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No students in danger, assures Ed Mortimer By Paul Redelemeir In a move coming as a direct result of the chlorine leak earlier this month, Director of Operations Neil Piller reminded staff this week of their capacity and of their responsibility to take students out of the building should they suspect something amiss. Fellow Senior Administrator Ed Mortimer agreed, assuring The Echo that at no point were students in danger. In fact, the common theme between both faculty members was that the evacuation, through and through, was a successful one. “It was pretty good,” said Piller. “The one thing that we emphasized with staff was that if something happens in the classroom, they’re the first one to know about it, so, if they think, ‘I smell chlorine,’ and it’s a bad situation … it’s their responsibility to get kids out of the classroom and then find out what the problem is.” The leak came as the school prepares to remediate the pool, changing, among other things, its water treatment system. Imperial Paddock Pools Ltd., the company in charge of doing regular maintenance on the pool’s treatment systems — though not the school’s regular pool contractor — had been tasked with the removal of all remaining chemicals, including a “storage container with 10% liquid chlorine,” according to Piller. The dilution and subsequent disposal of the chlorine went awry, however, and “somehow to the surprise of [the contractor], he created a fair bit of chlorine gas,
or at least a strong odour,” he continued. The leak would then spread from the mechanical room below the science labs to the pool area, affecting lifeguard Ryan Clayton and aquatic teacher Neil Jones. The former went to hospital, but was quickly discharged. A call to the fire department elicited a “better-safe-than-sorry” response, which prompted the ensuing evacuation. “I guess what we did was we erred on the side of caution, by completing a complete evacuation,” said headmaster Dr. Tom Matthews, “but you always do that, particularly when
young people are involved.” Piller also explained why students staying on the field for an hour. “Just coincidently, the HAZMAT [Hazardous Materials] crew was on another call and was tied up trying to finish that up, so we had to wait for the HAZMAT guys to come,” as the Fire Department’s safety protocol for chlorine leaks dictates. Ultimately, however, the leak will not have future repercussions, and as such, will have no impact on school safety protocol, said Mortimer. “It was just kind of a one-off thing because they were
trying to remove the chlorine, so I mean we certainly have the assurance that it wasn’t going to happen again,” added Piller. Regardless, the school is continuing its upgrade of the pool’s safety standards, with the next chlorine tank featuring a double wall to capture any chlorine should the immediate container suffer a rupture. Perhaps more alarming, at least for Imperial Paddock, was their apparent inability to come to a conclusion as to why the odour was so strong in the first place. The company did not respond to an email requesting comment and
clarification. Piller also took the time to shed more light on the school’s new emergency communication text messaging system, which, though not necessarily applicable in this situation, is something to look out for in the future. “Basically what we’re trying to do is end up with parents’, students’ and faculty members’ cell phone numbers so that if there was an intruder in the building … or we wanted to communicate that there was a snow closure in effect, we could do that.”
Georgian inspires with speech By Paul Redelemeir Georgian Adam Goldenberg, the first lecturer in this year’s Diversity Speaker Series, spoke passionately and ardently at the school last week on the need to end homophobia, particularly here at St. George's. “Homophobia,” said Goldenberg, “should have the status of racism and sexism [in that] it should be unacceptable and it should be so unacceptable that people enforce that norm,” said the ’04 alumnus. This theme, of treating homophobia in our society with the same indignation as we do with other forms of intolerance, was prevalent in both his presentation as well as our interview. “This isn’t some activist agenda.” He continued, “it’s just that we need to respect each other and love each other as fellow citizens and fellow community members … relationships [which] have to be built on a trust and respect that is destroyed by any form of intol-
erance or hatred.” Perhaps the biggest problem, said Goldenberg, was the casual use of “gay” slurs as well as the use of the word itself in a pejorative manner. Any change, he persisted, has to come, not from government, but rather from society. “You can’t legislate against homophobia, it has to come from people waking up to the fact that we are all responsible for constructing the social norms of our own communities.” He granted, however, that more and more people in fact are doing just that: changing the status quo, so to speak, “which is why things are changing for the better.” The issue of homophobia is one that is especially pertinent at St. George's given the challenge of having a community “that is allmale, that celebrates masculinity and also celebrates sexual diversity. [However] if we can do that here, we can do that almost anywhere.”
Headmaster Dr. Tom Matthews agreed, praising Goldenberg’s message. “I thought it was great,” said Matthews. “The point he made was an important one [because] we want to be a supportive community that is respective of diversity.” The school, Goldenberg extolled, is, however, moving in the right direction, increasing the amount of support it has for gay students. “St. George’s now has a GSA [Gay-Straight Alliance], which it didn’t when I was here — it was unthinkable that it would when I was here — and that sort of institutional infrastructure development [is] very positive.” Matthews concurred, adding that bringing in speakers like Goldenberg to talk about these issues was a step in the right direction. He cautioned, however, that “it’s not a matter of just having speakers all the time to address the issue — it’s about how the school as a community deals with it.”
Goldberg finished by touching on the role of hate speech laws in stopping homophobia. “Ultimately no hate speech law would be as powerful as changing the norms so that that form of bigotry
is simply socially unacceptable and I think that will have a more permanent more lasting more impactful change than trying to prosecute somebody.”
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School takes part SPY GUY in spanish exam
By Rohan Khara For the first time, the St. Georges Spanish Department has decided to participate in the National Spanish Exam. The National Spanish Exam is similar to the exam written for French. Patrice Dixon, the Head of Languages at St. Georges, said that we are participating in the National Spanish Exam because “any Spanish is good Spanish.” We have been writing the French exam for a very long time. “Long before I got here,” said the Head of Languages. Americans start learning Spanish very early on, just as we learn French in Canada. The school has only now begun to write this exam partly because that Americans are ahead in Spanish. St. George’s is the only school in Canada that teaches six languages. We also participate in six national exams as of now. The annual exam will be written this year on April 6. It will consist of two 40-minute sections. One will focus on vocabulary and grammar, and the other will focus
on listening and reading comprehension. The whole exam will be done online in a computer lab. Dixon said that it would be useful for students if they practice with the system and format of the exam. The National Spanish Exam will only be written on North America. There are numerous levels of examination. There is an elementary level, and five high school levels. Level one is for beginners to Spanish, and level five is the equivalent of university level Spanish. There are no cash prizes for this examination, because it is so large. Only certificates and medals are given out, but schools can give out their own prizes internally. Generally, 70 to 75 percent is considered to be an extremely good score. Dixon expects some of her students to fare especially well in the competition, as there are “a few very strong students.” Students don’t need a specific mark in Spanish to write the exam, but it is recommended only
for strong and enthusiastic students. This year the Spanish Department is focusing on encouraging the grade 10s and 12s to write the exam. Dixon said that there is tutoring for the exam every Tuesday at lunch and she recommended that students prepare for the exam. Realistically, Dixon only expects approximately six students to write the exam, even though many more registered. St George’s chose not to write this exam in the past because the program was too small. Dixon believes that the program is growing and that more students will choose to write the Spanish exam because it looks good on a resume. Currently the school teaches 52 language classes, and half are French classes. The teachers in the Spanish Department are Patrice Dixon, Sylva Pohanka, and Alan Sherman, and they all have students who are writing the exam.
Shh, we’ve got our siesta on By Connor Dyson It’s 12pm on a Tuesday afternoon, and seven students are sleeping in room 128. The Siesta club was founded in early November 2011, by Ian Brackman and Brendon Catliff. The club has also received sponsorship from Brian O’ Connor, Director of Visual Arts, who was very excited about the idea of a Siesta Club. Since its debut in early November, it has had four “very successful” sessions said Brackman, co-founder of the club. Over the period of the four sessions, it is estimated that there have been over 30 people in attendance. “No teachers have attended the club at this point; however, a few have shown interest, such as Santhe Leblanc and Melissa Pavlovic,” says Brackman. The Siesta Club had one very successful session, in which over 13 people, which is the current record, attended and another very good session where nine people attended. But it hasn’t been all smooth sailing for the Siesta Club. “We have been shut out a few times, and there have been a few times where attendance has been poor. But for a young club, I think we are off to a pretty successful start,” said Brackman. Advertising for the club has been
a challenge. Brackman hopes to overcome this issue by making announcements at assemblies. When asked about the club, Bud Patel, Principal of the Senior School replied, “I don’t know if it is a serious club, but most boys want a nap, and the research that we have done says that napping is actually good for all of us.” The Siesta Club has some new ideas for the near future. One of the ideas is to distribute I.D. cards to members, and the founders are looking for Yoga students who will have what it takes to take
over the club next year. This is due to the fact that the club is run by two students graduating from Saint’s this year. Unlike other clubs at Saints, the Siesta club does not require any funding, rendering it relatively low maintenance, only requiring Yoga mats for extra comfort and relaxation, and it is recommended that the attendee’s bring a pillow and a blanket. “We will also have some very nice whale music playing for added relaxation,” says O’ Connor.
This year, the Vancouver Police Department has a new ally, stalking the streets like some sort of one-man bureau of investigation. His name, is spy-guy. Indeed he never rests, striving for a day, which he knows, is impossible: when no crime exists. Yet that does scare him, and as such he continues on his quest, without reservations.
Taming of the Shrew a major success By Faeez Ahmed William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew is a fascinating play on so many levels. On the surface, the storyline is witty and comedic entertainment. On a deeper study, the rampant sexism in the play is surprising, even when remembering the time period in which it was written. After all, one of the most powerful people in the world at that time was Queen Elizabeth. However despite the somewhat misogynistic elements that can be off-putting in today’s society, the Saint George’s middle school production of the Taming of the Shrew was an enjoyable and welldirected piece. For those not familiar with the play, the Taming of the Shrew is a comedy about a fortune-seeker, Petruchio, who marries Katherina, a well-off and bad-tempered “shrew”. Through various means, Petruchio manages to alter the temperament of the antagonistic Katherina who becomes an obedient, complacent wife. Much of the
comedic element arises from the rivalry between the husband and wife, and the ingenious methods through which Petruchio gets the better of Katherina. Marc Levine, who played Petruchio, gave an entertaining and engaging performance, captivating the audience with his poetic delivery. I particularly enjoyed his banter with Katherina. He did a commendable job of playing a dominating and authoritative character while still retaining an aspect of odd likeability. The role of Katherina was played by Sarah Chapman. She gave an excellent performance as the lead female character. Her transition from an argumentative and somewhat spoiled rich girl into the “perfect” housewife was convincing. She did an especially good job of illustrating the inner struggle and resistance felt by Katherina before finally succumbing to the social norm expected of a woman in her time. She also did a fine job with the comedic aspects of the play, with the audience seeming to enjoy her
fight scene with Petruchio. The minor characters contributed to the overall hilarity of the play. The servants Grumio and Biondello, who were played by Eli Dumaresq and Alex McFetridge, respectively, who gave particularly noteworthy performances. Both were very amusing
and had a strong sense of comedic timing. Also memorable was Paul Redelmeyer, who played Vincentio. While he only appeared onstage briefly, his performance helped to effectively tie together several aspects of the play. The audience was comprised of numerous parents, friends,
students, and teachers. The audience in particular seemed to enjoy those aspects of the play involving physical humour. However, the players also did well in presenting to the audience a clear sense of this complex and intertwined plot.
By Kevin Lee Over 100 prospective employees attended the St. George’s employment fair which occurred on February 23 at the senior campus. The event was organized by Karen Potter, Director of Human Resources at St. George’s, and was advertised through social media channels and around the school. Potter says, “We have a number of junior roles in the teaching ranks such as Interns for academic, service and charity, outdoor ed, athletic interns, and teaching interns that are ideal for those that are recent education graduates.” The employee quota also has opportunities for an English teacher, a grade two job share, grade five maternity leave and a Head of Science. The employee fair was designed to provide a focused information session and also a scouting session. Potter says, “I am hopeful that the junior roles will be hired from the candidate pool that we met at the job fair.” She continues, “Due to the fact that we had recently been recognized as one of BC Top Employer’s, the timing for this employee fair was ideal. It is something that we had been thinking about for over a year now and had wanted to move forward with. There are often misconceptions about what it is like to work in the independent school setting compared to a public school and this provides a great opportunity to dispel these types of myths.” When asked about the replacing of teachers, Potter says, “We are not in the business of laying off
our teachers. This is not a model that we adhere to.” She adds on that the new positions were created strictly due to openings and that the teaching internships are all one-year contracts so people can rotate in and out of these positions every year. The other openings are due to a maternity leave, a retirement and one of the heads transitioning to a full teaching load. Potter says, “Our annual turnover year over year runs at four percent to seven percent, which is very low based on industry standards.” Potter says, “We were uncertain how many people would come as we had promoted it through Facebook, Twitter, UBC, SFU, and universities on the Island as well as Craigslist and on our own website. Using the social media to get our message out worked and I would do the same thing again next year.” “Being able to promote our Top Employers Award is a wonderful feature in our cap. This tells others who are potentially looking at us as an employer that we are great place to work. It’s the right type of message any employer would want to promote. We are able to use the logo for a year and reference the award in our advertising and marketing material.” The Human Resources department will be doing employment fairs annually based on the success of this year’s fair. “It’s a great way to potentially meet new candidates and to get the St. George’s name out there and continue to build on being a top
Succes of scouting teachers Rowing future looks bright
Q: What has been your most interesting mission to date? A: Hmm, difficult question. I could tell you about the time in the Canary Islands, but it might make you question the security of your vehical, so I suppose I shall tell you about my time in Ireland - Belfast to be precise. I was in country for some dangerous business, capturing a highly regarded mercenary and former IRA soldier: Jasper McCoy. Now that the IRA is a thing of the past, and is a defunct organization that no longer threatens the lives of British citizens, there are many former IRA soldiers eager for work. McCoy had been on my radar for sometime, doing many things for many bad people. After some particularly nasty business in Somalia, I had sent Oz and an SAS team to pick McCoy up. Unfortunately, they got there too late. With the weight of the world on my shoulders (again), I headed to Belfast where he had been spotted. My partner for this mission was an Irish cop, Detective Inspector Sarah O’Sullivan. While she had the looks of an Italian model, she was tougher than over half the men in my unit. I had once seen her stare down a drunken sailor with muscles of which Arnold Swarznegger would have been jealous. O’Sullivan had found out that McCoy was hiding out in a rather lavish hotel, The Royale. O’Sullivan, exhibiting her usual tact, proposed swarming the place with SWAT; however, I wanted to do something a little more subtle, deciding on a simple snatch and grab. O’Sullivan would lure McCoy to a room in the hotel where I would be waiting with a hypodermic needle that would send him into “La La Land.” Unfortunately, everything did not go as planned. While I was waiting in the hotel room, the door burst open behind me. I quickly swiveled and pointed my Walther at two unknown men. While they were unarmed, I was weary nevertheless, having once seen a man killed with a chopstick. Without any pleasantries, they revealed that they were CIA officers and that McCoy was a mole for them. They also instructed me to cancel my plans to capture him, which I did. The problem with intelligence work is that agencies rarely give each other information. This incident taught me this and I was able to use it to my advantage in later missions.
The rowing team headed out to Fort Langley over this past weekend to assess their progress at the Head of the Fort regatta by the Bedford Channel. This regatta was a challenge for both coxswains and rowers alike. The 5.5-kilometer course required endurance but most difficult was the U-turn coxswains had to make at the mid-point of the race. This regatta was not originally scheduled for the season. Coach De Leeuw had previously arranged for the crew to in False Creek. However, the timing did not work with the team’s schedule as that particular race was pushed back a week later. By competing at Head of the Fort, Saint’s entered uncharted waters. The course is set in the shape of a tight horseshoe. Two buoys indicated the boundaries of the turn, though just how close to one another they would be placed was not adequately described during the coxswain and coache’s briefing. Coxswains were told to employ a certain technique when they confronted the narrow turn. Rowers on port side would take “air strokes” leaving only starboard’s blades touching the water so the transfer of power would shift solely to one side. Unfortunately, this tactic would ultimately lead to the downfall of a number of St. George’s crews, particularly for the larger boats, as bigger shells result in a greater turning radius. Vancouver College and Saints looked forward to giving each other a good run for their money. Though Saints has a larger program, the real competition would be between the teams’ respective varsity crews. Both schools sent out identical boating orders, with two eights and one four. As the regatta is organized into a headrace structure, the winners of each category would be decided by finishing times because each boat starts at separate intervals. VC crews utilized a different technique facing the bend, which was ultimately a better decision. The Irish came to a full stop approaching the curve to deal with the slim fit of the course. Halting the boat would have hampered its speed, but making a tighter turn would have been much easier. Though overall, Saint’s displayed a solid performance at the regatta, one boat within the team stood out among the rest. Last year’s national four silver-medalists consisting of grade 10 students, began in 22nd position, but finished seventh overall. Crossing the finish line, they ended their race having overtaken 15 boats, passing the faster eights and quads alike. Though St. George’s preformed competently, the real value in participating in such a regatta with only a week’s time on the water prior to racing, was to identify the areas needed for improvement and as a self-assessment to prepare for the annual Saint’s versus VC Race in April.
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the.echo the Pool down for renovation quality of air, ventilation, and pool machinery to be improved By Kevin Lee The senior school pool has been closed for renovations due to problems with air quality, sound quality, and humidity. The construction will continue from February up until June 30, opening up for summer school. The renovation includes improvements inside the pool and also in the machinery of the pool. Neil Piller, the director of the undertaking, says, “Most of the work is structural and mechanical and will not be very noticeable. What people will notice will be better air quality, which will be less humid and have less chloramines in the air, the pool bottom being tiled, new starting blocks, new acoustic panels on the ceiling, additional ducting and new skylights.” There have been many complaints about the ventilation inside of the pool, and the renovation will address this issue by replacing the HVAC unit to a more powerful unit with active dehumidification using an air conditioning system. Piller says, “In contrast, the current system just exchanges the pool air with the outside air.” The HVAC unit along with the new ducting will allow “much better control of temperatures, humidity, and chemical content in the air.” Ryan Clayton, pool lifeguard and political activist, notes, “With this new ventilation system, jobs that require long times in the pool will be less tiring and will have a cleaner air environment. We won’t have to use our current temporary solution of two wind blowers placed at the shallow end of the pool.”
salt generators and is being replaced by a combination of UV and a liquid chlorine system. Piller says, “This will result in better and more stable air and water quality.” This method is a common system in new pool designs. The renovation budget is $1,350,000 and is contracted to Halse Martin Construction. Halse Martin has been doing projects around the school for the past eight years and was the lowest bidder on the project. Imperial Paddock is still the current maintenance contractor for the pool but Piller says that this “may be revisited when we reopen the pool.”
New senior pool facilities
bench machines and a new underwater camera to be installed in the pool By Kevin Lee The senior school pool is currently under renovation. However, the pool itself is not the only “unit” being upgraded. Neil Jones, the Junior School swim coach and Ryan Clayton, a longterm lifeguard working at the pool, come forth with some current problems and possible improvements. The swim team will have the new swim bench machines for their next season. These rowing-like machines are dry-land strength and stroke trainers that will help the swim team immensely, training team members about stroke rate and stroke movement. Jones says, “The swim team improvements are getting there, and these swim bench machines will be a great help for us.” Funds from the junior swim meet and parent donations are being used to buy a dedicated pool AV cart. It will house an underwa-
SPY GUY
This year, the Vancouver Police Department has a new ally, stalking the streets like some sort of one-man bureau of investigation. His name, is spy-guy. Indeed he never rests, striving for a day, which he knows, is impossible: when no crime exists. Yet that does scare him, and as such he continues on his quest, without reservations.
The existing roof was “compromised by poor design and high humidity.” Engineers have carefully reviewed the current structure and determined that it is “approaching its load carrying and seismic limits.” Piller says, “If there was a heavy snowfall followed by rain, then weight could be a problem.” The renovation includes part of the roof being replaced, with structural beams reinforced and the building envelop being properly sealed. In addition, steel reinforcing will be added to upgrade seismic capacity. Pool filters are currently using a system that creates chlorine via
ter video camera connected to a tv playback system and will cost in the neighbourhood of $1500. The cart will be covered in plexiglass in order to reduce the potential for water damage while allowing close up viewing of swimmer's technique. "This as an important training tool,” says Jones. “This will be very useful coaching material. We can record a swimmer’s streamlines, finishes, turns, and full strokes and play it back to them instantly so that we can analyze and improve.” There will be projector added as part of the purchase, allowing students to view swimmers’ demonstrations and instructional Youtube videos on a large display. Clayton notes that the lifeguard room is “well stocked” and is generally happy about the condition of the pool. Some minor improvements that Clayton would like to see would be more lane
rope hooks and a lot more natural light and windows. He notes, “The ventilation system isn’t as good as it needs to be, and the current wind blowers are temporary bandaids.” The renovation of the pool will address this issue. Jones would like to see a new set up for the speaker system. “The speakers right now are directed on top of the bleachers at the pool. When boys are in the water and listening, they can hear without me having to yell, but it is not as clear as it can be. Also when parents or spectators sit down on the bleachers the volume for them is very loud and the sound is muffled due to the speaker location," says Jones. He recommends moving the speaker to the wall with the record board and projecting the system towards the bleachers. Jones would like to see is lane ropes in school colours.
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Q: How do I make sure that my teacher doesn’t give me a failing grade? A: Well, you could always give your teacher a million dollars in unmarked non-sequential hundred dollar bills, but that may be a bit beyond your financial situation. Another method that was greatly used in the Cold War was drugging. While a bit old fashioned, I think it should suffice. For this mission you will need a box of delicious chocolates and a powerful laxative. Carefully smash the laxatives into a fine powder and put in a syringe. I would recommend five times over the recommended dose (more than that may cause a plumbing issue). Inject the powder into each chocolate very carefully - you don’t want it to look too obvious. Now it’s time to put the mission in play. Go to the teacher, offering a chocolate with a “spiel” about it being your birthday or something. Within two minutes, your target should be running to the nearest bathroom where he or she will be occupied for some time. As soon as the teacher leaves, get on to the computer. Quickly change all the grades to As and Bs (Don’t make yourself look like Einstein or he’ll catch on). Also, replace your essays and work assignments with forgeries. If you have ethical issues with this solution, then you are not meant to be in the spy game. But for you weak-hearted ones out there, I have another solution. For this you will need two friends that your teacher doesn’t know, fake RCMP badges and a dark four-door sedan. When the teacher leaves the school, have your friends pull up in the sedan, flash the badges and whisk the teacher to a warehouse somewhere. Once at the warehouse have your friends explain that you are an undercover RCMP officer investigating smuggling or something along those lines, and that you would be unable to complete your mission if you get a failing grade. Also, compliment the teacher on his or her patriotism and deputize him or her as a police officer. That should solve your problem. Whichever option you use, I wish you luck and make sure next term you study harder because I’m not going to bail you out twice.
Student finishes top in the world By Leon Shen Graduating student Matthew Segal attained world champion status on February 19 as the new U19 National Junior Lightweight Indoor Rowing Champion and Canadian titleholder at C.R.A.S.H. B World Indoor Rowing Championships hosted at Boston University’s Agganis Arena. C.R.A.S.H. B, an acronym for “Charles River Association of Sculling Has Beens”, was initiated by a group of rowers who came together to race against college crews when they had an opening in their schedule. It commenced in 1986 with 60 rowers competing at the Harvard Boathouse. Fast-forward to 2012, on its 26th anniversary, with registration numbers close to 2600, athletes from around the world now row shoulder to shoulder with Olympic champions. The regatta is organized into different categories, thus athletes are sorted by sex, age, and weight. Races are 2000 metre sprints, similar in length to an on-water regatta. Rowers compete exclusively on ergometers (“ergs”) sponsored by Concept2. These indoor machines were specifically built to ensure rowers had a way to train when on-water training was unavailable. “The glory, the agony, the raw emotion. It’s all there at C.R.A.S.H. B’s,” said Segal. The U19 category typically attracts only the top rowers in high school programs and clubs from around the world. Needless to say, this particular event has evolved into a hotspot for university rowing scouts; potential recruits are discovered every year due to the sheer number of young, gifted rowers competing. Even so, being spotted was the last thing on Segal’s mind during his three-day trip to Boston. Having already been accepted early to Yale University, the only thought that floated around Segal’s mind during the five-hour flight was: “To come home wearing a medal around my neck and wielding a hammer around my hand!” Though predominately noted for its reputation as the world championships, C.R.A.S.H. B is also celebrated for the one-of-a-kind trophy presented to the titleholders of each category. Instead of a typical cup, the winner receives the coveted C.R.A.S.H. B hammer! This trophy is the tool found at any hardware stores. Its handle is elegantly engraved and the high-carbon steel tip is distinctly noticeably with a glossed blue head. “This is hands-down the coolest prize ever. It’s an all-inone award, tool, and weapon,” remarked Segal. This was Segal’s second time competing in Boston. At 16 years
old, he placed seventh in the world rankings last year. Though only a mere eight-seconds from taking home gold, Segal was content with his progress, but felt he was an eternity away from standing on the podium at that time. Eight-seconds may not seem much in another sport, but even milliseconds will eventually count as progress in rowing. Every high-caliber rower understands he will eventually reach a point where the “effort needed to shave off even one-second increases exponentially.” It can take months of training, but even then, results of a new personal best are never assured. In a sport where one has to give so much in order to receive even a little, many quit after hitting that invisible wall. “Novice rowers are often frustrated from not being able to achieve a P.B. on every erg test. Many don’t realize that improvement takes patience.” Segal stresses the need to continue fighting even when faced with what seems to be a dead-end. No doubt, perseverance and dedication are key attributes to success in the world of competitive rowing. As a multi-sport athlete who has experienced everything from competitive skiing, soccer, rugby, track and field, Segal regards the 2K race as the most demanding physical form of exercise he has ever done because, “Nothing can compare to the amount of intensity one faces when doing an erg test.” Despite the adversity, indoor racing can be more exciting than a water regatta simply because when competing on a stationary machine, “You can see the faces of the competitors and catch sight of what they're going through. This way, you at least get some sort of comfort in knowing that 209 other competitors are suffering just as much as I was!” As the saying goes, “Misery loves company!” Segal should have been experiencing agony together with two other Saint’s rowers competing in the same category. He was only one of three grads sent to participate this year. Of those three, Cameron Howie and Shane Mullen forfeited last minute due to personal injuries. Asthma got the better of Howie on race day as he “...would have undoubtedly died after 1000 meters had I decided to race,” while Mullen was hampered by a previous wrist injury. Excluding Segal, Calin Manea was the only other St. George’s student left, finishing 65th of 213 in the U19 Junior Men’s Heavyweight division -- a commendable result considering heavyweight rowers customarily have faster times. Howie and Mullen responded positively to Segal’s triumph. “We’re very happy for him and
we could use his speed in the boat to win our third consecutive national championship in the heavyweight men’s eight. However, both athletes also believe Segal is not pivotal to success. “No matter what Matt does, Saints rowing will do extremely well this year, with or without him. He made the decision of training on his own and we'll just have to take it from there,” said Mullen. What makes Segal’s win so extraordinary is the fact that he has been training on his own since the beginning of the school year. He hasn’t attended a single practice at school to date. By taking down the portables to make space for a larger field at the senior campus, the Saints crew has resorted to winter training in a tent set up on the tennis courts and rowing in the science wing as well. It would not be far-fetched to guess Segal hasn’t been working with Saints due to the poor indoor facilities, though that is not the case. “The challenge for me this year was being able to juggle volunteer commitments and academic obligations with a regimented rowing schedule.” Segal’s secret weapon has been rowing advice given from Olympic gold medalist Xeno Muller. He met Muller on a family trip to France in 2007; the two have developed a strong relationship since. Though Segal ultimately succeeded in achieving his goal of taking the world title, the events leading up to that pivotal point were challenging. “To say I was nervous would be an understatement. This was my last chance to race on the international stage in the Junior high school category.” He did not sleep well the night before due to a combination of excitement and an anonymous call at 1:30 in the morning! “It turned out to be my sister, who was with my parents at the hotel, finally confessed to being the culprit only after I had won! If you ever thought about disowning a family member, that single incident would have fit the bill as a viable excuse!”
Segal stepped through the doors of Agganis Arena one-and-a-half hours early the next day to begin warm-up, though “at one point, I felt particularly sick to my stomach and attributed it to nerves.” He was positioned in the third and last heat of approximately 80 competitors; the top sportsmen having always raced last. Standing beside his erg, Segal immediately recognized his biggest adversaries when he caught a glimpse of the two athletes who would be sitting beside him. On his left, “big and strong” was a Brazilian, and on his right, “tall and formidable” sat the American. It would be a clash among three nations, for those two rowers would give Segal “one helluva good run for my money” and in the process, set the stage for what would be one of the most epic indoor rowing battles ever witnessed. “My teammates, coach De Leeuw, my parents, and next year's university coach were facing me just a few feet away. Imagine the intensity and pressure that I felt at that moment.” A huge overhead screen displayed every competitor's boat in an electronic form so that the audience could see every stroke taken over the 2000-metre course. For a veteran rower, one would think Segal had some sort of elaborate race plan in mind to win; yet his strategy was remarkably simple if not standard. “I’ll go out strong for a few strokes, maintain pace, and hope there will still be enough ‘gas in the tank’ to sprint at the end!” The substantial challenge during a rowing race is to avoid getting carried away if someone gets ahead. Off the start, Segal maintained the lead for a short period before the Brazilian passed ahead; the American followed soon after. Witnessing the overtake from the on-screen display of his monitor, Segal panicked but was determined not to be left in the dust. He thought to himself, "Matthew, this has happened to you before, stay calm and stick to the plan. You're prepared for
this! One can only hope that your competitors will run out of steam before you.” It's a careful balance between conserving energy for the sprint and leaving too much at the end. “You want to be drained completely -- both physically and mentally -- when it's over because that’s the only way to ensure there won’t be any regrets in the aftermath.” The agony experienced is excruciating to the point of unbearable. When the adrenaline has worn off and there’s still half way to go, “Erging can definitely qualify as a form of torture.” The lactic acid kicks in way too soon, resulting in a searing pain that circulates throughout the body. “You feel fire coursing through your veins, eating you away, but there’s nothing in the world that can fan the flames.” There are certain stages when the rower feels as if his mind and body are disconnected. “The brain is telling you to stop, that you are harming yourself, that this is not right; yet, the body continues mechanically, because once you put down that handle, your opponents engulf you.” When athletes of identical caliber face off, only one factor separates the winner from the losers: “Who wants to win more?” Around 700 meters to the finish line, Segal began to sprint. Overriding the pain, he passed the Brazilian with 400 meters to go. “I felt a renewed sense of energy and focused on the American who was within 30 meters and a boat length.” By now, the crowd was on their feet because it was going to be a close call. “I was neck and neck with the American when the Brazilian crept up and so we formed a close pack.” Segal reestablished his lead at 200 meters but only by a hair. “I could see the finish line and I wanted badly to get there first so I could win that hammer.” Adrenaline kicked in and so that last final push took him to the finish line with a ninemeter lead over second place, a new personal best of 6:22.1, and the race of a lifetime. A Saints world champion was crowned!