wells

photography by martin dee

When Pete Twist first arrived

at UBC in the fall of 1986, he had his hockey gear, a duffle bag full of clothes, and less than a thousand dollars to his name. With no place to stay, he took up temporary residence in the back of a 1975 Plymouth Fury station wagon.

“I bought the car from a high school automotive class and it barely ran,” he laughs, recalling his arrival from his hometown of Peterborough, Ontario to do a Master’s degree in Human Kinetics and play hockey for the T-Birds. “I parked it out in B-lot and walked to War Memorial Gym in the mornings to shower.”

contined on page 8

“ We have a saying here – ‘give energy’ – and it’s turned into guiding principle in everything we do.”

Like almost all success stories with humble beginnings, his has taken some intriguing turns. The B-Lot is now long gone, and “Twister” is the CEO of a thriving sport conditioning enterprise who resides in a comfortable home overlooking Horseshoe Bay, his success lending further credence to the old saying about how we reap just what we sow.

The eclectic myriad of projects and challenges he has undertaken has brought many rewards. The difference, however, is that the rewards have, in various ways, accrued to others as much as they have to him. The reason for that is rooted in the fact that his eternally positive attitude and respectful, unselfish approach to everyone he meets rivals that of the Dalai Lama. More specifically, his unflagging passion for acquiring and sharing knowledge about sport conditioning and personal wellness is the cornerstone of a business that has enabled thousands of clients, from 10-year-olds to professional athletes, to reach and exceed important physical and psychological objectives.

I’m probably as qualified as anybody to render an opinion about exactly who, and what Pete Twist is. I was practically a neighbor back in the B-lot era. I had spent the summer of 1986 traveling around BC and Alberta in

a country rock band, and although I had managed to save enough money to pay for tuition and an attic suite in East Vancouver, I too spent the odd night in B-lot in a rusting 1974 Chevy van that had transported me and my band mates on odysseys reminiscent of the Joad family. Looking back on those days, and nights, it’s amusing to think that Pete might have slumbered somewhere nearby.

The following year, while Pete was making his mark as a top defenseman for Terry O’Malley’s Thunderbirds, I caught on with the UBC Athletic department as a student sports information officer. My earliest recollections of him include a plane flight to Los Angeles for a tournament at the Great Western Forum involving UBC, Alberta, Denver University and Michigan State. Standing at the back of the plane, he chatted amicably with team mates Joe Sobotin, Mike Ikeda and Kevin Hoffman. Irrepressibly upbeat, he wore a perpetual grin, and appeared to intuitively understand what athletic director Bob Hindmarch had tried to impress upon me only days earlier: “you don’t have to be somber to be serious.” He was as committed as any student-athlete I had ever met, but he was equally bent on having a good time and ensuring everyone around him did too. The only thing he had

little tolerance for was negativity or disparaging words about anything, or anybody.

In the years that followed, many of us noticed how he grabbed on to every opportunity UBC afforded him and squeezed hard. His entrepreneurial spirit first emerged with the creation of Student Body Calendars, a mildly racy production which contained photos of physically fit UBC students and sold briskly. Although his Masters degree concentrated on coaching science, he was as much a student of physiology, which led him to a job managing the Bird Coop weight room, and to team up with Human Kinetics Professor Ted Rhodes on a book entitled The Physiology of Ice Hockey. He also worked with Rhodes, a long-time fitness consultant for the Vancouver Canucks, to conduct athlete testing in the Buchanan Fitness Lab and to design training programs for athletes, including Canuck players. He also became one of the few Canadians officially certified as strength and conditioning coaches by the US based National Strength and Conditioning Association.

He soon became a prolific author on the subject, and as his belief in the merits of strength and conditioning specialization within hockey coaching contined on page 9

A short while later, the Canucks hired Pat Quinn as President and General Manager, who in turn hired George McPhee as vice president and director of hockey operations. McPhee had played at Bowling Green State where he won the 1992 Hobey Baker Award and was one of the few in the NHL familiar with the benefits of strength and conditioning specialization within coaching ranks. Rhodes alerted Quinn and McPhee to the existence of a UBC graduate with the perfect combination of knowledge and experience to add new depth to the Canucks’ coaching staff. His run as strength and conditioning coach lasted for 11 seasons, and in spite of it being a dream job within an organization he deeply respected, the birth of his two daughters prompted some soul-searching.

Unlike conventional fitness clubs, there are no memberships and no machines, only power racks with free weights, ropes, balls and lots of room to move. The trainers are referred to as “coaches,” and clients as “athletes,” who commit to rigorous workouts that focus on increasing overall athleticism - “training the whole body at once” - rather than merely strengthening specific muscle groups. Irrespective of age or ability, the workouts are the same; it is only the pace and the weight-loads that differ.

p h o t o : C h r i s t o p h e r Ra y a n

grew stronger, he wrote a job description including qualifications and a detailed cost-benefit analysis. He sent the package to university athletic directors and hockey general managers across Canada, but didn’t enclose a resume, believing that the first order of business was to introduce a concept that was not yet familiar among hockey coaches, and completely unfamiliar to anybody north of the CanadaUS border.

The environment is clearly one which only the very committed should enter. At the same time, it is an atmosphere that encourages unbounded achievement, facilitated by carefully selected coaches who share an equal and unforced passion for sport and the human spirit.

“I was totally over-the-top committed, and I was working with first-class awesome people. But the NHL is seven days a week. I was missing birthdays and friends’ weddings, but most of all I wanted to be a better dad. I could be a coach or I could be a dad, but I couldn’t be both, at least not how I envisioned it.”

“We have a saying here – ‘give energy’- and it’s turned into a guiding principle in everything we do,” he carefully explains in the boardroom of the North Vancouver headquarters.

“Life is short, and if you are the kind of person that sucks energy, then you can’t be here.” He is quick to point out that rule doesn’t only apply to staff, but also to the athletes who train here, indicating that it is a place devoted to pushing the envelope of potential. His words reveal a philosophy that remains unaltered since the time of the flight to Los Angeles - disparaging words and negative attitudes aren’t welcome.

Temptation looked him even more squarely in the eyes when former Canuck goaltending coach Glen Hanlon took over as GM in Washington and offered him an assistant coach position with the Capitals, who had just signed a winger from Russia named Alex Ovechkin. But the desire to lead a more balanced life and stay in a city he had come to love made it an easy decision to decline the offer and focus more attention on business, despite high regard for Hanlon and the allure of coaching Ovechkin.

The other thing that remains unaltered 20 years later is the perpetual smile, a sincere interest in the lives of others and a desire to share everything he has learned, even with competitors who frequently attempt to mimic his methods.

The willingness to share trade secrets strongly suggests that he remains far more interested in popularizing his newworld approach to conditioning, and invoking healthier lifestyles among the general population - kids in particular - than in maximizing personal financial returns.

Twist Conditioning Inc began as a summer sport camp operation and some related product distribution, but quickly grew after he left the Canucks. Today, it consists of a burgeoning and multi-facted education division, a retail and wholesale products division, as well as a conditioning centre in North Vancouver with a large and varied clientele. Four other locations operate as franchises in Kelowna, Portland, and Burlington and Whitby, Ontario, with a fifth soon to open in Port Coquitlam.

As our planned 30-minute chat turns to two hours, I am reminded of the most important and salient characteristic of my former B-lot neighbor - an inherent and humble spirit of generosity, and one that has resulted in him devoting the entirety of his professional life to fueling the ambitious pursuits of others.

I suppose there are many people like that, and certainly I’ve met an inordinate number in my years around UBC. Twister just happens to be one of my personal favorites. ;

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On any given night when the UBC

volleyball teams are battling opponents in War Memorial Gym, that’s when and where you’ll find the Cordonier family.

the cordoniers 6

By Don Wells

photography by martin dee

At the mid-court officials’ table, you’ll see Emily, the eldest of five siblings. A CIS All Canadian with UBC in the mid-2000’s, she alternately serves as the game PA announcer, or the color commentator for CITR radio. Brothers Joe and John will be on the court for the men’s team, while their older sister Liz is the team captain and a fifth-year standout for the two-time defending national champion women’s team.

Parents John and Susan never miss a game and can typically be found sitting in the same general area of the gym that they have since they first started bringing their children to UBC volleyball and basketball games many years ago. Alongside them, you’ll find their daughter Genny, a second-year UBC Medicine student and a former member of the UBC club team.

A recent addition to the family will also be there, in the form of UBC men’s assistant coach Leo Carroll, who married Emily last summer.

Even the family dogs, Riley and Scout, are no strangers to the campus. Not surprisingly, the border collie-Burmese mountain crosses are sisters. Seems family is everything in the Cordonier household.

How far back would you have to go to find another family from which five siblings participated in UBC varsity sport?

The answer is back to the very beginning, according to Athletics historian Fred Hume. In fact, you would have to go back to the time of Otis Johnson Todd, a UBC Classics professor who first arrived at UBC from Harvard in 1918.

A total of six of his offspring – Duncan, Allen, Lois, David, Douglas and Stuart - represented UBC in a range of varsity sports in the 1920’s and 30’s.

While all the Cordonier children had choices when it came to selecting a university, none seriously considered going anywhere else, especially after Emily blazed the first trail from their Dunbar home to Point Grey. Like the others, she grew up playing a variety of sports, but her six-foot plus height made volleyball or basketball the most obvious choices. She chose volleyball, and admits that her success and big-sister influence may have helped convince her younger brothers and sisters to do the same.

“We grew up going to UBC games and all the summer sport camps,” says Emily, who is finishing a program in broadcast journalism at BCIT and working at Global television. “We already knew the coaches and the players from the camps and so we never really even got recruited. They just naturally expected that we would go to UBC.” Turns out it was the right assumption. A year after Emily first enrolled in Arts in 2001, Genny registered in Human Kinetics.

“I didn’t apply anywhere else, for either my first degree or for med school,” says Genny. Liz enrolled in Arts in 2005, followed by Joe in 2007 and John Junior in Arts last fall. In addition to being excellent students, it was clear from the beginning that there was something else that was embedded deep in the Cordonier DNA – a fiercely competitive spirit and unbounded enthusiasm for the camaraderie of team sport.

In just three years, Emily was well on her way to making some notable entries in the UBC record books and was selected to Canada’s national team. Liz joined her on the UBC roster for her final year, and they took their sister act on the road to the 2006 CIS Championship final, where UBC lost a four-set nail-biter to Laval. They also spent two seasons together on the national team. Among the highlights, as Emily recalls, was

playing together for Canada at the 2007 World University Games in Bangkok.

Joe says he gave some thought to attending Thompson Rivers University, but not much. He too dug in at UBC and saw plenty of action in his freshman season, earning a spot on the CIS All-rookie team and the junior national team the following year. In spite of not having an opportunity to play high school volleyball until grade 11 at Vancouver College, John Junior showed enough of the right stuff to be added to the roster this past fall.

To anybody familiar with the sport community of Vancouver’s Dunbar region, the success of the Cordonier children isn’t surprising, given the strength of the gene pool and the support they’ve received from their parents. UBC women’s volleyball coach and Dunbar resident Doug Reimer is among those who describes John and Susan Cordonier as “pillars of the community,” especially when it comes to supporting amateur sport and education.

A graduate of the UBC Faculty of Education, Susan is a physical education teacher at Immaculate Conception School and a tireless volunteer within elementary school and amateur sport circles. A commercial real estate developer by day, John also lends a good portion of time and energy to strengthening the fabric of local amateur sport. A UBC varsity rower in the early 1970’s and a member of Canada’s 1976 Olympic team, he laughs when recalling a time in the early 1980’s when former UBC Athletics Director Bob Hindmarch convinced him to take over the UBC rowing program with an offer of the princely annual sum of a thousand dollars and any title he might desire.

Along with other former Thunderbird rowers, he has provided a wide range of support for the UBC program over the years, and even though he has given much more than he ever took, he contends that he and Susan have much to be grateful for when it comes to their university and the opportunities it has afforded the family.

“UBC is a big university, but in spite of that, the kids have been able to be part of a close knit community,” he says, referring to their rich social lives, as well as extracurricular endeavours as members of the Thunderbird Athletes Council and supporting causes such as the Food Bank or the humanitarian organization Right to Play. He also points out that the opportunity for their children to experience such an outstanding combination of sport and education so close to home has enhanced the quality and extended the duration of family life.

“I grew up in Kamloops, so I had to leave home at a very young age to come to UBC. The experience for our kids has been very different. They haven’t had to leave home, and so we’ve been able to keep the family intact for a much longer period of time.”

Echoing her father’s words, Emily talks about how all three of her bridesmaids were UBC team mates, and how much she enjoys her family’s long standing affair with the university athletic program. Clearly it will be a bittersweet occasion when John Junior plays his final home match in a few years time, signaling the end of the run, at least for this generation.

“It’s been so great, it really has,” she says, as she watches Liz, Joe and John kibitz while posing together for a university photographer. “I wish it could go on forever.” ;

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Fame will soon open at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. The display area will include interactive kiosks with touch screens that will enable visitors to view information and photographs. The material is being compiled by Atlee James and Thunderbird historian Fred Hume. James is also busy preparing the video features for the upcoming Big Block and Hall of Fame dinner. His company, Potential Pictures Inc, has become a thriving enterprise with a growing blue chip client base. The former T-Bird defensive back and wife Angela recently announced the pending arrival of their firstborn. The junior James is scheduled to make his or her first on-camera appearance some time in July.

Some sad news to report, one of UBC’s all-time gridiron greats, Roy Shatzko, passed away recently. Roy played for Frank Gnup in the early 1960’s and went on to a successful eight-year run in the CFL for BC and Edmonton. 2009 also saw the loss of much loved and respected athlete and global education pioneer Bob Carkner. Also lost in 2009 were Mary Campbell and Lois Fisher, the last surviving members of the storied women’s basketball team that claimed the 1930 world championship in Prague.

After biking from Kenora to Vancouver in support of Juvenile Diabetes research, former T-Bird baseball slugger Steve Bell-Irving left for China last fall to hike the Great Wall. He then traveled to Nepal for a 21-day hike through the Annapurna Circuit in the Himalayas, surviving on a diet of rice and lentils. He later settled in a rehabilitation centre for mentally and physically disabled children in Katmandu.

For just over two months, he taught math, writing and very basic movement routines. In spite of poor working conditions and an almost impenetrable language barrier, Steve says “the volunteer experience was amazing and I’d recommend it to anyone.”

Remember the feature story a couple of issues back about UBC golfer and classical vocal sensation Andrew Robb? Well, former track athlete and soccer player Fraser Walters has a song or two in his heart as well. Fraser is one quarter of the world-renowned Canadian Tenors, who’ve performed for former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former England Prime Minister Tony Blair, and shared stages with everyone from Sarah McLachlan and Wyclef Jean to Matt Damon.

Here’s a heartwarming tale to close off. Last December, the Province newspaper reported how a grade seven student, “who prefers to remain anonymous,” came to the rescue of an annual fundraising event at Kerrisdale Elementary School.

Every year since 1996, the school’s annual Santa Sale has raised money for the Province’s Empty Stocking Fund, with families donating household items for resale as gifts. When donations screeched to a halt, the “anonymous” student swung into action with an inspired letter and a series of PA announcements and speeches which stated: “I will stand up and try my hardest to keep this tradition running.” The floodgates suddenly opened and the result was a record $6,500 donation. Turns out the student was 12-year-old Jessica Hanson, daughter of men’s basketball coach Kevin Hanson and associate athletic director Theresa Hanson. Mom and Dad swear they had nothing to do with it. “I’ve actually tried to teach her to be a little tougher,” says Kevin. “I guess maybe I won’t do that any more.” ;

12 BLUE ;GOLD spring 2010

spring Schedule

Highlights Canada West women’s basketball playoff schedule

Feb 26 - 28 Canada West Quarter-finals: Division Crossovers (Best of 3) Mar 5 - 6 Canada West Final Four @ Highest Ranked Team 4 vs 1 / 3 vs 2 Mar 12 - 14 CIS Women’s Basketball Championship (Final Eight) at McMaster, Hamilton, On Canada West men’s basketball playoff schedule

Feb 26 - 28 Canada West Quarter-finals: Division Crossovers (Best of 3) Mar 5 - 6 Canada West Final Four @ Highest Ranked Team 4 vs 1 / 3 vs 2 Mar 19 - 21 CIS Championship (Final Eight) at Carleton, Ottawa, On Canada West women’s volleyball playoff schedule

Feb 19 - 21 Canada West Women’s Final Four Qualifications (5@4 / 6@3 / 7@2 - Best of 3) Mar 4 - 6 Canada West Women’s Final Four @ Highest Ranked Eastern Team (4 vs 1/3 vs 2) Mar 12 - 14 CIS Women’s Volleyball Championship at Alberta, Edmonton, Ab Canada West men’s volleyball playoff schedule

Feb 26 - 27 Canada West Men’s Final Four Qualifications (5@4 / 6@3 / 7@2 - Best of 3) Mar 4 - 6 Canada West Men’s Final Four @ Highest Ranked Team (4 vs 1/3 vs 2) Mar 12 - 14 CIS Men’s Volleyball Championship – Thompson Rivers, Kamloops, BC Canada West women’s hockey playoff schedule

Feb. 26 - 28 Maˆ- 7 Mar 11 - 14

Canada West Semifinals (4@1 / 3@2 - Best of 3) Canada West Final at highest finisher (Best 2 of 3) CIS Championship at St. Francis Xavier, Antigonish, NS

Canada West men’s hockey playoff schedule

Mar 5 - 7 Mar 12 - 14 Mar 25 - 28

Canada West Semifinals 4 @1 / 3 @ 2 (Best of 3) Canada West Final at highest finisher (Best of 3) CIS Championship at Lakehead, Thunder Bay, On

CIS Swimming Championships

March 18 - 20 University of Toronto NAIA Track and Field Championships

May 27 - 29 Indiana Wesleyan, Marion, Ind UBC Baseball Regular NAIA Season Home Games

(all home games played at Thunderbird Park) Mar 13 College of Idaho (DH) 12:00 PM Mar 14 College of Idaho (DH) 11:00 AM April 2 Corban College (DH) 12:00 PM April 3 Corban College (DH) 11:00 AM April 10 Concordia (DH) 12:00 PM April 11 Concordia (DH) 11:00 AM April 16 Lewis-Clark State 4:00 PM April 17 Lewis-Clark State 1:00 PM April 18 Lewis-Clark State 2:00 PM April 24 Oregon Tech (DH) 12:00 PM April 25 Oregon Tech (DH) 11:00 AM May 6 - 8 West Grouping Tournament TBA May 18 - 21 Sectional Tournament TBA May 28 - June 4 NAIA World Series TBA

LockerRoom Championship Watch

Mosher Announces Retirement

It’s playoff time in university sport across Canada, and as we go to press, UBC’s men’s and women’s basketball and women’s volleyball have all clinched playoff berths, while the women’s hockey team still remains in the hunt for post-season play. The Thunderbird swim teams are fresh off of a Canada West championship victory for the women’s side and a second place finish for men. Next up for the pool Birds is the CIS Championships February 18-20 at the University of Toronto.

One of the most successful and admired coaches in UBC Thunderbird history, Dick Mosher, recently announced his retirement from coaching after 24 seasons at the helm of each, and sometimes both, the men’s and women’s soccer programs. Overall, his teams claimed 12 Canada West Championships and nine CIS National Championships. Individually Dick was recognized as the Canada West Coach of the Year seven times and took home the CIS honour on three occasions.

His all-time regular season record is an impressive 202-38-48 topped off with an even more stellar mark of 26-4-2 at CIS national championships.

In spite of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games activity taking place at UBC, War Memorial Gym remains an active venue for home basketball and volleyball events. The lone exception will be the Canada West final four of women’s volleyball. If UBC maintains its solid grip on first-place and earns the right to host the final four, the event will have to be moved to the home venue of the next highest finalist. UBC Athletics recommends that all Thunderbird fans consult the department website (gothunderbirds.ca) for up-to-the-minute updates on results and event information.

Bats to Crack at Thunderbird Park

The sounds of spring will soon ring out across the south campus as the Thunderbird baseball team prepares for the upcoming NAIA season at Thunderbird Park. As always, the first part of the schedule sees the T-Birds on the road, with the NAIA home opener slated for March 13 with a double header against College of Idaho. 2010 also marks the first official season for UBC’s women’s softball team, although its late entry into NAIA play means that UBC will compete as an independent with no home games.

UBC will square off against SFU in a double header March 5 at London Park in Richmond and again on April 9 at North Delta Park. Please consult gothunderbirds.ca for a complete schedule and rosters.

An outstanding player with UBC in the mid-1960’s and the father of current men’s coach Mike Mosher, Dick will continue to serve as the academic coordinator for the Department of Athletics, and as a professor and graduate advisor in the School of Human Kinetics.

Olson Returns to Thunderbirds

Former quarterback Shawn Olson, who navigated UBC to the 1997 Vanier Cup title, returns to Point Grey as the 17th head football coach in the program’s history. The Surrey native had an extremely successful professional playing career in Europe and numerous impressive coaching stops after graduating from UBC. Most recently, he spent the last three seasons as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of the Simon Fraser University Clan.

Olson spent five seasons as a pivot for the T-Birds from 1996-2000, quarterbacking UBC to the Vanier Cup in just his first year as the starter, and earning the Ted Morris Trophy as the game’s most outstanding player.

During his five seasons, the T-Birds had a record of 30-17-1 and made four Hardy Cup appearances.

T-Birds Flock to Cuba for Training and Humanitarian Efforts

The Thunderbird women’s basketball team headed off to Cuba during the Christmas break for a series of joint training sessions and exhibition games

against a Cuban squad comprised of junior national team members and elite club players. The trip, made possible partially from a grant from the Walter Gage Memorial Fund and the support of the Bird Backers donors, also included some humanitarian efforts. “We spent a morning at the Havana ‘day care’ for children from birth to five years of age,” reported coach Deb Huband following the sojourn. “The only children remaining were those who had no alternate option of visiting extended family or caregivers for the holidays. We had hoped to do some painting for them but instead helped with general cleaning and yard clean-up. The majority of the time we interacted and played with the children. It was obvious that they were hungry for social interaction and physical contact. I think the experience left us feeling that we received more than we gave and it is one that we will not soon forget.” The team also visited a children’s hospital in Havana and donated some medical supplies courtesy of UBC Student Health and long-time UBC Athletics sport medicine specialist Dr. Rob Lloyd-Smith.

2010 alumni Golf Schedule Includes New Multi-team Tournament

UBC Athletics will stage a new multiteam golf tournament for alumni and friends on May 27 at Green Acres in Richmond. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit alpine skiing, women’s basketball, men’s and women’s field Hockey, women’s ice Hockey, men’s soccer, track and cross-country and men’s and women’s volleyball. Entry fee of $175 per player includes a 12:30 pm shotgun start with dinner to follow.

Next up at Green Acres is the second annual men’s basketball tournament, scheduled for June 11th, at 1pm. The 25th annual Father Bauer Memorial Golf Tournament returns to its traditional home at South Surrey’s Hazelmere Golf Club on June 30th.

Much further south is the Thunderbird Golf Society’s UBC Desert Classic in Palm Desert. It’s a one-day event, March 8, with a shotgun golf tournament at The Classic Club followed by dinner and silent auction. For more information on all tournaments, please contact Sarah Saddler at 604.822.6183 or e-mail at sarah.saddler@ubc.ca. ;

spring 2010 BLUE ;GOLD

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