Sweat Spring 2014

sweat

BIKE POLO • NEW LIGAMENT DISCOVERY • CENTENNIAL VOLLEYBALL THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE OCAA

SPRING 2014

Vadim the Dream

Smashing OCAA records Out on the court

Creating a positive space

sweat TABLE OF CONTENTS

FEATURES 8

JOURNEY TO THE TOP

Vadim Halimov’s path from Uzbekistan to the George Brown hardcourt and OCAA record books.

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16 LEADING THE REVIVAL

Centennial alumnus and former Olympian, John Child is the man to lead the Colts volleyball teams, after a 20-year absence.

24 OUT ON THE COURT

Homosexuality in sports is still an issue today, but progress is being made.

43 REC TO THE EXTREME

Looking for a fun, daring sport that’s inclusive for everyone? Think bike polo.

CORE 11 12 23 26 14 19 27 29 31

HOMETOWN TRIUMPHS FURY SYSTEM SAVING CANADIAN SOCCER FROZEN LINKS THE FUN IN ATHLETICS

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EVOLUTION THE CYCLE OF SUCCESS ESTABLISHING A SOLID BASE LIGHTWEIGHTS TO CONTENDERS FORTY YEARS OF GLORY THE POWER OF LIFTING

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LIFE/HEALTH 20 34 36 39 40

NORTHERN EXPOSURE FINAL PIECE OF THE PUZZLE FACT OR FICTION NO JUDGMENTS HERE ALL IN THE FAMILY

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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

I

would like to welcome readers to the 2014 Spring Edition of Sweat Magazine, the official magazine of the OCAA, and your source of information for collegiate sport in Ontario.

On behalf of the OCAA Executive Committee and our member institutions, I would like to thank the faculty at Humber College and the journalism students who have contributed to this fine publication. We are blessed to see commitment and excellence on the field of play with our student-athletes, and in Sweat Magazine, we see similar traits with the journalism students who spend endless hours researching, interviewing and writing for this magazine.

The OCAA is pleased to welcome our 30th and newest member, as the University of Toronto – Mississauga will officially enter the OCAA in April, at the 2014 Annual General Meeting in Sudbury. The addition of UTM further exemplifies our ongoing support of post-secondary opportunities for student-athletes.

This semester once again offered exciting provincial championship action, especially in the year-long league sports of basketball and

volleyball. We have witnessed outstanding team and individual performances along the way. I would like to acknowledge our provincial hosts, who have truly provided all of the student-athletes with great memories of both the competition and hospitality.

I would like to offer a special thank you to Linda Stapleton and her team at Seneca College, and Scott Gray and his group at Sault College for hosting the 2014 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Women’s Volleyball and Curling championships. The OCAA is known nationally for their hosting excellence and the efforts by Seneca and Sault have further enhanced this reputation.

Our student-athletes have not only provided incredible performances on the court, but in the classroom as well. The number of OCAA Academic All-Stars continues to rise throughout every institution, demonstrating that participation in sport really does translate well into the academic sucess.

The Jonathan Toews/Canadian Tire commercial for the Olympics is something that really made an impact on me. The ad displayed the support and impact that so many people make in an athlete’s life. So, to the moms and dads, friends, coaches, teachers, therapists, teammates, etc. – Thank You! Jim Bialek President, OCAA

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

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hen I first told people I was going to be the editor-in-chief, I received the same reaction: that’s great, but I didn’t know you knew anything about sports.

I quickly learned that it isn’t up to one individual with a plethora of sports knowledge to make Sweat happen. It takes a team of people with different talents and experiences to successfully reach the finish line. It’s not a whole lot different from being on a sports team and winning the championship.

While we put this magazine together, we realized sport is always changing. It became a common theme of the stories in this issue.

Whether it is recruiting new team members

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ROSTER SPRING 2014 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ashley Cowell EXECUTIVE EDITOR Kelly Townsend

MANAGING EDITOR PRODUCTION Jake Kigar MANAGING EDITOR (WORDS) Paolo Serpe ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR (WORDS) Adam Kozak MANAGING EDITOR (ONLINE) Glyn Bowerman SPORTS EDITOR George Halim ART DIRECTOR Paul Rocca PHOTO EDITOR Amy Stubbs PHOTOGRAPHER Hermione Wilson LAYOUT ASSISTANT Alessandra Micieli COPY EDITING CHIEF Thomas Rohner RESEARCH CHIEF Kat Shermack

for the next season, re-writing the record books or even discovering a new body part that could be crucial to injury recovery and therapy, there are always new challenges and obstacles to conquer.

On the editorial side of things, the hard work and dedication of our executive editor Kelly Townsend should be acknowledged. She not only led the creative side of this magazine but also took the initiative to create a mobile version of this edition, which is a first for Sweat.

Last, but certainly not least, we would like to thank all the athletes and coaches who shared their stories with us. Without them, we wouldn’t have a magazine.

I’m not going to take up any more of your time rambling on. Go take a look at the stories they told.

Ashley Cowell Editor-In-Chief, Sweat Magazine

ART DIRECTOR (ONLINE) Jessica Paiva SECTION EDITORS Olivia Roger Kate Paddison Gurpreet Mann Cameron Da Silva PUBLISHER Carey French EDITORIAL ADVISER Terri Arnott OCAA ADVISORY BOARD Blair Webster, Josh Bell-Webster Scott Dennis, Peter Reid, Ryan Kelly CONTACT

Humber college school of media studies and information technology 205 Humber College Blvd.

Toronto, Ontario, M9W 5L7 Phone: 416.675.6622 ext. 4518 terri.arnott@humber.ca

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PHOTO CONTEST

First Place photo by Kirsten Schollig

Third Place photo by Mike Robinson

Second Place photo by Jess Raymond

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Photo by Amanda Cheung

Photo by Jess Raymond

Photo by Jess Raymond

Photo by Jess Raymond

Photo by Berrit Page

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OFF THE BENCH

Angela Dakpo, Athlete George Brown College - Women’s Basketball

“How will I do it all?”

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his is the question I asked myself and others over and over, before deciding to try out for the George Brown Huskies women’s basketball team. As a student going into college after having finished high school four years prior, I was not sure whether or not I would be able to cope with the college workload. As though that was not enough, I was not only going in as a rusty student, but as an international student as well. Everything about the education system I was about to dive headfirst into was new to me. To make things even more interesting, I added playing a sport to the list of things I

wanted to experience in college. Thus began my international student athlete journey.

What a journey it has been! At the crux of being an international student (or an international/foreign anything, for that matter) is the recurring theme of adaptation. There was a culture shock that came with my move from Gaborone, Botswana to Toronto, Canada. Further culture shock came with trying to blend into the college and athletics/varsity culture. The shock did not last long, but the subsequent acculturation is an ongoing thing. It really is an interesting process, with positives and negatives. I have found that it is important to understand how much of this new culture I should adopt without losing my identity and individuality.

When it comes to life on the basketball team, the question of how I would manage everything quickly and very loudly answered itself – JUST DO IT! After making the team, I was so busy juggling school, work and basketball that I didn’t have time to think about how I would do everything – it got done.

On the court I learned a lot, not only about the sport of basketball and the basketball culture in these parts, but also about myself as a person, an athlete, a teammate and a

learner. In the first half of my rookie season I learned important lessons that are definitely transferrable into everyday life. One such lesson was knowing my role and doing my part, regardless of the magnitude. Another is that irrespective of how I feel or what challenges come my way, I need to buckle down and work toward my goals. Recently, an injury put me out of commission for longer than anyone would have liked and, believe it or not, I squeezed a lesson out of that situation as well – life throws us curveballs sometimes to keep us humble, to keep us pushing, to keep us learning or to redirect our course. I have learned to take these and use them as stepping stones instead of stumbling blocks.

By the end of my first semester in college, with a GPA I am proud of and a basketball experience I wouldn’t trade, the question changed from “how will I do it all?” to “how did I do it all?” The answer: with a sweaty brow and a smile on my face, knowing that because I’m where I need to be, my hard work will pay off… it has and continues to do so.

New country … new people … new possibilities … I learn every day.

in a positive way.

I was once a student-athlete back in my playing days, where I looked to head across the border to continue my education, better myself, make contacts and face challenges which would have been impossible to do at home. This was a personal decision, while staying home would have been great, and would have posed its own unique challenges, I feel going abroad at the time presented unique and necessary challenges. It is important for young adults who are interested in becoming International students to research, visit and weigh all known possibilities before deciding what school or environments are best for who they are individually. This is one of the most important and pivotal decisions a young adult could make, as our families will be affected greatly in the short and long-term, based on those commitments.

For players looking to come to Canada, you could never go wrong with such a choice. Attending school here will cost you thousands less than in the United States and is comparable to the cost of school in the

United Kingdom and other places in Europe, relatively speaking. Culturally, Canada has a mix with vibrant cities from coast to coast rivalling anywhere in the world. We are hard-working, passionate, intelligent and sport-loving peoples. We may not offer the “glitz and glamour” of the States just yet, but in quality of life and quality of education we are second to none. I feel with the continued growth and support of the sporting environment, we have a great opportunity to bridge the gap in terms of how we are able to reward our young scholars, athletes and professionals. Now is the time and it all begins with grass roots, while instilling the right lessons and visions, which will serve us both as individuals and as a community.

International students have always made their mark here in Canada. We need to continue building the right plan and make the right investments to better serve our top young student athletes.

COACH’S CORNER

Ramon McIntosh, Head Coach Durham College - Women’s Soccer

International students making their mark

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he world is a small place, and it’s never been smaller. This can be seen when you see registered students and athletes flooding across borders seeking opportunities. International student-athletes are greatly influencing our communities with their involvement in both academic and athletic fields, and vastly impacting those environments, and ultimately, our economy

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JOURNEY TO THE TOP He only started playing basketball when he was 18 years old, but Vadim Halimov has carved out a place for himself in the OCAA record books.

BY GEORGE HALIM

T

he best shooters can plant and fire from anywhere on the court. Their shots hang like kites in driveways and back alleys, at parks and YMCAs. Amateur imitations of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s sky hook and Michael Jordan’s step-back jumper versus the Jazz, topped by Gilbert Arenas walking away, throwing his hands up in victory before his game-winner even hit mesh.

They live on concrete courts with rusted hoops and in gymnasiums six flights of stairs above the ground like the one at George Brown College’s downtown campus where on a freezing January night, 25-year-old Vadim Halimov practices his jump shot from the corner in between halves.

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“I feel like something in my chest is rising up before every game, you know?” he says. “Before every game when the national anthem was playing, my head used to be in the clouds. But now, especially the closer I get to the end, I look at the Canadian flag and I take in the music and think, I’m not going to have this anymore. I’m so thankful for just being in Canada and having this opportunity.”

Halimov has scored more career and single-season points than anyone in OCAA history. He also claimed the title for most free-throw points in a season. He’s one of Canada’s best players, averaging more than 30 points a game, and making nearly seven

of every 10 free throws he takes – both tops in the league.

He makes it look easy, but he’s not just a great scorer. Gliding down the court, he finds an open teammate; he posts up and rips down rebounds while being double and triple-teamed consistently.

He’s grown accustomed to it, just as he’s grown accustomed to his life off the court.

Halimov is an immigrant from Uzbekistan, a central Asian country, nestled between Kazakhstan and Afghanistan. When he immigrated to Toronto in grade 11, he knew he was leaving a life and a family behind him. He hasn’t set foot in his homeland since then, and he won’t have the chance to until he’s 28.

Halimov explains that the army is a

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“I take in the music and think, I’m not going to have this anymore.

I’m so thankful for just being in Canada and having this opportunity.”

Halimov scores against Loyalist.

mandatory service in his country. “I can’t go home to see my grandmother, who I haven’t seen in almost ten years. You go to jail for two years if you refuse service, then when you come out, you have to enlist anyway.”

Halimov is proud to be Canadian, but even prouder to be a member of the George Brown Huskies. In 2014, his final year of eligibility, Halimov has proven to be the best of the best, with every game he wrote himself further into the history books. But for all his success on the court, basketball wasn’t even his sport of choice growing up.

“Back home my dad was the first to immigrate to Canada, so when he was gone, my mom wanted me to grow up into a man, didn’t want me to be a wussy, so she sent me to Mixed Martial Arts lessons. We would train and learn how to fight, how to be a man, and I spent seven or eight years doing MMA.” Topping 6’5” and built like a fighter, why didn’t he continue on that path in Canada?

“I tried,” he laughs. “I found a place, and I guess it was a bad place. So when we were training on the first day, we were working on some kicks, and the coach told me to be careful, because I might hurt someone, and I thought, this is MMA. So I never went back.”

Ten years later, he’s hurting opposing teams on the court. He glances down at the strip of hardwood separating the threepoint line from the sideline, and then again at the free throw line. Somewhere in between he stops, plants his feet and shoots a mid-range jumper, just like he has for the past five years.

He’s calm and collected, like an astronaut

Photos by George Halim

launching into space – but only for a few seconds. Someone shooting from the corner would have only three feet to leap and land; not much room to stay inbounds for a man his size; he doesn’t think twice.

Halimov broke the career points record at Seneca College, where he began his basketball career. He remembers his early days on a basketball court.

“I only started playing basketball when I moved to Canada, so I wasn’t very good.

But one summer, I trained so hard. Before I applied for college, I really wanted to make a basketball team. I didn’t have much success trying out for teams, except in high school.

I Google searched all the college standings.

I went to Seneca because they were lower-ranked, so I wanted to make sure I made the team. I was a rookie, a walk-on, and I played about 15 minutes a game, which is

pretty good. But then guys on the team had jobs, others didn’t pay fees, others dropped out, so our roster went from 14, to five. So obviously my minutes went through the roof, I got better, and here I am today.”

Halimov played four years at Seneca.

Norm Hamilton was his teammate for two years, and is now the assistant coach at George Brown. Hamilton says he deserves everything he gets, and coaching the “best player of all time” is a privilege for him, and a little more personal.

“For me, it’s like he’s my younger brother.

There’s a different bond between him and me and I make sure to get on him to help him achieve his goals whatever they may be. I know for a fact that I wanted it (the records) for him more than he wanted it for himself.”

George Brown head coach Jonathan Smith calls Halimov his unofficial adopted son. He says Halimov’s hard work and dedication bring out the best in his teammates “When you see how hard he works, how can you not work hard as a teammate? When your superstar dives on the floor for a ball, why can’t I? It rubs off on people and I think it’s rubbed off on our whole group.”

But now that his college career is over, Halimov has his sights on the bigger picture – getting paid to play the game he loves.

“If everything works out I’m definitely going to try. I don’t believe in living a life with ‘what if ’ questions. I don’t want to be 40 years old and think, what if I tried? What if I made it? I don’t want to live like that. I’m going to try until I can’t try any more.”

If Halimov continues to drive himself with commitment, determination and passion, he’s sure to succeed. In a few years’ time, he’ll have quite the story to tell his grandmother when they finally see each other again. •

Halimov waits for a rebound on a free-throw attempt against Loyalist College.

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SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

10 LEAGUE SPORTS five

TOURNAMENT SPORTS member schools

ONE

ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION STUDENT-ATHLETES TODAY. LEADERS TOMORROW.

/TheOCAA OCAA.com

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HOMETOWN TRIUMPHS

BY ASHLEY COWELL

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he Soo Curlers Association in Sault Ste. Marie was packed to the rafters with fans, but eight sheets of ice sat empty. They were gathered to cheer their hometown heroes’ fight for gold at the Sochi Olympics, earlier this year.

As Brad Jacobs and his team defeated Great Britain, the collective clapping, cheering and fist-pumping at home mirrored the celebrations happening on the ice in Sochi.

The same team that started playing at the community curling rink had become the best in the world. The crowd that day was full of friends and former teammates who had watched them learn and grow over the years.

A week before Olympic gold, the young men at Sault College, led by skip Chris Glibota, captured OCAA gold on the Cougars’ home rink, for the second time in three years. The women also got on the podium, earning bronze medals.

While the city that straddles the northern Ontario and Michigan borders is well-known for its love of hockey, curling has secured a spot in the community of 80,000 too. The Soo Curlers Association has 12 leagues for all ages, from those just starting out, to those who are ready for more advanced league play.

Watching the sport for the first time could be a bore for some, but there is an agreement among those who start playing: once you pick up a rock, you never put it down.

Danny Lamoureux, Canadian Curling Association’s Director of Curling Club Development and Championship Services, says it’s a fascinating game. “It has an attraction to people that once they try it, they really, really like it.”

The dropout rate is very low among firsttime curlers in the program. “People who have no idea about the game come in and want to try it,” says Carl Punkari, coach of the college’s varsity teams, about the Adult Learn to Curl program at Soo Curlers.

Curling is cheaper than hockey, requires no skating skills and allows the opportunity for co-ed play. There’s a very social aspect too and this allows Sault College to break the barrier between varsity and non-varsity athletes.

“It’s a big part of the college community here. We try to encourage non-curling students and faculty to a bonspiel at the end of every year,” Scott Gray, athletic director of Sault College, says.

Bonspiels are tournaments that mix sports and socializing; the Sault calls theirs a ‘funspiel’ and gives alternative awards, for things like best costumes.

On the varsity side of things, the school’s curling teams have won more titles than any other sport in the college’s 30-year history.

In the last two years alone, the mixed and women’s teams have each brought in a medal, while the men have won two.

Geographically, Sault Ste. Marie is isolated from the colleges they compete with at the provincial level. Their closest rival in the OCAA championships this year was Confederation College in Thunder Bay, which is roughly eight hours away.

Since distance limits their varsity playing opportunities, Sault didn’t know their opponents until the day the championships began.

“We have no idea who we’d be meeting but it doesn’t matter in the way we play,” Punkari said at the time. “We play each shot the way we want to and adjust accordingly to the other teams’ play.” If anyone wasn’t convinced initially, they certainly were after the tournament.

Gray says there can be challenges with recruiting, because of the high turnover rate in college. Veteran players have been on the varsity team for two years–the length of all available programs.

“We have 20 to 25 kids playing in the program and there are about four to five teams

Photos courtesy Sault College

Sault Ste. Marie’s men’s curling team competing. playing every night,” Gray says.

And if spots need to be filled on the roster, they turn to the hockey or cross-country teams. “They’re pretty athletic to begin with and they know the work load and commitment,” Punkari says. “They come on board pretty quickly.”

The last CCAA curling championship before 2012 was in 1990, because the CCAA requires at least four conferences in any sport for a national championship. It wasn’t until a new invitational level of play was developed, that curling was able to return to the CCAA. With TSN broadcasting about 300 hours of curling annually and TV viewership that rivals hockey, Lamoureux says keeping competitive national teams should encourage people to get out and play.

For Gray, it’s about getting the mentality of the school to change, to get students interested in not just their studies but in extra-curricular activities as well.

“At the end of the day, it’s really a labour of love.” •

spring 2014 issue 11

Academy training in Algonquin’s Thunder Dome. Photo courtesy Ottawa Fury FC

FURY SYSTEM SAVING CANADIAN SOCCER

BY PAOLO SERPE

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eptember 14, 1985 is remembered as Canada’s greatest moment on the international stage of men’s soccer.

At King George V Park, in St John’s Newfoundland, 13,000 fans erupted into celebration as Canada defeated Honduras 2-1 to qualify for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

The Canadians were knocked out in the first round without scoring a goal, but it was seen as a major stepping-stone for Canadian soccer. Unfortunately, almost 30 years later, that achievement is still to be matched.

One of the main reasons Canada has failed to reach a new level of success is the way players are developed in this country.

Looking specifically at Ontario, there is no organization between clubs and no implementation of a universal system to find and grow players from a young age.

“The only thing a coach can control

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is what happens at his training sessions,” says Jimmy Zito, after sounding off on the management of soccer in Ontario. Although he makes it clear he’s only expressing his personal opinion, and isn’t speaking for his club, Ottawa Fury FC, his is the voice of experience.

In 2002, Zito was a member of an Algonquin Thunder team that won its first ever CCAA National Championship, as well as the OCAA title. He went on to coach his former high school, Ottawa’s St. Pius X, and led the boys’ team to provincial gold. In 2008, Zito returned to Algonquin as an assistant coach to help them win their fourth straight OCAA gold medal. Two years later, he became head coach and led the Thunder to provincials incredibly for a sixth straight season.

Zito says the problems are well-known, but solving them without the co-operation

of both the Canadian and Ontario Soccer Associations is impossible. It’s his role with the Ottawa Fury, and similar ones around the country, where changes can start to happen.

The Ottawa Fury has been running an Academy for more than 10 years. They run specific programs for boys and girls as young as four years old, all the way up to 20 years old. Zito is the club’s Assistant Technical Director, which basically means he is responsible for the coaching methodology and overall standards of training for almost every age group.

It is a highly competitive environment, but one which does not focus on winning; the number one goal is to develop players for Canadian and American colleges and universities.

The Fury’s senior men’s team was founded in 2005, and has played in the

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change, it made me more mature,” travelling all the time, going to the States every weekend, being on their own; it just made everyone grow as people incredibly fast and learn responsibility, Brown says.

Respect was fundamental; coaches expected the best, most committed efforts from each player day in and day out, and for some, it was just too much. Players who had

“

I really want to give back the opportunities I was given by everyone...

“

Premier Development League (PDL), along with Thunder Bay and Fraser Valley as the league’s Canadian representatives. The PDL is considered a fourth tier level competition, after Major League Soccer (MLS), the North American Soccer League (NASL) and the USL Professional Division.

While all the teams are amateur, the organization, professionalism and focus on developing youth talent makes the PDL an excellent starting point for young players.

Beginning in 2014, Ottawa will join FC Edmonton in the NASL, becoming just the fifth professional club in Canada, after Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact of the MLS, and Edmonton.

What’s unique about the Fury, says Dominic Oliveri, is that it has a top-end women’s team as well, the Ottawa Fury Women, which was actually established before the men’s program, in 2003. The team plays in the W-League, which is the top women’s professional-amateur league in the United States. Ottawa is one of six Canadian teams competing.

Oliveri credits the Fury owner, John Pugh, for the club’s focus on developing young boys and girls. “When he took over he wanted to provide great opportunities for local players on both sides. The way the Fury started has defined our pathway.”

Oliveri is in his fourth season as head coach of the Fury Women, winning the W-League crown in 2012. Taking over Algonquin’s women’s team this past season also, he led them to their first OCAA title in 11 years.

Both the men’s and women’s senior teams are very difficult to crack for Academy players, with both hosting a number of international players. The hope is that these Academy graduates can earn scholarships to Canadian or American schools and complete their education while playing at a high level. But those who wish to go professional certainly have the opportunities to showcase their talents for various North American and European teams.

Simon Brown is a local goalie who played for Kanata, in Ottawa. He tried out and made the Academy team at 12 years old, but decided to stay with Kanata for one more season, joining the under-14 team a year later at 13.

He says the biggest difference with the Fury was the professionalism within the club.

He recalls walking in to practice as a 13-yearold, shaking hands with his coach, and just being amazed at the intensity and work ethic that was instilled in him.

“The professionalism was such a huge

bad attitudes or made poor decisions, or who simply couldn’t maintain the standards to hold a spot in the system, were sent home.

The monthly fees didn’t guarantee a position for anyone in the Academy.

Brown thrived; he loved the challenge to be better every day. In four years with the Fury, he was team captain for two and the starting goalie for three. At 17, he captained the Reserve team for two seasons in the PDL and played with the North American All-Star team before going to Carleton University.

He became disillusioned with soccer in his two years at Carleton, while also suffering from a mental health issue. He left the school and it was at this time that Zito came calling,

inviting Brown to try out with Algonquin.

Zito had never directly coached him with the Fury Academy, but was always aware of him as a player.

“I never really took the time to think about college, my parents were always saying university, university, university.”

Brown says it was a great decision to go to college; at Algonquin his love for the game was reignited and the environment better suited his hands-on approach to learning.

Now in his first year of electrical engineering and third overall, Brown is loving his time in the classroom and on the Algonquin squad. At only 21 years old he still has opportunities to try his hand at a professional soccer career. He was accepted into Toronto FC’s Academy, as well as a few others in the States, but his main focus has always been on school. He’s also coaching now and wants to enjoy his time in the game.

“I really want to give back the opportunities I was given by everyone, back to the clubs I played with when I was a kid.”

Saying that the Ottawa Fury Academy has helped him become the person he is today, Brown can be seen as the finished product; a well-rounded individual with the skills and mentality to succeed in both soccer and life.

These are the kinds of people we need to see developed in Canadian soccer; players who are brought up with the right values and character. This can only be achieved if clubs that focus on long-term player development over individual success continue to grow in Canada.

When Canada finally does reach its second World Cup, it will be led by another Simon Brown. •

The Fury in the Super Y-League North American U16 Boys Championship, Florida.

Photo courtesy Ottawa Fury FC

spring 2014 issue 13

When you’re winning, everyone wants to play. A champion’s reputation helps in

recruiting.

THE CYCLE OF SUCCESS

BY AMY STUBBS

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inning is the name of the game.

Success in sports is measured with trophies, ribbons, medals, records and statistics. But for coaches recruiting to fill empty spots on winning teams, and veteran athletes looking for teammates to contribute to another championship year, it is as much about heart as athletic ability.

“You don’t just want a great player that is a robot,” says Kyle Breitner, pitcher for the St. Clair Saints and OCAA Men’s Baseball Player of the Year for 2013.

“You want a good guy. You want a guy who is in the game with you. You want a good personality guy who really helps the team gel.”

Teams spend a lot of time together, on and off the field. Chemistry is a huge part of in-game performance, making recruiting a team member much like recruiting a new member to the family.

College athletics has a high turnover rate; many academic programs are only two years, and the OCAA has a five-year maximum eligibility for athletes. This means coaches are

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constantly on the lookout for the next piece to add to their teams’ puzzle.

This process can take years, according to John MacInnis, Algonquin Thunder Women’s basketball head coach. “I approach grade 11 kids sometimes, to plant the seed.

For higher-end players; if you wait until final year someone else has likely nabbed them.”

Teams that have built championship legacies have the added pressure of staying competitive year after year. John Loney, head coach of both the men’s and women’s cross country teams at Fanshawe College, doesn’t let the target on his back that comes with having a dominant program bother him.

“I just always focus on one runner at a time and one day at a time,” Loney says. “If you take care of all those little things, at the end of the season, sometimes big things happen.” His strategy has proven effective, as the men’s cross country team has won OCAA gold seven times since Loney began coaching the team in 2004, three of those years they were also National Champions.

No doubt Loney has built a legacy, but he never assumes they will just keep winning each year. “I think you look back on the first one and when you win a championship you always wonder, will it be the last one, or will we get to do it again?”

Similarly, MacInnis, who has led his team to OCAA gold for the last four years, opts to break it down from season to season and not talk too much about the past.

When a team is known for winning, athletes come jumping for the chance to fill an empty seat on the bench, as veteran players retire and move on from their college careers.

Chris Wilkins, head coach of the Humber Hawks women’s volleyball team, says success creates an atmosphere that top players from around the country want to be a part of.

“Winning is the best recruiting tool that you can have. It is a cycle that allows for it to take care of itself.”

Since Fanshawe’s first title under Loney, he has never had to actively recruit; runners contact him about the prospects of joining his program year after year.

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“

I look at an athlete [in terms of] what their potential is...

“

With a pool of good athletes to choose from, what is going to make an individual stand apart from others who are equally talented? For Loney, the choice is easily made based on an athlete’s passion, which he gauges by asking a simple question: “How do you feel about running? Do you love it? All I have to do is listen to them talk about running for a little bit and I can kind of go, ‘yeah you’ve got the bug’.” Skills can be developed but if athletes aren’t going to put effort in and show up each day giving it their all, there will be no improvement.

Thinking back to the best athletes he’s had, Loney says not one of them was any kind of star in high school; they wouldn’t have been on anybody’s radar screen.

When asked what he looks for in an athlete, Wilkins jokes that it is a secret he can’t give away to the Hawks’ rivals. With some nudging he opens up. “I look at an athlete [in terms of] what their potential is coming in and what their athletic ceiling is.” Later he admits to turning girls away when he feels individual credit is too important to them; Wilkins looks for girls who don’t mind being a little fish in a big pond.

The coach and player relationship is key, and must be built on a foundation of trust and communication. Likewise, the relationship among teammates must have these same principles.

Kyle Breitner helped lead the Saints to victory this past season, the first year men’s baseball was included as an OCAA sport; he hopes it’s the start of a dynasty. Breitner says players have to want to be there, both for themselves and the team.

“When you have nine guys doing as best as they can at their position, offensively and defensively, that’s what makes a team a team.

When everybody is doing their part then the whole team succeeds as one.”

As coach of a team that has won OCAA

gold the past seven years, Wilkins says camaraderie and community is the recipe to their success. “I’ve been a part of programs where I’ve had the best 12 or 14 players in the province and we haven’t won because those individuals didn’t find a way to work together as a team, and then I’ve had teams where we didn’t have as much talent but

worked really well together.”

In addition to having a positive attitude towards the sport, and each other, treating rival schools with respect and admiration has also proven key to these teams’ success.

Even in recruitment, Loney never likes to say anything bad about another school. Last year, during a discussion with a potential recruit about choosing Fanshawe or one of their biggest rivals, Humber College, he remembers saying, “I wish I could tell you a whole bunch of bad stuff about Humber, and a whole bunch of reasons not to go there, but to be honest you can go to either school and have a really great experience.”

Instead, he chooses to focus on what his program has to offer.

When looking to play competitive sports at the college varsity level, Breitner says egos should be checked at the door. “The better teams are the most fun at practice and the most fun outside of the field as a team.” •

Humber’s women’s volleyball team earns seventh consecutive OCAA gold.

Photos by Amy Stubbs

spring 2014 issue 15

LEADING THE REVIVAL

BY KATE PADDISON

Photo of John Child by Amy Stubbs.

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volleyball teams’ 20-year hiatus isn’t clear, but there are many theories.

“All I can say, and I’m speculating, is that participation was down, funding was down and tough decisions were made,” McLaughlin says.

For Paul Martin, sports information officer for Centennial’s Progress Campus, it all comes down to need. Discontinuing a team is due to the need and population makeup of the students. The program is being restarted now because, over the past few years, students have shown an interest.

As a former alumnus, the idea of coming back after graduating in 1991 to get the pro-

“

He’s a great volleyball player, an Olympian, and everyone loves him. All the chips just fell into line.

“

O

n a snowy Sunday afternoon, Havergal College gymnasium is so packed with kids of various ages and athletic skill levels; you wouldn’t even know it wasn’t a regular school day. They’ve all gathered because of their common love of volleyball.

The 46-year-old, former bronze medal-winning Olympian stands in front of me - all six feet and three inches of him.

Finding a time to interview John Child wasn’t easy. Finally we agreed on meeting at Havergal College, where he runs the Leaside Volleyball Club, as its founder and technical director.

Both Centennial and the OCAA announced in September that the team would be part of the 2014-2015 OCAA season.

It was also announced that former Olympian, eight-time Canadian national champion in beach volleyball and Centennial alumnus, John Child, would be returning to co-ordinate the college’s new men’s and women’s volleyball programs after a 20-year absence in the sport.

That is where the trail ran dry. There were no more updates on the team, the names of the coaches or whether they would actually play in the OCAA 2014-2015 season. The OCAA was quick to say that the news of John Child’s hiring as co-ordinator of Centennial’s volleyball program was released prematurely and that the team would not be playing in the 2014/2015 season either. Nor were OCAA officials sure Child would stick around until then.

“We were prepared to get a team together for this year,” says Child of Centennial College’s men’s and women’s teams. “Things would have moved a little quicker than how we would have liked, so it’s actually done us a favour that we could not get in the league this year.”

Steve McLaughlin, athletic director for Centennial’s Progress Campus, says the team is not eligible to join the OCAA until the 2015-2016 season because of the organization’s new two-year schedule.

A team cannot join midway through the two-year period. “This is the first time (the new schedule) has impacted a team.

Now the next time any team can get in is in two years, which I think is a far superior method.”

Despite the delay, Child says the rumours he won’t be sticking around for the team’s debut in 2015 are grossly exaggerated. “I will be here. I am part of this, and we will get it up and going. It’s a process when you haven’t had a team in 20 years.”

The exact reason behind the Centennial

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gram started, really appealed to Child. “I got inducted into the Centennial College Hall of Fame a year ago, and Steve McLaughlin asked if I was interested in coming back and starting a program. The school is too big, too reputable and too good to not have a volleyball program.”

McLaughlin believes Child is the perfect choice for getting the program off the ground. “Character and athletic ability came to the top,” he says when explaining why Child was hired for the position. “John has graduated from Centennial, he’s in the Hall of Fame, his expertise in coaching, his commitment to academics; who can deny his profile as an Olympian? He’s respected in the community, and more than that, he’s a great guy.”

Martin concurs, saying everyone loves alumni. “It’s such a success story. He’s a great volleyball player, an Olympian, and

everyone loves him. All the chips just fell into line.”

With such a talented volleyball player running the program, it’s hard to imagine the team not doing well. Child coaches six or seven days a week, at many different levels. His experience ranges from coaching Olympians to eight-year-olds, which positions him to provide direction to the coaches.

Although no one has yet been selected to coach the men’s team, beach volleyball player Liz Maloney has been named as the women’s coach.

Maloney says she’s very excited to be chosen to bring volleyball back to Centennial. “I’m excited to have John as the co-ordinator. He used to be my coach. There really isn’t anyone I’d rather work with.”

Despite the hype surrounding Child and the new program, he has no illusions about creating a winning team right off the bat; they won’t be challenging for a championship in year one, and he says it’s unrealistic to expect those results right away.

“The program will speak for itself. We will provide great coaching, good training and great facilities. Over time, it is going to sell itself and people are going to want to play there. If we can make the playoffs the first few years, that would be great.”

And while he acknowledges that Humber College currently seems to have a hold on volleyball, Child is optimistic about the Centennial teams’ future. “A lot of the athletes for volleyball have been going to Humber for the men’s program, so we need to get a program going here to give them a little competition.”

Wayne Wilkins, head coach for Humber College’s men’s volleyball team, has been coaching for more than 20 years. He’s not worried about the additional competition.

He says the league can only improve with more teams.

“It helps volleyball grow as a sport and helps the attraction rate grow. Centennial has been a great school in the past. We look forward to the team being back in action for some competition.”

Despite the delay in both the men’s and women’s teams joining the OCAA, don’t expect Centennial to have a quiet year in volleyball; open tryouts were held in early February for both teams.

“We are in the process of putting together an exhibition schedule. So although we won’t be part of the league we will be playing other colleges in an exhibition schedule.

We can’t practice all year and never play.” •

spring 2014 issue 17

TAKING “COLLEGE SPORTS FANS” TO THE NEXT LEVEL

VISIT OCAA.COM TODAY FOR NEWS, STATS, FEATURED ATHLETES, SCOREBOARDS, AND MORE!

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ESTABLISHING A SOLID BASE Are prep schools the next step?

BY KELLY TOWNSEND

I

n the quiet town of Mono, Ontario, population 8,000, a bustling athletic centre with world class facilities and equipment is the last thing anybody would expect to see.

However, thanks to the generosity of one family, basketball players from all over North America are coming to this small community, northeast of Orangeville, to train in the hope of joining high-level programs in both the NCAA and CIS. The Athlete Institute is not just giving high school basketball players a chance to train at a high level in Canada; it may be giving students their only opportunity to play high school basketball at all.

“In basketball in particular, you see a huge disparity between the separate schools and the public schools. It’s a broken model right now, and I’m saddened by it,” Flack says. “There’s still a vibrant community of people that coach and dedicate themselves to high school athletes, but the expectation that teachers coach has fallen by the wayside.”

“The prep schools, they’re filling a gap that has been left by the destruction of high school sports by a lot of government decisions over the last 20 years,” says Jim Flack, athletic director at Sheridan College.

Jesse Tipping, president of the Athlete Institute, was fed up with losing Canadian talent to the U.S. for schooling and training.

The Academy, which was originally built as a community centre, has been playing in both Canada and the U.S. for two seasons, since the program was launched.

“There’s nothing you can find in the world that you’re not going to find here as far as development for kids of this age,” says Larry Blunt, head coach of the Institute’s high school basketball team.

The funding for the program largely

The aim is not to send each of their players south of the border, however. Three students have gone on to join CIS teams.

So far none of the graduating students have gone on to play in the OCAA, but Flack, with over two decades of recruitment experience, won’t count out recruiting students from prep schools.

He’s disappointed by the lack of athletic support in public schools. As prep and private schools increasingly become the method of delivering sport to teens, high school athletics are slowly diminishing.

The Canadian presence in the U.S. is booming right now, according to Brandon Lesovsky, head coach of the prep basketball team. “We’re on the leading edge of ... the next group that’s gonna make a big impact.”

He expects more prep schools to show up in Ontario soon.

But Flack says public schools still have some advantages. “You can’t duplicate the experience of putting on a jersey, playing in front of your friends and representing your school; a prep school doesn’t do that.”

Tipping disagrees. He wants to use basketball as a way to give students a better education, saying, “we pride ourselves on doing what’s best for each kid as a person rather than a basketball player.”

Either way, the emergence of Canadian prep schools, with impressive facilities, helping students pursue their interests is a valuable commodity in Canada, and one that cannot be easily dismissed. •

comes from the Tippings, a wealthy Orangeville family. But Tipping says costs of travel and living are covered by the students’ $18,000 tuition. However, Tipping says most students are on full or partial scholarships.

While the students improve their basketball skills at the academy, they study at Orangeville District Secondary School.

“People all over Canada are starting to hear about us and want to be a part of what’s going on, because they see that it’s something special,” Tipping says.

Among the first group of graduates from the program, Cory Kenning and Marcus Jones have both joined NCAA Division Two schools.

Raheem Williams, Gentry Thomas, Nathaniel Johnson and Mark Nugent have all graduated and are attending U.S. Junior Colleges, with the hope they will move up to the NCAA in the next year or so.

Tipping says he’s in constant communication with them.

“They’ve all had success as rookies, which is not always the case. They’re in good spots on their teams.”

Kenning is a center with Palm Beach Atlantic University, averaging 10.4 minutes, 40 per cent from the field, 1.8 rebounds and 3.9 points in 21 games this season. Jones, a guard with Gannon University, is a redshirt – he trains with the team but won’t play in games. Redshirt players are identified as assets for Jesse Tipping playing for the Brampton A’s. Photo by Hermione Wilson the future.

spring 2014 issue 19

Photos courtesy of Jarron Childs

NORTHERN EXPOSURE

BY KAT SHERMACK

T

he timetable of a student-athlete can be hectic balancing school, sport and social commitments. If you’re a student-athlete in northern Ontario, that timetable is even more pressed.

“We had to travel every other weekend from October to February,” says Lindsay Druery, a former varsity basketball player at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay. “Because of our location, you have to fly.

We would leave Friday morning and return Sunday in the evening or afternoon.”

Of 52 colleges and universities in Ontario, only 10 are in northern Ontario. This may seem pretty obvious, due to the simple fact that more people live in southern Ontario. What is less obvious are the additional challenges athletes and athletics departments in northern Ontario face. Elements such as recruiting, travel, and keeping up with academics can be more challenging for northern schools. However, in true northern fashion, these schools find ways to not just rise to the challenges they face, but become stronger teams.

The challenge of northern schools is getting people out there in the first place.

“The distance is tough,” says Tom Warden, athletic director at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay. “It’s very difficult to recruit here.”

Because the population of Ontario is concentrated in the south, it can be difficult to educate people about the athletic accom-

20 sweat MAGAZINE

plishments of northern schools, but many of these schools are serious competitors in a variety of sports, winning medals in everything from cross-country running to curling.

However, their accomplishments can be overshadowed by the bigger schools in southern Ontario. In order to get people interested in coming to northern Ontario, it is up to the administrators to promote the highlights of smaller communities like Thunder Bay, Sudbury, and Sault Ste. Marie.

“Part of our responsibility and our job as an athletic department is to promote our institution throughout Canada, and certainly

throughout Ontario,” says Warden.

“We’re selling the city of Sault Ste Marie,” echoes Scott Gray, athletic director at Sault College. “As a college we embrace the fact that we’re in the north. We have some nice things we can offer to potential students and student-athletes up here they wouldn’t experience in the south. We have some great outdoor space. It’s beautiful up here in the winter. We get lots of snow, which is good for winter sports like skiing.”

Traveling is the biggest difference between schools in northern Ontario and schools in southern Ontario.

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“Our geographic location is challenging,” says Gray. “We’re an eight-hour trip away from all our team sport games. When you think of a typical competition trip, we have to add a day on the front and the back of those trips just for travel.”

The distance is a factor the majority of schools just don’t have to consider, but can have significant ramifications for a northern school. The additional expense and time can make things much more difficult.

“We can’t enter any of the other schools’ exhibition games,” says Susan Tucker, athletic director at Confederation College in Thunder Bay. “It just can’t happen. As it is, it costs us $10,000 to send our team down. We try to make it possible for them to compete in local city leagues just for practice.”

Additional travel time can also take a toll on students’ academic work.

“I probably would have been a better student if I had not played basketball,” Druery admits, but insists with a laugh, “my grades weren’t terrible.”

“It’s a challenge for the students, because they have to work out different schedules with their faculty and professors,” Gray says.

“You can have a first-year student in a new class and a new environment, and they have to approach their teacher and say ‘I’m not going to be in class this Friday because we’re on the road.’ It’s sometimes a daunting task for a brand new student right out of high school.”

This hectic schedule doesn’t leave a lot of time for homework, but faculty try to be as accommodating as possible.

“From the athletic department, we have to learn how to support them. There are tutors available, and we make sure study rooms are available at the hotels,” Gray says.

Although travel can be hard on the athletes, Gray says it’s a unique opportunity to

“Part of our responsibility and our job as an athletic department is to promote our institution throughout Canada.” bond that athletes in southern Ontario might not get.

“More time on a bus ride adds to team cohesion,” says Gray. “They spend more time together, eating meals on the road, staying in hotels on the road, and traveling together on the road. Other teams wouldn’t have that.”

While there are certainly additional and specific challenges athletes in northern Ontario face, there are also advantages. Athletics are a huge part of the culture of northern towns, so student-athletes have the opportunity to play a big role in their community.

“When you consider hockey players are playing in front of 4,000 people, it’s a big deal,” says Warden.

Smaller towns don’t have the major sports franchises that big cities do, so post-secondary athletics are often the highest level of

sports people can see on a regular basis.

“Between us and the university, we’re the biggest tickets in town,” says Gray. “There are a lot of people who flock to our games just to watch talent, student-athletes or not. We have a smaller, tight–knit community in the varsity department. The kind of environment where we’re all in the same boat together.

We all have these challenges, but that’s what makes it valuable to us: the family–like environment we instill with them here.”

Druery says you can tell the difference between a northern school and a southern one just by walking into the gym.

“It’s a lot different,” she says. “You could tell when we went on road trips to bigger schools. Here, the gym is packed every night, and it’s the same people coming out; it’s the kids you coach in camp there with their families. It’s the same businesses every year that are willing to support and sponsor the program. They’re there to support you. It’s a great sense of community; you see these people all the time.”

Although student-athletes in northern Ontario face a unique set of challenges, the schools still have a lot to offer, and it’s up to the administration to prove that to the rest of the province.

“We have to fight for all that we get, and we have to make people understand how important the north is,” Warden says. “I realize that’s part of my responsibility as an administrator here.”

“It’s just the nature of the geography of Canada. That’s just the way it is.” •

spring 2014 issue 21

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FROZEN LINKS

BY GLYN BOWERMAN

Photo by Glyn Bowerman

T

he terrible weather that pummeled Ontario this year has been overwhelming. Many of us heard the term “polar vortex” for the first time in our lives.

Before we thaw out and hit the links, it’s instructive to think about the impact climate change will have for a sport like golf, where the playing field is so dependent on the environment. On the one hand, a 2007 WeatherBill Inc. study of 95 cities saw an increase in playable days, because of a shift toward more seasonal weather. On the other, scientists have theorized the Old Course at St. Andrews could be swallowed by the sea by 2050, due to more violent, coastal storms.

More playable days, or swallowed into the sea; what does climate change mean for the future of golf in Ontario?

The provincial Ministry of the Environment predicts these changes will likely mean an increase in average temperatures by three to eight degrees, over the next 100 years.

Dramatic weather extremes will also become more common; in Ontario, that means ice.

So what happens when the turf is pummeled by ice all winter?

Property manager at Whitevale Golf Club in Pickering, Blair Rennie, says there’s no question this winter was rough. “And a grass plant is a living, breathing thing.”

Rennie says ice is a big concern and likens it to having a plastic bag over your head.

“With a heavy layer of ice, the grass can only survive under there for a certain amount of time before it dies. Depending on what report you read and what type of

turf grass you have, there is a window where, boom, your grass will not survive.”

Of the many predictions Ontario’s Environment Ministry makes, milder weather is the most comforting. Rob Foster, co– ordinator of the Golf and Club Management program at Fanshawe College, has seen a trend of longer days and longer seasons.

However, a former club owner himself, Foster says that while he felt a creep toward warmer weather, it is very hard to capitalize on the extra playable days because typically, a line can be drawn in the sand when people hang up their clubs for the season; that line is rarely drawn after November, even when the weather’s nice.

“Even if you have the good days, as owner/ operators of a club we always ask ourselves, is it worth being open? Because all we get is a small percentage of the hardcore golfers out, which isn’t sustainable for a business.”

Once all but the diehard golfers have decided, regardless of weather, that the season is over, Foster says there’s not enough money to pay the staff, or maintain the turf. The club simply calls it a season.

“From an operation standpoint we often question the validity of staying open past a certain point, regardless of the weather. So in terms of climate change, I don’t think climate has changed enough that we can really see a prolonged fall golf season.”

Bummer. Staring in the face of a missed opportunity, and that’s when the weather is nice.

David Phillips, a senior climatologist at Environment Canada, says some instances

of extreme weather are simply a mix of bad luck and poor infrastructure, a combination which can turn an unpreventable hazard into a very avoidable disaster.

At the same time, more instances of severe weather may very well be a sign of the times. Phillips says it’s the kind of thing climatologists have been preaching for awhile.

“I think what we’re seeing in southern Ontario this year is the fact that it was the ice storm, it was a rain storm and that it was a very wet year, it certainly may be part of something ‘stay tuned, you’re gonna get it.’”

For Phillips, it’s still difficult to say what the future holds in terms of climate change, and it’s important to note a particularly soggy summer or icy winter isn’t indicative of a climate trend, but there is reason to believe the frequency of conditions for extreme weather might increase.

“The idea is: get used to it. We’re gonna see more of it. [We’ve] not just been dealt a rough deck. This could very well be our doing, and we have to learn from it and learn to prepare for it.”

Luckily, someone like Rennie knows the stakes, and they’re unlikely to be caught unprepared. He says that while the hearty, creeping bentgrass is generally the preferred playing surface for the region, many courses must rely in part on annual poa grass, because of its high rate of reproduction. But, in extreme hot or cold, poa is the first to go.

“As of today we are at day 28 under ice on our greens. We know when that ice storm came, we know exactly when it started and when it set itself up. And again, depending on what report you read, the poa annual will last anywhere from 45 to 60 days under ice before it succumbs and dies.”

Before that time, the ice will have to be physically removed in parts, and chemicals will be employed to try to melt the rest. Otherwise, there’s going to be serious damage control to do come spring.

In the world of sport, golf is a sort of canary in the coal mine for changing weather.

Many sports take place outdoors, but golf club members and professional athletes expect a lot out of their courses. The way the turf plays, as well as the aesthetics of a beautifully-managed and landscaped playing field are inextricably tied to the game.

Managing that playing service requires a deft hand, and attention to detail. And while a golf course in Pickering may be in little danger of being swallowed by the sea, property managers, as Phillips says, must prepare for the increasingly frequent worse. Otherwise, we’ll all be stuck in the rough. •

spring 2014 issue 23

OUT ON THE COURT

BY THOMAS ROHNER

W

hile the sports world crowned new heroes in Sochi this past winter, heroes on this side of the globe emerged too: Jason Collins became the first openly-gay NBA player and NCAA All-American football player Michael Sam came out; could they have been inspired by the spotlight the Sochi Olympics shone on gay rights in sports?

“I think sports have an important role to play in raising issues, in solving problems,” Brian Kitts, co-founder of the You Can Play Project, told Sweat Magazine. You Can Play has worked with the four major professional leagues in North America in an effort to rid sports of homophobia. “A lot of what makes you a great athlete are the same things we want to see in our friends.”

While the Sochi Olympics may have raised some awareness around gay rights issues, especially in sport, it’s clear there’s a long way to go on our own shores before equality can be claimed.

Michael Sam, for example, had to deal with a homophobic backlash from the sports community, including former Toronto Argo, Bruce Arland, who tweeted, “…Man up and do some MEN push UPS and get on your

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knees and submit to God fully…”.

What do LGBTQ players in the OCAA have to say about their experience? This is their story, after all.

A false notion of masculinity

An athletic director with decades of experience in the OCAA says he’s never known a single, out LGBTQ male athlete. But Gareth Martin and Jared Bihun, two athletes on the varsity volleyball team at Loyalist College in Belleville, are bucking that trend.

In fact Jared, a second-year culinary arts student, has literally turned the tables on his teammates. When asked if it was hard coming out to his team, he replied, grinning mischievously, “Probably harder on them than it was for me. I make fun of them a lot. I like making them awkward.”

While his two gay moms may have influenced his audacity, Jared understands that personality wouldn’t have helped him 10 years ago; things are different now. He also understands part of his love for sports and cooking is their power to level the playing field.

“It kinda levels out because if you make fun of me for being gay, I’m going to destroy

you, in the kitchen or on the court, because I’m better than you.” Again, that sly grin.

Gareth, a first-year chemical engineering student, says Jared’s ribbing is good-natured.

“Our team’s pretty chill. We joke around, but it’s pretty much just like a big family.”

Gareth grew up in a military family and identifies as bisexual. He explains how his teammates came to know of his orientation: “I have a bunch of tattoos and one, on my wrist, is of two opposing arrows that symbolize I go both ways. When they asked about it, I just told them the truth.” There was some initial hesitation from his teammates, Gareth says, but now, they couldn’t care less.

Defying stereotypes and shirking labels was common to each OCAA athlete interviewed for this article. Laura Bye, a former varsity volleyball player at Humber College, who graduated in 2013, says, “I don’t really have a label…but when most people ask, I’ll tell them I’m gay…It’s just easier to give them borders.”

Standing alone

But there was nothing easy about a situation Laura found herself in during the 2012-2013 season.

Laura considers herself lucky. She never

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Gareth Martin at home on Loyalist’s court. Photos by Thomas Rohner struggled with her sexuality; she found great support from her teammates, with whom she was very open, and even found love in her second year at college.

But in her third year, while playing an away game at a northern Ontario college, a boisterous crowd began heckling her, and clearly crossed a line.

“The fans started screaming, every time I was on court, ‘Humber homo, Humber homo.’ It was non-stop.”

Laura played through the harassment, and played well, but part of her mind was racing with fury and indignation, which she intended to let loose after the game.

“I had been plotting what I was going to say. I couldn’t wait to unleash on these people. But at the end of the game I couldn’t even speak. I literally broke down. I didn’t want to see anybody, I just went into the bus and cried and cried and cried.”

She says what upset her most was that nobody said anything or tried to stop them.

It just kept going and going.

Adding insult to injury, well-intentioned friends tried to console her afterwards by denying the chant happened at all, but Laura saw through it: “I know that you’re looking at me, and you’re lying when you say that…I know you know what they said.”

Laura’s ordeal isn’t a common one. “It’s pretty rare that you run into people who don’t have self-respect like that, and respect for others, at the college level.” But from Laura’s story, a painful truth was laid bare: as long as our culture struggles to accept sexual diversity, it will fall on the shoulders of individuals to stand their ground, to endure harassment, and to emerge stronger.

The OCAA’s code of ethics tells us how Laura’s situation should have been dealt with,

but more important than official policies is raising awareness through education, to prevent these situations from happening in the first place. Two athletes from George Brown College can testify to that.

Awareness through education

Shan Wilson and Quichell Barriffe are both starters for GBC’s varsity basketball team. Although they met through sports beforehand, they didn’t start dating until college; they’re proof that opposites attract, on and off the court.

“Because I’m faster, I usually drive to the basket and Quichell’s more of a 3-point shooter,” Shan, a student in the community worker program, says.

The second-year game development student shakes her head. “No, she’s not faster.”

Quichell is soft spoken and petite standing beside Shan. She’s a point guard, more of a playmaker.

They both attended an information session put on by the college’s human rights, equity and diversity office, organized by GBC’s athletic director, Ed Mark. In fact, every varsity team at the college attended an information session.

“It’s important that athletes know what resources are available to them,” Mark says.

Human rights offices across the OCAA have an open-door policy, encouraging students to seek support, but not many colleges have held information sessions for all coaches and athletes.

If athletes can recognize bullying quickly, Mark says, they may be able to diffuse the situation before it escalates. “And even if a comment wasn’t directed at you, it can still be harassment. If you thought someone else was getting harassed, you can file a complaint with the human rights office.”

Harassment is everyone’s responsibility.

What Shan found particularly useful was the discussion around language, and how casual references, like “that’s so gay” or “I’m gonna nail that,” are hurtful and harassing.

Both Shan and Quichell have Jamaican roots, and are grateful for the cultural differences surrounding homosexuality in Canada.

But Canadian culture continues to change as well, especially through educational initiatives.

Former OCAA athlete Dusty Noble says there’s been a huge shift since she graduated from Mohawk College in 1999. “When we were playing there was no real talk about it.”

“I don’t like titles, but because I have a girlfriend I guess I would say I’m gay”

Shan Wilson

spring 2014 issue 25

Kelly Noble met Dusty on the baseball diamond during tryouts for softball at Mohawk College, in 1997. They dated in college, but Dusty wasn’t sure yet about her sexuality, and the pair spent time apart after graduation. Finally after some soul-searching, Dusty settled down with Kelly and now they live with their two children, outside Hamilton.

They didn’t experience homophobia from within their college or team, but it wasn’t talked about much either.

“Sometimes that’s better,” Dusty says. “We should be able to just be, we shouldn’t have to broach a conversation…just to be who we are.”

Dusty now works at Mohawk College and has seen firsthand the cultural shift .

“Where I see a lot of change is with the coaches. They’re more cognitive of the makeup and needs of their team.” As a varsity

coach herself, Dusty’s had players come out to her. “It blew me away, and I thought, wow, good for them.” Mohawk’s positive space and support programs for LGBTQ students show a cultural shift too, Dusty says.

For Kelly, a high school teacher, positive space in high schools mean that kids are coming out even before college. She says in a perfect world, there won’t be any more coming out. “Nobody has to declare that they’re straight. We’ll just be who we are and love who we love.”

Kelly’s family struggled with her orientation, and during her college years the varsity team was a crucial support system for her.

“Sport was one of my saviours. I established a lot of relationships with my team and a lot of those became close friendships.”

The athletes interviewed for this article

all felt supported by their teammates–their second families. But other LGBTQ athletes in the OCAA who don’t feel supported wouldn’t be likely to speak out. Their voices are muted.

And so on

One of those voices struggling to be heard from within the LGBTQ community, especially within athletics, for which such a broad effort still needs to be made, is that of transgender people.

That effort is being taken on in the OCAA, but needs to continue, especially through campaigns to raise awareness and to include voices that continue to be marginalized.

Laura Bye says, really, it’s everyone’s responsibility to make sure everyone is comfortable.

“It’s your team, it’s your family.” •

THE FUN IN ATHLETICS

BY ALESSANDRA MICIELI

D

odgeball, floor hockey, volleyball, cricket.

Every day in every college gymnasium in Ontario, students meet to play a sport. Some are superstars, some are newbies or wannabes, but all are having fun.

At the same time, they are getting or staying active.

Being an athlete doesn’t necessarily mean playing on a varsity team.

Playing intramural sports can enhance overall well-being, says Angela Wood, fitness co–ordinator at Durham College and University of Ontario Institute of Technology.

“Some of the main psychological benefits may include increased confidence and self-esteem, propensity to a better overall attitude and outlook, resilience, and really just feeling good,” says Wood.

Being physically active can have widespread health benefits, according to Wood.

“There are myriad physiological benefits,” says Wood. “Reduced blood pressure, reduced resting heart rate, improved heart and lung function, healthy body composition, increased muscular and cardiovascular strength ... the list goes on and on.”

Non-varsity athletes can participate.

Teams that are intramural (within the college) and extramural (against other schools)

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are offered on most college campuses.

Students living in residence have even more choices to stay active and healthy.

Luqman Ahmed, coach of Seneca’s extramural cricket team told Sweat the sport is very popular among students at various colleges. Though not yet a varsity sport, extramural cricketers play tournaments with five or more schools.

For Dhruv Patel, chemical engineering technology student and cricket player from Seneca, the social part of the game is important, too. Intramural and extramural sports bring people from different programs together.

“You can talk to people outside of your program,” says Patel.

“Just different people from different programs coming together to play the sport that they really love to play and just having a good time.”

One great quality college students can take away from participating in intramural or extramural sports is leadership skills, according to Patel.

“Many people don’t play sports, so they don’t have that option or chance to show their leadership ability, whereas if you’re in extramural sports, you have to show those abilities,” says Patel.

Benefits such as gaining a regular active workout and improving mental skills such as time management can stem from being a part of an intramural or extramural team.

It’s obvious the physicality of playing sports will help enhance overall well-being, but attributes like teamwork and inclusion can also contribute to a person’s overall health. •

Photo by Alessandra Micieli

w w w. s w e a t m a g . c o m

LIGHTWEIGHTS TO CONTENDERS

Photo by Jake Kigar

BY JAKE KIGAR

gymnasium spaces, along with a ten-thousand square foot fitness centre, in addition to family change rooms and a third floor running track.

Director of athletics, Christina Gatto, says the 85,000 square foot, $28-million facility

“

We’re working the recruitment trails there and hoping to land a few of our A-list players.

“

I

t’s a good time to be a St. Clair Saint.

Usually branded for its small community environment and secluded urban settings, the 8,300-student school has transformed its athletic reputation and established itself as a forerunner in college athletics.

The school is experiencing an athletic renaissance, with new facilities, staff, scholarships and many best-ever performances by varsity teams. In fact, all four basketball, baseball and volleyball teams made the playoffs in the same season for the first time and the Saints are national medalists in cross-country, golf, baseball and fastball this year alone.

For athletic co-ordinator Ted Beale, this newfound athletic aptitude has been a long-time coming.

“We outlined a number of different areas years ago where we can make those changes that make us most effective and it’s set around facilities,” Beale says.

St. Clair’s athletic department, as well as its student body, have long desired new facilities. The last time the school saw new athletics amenities on their main campus was in 1974, when the facility was first built.

Now, 40 years later, they’re ready to open a new, multimillion-dollar SportsPlex.

The facility will house three additional

will also feature more than 16 change rooms, saunas, a student lounge area, a VIP area to watch games and host parties and two multi-purpose studio rooms for classes such as spinning, yoga and zumba.

Beale says that while the SportsPlex is clearly St. Clair’s top priority at the moment, it isn’t the only thing on their plate.

“Certainly we’ve got other improvements

to our athletic program this calendar year running in line with the new OCAA rule for advanced scholarship dollars for varsity athletes.”

Athletic scholarships have been St. Clair’s claim to fame this past year, as the school has set the bar for funding student-athletes.

They currently offer the maximum OCAA allowed funding of $1,250 per semester for each and every student-athlete on their varsity teams. By quick comparison, Durham College in Oshawa offers between $500 and $1,000, depending on the sport.

“We do think we’re a bit of a groundbreaker in terms of scholarships here,” Beale says.

Former athletic director at St. Clair, Al Hoffman, was a founding member of the OCAA and instituted the organization’s first scholarship program. Beale says Hoffman’s legacy is important to the school, which is why they’re so adamant about revolutionizing their scholarship program, by offering it to every team member and being consistent across the board.

While all full-time student athletes are eligible for scholarships, they must attain a 2.0 GPA and cannot fail any courses to qualify. These rules are set by the school to show student-athletes their work in the classroom

spring 2014 issue 27

is most important.

Beale believes this can set St. Clair apart from other schools, “If you make one of our varsity team rosters and you qualify academically, then … you should be rewarded on the back end with as much scholarship money as we can possibly offer.”

New staff members have also added to St. Clair’s athletics department this season.

Andy Kiss was named head coach of the women’s basketball team in July 2013. A well-accomplished local high school coach, Kiss has transitioned smoothly into the collegiate game, leading his team to second place in the Western division with a 14-4 record.

Kiss credits the college’s strong athletic leaders for their success, saying he can tell how much they care about the school.

“I think when you have that kind of excellent leadership at the top, it manifests itself into strong programs.”

Beale says a full-time varsity recruiter has also come on board. Ken Ambrose has been entrusted with finding the best, next great student-athletes for St. Clair.

With several star players from Kiss’ squad set to leave St. Clair after this season, Ambrose has had to get right to work. Kiss says they are already looking at a few top-level kids. “We’re working the recruitment trails there and hoping to land a few of our A-list players.”

With a multi-million dollar facility opening and max scholarships on offer, one has to wonder, who’s financing it all?

The school’s Student Athletic Association allocates a significant amount of athletic funding to the program, according to SAA vice-president Jason Gander.

He says they contribute approximately one-third of the scholarship money available to student-athletes and have also sponsored part of the SportsPlex.

“... when you have that kind of excellent leadership at the top, it manifests itself into strong programs.”

Photo courtesy of St. Clair Athletics Private donors gave money as well, while the St. Clair student body voted in favour of allocating $150 a year in tuition fees over the next 10 years towards the facility, resulting in over $12 million. Gatto says the school was also fortunate to receive a $9-million infrastructure grant from the provincial government.

It’s clear that athletic improvements have cost the school a pretty penny, but based on the substantial success the Saints are having, St. Clair feels it’s a worthwhile investment that will show just how big of a contender they’ve become in collegiate athletics.

“We think results have to do with the improvements that the school has made,” Beale says. “The facilities and the scholarships, and certainly the increase in staffing have allowed us to have greater resources.”

It’s definitely an exciting time to be a St. Clair Saint. •

Photo courtesy of St. Clair Athletics

Photo courtesy of St. Clair Athletics

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Photo courtesy of St. Clair Athletics

w w w. s w e a t m a g . c o m

FORTY YEARS OF GLORY

BY CAMERON DA SILVA

W

hat started as a three-person operation has since grown into an organization that enriches the academic experiences of 9,000 intercollegiate student-athletes.

The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Founded in 1974, the CCAA now has 100 institutions across Canada, with five governing bodies providing programs and services that foster development through high-level competitive opportunities in intercollegiate sport.

Current CCAA President Linda Stapleton, who is also the director of sport and recreation at Seneca College, says the CCAA was born out of the need to have national championships at the collegiate level. “There were a number of great people who sat around at dining room tables, envisioning what that could and should look like and how they could get there.” She says without the vision and hard work from its earliest members, the association would never have been able to achieve the level of success it has today.

National competition began in 1971; colleges in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba formed the 4-West Championships in golf, soccer, cross-country, badminton, volleyball, basketball, and curling. Ontario and Quebec initiated similar competitions a year later, and in 1974 the CCAA was founded.

The association has survived some scary times, including service cuts by the Canadian government in the 1984-85 season. Many cuts were made at the time, and unfortunately, the CCAA’s travel funding was one of them.

Glenn Ruiter began serving with the CCAA in 1983, and was in a position of leadership when he retired in 2007. “We were informed by our partner Sport Canada about the budget cuts and what it meant to the future of the association.” Ruiter added that if travel funding had not been reinstated, national championships wouldn’t have been possible.

Sport Canada has provided funding support to the CCAA since it was founded in 1974, says media relations officer Len Westerberg, in an email response. Sport Canada’s funding represents 37 per cent of the CCAA’s

budget, which helps the association remain an active partner in the Canadian sport system.

Sport Canada sees both the CCAA and Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) as key components of the Canadian sport system and will continue working with both organizations on post-secondary national sport programming.

“We believe in collaboration and being a contributing partner in the development of sport in Canada,” says executive director Sandra Murray-MacDonell, who has been with the CCAA since 1993. She has seen many changes in the organization; it has grown from a small group in danger of fading away, into the secure, thriving entity it is today. •

Photos courtesy of CCAA

Montreal’s College Ahuntsic earned bronze, in soccer at the 1990 national championships in Truro, Nova Scotia.

Briercrest College Clippers men’s basketball team won the CCAA national championship title in 1977.

spring 2014 issue 29

w w w. s w e a t m a g . c o m

Draped in the colours of the University of Western Ontario, David Dang squeezes and squats for 285 lbs – at a bodyweight of only 144.2 lbs.

Photos courtesy of Martin Bazyl

THE POWER OF LIFTING Still in their early days, Seneca’s powerlifting events are drawing in young adults and exposing them to the grueling satisfaction of lifting

BY ADAM KOZAK

W

alking to the platform, Erik Willis is a big man, but looks downright average next to the pantheons of brawny men at Seneca’s powerlifitng meet.

Onlookers aren’t yelling because he’s big, they’re yelling because of what he’s about to attempt; chalking his hands and taking two loud steps underneath the barbell, Willis loads six hundred and five pounds of steel onto his scapula, and takes a shutter-step backward.

“PUSHHHHH.” Saturday, February 8 marked the second annual RAW powerlifting event at Seneca College. Fifty lifters were registered at the event organized by Chris Sousa, Seneca’s sport and fitness co-ordinator, with another five on the waiting list. It was a big jump

from last year’s 23 participants.

Part of the reason? This year it’s unsanctioned, and is the most inclusive powerlifting event in Ontario. A non-equipped meet or a ‘RAW’ meet means lifters can’t use extra equipment, wear bench shirts, utilize straps, or any other form of gear that aids lifters with heavier weight. The equipment can also be expensive to purchase and difficult to learn to use. There was only one place in Ontario selling singlets last year, for example. In this competition, just show up and lift.

And it seems to have brought its fair share of attention.

Sousa says they wanted to do a meet particularly for beginners, “I know when I did my first meet it was pretty scary. You’re just expected to know all the rules, all the

equipment expectations, and basically how a meet runs. Some federations are nicer than others, with new lifters coming in, [but most] don’t take the time to coach them; it’s not beginner friendly.”

The exclusion of expensive and complicated equipment means fewer obstacles in the way for beginners. While equipment such as bench shirts, straps and knee braces can help a skilled practitioner achieve increased poundage, Julie Watkin, president of the Ontario Powerlifting Association, says using gear can make for a challenging time.

“It’s painful and it’s scary. And the first time you have a shirt on and you have bigger weight pulling it down, it’s ripping at your arms and it’s pulling on your chest and you end up with bruises and it feels like your eyes are going to blow out of your head.”

Sousa has spearheaded the event since its inception and is the visionary that made it possible. RAW lifting was only introduced

spring 2014 issue 31

two years ago by the Ontario Powerlifting Association, which has the most members of any powerlifting organizing body in Ontario and has been around for more than 70 years.

That adaptation of powerlifting has become wildly popular with college and university students, and with no expensive gear required, the event has exploded, with lifters coming from as far east as Montreal, and as far west as London.

“It really created a sense of community that I’ve seen around the gym. I’ve had the chance to talk to some guys [from the Facebook group] and gotten a feel for where they’re at in the sport, bounce training methods off of each other,” says Collin Grudzien, a film student at York University.

And while awareness may not be mainstream, pockets of dedicated lifters have sprouted up on a few campuses in particular.

Eight friends from the University of Western Ontario all made the trek together, donning purple and grey and cheering each other on as each lifter stepped onto the platform. They were edged out by Carleton University for the Strongest School Award, whose six members represented the Carleton Barbell Club, currently an unofficial club at the school.

Grudzien also competes in Strongman competitions in the summer time. No stranger to extreme lifting, he’s helped pull a

“

31,000 pound truck in the freezing rain under slippery asphalt. He wouldn’t have been able to do that without team support from his peers, and he says the same camaraderie that is prevalent in strongman is ever-present in the world of powerlifitng.

“Stepping into strongman at 6’2 and 225 pounds, I was the smallest guy there. I felt like a stick figure compared to some of the other guys. I’m coming from just being the guy that’s there almost as a novelty to make the other guys look better. Whether it’s the biggest guy in the meet or the smallest guy stepping onto the platform, I think it’s really important to encourage the other athletes and getting them to stick with it.”

Khash Farzam, a 20-year-old second-year biological sciences student at UOIT, felt that togetherness first hand. After bench-pressing 370 pounds on his third and final lift at the meet, at a bodyweight of only 180 pounds, a judge walked by him and said, “you’re a great bench presser” in the middle of being interviewed. Farzam won Best Male Bench Press at the meet, and is training to break a Junior National bench press record this summer.

A newbie with only one meet under his belt when he came to Seneca’s event, Farzam still hadn’t fully grasped the International Powerlifting Federation rules, but when he got there, the judges went over commands and what constitutes a full lift with each participant.

I felt like a stick figure compared to some of the other guys.

“

Phillip Campbell, second place winner in Male Deadlifting

32 sweat MAGAZINE

Igor Opehsnasky performs the squat in the 2nd Annual Seneca RAW Powerlifitng Open.

He loves the competition, saying it doubles his motivation, but is still learning all the intricacies.

“I never squatted without a mirror in front of me. When you use a mirror you can gauge your depth. Here you gotta squat and hope for the best.”

Next year there will be a two-day event, with beginners competing on the first and experienced lifters who wish to compete in a sanctioned event on the next. The benefits to adding a day for a sanctioned lift is the possibility of going for national and international records, as official referees will be on hand.

The goal for Seneca’s Sousa is to spread the gospel of powerlifting; he wants to give all the athletes out there a competitive avenue to do what they love. •

Maya Lourenco Levin, winner of Best Female Lifter

ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION STUDENT-ATHLETES TODAY. LEADERS TOMORROW.

SCHOLARSHIPS & FINANCIAL AWARDS OCAA institutions can offer athletic scholarships and financial awards to student-athletes providing they are administered in accordance with OCAA policies and procedures. OCAA member institutions are not required to offer a specific number of scholarships or awards, nor must they offer them in every sport.

The following outlines OCAA athletic scholarship and financial award limits for student-athletes: SCHOLARSHIPS đŏŏ 0$(!0% ŏ $+( ./$%,/ŏ *ŏ !ŏ+û!.! ŏ0+ŏ ŏ/,! %ü ŏ/01 !*0ġ 0$(!0!ŏ"+.ŏ0$!ŏ,1.,+/!ŏ+"ŏ.! .1%0)!*0ŏ+.ŏŏ ŏ retention to compete at a particular institution. đŏŏ 01 !*0ġ 0$(!0!/ŏ *ŏ.! !%2!ŏ *ŏ 0$(!0% ŏ $+( ./$%,ŏ 3 . ŏ+"ŏ1,ŏ0+ŏĸāČĂĆĀŏ,!.ŏ/!)!/0!. đŏŏ ! !%,0ŏ+"ŏ *ŏ 0$(!0% ŏ $+( ./$%,ŏ%/ŏ !,!* !*0ŏ1,+*ŏ0$!ŏ/01 !*0ġ 0$(!0!ŏ) %*0 %*%*#ŏ ŏ)%*%)1)ŏĂċĀŏ ċ đŏŏ !)% ŏ $+( ./$%,/ŏ) 5ŏ (/+ŏ !ŏ 3 . ! ŏ0+ŏ/01 !*0ġ 0$(!0!/ŏ $%!2%*#ŏ$+*+1./ŏ 0ŏ0$!%.ŏ%*/0%010%+*ŏŏŏ ŏŏŏŏĨ) 4%)1)ŏ 3 . ŏ+"ŏĸāĆĀŏ,!.ŏ/!)!/0!.ĩċŏ ATHLETIC BURSARIES đŏŏ 01 !*0ġ 0$(!0!/ŏ *ŏ.! !%2!ŏ 0$(!0% ŏ 1./ .%!/ŏ+"ŏ1,ŏ0+ŏĸĂČĆĀĀŏ,!.ŏ calendar year. đŏŏ 0$(!0% ŏ 1./ .%!/ŏ .!ŏ !ü*! ŏ /ŏ *ŏ 3 . Čŏ+,!*ŏ0+ŏ ((ŏ/01 !*0/ŏ 0ŏ *ŏ institution where athletic participation is considered as a selection criteria đŏŏ 0$(!0% ŏ 1./ .%!/ŏ **+0ŏ !ŏ,.+)%/! ŏ+.ŏ+û!.! ŏ0+ŏ ŏ/,! %ü ŏ/01 !*0ġ athlete in advance and are normally presented at the end of the academic year.

/TheOCAA OCAA.com

Illustration by Shaun Reyes

FINAL PIECE OF THE PUZZLE

BY HERMIONE WILSON

I

n an era where it seems there is nothing left to discover, the press has hailed it as a new body part.

The anterolateral ligament, or ALL, is a part of the knee that has been identified by many different names over the years and whose function remains somewhat mysterious. One thing is clear though: the ALL plays an important role in the rotation of the knee, a role previously thought to belong only to the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL. In 2013, Belgian scientists Steven Claes, Evie Vereecke, Michael Maes, Jan Victor, Peter Verdonk and Johan Bellemans published a paper in the Journal of Anatomy.

The paper described a detailed study the scientists had done on 41 unpaired human cadaveric knees. In all but one of the knees they discovered the presence of the ALL. Scientists had long suspected that the ALL existed. In 1879, French surgeon Dr.

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Paul Segond wrote about a “pearly, resistant, fibrous band” in the knee that seemed to play an important role in its internal rotation. Until now however, scientists had not been able to pin down a detailed anatomical description of Segond’s mysterious ligament.

“I think we’re just now getting a better understanding of what it does. I think that’s where Steven Claes has really taken the next step forward,” Dr. Al Getgood says. He’s an orthopedic surgeon from the University of Western Ontario who has been collaborating with the Belgian researchers.

The ALL may be relatively unknown, but athletes are no strangers to the ACL. According to an article in the Orthopaedic Nursing journal, 100,000 injuries to the ligament occur every year among young athletes.

Roughly $1-billion every year is spent on reconstructive surgery in Canada, not including the cost of rehabilitation. The article

further states that in 77 per cent of cases, ACL ruptures lead to “moderate to severe disability.”

Former varsity rugby player Kirsty McKenzie blew out her ACL in her third year at McMaster University. There were still some fibers left intact in her knee so she focused on strengthening them in rehab, saying that surgeons typically won’t perform surgery on the ACL unless it is completely ruptured.

Because of this, athletes will sometimes return to action with first or second-degree tears. And that’s exactly what she did. She returned to the field and finished out her varsity year. That summer though, she suffered another major trauma to her knee that further damaged her ligament. At that point she decided to have it reconstructed.

“Some people live out their [lives] without ACLs,” says McKenzie, now a professor and certified athletic therapist at Sheridan’s Athletic Therapy Centre. After having her

w w w. s w e a t m a g . c o m

ACL reconstructed she went on to play rugby at the provincial level, before going into clinical practice and earning her Master’s degree in rehabilitation science. “You just have to make your decision about what kind of lifestyle it is that you want to return to.”

Understanding what part the ALL plays in the stability of the knee could have a profound effect on how knee injuries are treated. “What we’re now understanding is that it’s not just the ACL,” Getgood says.

Getgood has done extensive research into the inner workings of the knee.

“The meniscus structures, the meniscus cartilages . . . also have a role in controlling rotation, as does the [anterolateral] capsule.”

The ALL is part of that anterolateral capsule, says Getgood, and it may play a part in something called the pivot shift phenomenon.

“The pivot shift is a test we do clinically when we are examining a patient who shows a rotational instability of the knee,” says Dr. Frank Tran, an orthopedic surgeon who practices at Athlete’s Care Sports Medicine Centre in Toronto. The knee can actually be popped out of place in a controlled fashion.

The pivot shift phenomenon occurs when the joint in the knee behaves abnormally when the knee is extended and the tibia is rotated. The joint will give an “extreme lateral jump” when the knee is flexed. It is a sign of a deficiency in the ACL, but it is now thought to also be a sign of a problem with the ALL, says Getgood.

“Basically, without an ACL or with a deficient ALL then the tibia–the shin bone– will translate, will move slightly forward and rotate internally . . . on the femur.”

The question now he says, is how they can control that rotation with a normal ACL reconstruction.

The goal of an ACL reconstruction is to simply get the athlete back into their sport, with the ability to pivot, cut, and change direction in a very controlled manner. The thinking now is that, in some cases, an extra ALL reconstruction could help improve knee stability, says Getgood.

Tran’s specialty is knee ligament reconstruction and several sports teams in Toronto, including the Argonauts, have gone to him to treat their players. The majority of his patients have torn their ACLs. “Many of these types of patients are very active or young or in higher levels of sports, so they will often require surgery to reconstruct the ligament . . . to get them back playing again,” Tran says.

When reconstructing the ACL, Tran

HOW TO PREVENT AN ACL INJURY

P

atients more than 20 years of age who return to normal activity after ACL reconstruction have an equal possibility of reinjuring the reconstructed knee as they do the other knee, says Getgood. The probability rises in patients under 20 years of age who return to pivoting sports like soccer and basketball, which he says can occur for a number of different reasons. One factor is that athletes sometimes do not follow through with the necessary rehab after surgery.

Athletic therapist Melanie Evens has been treating varsity athletes at Humber College’s Athletic Therapy Clinic for the past five years. She says she sees about two or three full ACL tears requiring surgery every year. “It’s definitely not an easy recovery from an ACL reconstructive surgery. It’s a long process and there tends to always be some other factors that come into play, like further knee injuries down the road after sustaining a full tear,” she says.

That’s why Getgood’s focus at the Fowler Kennedy Sport Medi-

commonly uses the patient’s own tissue, usually a strip of the hamstring or the patella tendon, to rebuild the torn ligament. “At the same time we may take care of any meniscus or cartilage damage that they may have,” says Tran.

Repairing the ALL may one day be part of that reconstruction procedure. In fact, Getgood recently received ethics approval for a clinical trial he is leading, which will involve his clinic at Western and three other research centres in Canada and Europe. For the study, 600 patients with ACL injuries, who are deemed to be at high risk for re-injury, will be recruited. Some will receive the standard ACL reconstruction surgery, while others will also receive a reconstruction of the ALL to test whether or not the extra procedure can reduce the risk of re-injury.

Getgood doesn’t know if it will make

cine Clinic is preventing these injuries before they occur.

“We just developed our own prevention program here at Western, which a lot of our varsity athletes will go through in the preseason and then during the warm-ups throughout the year, again trying to train them to move in certain ways, training the muscles to work in certain ways to trying to prevent those lower-extremity injuries.”

Evens emphasizes prevention as well, saying that it’s important for athletes to come in to see her at the clinic as soon as they feel discomfort in the knee. That way she can tackle problems before they get worse. Dealing with muscle imbalances, strengthening certain areas of the knee and working on hip stability, in order to support the knee, can reduce the risk of knee injuries in athletes.

“Sometimes you just can’t control the fact that it happens,” says Evens, “but there are definitely things you can do to help decrease the number of ACL tears that occur.”

any difference. “It makes logical sense, but sometimes that doesn’t necessarily bear out in clinical outcome studies,” he says.

Since the Belgian study created a media buzz in 2013, Getgood says he’s had ACL injury patients question him about whether they need their ALL reconstructed as well.

For most patients, he says, it’s unnecessary.

“The majority of patients will not need that extra procedure and until we have more evidence to suggest otherwise, then the standard ACL reconstruction that people have been doing for the last decade will absolutely suffice.”

Dr. Frank Tran agrees. “The discovery of a new ligament doesn’t happen every day or every year,” he says. “It clearly could make an impact. There’s always room for improvement but [ACL reconstruction is] already a very successful surgery.” •

spring 2014 issue 35

FACT OR FICTION? Athletes need to stay sharp; others look to fill their pockets.

BY PAUL ROCCA

I

t seems to be nothing more than a simple elastic wrist strap, but New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, LA Dodgers center-fielder Matt Kemp and former Toronto Raptors forward Rudy Gay all endorse the small bracelet, called Power Balance, which is touted to improve the wearer’s balance, flexibility, endurance and strength. It’s one product among many promising to help athletes, but deserving of a healthy dose of skepticism.

“I’ve played some of my best games wearing Power Balance,” said Gay on the product’s website.

Even retired NBA star Shaquille O’Neal once swore to the product’s efficacy.

“I felt something,” he said in a Power Balance promotional video. “So I said, okay, let me keep wearing it… and I kept feeling something.”

On either side of the product, there’s a jeweled sticker with a holographic Power Balance logo. That hologram, according to the company in 2009, is the secret to its performance-enhancing power, designed to supposedly “respond to the natural energy field of the body.”

“People still have this general notion that a hologram is some sort of magical thing,” says Michael Kruse, an advanced care paramedic in the GTA. “The underlying assumption is that there’s an energy field within the body. I don’t believe it exists because there’s no proof it exists. It doesn’t fit into our modern models of physiology or anatomy.”

Kruse is a dedicated science advocate and founder of Bad Science Watch, a non-profit organization fighting for good science in public policy. He argues that any perceived benefit from Power Balance bracelets or its knock-offs is the result of the placebo effect – a well-documented medical phenomenon where an inactive or sham treatment will nevertheless provide a benefit, if only

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because the user believes it will.

Kruse points to the subjective nature of human experience, and says if a user believes Power Balance will give them an edge in performance, they will start to credit the bracelet for those good effects.

“But,” he said, “when you’re selling a placebo to someone and telling them it’s biologically active, that is a lie and it’s unethical.”

By 2010, Power Balance faced the consequences of that ethical breach as its success quickly ground to a halt. Skepticism for the product had peaked, and its claims were soon under investigation by multiple consumer advocacy organizations, including the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

The commission ruled that the product’s medical and scientific claims were bogus, and forced Power Balance’s Australian distributor to issue a retraction. Australian visitors of the website were greeted with the disclaimer:

“I was a little bit skeptical when I first tried it. I had shoulder surgery last year, and my therapist said she had something that might help.”

“In our advertising we stated that Power Balance wristbands improved your strength, balance and flexibility. We admit that there is no credible scientific evidence that supports our claims and therefore we engaged in misleading conduct in breach of s52 of the Trade Practices Act 1974. If you feel you have been misled by our promotions, we wish to unreservedly apologize and offer a full refund.”

Following an ensuing barrage of news articles by journalists describing the bracelet as “a scam” and “flimflam”, and after having to pay out a $57-million settlement over a class-action lawsuit, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Shams themselves are usually easy to spot, but sometimes the legitimacy of a product’s claims is more ambiguous. And if you paid any attention throughout the last two Summer Olympics, you might have spotted one example of such a product.

Sometimes called kinetic tape, or its brand name, Kinesio Tape, the product is a flexible, colourful tape worn directly on the skin. Kinesio’s claim is to “facilitate the body’s natural healing process while allowing support and stability to muscles and joints without restricting the body’s range of motion.”

Kinesio was developed by Japanese

w w w. s w e a t m a g . c o m

acupuncturist Dr. Kenzo Kase for more than 30 years ago. Taping up injuries was not a new invention at the time, however Kase had turned it into a certified practice, complete with certification courses teaching the supposedly proper method of applying the tape for therapy.

The product has since been marketed and donated to athletic events including the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and 2012 Olympics in London, both of which served to launch the product’s popularity with athletes as its spearhead. U.S. Tennis star Serena Williams was seen wearing the tape on her knees and back. German beach volleyball player Katrin Holtwick wore a bright blue, octopus-like pattern on her stomach. Another German beach volleyball player, Ilka Semmler, sported pink tape trailing along the side of her buttocks.

“

People are implementing this stuff and don’t know why it works.

“

To a personal trainer like Verne Good, who focuses on evidence-based treatments, Kinetic tape is a mixed bag.

“It does make a difference, it’s just that people don’t know what that difference is,” she says. “People are implementing this stuff and don’t know why it works.”

But when dealing with injuries mid-season, the question of why it works isn’t really the biggest concern. It’s whether it works at all.

Jess Raymond is a varsity sports photographer and first baseman for the Humber Hawks women’s fastball team. She says the tape has helped in treating her injuries. “I was a little bit skeptical when I first tried it. I had shoulder surgery last year, and my therapist said she had something that might help.”

Raymond has been using the tape ever since her surgery, throughout her rehab and all through this season. She says it’s made a significant difference.

One explanation Good offers for the tape’s efficacy is in indirectly forcing users to take it

Athlete Jess Raymond sporting athletic tape. Photos by Paul Rocca easy on their injuries.

She says it’s not the tape that’s doing anything, but “The discomfort of having the tape on you and the constant reminder of, ‘oh, I better sit up straight.’ It pulls your skin back into an upright position, and you just do the rest of the work by virtue of it being uncomfortable.”

In fact, when not wearing the product, Raymond says there is a huge difference and the pain of her injuries increases significantly.

“Athletes are going to get injured, no matter what,” Good says. “The biggest thing to do is just rest; don’t overtax an injury, or you’ll just make it worse.”

So is kinetic tape worth it? Raymond says it is.

“I’ve used it on both sides of my groin, my

shoulder, my knee, my ankle and my wrist, and it’s helped every single one of them.”

Good takes a more cautious stance, offering “a very hesitant ‘yes,’ with a huge asterisk beside it saying ‘the research is ongoing.’”

As for Power Balance: Following its failed bid for bankruptcy protection, the Power Balance brand was transferred to a new company, Power Balance Technologies. Back on sale, the product no longer makes any specific medical claim associated with the bracelet’s hologram jewel, but continues to be promoted by star athletes.

“In a high-performance sport where it comes down to milliseconds (if it’s a timed sport), somebody’s going to want that extra bit of luck to achieve that goal,” says Kruse.

“So it doesn’t surprise me at all that these are targeted toward sports heroes.” •

spring 2014 issue 37

w w w. s w e a t m a g . c o m

NO JUDGMENTS HERE

nosed with clinical phobias of going to gyms.

I’ve had people come in the door and give me a hug and say, thank you for bringing this to us, thank you for making this available. It’s just finds this to be a “slippery slope.” he huge room before you is daunting. amazing.”

“Because we’re a relatively small instiRows of cold metal machinery and Dr. Kathleen Martin Ginis, a professor of tution and only have one fitness training prying eyes follow as you make your health and exercise psychology at McMaster facility for our entire campus, we couldn’t way through the turnstiles. Mirrors line the University, says these fears are real. Rather than shut it down for some or exclude the majorroom’s perimeter and you feel as though using the colloquial term “gym anxiety,” she you’ve suddenly landed in a fun house where ity. We’d then have to open the door to “only says it is referred to as social physique anxiety, a older adult,” or “only underweights” or “only pleasure is only gained through pain and real psychological disorder which people exertion. “I only ran a mile today” experience within the gym environment. or “I just bench pressed 300 pounds” Ginis says research has shown that peoare overheard. This environment ple in general, not just the overweight, are can be intimidating for the morbidly more comfortable exercising with others obese. who are just like them, as they worry they That is why Downsize Fitness, an will be wrongfully evaluated. This makes “overweight only” gym popularized an “overweight only” facility a great idea, in the United States, is a godsend as it leverages the barriers that keep people to many who need a positive push from working out. toward a healthier lifestyle.

She says there is an obesity and overBrianne Angus, alongside her weight epidemic in our country, as the vast husband Martin Charron and their majority of Canadians aren’t sufficiently friend Nicholas Desjardins, recently active for good health, “For any new iniopened the first Canadian franchise, tiative that helps people overcome barriers in Orleans, a suburb of Ottawa, to becoming more active, in principle I do Ontario. like it.”

Angus, who has lost almost 150 This is why Ginis sees a facility like this pounds after weighing in at close to is a great stepping-stone for introducing 300 pounds, heard about Downsize people to a healthy lifestyle.

Fitness’ growing success.

“It’s such a great first step if people can “We thought, what a great way just get into the gym, learn the equipment, for people to lose weight, because learn about their bodies, learn how to we know what it’s like to not want to move and then take those basic movement go into a gym,” says Angus. “People Brianne Angus lost nearly 150lbs. Photo courtesy of Martin Charron skills into another context.” really don’t understand just how Although Downsize Fitness hopes its difficult it is for a person to not only members will become mentors and train others typical weight people.” have to change their lifestyle completely but at the gym after reaching their goal weight, parWood does find the idea of an “overto actually have to go into a facility where weight only” gym fascinating though. “There ticipants could graduate to a larger gym setting people are already fit.” given their boost in confidence.

Angus says the difference between Down- aren’t gyms for just “fit only” people but Maureen Hagan, the vice president of oper[they] could argue, especially the obese size Fitness and large chain gyms is they are ations at GoodLife Fitness, says that although population, that every gym is just for fit community-based, meaning members will people. How are you going to fit a 400 pound they don’t offer “overweight only” hours or not walk in and grab a machine. Instead, programming, they do pride themselves on man in a standing leg suspension or other classes are restricted to a maximum of 12 running a judgment-free club. machines?” participants, which allows them to operate “We do have experts on our staff who are Since Downsize Fitness opened at the beginon a personal level. urged to take training to work with the overning of this year, everyone and anyone has had Facilities of this kind may be on the rise, weight and obese as we do with cardiac rehab, an opinion regarding a gym exclusive to those but at the college level they’re logistically as we do for people with orthopedic issues with 50 pounds or more over their suggested body improbable. back pain, but we do that all in an inclusive Angela Wood, the fitness co-ordinator for weight, raising the question of whether or not a facility like this is needed. But Angus doesn’t see environment,” says Hagan. the department of athletics at the Durham Exclusive facilities like Downsize Fitness it like this; she says she has received nothing but College and University of Ontario Institute seem to be here to stay and Angus thinks they’re positive feedback since they opened. of Technology joint campus, says they often needed.• “We have members who have been diagreceive requests for exclusive hours but she

BY OLIVIA ROGER

T

spring 2014 issue 39

ALL IN THE FAMILY The Sero twins say athletics runs in their family. Photo by Amy Stubbs.

BY GURPREET MANN

T

here’s a blur of young women rushing toward one end of the Durham College gym and back. “Two more laps for every minute your teammates are late,” says coach Ramon McIntosh of the Durham Lords women’s soccer team. The last few players trickle in and wince as they see the clock.

The girls’ team practices twice a week, plus some added time at the gym. This is McIntosh’s fourth season coaching at the college level. He’s coached at York University, The University of Ontario Institute of Technology and Durham College.

He’s been coaching since he was 15 years old, starting as the goalkeeper coach for the girls’ soccer team at West Hill Collegiate Institute in Scarborough.

Coach McIntosh says athletes who are the fastest, strongest players as children often dominate the field. However, things can change drastically as players mature and grow older.

“By the time they reach 14 or 17 they try to do that same thing, it’s not working anymore because teams have caught up physically. The intelligence starts to play a factor in the game,” says coach McIntosh.

40 sweat MAGAZINE

He says genetics are important, but thinks environment is what dictates a player’s performance.

Dr. Joe Baker, sports scientist from York University, says it’s not as easy as one or the other.

“The idea that it’s either nature or nurture, that dichotomy is false. We like to do that because it makes for good conversations around the water cooler,” says Dr. Baker. He says the way we respond in any environment has to do with our genetic makeup and factors in that environment.

Brittney Sero, 25, has been playing for the Lords’ soccer team for two years and comes from a very athletic family; her father played hockey while her mother played baseball.

Sero’s twin sister, Danielle, not only plays soccer but is also the assistant coach of the girl’s soccer team at Durham College. Both sisters have been playing soccer since they were four and hockey since they were seven.

“That was a really big part of our lives, we couldn’t miss any practices. Even if we were sick our parents would say just go to practice and you’ll sweat it out,” says Danielle.

Despite growing up in an active household, they were never forced to play if they

didn’t want to. “I can remember my first ever hockey practice…me and my sister and some of the other kids could barely skate, let alone stop. After the first practice [we] bawled our eyes out and said we didn’t want to go back. My dad said just give it one more chance and if you don’t want to go back you don’t have to,” says Brittney. Next practice, the sisters gave it another go and never looked back.

The Sero sisters aren’t alone.

“When we’re at the dinner table we’re pretty much always talking about boxing,” says Jessie Wilcox, 22. “My older brother is a professional fighter. My three younger brothers are all Canadian Champions in boxing.

Our whole house is boxing and my girlfriend is a fighter too.”

The Wilcox’s are a family of five boys and one girl. He has been running cross-country with Mohawk College for two years, with his girlfriend Kassandra O’Reilly. Wilcox began training to become a boxer when he was 12 years old.

O’Reilly began boxing because of her siblings. Her parents weren’t athletic however her twin brother boxes and her older brother is very athletic. O’Reilly had watched her brother box for a year before she decided it was something she wanted to do.

w w w. s w e a t m a g . c o m

The couple says training and practice are a big part of their lives. They hit the gym at least five days a week and run for cross-country about four days a week.

“There is pretty good correlational data that indicates, if you have active parents and active siblings then you’re going to be active yourself. [This] could support – if you grow up in an active environment you’re more likely to be active,” says Dr. Baker. “Family members share genes that drive them towards activities.”

Wilcox says it’s hard work that can make someone a good athlete.

“Good genes help but I don’t really think you need them,” said Wilcox. “My dad was a hockey and football player, a little bit of a boxer, but he was mostly a hard worker.”

Dr. Baker says it could be crazy to argue genes aren’t important, but it’s figuring out which genes are important and how important they are.

“For a lot of athletes, you don’t find out you have the genes for greatness until you put in the 10,000 hours. It’s like the chicken or the egg. It’s impossible to tell at the starting point which variable is going to constrain how great you can become,” says Dr. Baker.

However there are outliers of the gene theory. Dylan Rushton, a friend of the Wilcox brothers, will be attending Mohawk next year and also boxes with them. He comes from a non-athletic family, but is passionate about boxing. However the boxers notice that he does have to practice a little harder than the rest of them.

Dr. Baker says studies do show the importance of practice; working hard produces results. He says that doesn’t mean genes can

Jessie and brother Bradley Wilcox duke it out. Photos by Adam Kozak. be disregarded. The new ‘Achilles heel gene’ identified over the past few years relates to a player’s likelihood of getting an Achilles tendon injury. If someone has the negative marker for this gene, they will have a higher chance of getting injured.

Dr. Baker says this is going to affect how much a player can train, however there is no evidence that suggests the difference between each athlete can be explained by the amount of practice.

O’Reilly says if she found out she had the marker she wouldn’t change her workout schedule.

“I feel guilty not going to the gym, but if it meant changing certain exercises to benefit myself, then I would. But I wouldn’t change the amount of time I trained,” she said.

Coach McIntosh says players who practice consistently should be getting better at their game. He adds if the players are showing up to practice and over a year show no improvements, the coach is not doing his job.

“If you’re a coach…and a year passes and [the players] haven’t gotten better who are actually showing up to practice, then you’re not doing your job,” says McIntosh. “It comes out on the field. It always comes out on the field.”

Nature, nurture or both, Dr. Baker is hopeful about the research in this field.

“The evidence that we’re getting from genomic studies,” says Dr. Baker, “and being able to actually look at specific genes makes this a really cool time to be doing research in this area.” •

Wilcox brothers surround themselves with athletes, Jessie is dating teammate Kassandra O’Reilly.

spring 2014 issue 41

w w w. s w e a t m a g . c o m

REC TO THE EXTREME

BY JESSICA PAIVA

Photo by Glyn Bowerman

M

arco … Polo!

With sweat dripping down their faces and adrenaline rushing through their veins, two teams of cyclists wait on either end of the court.

“Three, two, one, GO!” and they’re off, furiously pedalling toward the ball waiting at centre court. The player who gains possession turns suddenly, and the defender crashes into his back wheel. One falls to the ground, while the other recovers his balance and stays on the bike.

This is bike polo.

Traditional bike polo, played on grass fields, was invented in 1891 by Richard J. Mecredy, a retired cyclist from Ireland. The first matches were played that year.

The first bike polo match played on hard court was by bike messengers 15 years ago in the Seattle stockroom of an online delivery service.

It started out with a couple of bored messengers using their down time at work to come up with their own rules.

Two teams of three lined up on either end

Photo by Hermione Wilson

of their stockroom, balancing themselves on their bikes, holding wooden mallets. Traffic cones were used as goal posts, a hockey ball placed at centre court, and one cyclist from each side raced to reach the ball first.

“People often brought their polo mallets with them and that’s how a lot of us started playing,” says Kevin Walsh, a Toronto bike polo player with ten years experience. He co-founded Bike Polo Toronto with Navid Taslimi, another Toronto player.

Popularity of the original bike polo grew enough for it to appear as a demo sport at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, where Ireland beat Germany 3-1 in the final match.

The sport was put on hold indefinitely when WWI broke. By the 1930s the Bicycle Polo Association of Great Britain renewed the sport with a few changes to the rules – each side now had eight players instead of five.

Bike polo was once again interrupted during WWII, but came back in full force when the war ended in the mid-1940s.

Today, bike polo is being played in at least 15 countries. In the past few years, hardcourt bike polo has become remarkably popular.

Bike Polo Toronto doesn’t have league play; they play recreationally and run tournaments.

“Our house rules are what we all decide,” says Taslimi. He first saw the sport in New York at the Cycle Messenger World Championships.

“Originally when it first started, we didn’t believe in rules per se. The whole thing was just etiquette. Basically the fundamentals are bike on bike, body on body, mallet on mallet.

So I can’t hit you with my mallet and I can’t grab your handlebars.”

Eric Plaxton, a player since 2008, says at first he found controlling the ball while riding a bike with one hand and maneuvering with the other challenging.

Despite wearing helmets and a cardboard shield protecting the bike’s wheels from racing balls and mallets, black eyes, bruises and scabs are worn with pride.

Plaxton remembers a player falling off his bike and being impaled by his mallet. “The mallet punctured his lung, however he didn’t know and was going to keep playing. Luckily the paramedics were there because he had a collapsed lung and had to go to the hospital.”

Bike polo is definitely not a game for the faint of heart. Plaxton says one year he dislocated his shoulder five times and even needed surgery.

Hard court bike polo is a co-ed sport.

Andrea Cessna, a sociology student at the University of Saskatchewan and bike polo player since 2012, says the co-ed nature of the sport is brilliant, and part of what attracted her in the first place.

“For my brief amount of time being involved in this community, I see that women are not only progressing as players, but also in individuality and establishing competitive teams in tournament settings,” she says.

More sports could learn a lesson from bike polo Plaxton says. “I think it’s great, I mean I love the progression of women through our sport ... there are some really good girls who know how to play.”

Bike Polo Toronto runs free rookie and newcomer nights every year, from March to November at Dufferin Grove Park Court.

And during the winter, anyone is welcome for a pick-up match for a $10 to $15 charge, at Just 4 Fun Sporting Club.

“People really want bike polo to blow up and I hope to hell that it does ...That’s why we really need to start at a young age and get it out there. It’s the young kids that are going to grow the sport up. We started it but we need people to carry it on.” •

spring 2014 issue 43

35 programs across Ontario; we’re here to help!

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w w w. s w e a t m a g . c o m

Men’s Basketball East Division Algonquin George Brown Seneca Centennial Durham Georgian Loyalist St. Lawrence (K) Canadore La Cité Fleming West Division Mohawk Humber Sheridan St. Clair Fanshawe Lambton Redeemer Sault Niagara Cambrian

SCOREBOARD OCAA Curling Championships

GP 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20

WINS 20 15 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 6 0

LOSSES 0 5 10 10 10 10 10 10 11 14 20

PF 1772 1678 1733 1705 1618 1551 1505 1488 1623 1488 1216

PA 1288 1480 1608 1703 1651 1540 1437 1456 1668 1668 1878

PTS 40 30 20 20 20 20 20 20 18 12 0

18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18

15 15 15 11 11 7 7 4 3 2

3 3 3 7 7 11 11 14 15 16

1639 1465 1695 1287 1319 1322 1375 1102 1245 1067

1321 1142 1316 1271 1261 1377 1443 1352 1471 1562

30 30 30 22 22 14 14 8 6 4

GP 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16

WINS 16 13 12 11 7 6 4 3 0

LOSSES 0 3 4 5 9 10 12 13 16

PF 1219 1081 1101 1020 849 893 802 735 402

PA 671 818 720 830 894 871 990 1083 1225

PTS 32 26 24 22 14 12 8 6 0

18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18

16 14 13 13 11 11 6 4 1 1

2 4 5 5 7 7 12 14 17 17

1216 1251 1244 1068 1123 1087 1200 982 768 769

935 941 961 896 1022 1031 1267 1235 1194 1226

32 28 26 26 22 22 12 8 2 2

GOLD: SHERIDAN • SILVER: ALGONQUIN • BRONZE: HUMBER

Women’s Basketball East Division Algonquin Durham St. Lawrence (K) Centennial Seneca George Brown Georgian Loyalist Fleming West Division Humber St. Clair Mohawk Fanshawe Sheridan Niagara Redeemer Lambton Cambrian Sault

Men Gold: Sault Silver: Humber Bronze: Fanshawe

Women Gold: Fanshawe Silver: Mohawk Bronze: Sault

Mixed Gold: Humber Silver: Niagara Bronze: Algonquin

OCAA Badminton Championships Men’s Singles Gold: Kurvitz, Redeemer Silver: Chow, Humber Bronze: Duong, Fanshawe

Women’s Singles Gold: Fu, Humber Silver: Zhou, Centennial Bronze: Breen, Boreal

Men’s Doubles Gold: D’Agastino & Moslemi, Mohawk Silver: Jung & Cheung, Seneca Bronze: Seang & Tang, Humber

Women’s Doubles Gold: Hall & Lim, Mohawk Silver: Delacerna & Liu, Seneca Bronze: Yan & Duong, Humber

Mixed Doubles Gold: Lau & Wong, Humber Silver: Tremblay & Neville, Georgian Bronze: Bennett & VandenBoogard, Redeemer

OCAA Indoor Soccer Championships Men Gold: Redeemer Silver: Conestoga Bronze: Centennial

Women Gold: Seneca Silver: Humber Bronze: Conestoga

GOLD: ALGONQUIN • SILVER: MOHAWK • BRONZE: ST. CLAIR

spring 2014 issue 45

Men’s Volleyball East Division Algonquin Durham George Brown Loyalist Georgian Canadore Fleming Trent Seneca La Cité West Division Humber Fanshawe Niagara Mohawk Redeemer St. Clair Sheridan Conestoga Cambrian Boreal

GP 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18

MW 17 16 16 11 9 8 6 5 3 2

ML 1 2 2 7 9 10 12 13 15 16

SW 51 51 51 39 34 36 30 24 17 15

SL 14 15 15 31 39 38 40 42 48 49

PTS 34 32 32 22 18 16 12 10 6 4

18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18

16 14 14 12 10 10 7 4 3 0

2 4 4 6 8 8 11 14 15 18

51 45 49 44 36 36 30 17 16 3

14 20 20 26 33 32 38 43 47 54

32 28 28 24 20 20 14 8 6 0

GP 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18

MW 16 16 14 13 9 9 7 3 2 1

ML 2 2 4 5 9 9 11 15 16 17

SW 50 51 50 45 34 33 22 13 14 10

SL 14 18 20 20 29 32 38 48 52 51

PTS 32 32 28 26 18 18 14 6 4 2

18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18

18 16 13 10 9 8 7 6 3 0

0 2 5 8 9 10 11 12 15 18

54 49 42 36 34 33 34 28 14 1

6 13 23 37 32 37 36 40 47 54

36 32 26 20 18 16 14 12 6 0

Photo by Jess Raymond.

GOLD: MOHAWK • SILVER: HUMBER • BRONZE: FANSHAWE

Women’s Volleyball East Division Seneca Trent Georgian Canadore Durham Algonquin George Brown Loyalist La Cité Fleming West Division Humber Fanshawe Redeemer Conestoga St. Clair Niagara Mohawk Cambrian Sheridan Boreal

GOLD: HUMBER • SILVER: FANSHAWE • BRONZE: TRENT

46 sweat MAGAZINE

Photo by Jess Raymond.

Photo by Jess Raymond.

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