Sound
Distillery Music geeks brewing own recording style, Page 10 Monday, March 12, 2012
SPOKE
As the school year comes to an end, the election season begins. It’s that time of year again to vote for the eight peo ple who will serve as the Conestoga Students Inc. board of directors in September. Voting will take place from March 19-23 through student email. Don’t be surprised to see candidates scraping for every possible vote this week around campus as campaign ing ends this Friday. “They are able to use posters, displays and word of mouth,” said CSI president Ciara Byrne regarding the rules of campaigning. “They a re u n a b le to use social media other than the mediums CSI uses for the candidates.” The student vote for the CSI election has been dismal over the past few years. Last year only 600 people voted which is just over six per cent of the student population eligible to vote. Only full-time students
Supermoto Ontario is looking for members. Page 15
A L E A R N I N G N E W S R O O M FOR J O U R N A L I S M S T U D E N T S
Conestoga College, Kitchener, ONT.
It’s election time By RYAN HORNE
Looking to Join a dub?
are able to vote. Byrne said students may not be voting because they have no idea an election is going on or they simply don’t use their student email. “Students should vote because the directors repre sent all the students to the college, the city and province. They want to have people that they trust and know will do a good job,” she said. The board of directors is in charge of everything student related, including some reno vations around campus, pub nights and overall college atmosphere. Students who run for a spot on the board of directors are usually in busi ness-related programs. Next year there will be a separate board for the directors with out any connection to the operations of the corporation. As a result, CSI may hire full time interns to fill in for the various responsibilities and tasks no longer performed by the departing directors.
www.spokeonline.com
RESPECT WEEK h a d
44th Year - NO. 9
s t u d e n t s s m iu n g
PHOTO BY BRADLEY ZORGDRAGER
Dave Parbhakar, a second-year journalism broadcast student and Respect leader, shows off a Wii remote during Respect Week's Smile Day at Conestoga College March 2. The focus of Smile Day was on the impact that a smile can have. One of the activities offered to get people smiling was video gaming. See Page 7 for story and more photos.
Recycling at Conestoga virtually non-existent By DREW LOGAN
PHOTO BY DREW LOGAN
Conestoga students improperly dispose of recyclable materials such as papers, cans and bottles inside classrooms, rendering the streaming bins useless. This material is disposed of like ordinary garbage.
Here’s some trashy news: Conestoga’s recycling stream bins don’t actually work. That’s because students don’t sort their trash proper ly, resulting in the recycling bins becoming contaminat ed. To bring attention to this problem, a day’s worth of garbage and organics will be dumped in the Atrium, as part of Conestoga’s Green Week, which starts March 26. The garbage will be from classrooms and lunchrooms around campus and there will be a lot of it. It will include items that shouldn’t be there, since stu dents don’t properly dispose of their cans, bottles and papers, said environmental co-ordinator Jana Vodicka.
The stream bins, which were placed in every class room, were put there to make recycling easier. But this hasn’t been hap pening due to students not recognizing that improper use of the bins results in all its contents becoming garbage. “We don’t sort it all out at the end of the day. As soon as one wrong piece is put in a bin, the whole container is tainted and it is disposed of like normal trash,” said Vodicka. Conestoga has a waste diversion target of 60 per cent, and as of March 2, Conestoga has reached 53 per cent. “Hopefully by the end of this month we will have reached our goal of an additional seven per cent to our waste division target,” she said.
One of the reasons for the live waste audit is to increase awareness and educate on improving our current behav iours. “This could be disgusting, but it will definitely get peo ple to look at what was going on,” said second-year comput er engineering technology student Jordan O’Brien. Zoey Ross, Conestoga Students Inc.’s director of sustainability, said, “We will be having events taking place all week. Monday will be waste day, Tuesday we’ll have Aboriginal Services speaking for Green Week. “Friday we’ll have guest speakers.” So, the garbage dump, called the live waste audit, will be just one of many events being held during Green Week.
NEWS
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Monday, March 12,2012
Tooth trouble?
Now deep thoughts ... with Conestoga College A visit to the dentist doesn’t have to be terrifying Random questions answered by random students
What is one TV show you love, but wish you didn’t? “Probably Jersey Shore, it makes me laugh so hard.” Breanne Docherty, first-year general arts and science
“Revenge: It's such an old woman show - old ladies would watch it.” Mladen Marin, second-year journalism broadcast
“Teen Mom 2 because everybody thinks it’s lame ... except me.” Amanda Busby, first-year business administrative marketing
“The Bachelor; once you watch a couple of shows you’re hooked.” Keith Gardiner, third-year business administration management
“It has to be Jersey Shore because it's so trashy, you don't learn anything from it.” Justin Finnegan, second-year, integrated telecommunications and computer technologies
“The Bachelor because they get you hooked with the drama, but I think it’s the most ridiculous way to find love.” Erin Meesters, second-year journalism broadcast
Smile Conestoga, you could be our next respondent!
By ASHLEY WELFORP-COSTELLOE
A visit to the dentist can be uncomfortable at best. Nobody likes to have another person's hands in their mouth for long periods of time. Nobody wants another person to poke at their teeth with all those strange instru ments. Then there are all those horror stories you see on television. Stories about dentists who had no idea what they were doing and ended up making the prob lem worse, didn't use anes thetic during a surgical pro cedure or were generally unfriendly. This alone would be enough to scare anyone out of going to the dentist. However, these stories are not as com mon as one might think. Believe it or not, the most unpleasant experiences most people have had with the dentist involve major surgery such as having wisdom teeth extracted. “I had to get my wisdom teeth pulled out when I was 17, I believe,” said Tayla
LAST-DITCH EFFORT
Uzun, a student in office admin-legal. “It was right after school so it wasn't that bad but after the fact I looked like a chipmunk. I couldn't eat anything. I had to have soups and Jell-0 all the time. I would always put a warm towel over my face because it hurt so much.” Alanna Dakin, a first-year student in human service foundations, had a similar story. “I had to get my wisdom teeth out about two years ago. They put me to sleep and when I woke up I thought I was swallowing the gauze they put in my mouth. I was freaking out and yelling at the people in the office. But apparently I was just kind of loopy from the anesthesia.” Another reason why some people may be afraid of the dentist is because they don’t know what to expect. Moushumi Choudhury is a student in the biotechnology technician program. An immigrant from Bangladesh, she’s never been to a dentist
before so she had no bad expe riences to speak of. However, she was in the process of look ing for a dentist. Naturally, she was concerned about find ing the right one. Here are some tips for peo ple who have never visited a dentist or are anxious about going to one due to bad expe riences: Check if there’s a dental school nearby. Dental schools are good sources for finding practising dentists. Check for hospitals or health-care centres that pro vide dental services. The den tist in charge of those facili ties may provide some good recommendations. Ask an orthodontist if you know one. These specialists should be familiar with the kind of work referring den tists do. Asking friends and family helps, too. Chances are they know a good dentist. Finding a good dentist is not an easy task. But using the information provided above could help you in your search.
NEWS
Monday, Match 12,2012
SPOKE ♦ Page 3
Priority and graduation fees increasing By TIFFANY WILSON
The student priority fee will continue to rise with the cost of living. Mike Dinning, who has been the college’s vice-president of student affairs for the past seven years, attended the CSI monthly board meeting held on Feb. 29 to discuss the three per cent increase of the priority fee and a $16.25 increase in the graduation/ alumni services fee. In order to support services, projects and initiatives of direct benefit to students, the priority fee is reviewed every year. This year the fee was $46.35 and as of September the fee will increase to $47.74. Since the college has grown 49 per cent in the last five years, it has had a signif icant impact on the priority fee income. “What I like to do each year is to come and create a con text for the fee. (Meaning) what does the college spend on the general area of stu dent affairs and student services and where does the priority fee fit into that and then discuss the proposed budget for the year,” said Dinning. The fee pays for such activi ties as Student Life initia tives, orientation, leadership programs and the Respect Campaign. There has not been an
increase other than the cost of living since 2005. Dinning said the reason behind this is because they want to try and keep education affordable while increasing the college experience for students. “The commitment that was made was that money would go directly into direct services to students and not into any thing that has to do with aca demic measures,” Dinning said. With an estimated $31 mil lion in the student affairs budget, when compared to the total college budget that is in the vicinity of $150 million to $160 million, it shows that 20 per cent of students’ money is being spent on non-academic resources. During the meeting, a colourful student affairs administrative organizational chart was distributed among board members. Identified by colours, nine direct reports were broken into five groups, each representing services of the college that either gener ate their own money or that are paid by the college’s oper ating fund, student ancillary fee or through provincial gov ernment grants. Food services, residence, retail services and the International English Language Testing System are all self-generating services. For example, residence has generated about $3.3 million
this year, Dinning said. “We don’t run (these pro grams) to just run them, we run them, one, because it’s good service to operate and help us as a program, but also it helps underscore the gener al operating costs of the col lege,” he said. On the other hand, pro grams such as Aboriginal Services, first generation, health services and virtual community are all programs Dinning referred to as min istry-funded. “They are all programs that are operated through funding that is supplied by the federal and provincial governments,” he said. By a binding directive by the Ontario Ministry of Education that came out of a review of all colleges’ ancil lary fees about three years ago, money that is directed to certain services cannot be spent on anything else. For example, if the govern ment says they are providing funding for Aboriginal servic es, the college cannot spend it on any other service. Meanwhile, the student ancillary fees cover Student Life initiatives and the recre ation centre. These fees are put in place to support the non-academic services that are on campus. In saying this, the government is very clear and poses a great challenge for the college said Dinning,
as splitting fees among other areas of the college is hard to do. Trish Crompton, CSI direc tor of external relations, said, “There are certain areas of our school that need attention straight away and it is important for our stu dents to get that in order to get the most out of their edu cation. Can we institute a new fee to cover that? For example the library, the big elephant in everybody’s room, can we put in a fee to cover that? ” Dinning said no because it does not fit the criteria of a priority fee. The physical infrastructure must be paid for out of tuition and govern ment grants and if it is not, this would be considered hid den tuition costs, which are not allowed. “We made a commitment that that’s where the money would be focused (student life). “The only exception with that is with those in Career Services. A couple of the career advisers who specifi cally advise students with their career choices are also funded through the priority fee.” However, the final two cate gories listed on the student affairs organization chart are either supported or paid directly by the college such as registrar services, co-op edu
cation services, etc. Some departments such as Career Services and the Learning' Commons offer services that are paid for by the operating and ancillary fees and govern ment grants. “We are playing by the game, we are playing by the rules,” said Dinning. The motion to increase the priority fee by the cost of liv ing was approved by the board. In other business, Dinning asked the board to increase the graduation/alumni servic es fee from $37.12 to $53.37 over a span of two years. According to Dinning, the fee has not gone up since 1996, but costs have increased as the number of convocations increase. “During that time we used to run four convocation cere monies a year, we now run six,” he said, and will be adding a seventh next year. The number of people grad uating has increased by 50 per cent. He said what once cost $360,000 now costs $533,000. With an increase of $7.39 this year and an $8.86 increase the following year, the total cost over a two-year period would only be $16.25, said Dinning. What this will do is increase the budget to $533,000 to pay for those services. The board also approved this motion.
College’s parking revenue $1.5 million in 2010 By ANDREW SOULSBY
Every day at Doon, $875 to $1,500 in tickets are placed on cars without permits. These numbers are based on an average of 35 to 60 tickets processed per day, at $25 a ticket, according to Pam Philips, supervisor of enforce ments for the City of Kitchener. She also said the number of tickets issued is higher at the start of the year when students are slow to purchase permits. Philips was quick to point out Kitchener’s bylaw enforcement seldom handles the ticketing themselves and that their responsibility is to process the tickets after they’ve been issued by Conestoga’s own security services. Don Willis, director of Safety and Security Services at Conestoga College, said the cons of the college pro cessing its own tickets out weigh the pros. “For me, it’s so much easier to have the city doing i t ... it’s an issue of fairness.”
The issue of fairness stems from the students’ ability to dispute the ticket, he said. In the case of the city processing the ticket, the dispute goes to trial, whereas if the school processed the ticket, the dis pute would go to him and he would then need to question his staffs decision, a ruling he would rather not make. Although other schools do their own processing* such as Mohawk, he said, Conestoga lacks the people power to do it themselves, making it “extremely hard to collect the money.” With the city collect ing it, they can transfer owed amounts to the province who will then force drivers to pay outstanding fines before renewing their vehicle’s plates. However, at Mohawk, where a general annual parking per mit can cost a student $510 and a preferred annual permit $711, transcripts, grades and diplomas are withheld until all outstanding fines are paid, according to the Mohawk stu dent guide. Despite a potential $222,000 in yearly revenue from parking
These back projects include upgrading 20 to 30 cameras that are over 15 years old which are only supposed to last 10, he said, and are “all about to crash.” Another project Willis would “love to expand,” though doesn’t think it will happen this year because “money is tight,” is the BlazeCast system. This system allows Safety and Security Services to announce vital information to every section of the school with PHOTO BY ANDREW SOULSBY simplicity. According to Willis, Cory Farage, a part-time nursing Instructor, inserts her Park Pass this replaced a person running into the daily permit dispenser at Doon campus on March 2. up and down hallways with a megaphone. fines being handed over to the ment. Apart from operating costs, City of Kitchener, Conestoga “One of my jobs as a manag other reasons permits are College raked in $1.5 million in er is to run the office as cost expensive include the HST, parking revenue in 2010, efficiently as possible,” Willis which amounts to an addition according to Kevin Mullan, said. al $50, according to Willis, and vice-president of corporate Since becoming the director each year the college’s contract affairs. of the department three and a with the outside security firm, The same year, operating the half years ago, parking permit Barber-Collins, increases by parking lots cost the college rates have increased 10.8 per three per cent. $805,000. Costs include gener cent. While Cory Farage, a partal lot maintenance such as In 2009, rates were raised time nursing faculty member, cleaning up garbage and snow five per cent, an increase Willis said parking is “too expensive,” removal but money also goes said was made in order to she did acknowledge that the toward maintaining the Safety “catch up” to the “millions of lots were clean and spaces and Security Services depart dollars in back projects.” were always available.
COMMENTARY
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Monday, March 12,2012
Alberta ignorant By BRADLEY ZORGDRAGER
Outdated doesn’t even begin to describe Alberta’s diagnostic guide for health care, which classifies homo sexuality as a mental disorder. Even more disturbing is the fact that it appears above bestiality, pedophilia, transvestism, exhibitionism and transsexualism in a list of sexual deviations and disorders. By using an old version of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD), Alberta is allowing doctors to bill the province for treating homosexuality. According to a study done by Statistics Canada, “Hate crimes refer to criminal offences that are motivated by hate towards an identifiable group,” and includes sexu al orientation as one of those groups. Meanwhile, the Canadian Criminal Code “provides that every person has the right to be treated equally without discrimination because of sexual orientation.” The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms says, “Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination.” Denying a person their equality is in direct violation of the Criminal Code. Since a more recent revision of the ICD has deemed homosexuality to not be a mental disorder, the Alberta government is ignoring this information. Ignorance is not a valid excuse either, as the govern ment has known about the inaccurate classification for over a decade. Tantamount to the ignorance on the gov ernment’s side is the fact that instead of actually doing something in 2010, the government simply removed the controversial wording from the website, as if to adopt a policy of out of sight, out of mind. However, the code itself remains in use according to Alberta Health spokeswoman Kathleen Range in a National Post article. Meanwhile, the Canadian Criminal Code considers any person who “abets any per son in committing” a crime, as a party to the crime. By providing money to a cause that is all but just, the Alberta government is abetting a harmful and unfair classification and are, therefore, a party to a hate crime. Though the government of Canada has introduced gay marriage - no doubt a proud point in our history - we need to realize that equality will only come about when everyday life is the same for those of different sexual orientations. We as a country need to stop tiptoeing around this issue. We need to put our collective foot down and force Alberta to enter the 21st century. The views herein represent the position of the newspa per , not necessarily the author.
Letters are welcome Spoke welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be signed and include the name and telephone number of the writer. Writers will be contacted for verification. No unsigned letters will be published. Letters should be no longer
than 500 words. Spoke reserves the right to edit any letter for publication. Address correspondence to: The Editor, Spoke, 299 Doon Valley Dr., Room 1C30, Kitchener, Ont., N2G4M4
Hank's glaucoma finally catches up with his paranoia.
In v e s tm e n t, s h m e s h m e n t I like newspapers. Whether I’m keeping up with current events on the bus or doing the crossword over breakfast, I derive a sense of calm and mental stimulation from sit ting around with those inky folds in my hands. That is, until I hit the business section. More specifically, the page with all the lists of numbers and acronyms that means lit tle to most of us but is every thing to some. One word always stands out to me on this page and fills me with frustration and lament. When I was a kid, my father talked to me about the importance of saving money. He took me to open my first bank account before I was 10. He made many contribu tions to my piggy bank and then went through the long and arduous process of rolling up the coins with me to deposit them. Over the years, my savings built up to a pretty respectable amount for a kid with no measurable income. By 2004 I had saved about $3,500. At this point, under my father’s guidance, we opened a mutual fund in my name. The fund was going to be a place for my money to grow faster than it would if it was sitting in my savings account. Now, I’m not questioning my father’s wisdom in the matter, but things didn’t exactly pan out the way we
had planned those eight or so years ago. No, in eight years I’ve actu ally lost about one per cent of that money. One per cent doesn’t seem like much, but when we’re talking about an investment that was sup posed to make me money, it’s a little frustrating to know that it would’ve done better sitting in my bank account. I don’t believe that this out come could have been pre dicted, the economy has seen uncertain times. In fact, my fund went down almost 3.5 per cent in the last six months alone. I do, however, think that some things were pre dictable, to an extent, and this is where my contempt for the investment page in the paper comes from. In addition to my opening of a mutual fund, 2004 saw a lit tle company called Google open itself to the public. Needless to say, it has done a little better than I have, grow ing a whopping 730 per cent. This is a pretty impressive figure, but Google wasn’t the only thing starting a steep ascent of the stock market in
2004. There was another, much older force that, after decades of relative stagnation, was about to make a big play. In the last eight years, the price of gold has gone up 1,266 per cent. This is the word that riles me when I see it in the financial section. What was I doing investing in silly little mutual funds when I could have invested in a sure thing like gold? If I had invested my $3,500 in Google in 2004, rather than the mutual fund, I would be sitting on over $25,000. If I’d invested in gold I’d be closer to $45,000. Now instead of asking myself what kind of car I want or how comfortable a mattress stuffed with cash would be, I’m wondering whether there is any recourse. I’m wondering whether or not it would be wise to make those invest ments that I should have made years ago. Will Google’s stock continue to rise? Will gold hit a plateau? Or maybe Facebook will be the answer when it goes pub lic. Is it the next Google? Considering that almost all of its revenue comes from advertising, its future is cloudy. Or is it? I’ll let you know in eight years when I hope to be able to maintain a pleasant demeanour all the way through to the classifieds.
SPOKE IS P U B L I S H E D A N D P R O D U C E D W E E K L Y B Y T H E J O U R N A L I S M Editor: Karen Haynes Assignment Editors: Bradley Zorgdrager and Jazlyn Slack
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Daley, Reyhan Enver, Devon Smith, Andrew Soulsby, Eric McKenzie, Jessica Martin, Sarah Shaw, Ken Belliveau and William Witczak Production Managers: Vanda Dobritoiu, Jake Davidson and Jeff Bomben Photo Editors: Ryan Horne, Mariana Morales,
S T U D E N T S OF C O N E S T O G A C O L L E G E
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The views and opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect the views of Conestoga College. Spoke shall not be liable for any damages arising out of errors in advertising beyond the amount paid for the space. Letters to the editor are subject to acceptance or rejection and should be clearly written or typed; a MS Word file would be helpful. Letters must not contain any libellous statements.
COMMENTARY
Monday, March 12,2012
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Editorial cartoon angers reader Upon reading the Spoke article, Stop Feeding Coyotes, published on Feb. 13, I found the accompanying cartoon extremely offensive and with very little connec tion to the article. By depict ing an individual experienc ing homelessness in this manner, Spoke is condoning a disrespectful and degrad ing stereotype of human beings who are homeless or have little to no income. Someone once said “there but by the grace of God go I” which reminds us that any one of us may find ourselves with no income and no place to stay for the night. We must remember th at all human beings deserve respect and the cartoon pub lished in connection with Stop Feeding Coyotes does not provide individuals experiencing homelessness
and poverty with any level of respect. In the future, I feel that it would be beneficial for Spoke to make certain that each cartoon is directly con nected to the article it is per taining to. Stop Feeding Coyotes only discusses that leaving food out would attract dangerous wildlife and, therefore, the offensive depiction of an individual experiencing homelessness was not necessary in order to support the argument of the article. In conclusion, I feel th at the cartoon in question offered an unnecessary and highly disrespectful depic tion of a population th at is in high need and requires our support, not stereo types and disrespect. Jeff Hudson
SPOKE ♦ Page 5
The zoo brings out the kid in me The last I went to the zoo I probably couldn’t see over the railings and had to get my mother to tie my shoes. Well, maybe one of those things has changed, but what hasn’t is the wonder and amazement I experienced seeing all of the animals. It truly brought out the child in me. I recently went to the Toronto Zoo, and even though it may have been a bit chilly for the animals of the African climate, it was still one of the most enjoy able days I’ve had in a long time. Monkeys, snakes, otters, lions, tigers, red pan das and hippopotamus turned this fairly mature (at least I think I am) man into a little kid who ran from
sure while at the zoo, there’s something almost magical about it. You lose all control of the William preconceived notion of how Witczak an adult is supposed to act O pinion and just get caught up in all the cute and cuddliness of the animals. It was almost like watching location to location because he was so excited to see what a Disney movie (and yes, I saw a Dory, a Timon and new animals were there. even a Simba) — you don’t Sure, I was probably the need to be a child to enjoy it; only person who didn’t go you just need to bring your with a kid, and maybe, just maybe, I may have overreact inner child. ed just a tad when I saw the I know I will be going back polar bear cub who was run and maybe someday when I ning around charging at his have kids I won’t be that crazy man who’s running little toy garbage can and rolling around (in my defence around the zoo like a child, he was absolutely the epito I’ll be that awesome father me of adorable), but there’s who’s running around the one thing that I found out for zoo with his children.
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Monday, March 12,2012
STUDENT LIFE
Monday, March 12,2012
SPOKE ♦Page 7
What does respect mean to you? By MARIANA C. MORALES
Respect means something different to everyone. At Conestoga College, Respect Week provided a helpful reminder to those who needed it with booths and activities for everyone to enjoy. Respect Week, held Feb. 27 to March 2, is an opportunity for the college to celebrate the importance of respect in the community, said Student Life programmer and Respect Campaign co-ordinator Ryan Connell. The different activi ties and displays were organ ized by students in the busi ness foundations program and general arts and science program. Each day of the week represented something different providing a reminder about what respect can mean. On Monday, it was “What It Means To Me Day” which encouraged students to learn about respect and what it means in different situations such as in families, the work place, the environment and in the classroom. Tuesday was one of the most popular days. It was titled the “Human Library,” which gave students the opportunity to learn about people with specific back grounds. The event allowed students to take out “human books,” who were volunteers representing different demo graphics. The human books included a cancer survivor, a female police officer, single parents, gay and transgendered individuals, students with disabilities and more. This was the first year the Human Library event was held and it was very popular
among students. It was held in the Learning Resource Centre and students were able to “take out” a human book for a 15-minute one-onone conversation. They were able to ask questions people are normally afraid to ask and gain knowledge about the different demographics and challenge any stereo types. The Human Library received positive evaluations from the students who partic ipated with comments such as “What a great experience and an excellent way to get infor mation,” and “This was a bril liant idea.” On Wednesday, it was the Clothesline Project which gave everyone the chance to decorate a white T-shirt to celebrate what respect means to them or what does a healthy relationship or friendship look like. Students were able to donate spare change to decorate a shirt with proceeds going to the Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region. They are a non-profit charitable organi zation that supports women who might be in violent or domestic situations that might be harmful for them. For more information on Women’s Crisis Services, visit www.wcrwr.org. Walk a Mile Day was held on Thursday by students from the liberal studies program in the multiculturalism course. This gave students the per spective of what it’s like to be in the shoes of someone who is different from them. The Respect representatives, who are student volunteers for the Respect Campaign, had several activities for students
to see what it’s like to be some one else. There was a physical disabilities booth which included an obstacle course with a wheelchair and booths related to body language and eye contact. The single parents booth was a popular booth which included several games for students to see how it can be a struggle to be a single par ent. One of the games featured tennis balls which each had a different responsibility written on it. The representatives would toss you a ball with sev eral responsibilities on it such as go to school, wake your daughter up and make break fast, and you had to catch it while balancing all of the other balls. This represented how difficult it can be to juggle sev eral responsibilities at once. Friday ended the week with Smile Day. Students were encouraged to smile and were given free popcorn and cotton candy. The day also featured free face painting from a pro fessional face painter, and a colouring page booth where students would colour a pic ture to give to someone else. “A smile can make a posi tive difference to someone else,” Connell said. There are over 100 Respect reps which is the highest number for any volunteer opportunity in Conestoga College history. They came up with the ideas, advertising and posters that made this event happen. The Respect Leaders, which is a paid staff position at the college, man age all of the Respect reps. “I’m just so proud of them. It’s the student volunteers who make these events hap pen and we couldn’t do it without them,” Connell said.
PHOTO BY RYAN HORNE
Students had the chance to donate to Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region and have a little creative fun in the process on Feb. 29, designing their very own customized T-shirts with glitter, paints and sparkles. The event started back in the ’90s when the Women’s Resource Group at Conestoga came up with the idea.
PHOTOS BY MARIANA MORALES
Above: T-shirts created during the Clothesline Project. Below: Respect representative Jin Lou, a student in the early child hood education program, decorates a T-shirt to show what respect means to her on Feb. 29 during the Clothesline Project.
FEATURE
Page 8 ♦SPOKE
Monday, March 12,2012
IN A GALAXY NOT SO FAR, FAR AWAY... THE K-W SYMPHONY BRINGS BLOCKBUSTERS TO LIFE WITH JOHN WILLIAMS’ SCORE By NICOLE JOBES
Fifty sets of eyes gaze at him with calm anticipation, noth ing breaking their concentration. The lights dim; with a con fident grin he raises his hands with great determination and purpose, inviting those eyes to join him on his adventure. A wave of sound floods the stage and pours over the audi ence. Low, metallic oboes drone and the hum of cellos vibrate through the air. The music is unbearably tender and gorgeous. The baton cuts the sound fearlessly and pushes it in a new direction. Pupils dilate and palms begin to sweat as adrena line punches through the harmonies. The hairs on my arm stand up, and I stare at those 100 , eyes, watching, thinking, concentrating, producing. It’s chaotic, yet it’s so logical in its melody; the music envelops me like a syndrome, and I find myself hoping it’s incurable. With special guest conductor, Michael Krajewsld, and his John Williams pro gram spread across his music stand at the Centre in the Square, the KitchenerWaterloo Symphony blew the audience away with a unique and surprisingly entertaining show on the weekend of March
2. The entire concert was dedicated to the works of Williams, famous ly known for com posing many motion picture film scores including Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, and, of course, every one’s favourite, Star Wars. The night appropriately began with music from the classic film John Wayne, one of the first block-
Krajewski and the KWS performed from classic films including John Wayne, E.T., Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, Jaws, The Terminal, Indiana Jones and the $*ar Wars trilogy.
busters Williams ever wrote for. The audience was trans ported back to the Wild West and the violins carried the melody like dust in the wind, and the percussion kept the beat like galloping horses. Having done the John Williams program more than once before for the KWS, Krajewski knows that it’s one of the best ways to bring in a wide variety of ages and attract new listeners. “There is a feeling of nostalgia; one of the most powerful things about this type of concert is that it’s music that peo ple are familiar with but hearing it played live,” said Krajewski. “It makes it extra exciting for everyone.” A new and very interesting instrument was intro duced during the third piece, the celeste. Imagine a piano, but instead of strings on the inside, the hammer hits tiny metal bars, not unlike a bell instrument. One classic song one may recall the celeste being used in was the Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky. Williams recognized the uniqueness of this instrument and used it in his own children’s fantasy composition for Harry Potter. A less formal approach was taken with conducting and Krajewski just had fun with the symphony and the audience. “For me, what’s so much fun about it is concentrating on the music that is normally in the background of the film,” said Krajewski. “You hear it in the back ground but are distracted by the visuals and the plot of the film; when you listen to the same music played by a symphony, you can just focus on the music and it is not lost in the visuals.” That is not, however, to say that visuals are not a welcomed addition to the concert, as the creative conductor showed with his special effects, or his “not so
INTERNET PHOTO
The KWS welcomed guest conductor Michael Kraiewski along with his quirky humour and direction. special effects,” as he put it, during the performance. During one of the most famous scores composed of literally two notes, the theme from Jaws, Krajewski stayed true to his comedic nature and sent an inflatable shark over the heads of the symphony in the opening sequence of the piece. Music to follow were pieces from Schindler’s List, E.T. and The Terminal, however, it was clear what everyone was anticipating from the moment Krajewski mentioned a light saber and a Wookie: a compilation from Star Wars. Krajewski delivered flawlessly, and did not fail to clever ly string in some of his own humour. During the Imperial March, more commonly known as Darth Vader’s theme, the dark lord himself strolled onto stage accompanied by two Stormtroopers. Darth looked at Krajewski as he conducted and then, as he so famously does in the motion picture, lift ed his hand and twisted, as to use the Force to choke the busy conductor. Krajewski stumbled off the podium and Darth climbed up to appropriately finish the piece with his own conducting. This show touched all ages and was extremely entertaining thanks to the mixing of guest conductor Krajewski’s passion and natural humour with a compilation of John Williams’ finest pieces. It was clear from the jam-packed theatre that his songs are just as popular off-screen as they are on it.
FEATURE
Monday, March 12,2012
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Playing on community's heart strings
By JAKE ROBINSON
C AM B R ID G ESYM PH O N YR C H ESTR A
Roll over Beethoven - the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra is on the rise. Featuring over 40 members and seven lead players, they’ve become a staple in the community’s spotlight and have been impressing local audiences for years. The orchestra formed in December 2003, after Cambridge’s first Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts. The orchestra was originally lead by Anne Green, the owner of a music school in downtown Hespeler, as she pitched the idea of an orchestra and became their first conductor. The orchestra originally fea tured 20 amateur musicians and played their first concert in June at the Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts the following year. The orchestra continued to grow and in 2007 they received their first grant as well as a new conductor. After announcing they were search ing for a conductor, the orchestra received 15 appli cants. After viewing them, the committee agreed on Sabatino Vacca. “Sabatino was the unani mous first choice and he’s been with us ever since,” said Jill Summerhayes, the orchestra’s treasurer and ambassador. “We’re very lucky to have Sabatino because it’s not a highly pay ing position and he has such a huge network of musicians that he’s worked with.” As well as Cambridge’s orchestra, Vacca is also the conductor for Opera Belcanto, music director for the Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra and artistic direc tor for Opera York. Although he works with many musi cians, he praised Cambridge’s orchestra for its diversity of professional and amateur musicians. “The Cambridge Symphony Orchestra started in 2004 so it is still relatively very young and developing,” he said. “By contrast Etobicoke is in its 51st season - the two opera groups employ completely professional orchestras for their productions whereas the CSO is a mixture of profes sional and community play ers.” The orchestra is the only symphony in Canada that honours a “pay-as-you-can” policy. This policy allows chil dren and low-income people to attend a concert for a rea sonable cost. Summerhayes said the purpose is to take away from the elitist stereo type that is usually attached
with an orchestra. “Some people pay $50 because they know that enables a family from maybe the food bank to come and bring their kids who would never be able to afford to oth erwise,” she said. “Some kids put their annual allowance in the little envelopes, and it might only be $2, but we know it has come from a kid and that’s great.” Their policy also encourages an increased interest in clas sical music with younger gen PHOTOS BY JAKE ROBINSON erations because of the Conductor Sabatino Vacca plays the piano in between sets during unique access to the concerts. the orchestra’s fundraiser at Cambridge City Hall on Feb. 10. The Organizations such as Popcorn House, which is run orchestra raised $7,500 which allows them to continue to perform by people who believe chil pay-as-you-can concerts. dren should be rounded in all aspects of life, bring kids to the concerts. The orchestra performs five concerts each year, including a Christmas con cert, and holds an annual fundraiser in February held at Cambridge City Hall. The concert is the only perform ance where there is a cover charge - this year’s event was held on Feb. 10 and cost $75 per person which result ed in a profit of $7,500 for the orchestra. “It costs us about $5,000 to put on each concert because Gary Relyea sings with the orchestra on Feb. 10. Audience mem we have to pay insurance, bers enjoyed the opportunity to see the world famous singer. we have to pay rent, sheet music is very expensive, then, of course, we pay Sabatino - it’s really an honourarium and we pay our lead players,” said Summerhayes. The evening was highlight ed with catering, a silent auc tion and guest opera singers which included Rachel Cleland, Romulo Delgado and Gary Relyea — who has sung around the world. The orchestra strives for challenging new pieces to play and rarely repeats their repertoire. Above: Vacca conducts during a concert on March 2. It featured “It has grown much faster pieces from Beethoven and Johannes Brahms. in its professionalism and repertoire than most orches Below: Members of the orchestra get ready to perform before the tras do within their first second set of the concert. seven years,” said Summerhayes. The orchestra’s next con cert, which is entitled Classic Gold from the Movies, will be held on April 20 at Forward Baptist Church at 8 p.m. For more information visit www.cambridgeorchestra.ca. “We’re always grateful to our audiences who are very supportive of the orchestra’s presence in the community,” said Vacca. “We look forward to growing our audiences as the orchestra also continues to grow and develop and offer programs with lots of variety and appeal.”
FEATURE
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Sound Distillery brewing own style of music recording By BRENDAN DALEY
The Sound Distillery may be a new venture. However, co owner and self-described music geek Dave Houde is already looking forward to producing albums that will “take over the world.” When Houde, along with business partner William Muir, launched the Charles Street recording studio in the fall, they weren’t just opening a business. The Sound Distillery needed to provide more than a serv ice. It needed to provide an atmosphere - one that would allow the musician to feel as if he hadn’t left his bedroom. Additionally, there needed to be synergy within the studio — a converted, top-floor apartment. “People who work at studios aren’t as musical as they should be. They should be able to work with the band. I want to kick ass as much as the band because I feel like I’m a part of it,” said Houde. Adamant that the recording process can either make or break an album, Houde says that many of his favourite albums were recorded in houses-turned-studios - an approach used by the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd. “(Other studios) always felt clinical,” he recalls. “Sure, the foam on the walls is function al, but they felt too clinical.”
And so the two set out to make a clubhouse.
Loaded with top-of-the-line recording equipment, a range of high-end guitars and mis cellaneous gear, the Sound Distillery has everything needed to record. “The studio and gear is sec ondary. However, we have better equipment and more of it.” In the short amount of time the Sound Distillery has been open, Houde and Muir have worked with a broad range of genres. They have worked alongside rock, metal, folk, jazz and hip-hop acts and have even taken on larger names such as West Memphis Suicide - a Cambridge “greasy blues metal” band. Houde, who has played in bands and “made mistakes,” says his new goal is to help others, “I’d like to see the artists we work with get to the next level. Many only last four to five years. They jump into things and blow their chances. They get tired and jaded.” * Instead of a set price, Houde says he and Muir will “tailor everything to a bands’ budg et,” “Once I know what (their budget) is, I can help them spend that in the best way possible. This may mean recording three songs rather than 10.” In addition to recording, Houde and Muir, who gradu ated from Fanshawe College’s music industry arts program,
PHOTOS BY BRENDAN DALEY
Dave Houde (pictured) and William Muir are brewing a new recording experience at the Sound Distillery on 16 Charles St., Kitchener.
also offer radio advertisement services, location recording and audio consultations to name a few. “We just want to create unique sounding albums tai lored to the artist,” says Houde. “Arcade Fire will stand the test of time because they didn’t apply a mold to their sound. They took the time and effort and we want to produce similar results. “We’re younger and we have this hunger. We just want to prove ourselves.” For more information, or to contact the Sound Distillery,
IT'S BACK! RRROLL UP THOSE RIMS
PHOTO BY BRENDAN DALEY
General business student Athi Logan takes a sip from his Tim Hortons’ “Rrroll up the Rim” cup, hope ful that he’ll drive away in a Toyota Camry Hybrid — the top prize.
Monday, March 12,2012
ENTERTAINMENT
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Conestoga student loves to talk hockey By SARAH SHAW
They shoot, they score; he analyzes. First-year Conestoga College broadcast television student, Ryan Drury, is bringing hockey fans every where an in-depth look into the professional world of the sport on his online show, Conestoga Hockey Talk (CHT). “I started doing CHT because I love the game,” said Drury, who is pleased to say that the sportscast isn’t part of any class require ment. An avid hockey player from the time he was a child, Drury uses the on-air plat form as a way to express his ideas while gaining the expe rience he feels he will need after he graduates. “I wanted to have an avenue to offer people my opinions and it’s something to put on a resume someday that no one else will really have. I felt that would help me pursue my career as a sportscaster.” And like any great sportscaster, Drury doesn’t hold back in discussing the most current topics affecting sports fans and couldn’t help but comment on one of the biggest stories happening in the National Hockey League (NHL) today - the firing of Toronto Maple Leafs head coach, Ron Wilson. “As far as Ron Wilson being fired, I have mixed emotions on it,” said Drury. “On one hand, the team got tired of his message and stopped responding to his game plan. On the other hand, Wilson is a quality coach who has more than 1,400 games of experience in the NHL and has had suc cess when he had talent to work with.” Drury also insists that it’s not just Wilson’s fault that the team is losing momen tum. “Unfortunately in Toronto, general manager Brian Burke overestimated how good the team was and left Wilson with a thin roster not built to get into the playoffs. He didn’t have much to work with and I think his firing speaks more to the ineffi ciency of the current roster, not Wilson himself. The Leafs are going to get a big wakeup call from new coach Randy Carlyle who won’t take lazy efforts.” Discussing pertinent top ics, while still being relat-
PHOTO BY SARAH SHAW
Ryan Drury (left) and Dave Hiff, both avid hockey fans, are proud that they can offer the online show, Conestoga Hockey Talk, to Conestoga students and are excited to give their opinions on sports issues.
able to the audience, Drury says he looks up to Canadian on-air personalities when he thinks about what he wants to offer viewers. “My inspiration for CHT was definitely Don Cherry from Hockey Night in Canada and also TSN’s SportsCentre program. I want to offer potential view ers hard-hitting insight into the world of NHL hockey, and give them no-holdsbarred honest opinions on the issues facing the league as well as all the highlights from it.” Having started the show five months ago with Dave Hiff, Brandon Hardy and Brant Booth, all of them also first-year television broad casting students, Drury insists th a t the reason behind the show is simple. “We do it for the fun and because we’re all so passion ate about hockey.” First-year pre-health stu dent, Sarah Doucette, is excit
ed to hear about the local sports show being broadcast from right here on campus. “Considering I love hockey,” she said with a smile, “I think that it’s a really great idea. “I think seeing and hearing things from people our age would be interesting and could be more appealing to the younger generation,” said Doucette. Happy with where the show is heading, Drury is also excited about the prospect of getting more sports fans involved. “CHT is something that has helped me connect with peo ple and solidify great working friendships, and I hope we can continue to get viewers and gain more interest in it in the future.” Students wishing to catch CHT can access new episodes and those previously broad cast on the show’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com /user/ConestogaHT.
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PHOTO SUBMITTED
Steve Mathieson, the founder of Steve’s TV, In 1955.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The original location of Steve’s TV at the corner of Lancaster Street and Cedar Street in Kitchener. This photo was taken in 1961.
Business still going strong after 55 years Steve’s TV started as a repair shop Steve’s TV has been in the television and radio repair business for 55 years, and remains one of the few inde pendent stores in KitchenerWaterloo where you can rent movies. Today, the store also sells TVs and other home theatre equipment. They have around 8,000 movie titles available for purchase and 11,000 movies to rent. In the last few years, they also started rent ing out video games. Wayne Berry joined Steve’s TV in 1985 as a repairman and remains there today. He’s seen the industry change over the years. “Back then, everything got repaired, TVs, radios, VCRs,” Berry said. “These days, most people just throw out their broken stuff and buy new ones.” He said although there is still plenty of business to keep him busy, when he first started there were four repair technicians.
“Now there’s ... me.” Berry finds it kind of sad that people rarely have their TVs repaired anymore, adding that it’s cheaper to have them repaired than to buy a new one. He also said that TVs are not as reliable as they used to be - maybe because most people will just buy a new one. The store was founded by Steve Mathieson in 1957 as a repair shop at the corner of Lancaster Street and Cedar Street in Kitchener. Berry remembers stories of Mathieson walking down King Street, and whenever he heard a radio that wasn’t working right, he’d offer to fix it. “He basically lived in his shop,” Berry said. Later, Mathieson began selling TVs and radios. In 1962 the store moved to its second location at 295 Lancaster St. When VCRs first entered the market,
Steve’s TV was one of the first stores in K-W to rent movies. In 1984, the store moved to its current location at Fredrick Mall - a location with 12,500 square feet of space. Berry attributes Steve’s TV’s success to their customer service. “Most stores will just try to sell stuff. We try to help the customer figure out what they actually want.” Randy Martin, who bought the store in 1996 when Mathieson retired, sticks with Mathieson’s philosophy - “Always give customers excellent products, good value and hometown friendly serv ice.” The store’s website says that their business strives for “total customer satisfaction.” “Mathieson is still alive and living somewhere up north,” Berry said. For more information on Steve’s TV, go to www.stevestv.com.
PHOTO BY BEN STODDARD
One of Steve’s TV ’s discount movie racks. They have 8,000 movies available for purchase and 11,000 to rent.
PHOTO BY BEN STODDARD
Wayne Berry repairs a 50-inch TV. Berry has been a repairman at Steve’s TV since 1985.
SPORTS
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Player wins silver despite lack of gym time By JEFF BOMBEN
A new Conestoga College badminton star emerged at the OCAA Provincial Championships. Mike Del Fante won a silver medal and became only the third Conestoga person or team to medal this year. Del Fante dominated at the tournament, losing only one match prior to the finals. However, he was defeated by Simon Yip from Humber College in the finals. After losing the first set, 16 to 21, he fought back and won the second set, 21 to 15. The final set was a nail-biter , but Yip won it by a score of 21 to 18, sending Conestoga’s hero home in second place. Del Fante, 22, is from
Sudbury. He graduated from Cambrian College in 2010 where he studied to become a paramedic. He is currently a post-graduate advanced care paramedic student at Conestoga College. In 2004, while attending La Salle Secondary School, Del Fante picked up the badminton racket for the first time. Just two years later he won the Northern Ontario Secondary School Athletics (NOSSA) champi onship and placed fourth at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSSA) championship. A year later, Del Fante won NOSSA for the second straight year and placed third at OFSSA. In his second year at
Cambrian College, he won a gold medal in mixed doubles at provincials and went on to win a bronze at nationals. During his third year, he came back to win a silver medal at nationals. At Cambrian College, Del Fante and his team would train four times a week and he always found time for the sport he loved. “Instead of going to the gym and hopping on a treadmill and doing weights, bad minton was an interesting way to exercise he said. But things this year have dramatically changed since coming to Conestoga College. “Second semester was brutal, you only have one practice a week (due to lack of gym time). You can’t even main-
tain your skills,” Del Fante said. “At other colleges like Humber and Cambrian, they were practising four to five times a week and that’s why they are so sharp. “At Conestoga you don’t even have a chance. I don’t even think I played as good as I should have because I didn’t have the resources to train.”
In addition to the lack of training time, Del Fante found he focused on helping other players. “I really like coaching, don’t get me wrong, but if I am being treated like a player and I am expected to perform, I need the time to train.” However, he added, “I came here for school, it was just a bonus that Conestoga College had a team.”
MIKE DEL FANTE’S FAVOURITE THINGS 1. What’s your favourite food? I love barbecue, I could eat ribs everyday if I had a chance. 2. What’s your favourite movie of ail time? I have to say Sweeney Todd on this one. 3. Who’s your favourite musician to listen to? Red Hot Chili Peppers. 4. Do you have a personal favourite song? Well, I have to go back to the Peppers with the song, Californication. 5. What’s your favourite sport to watch? Tennis. 6. What’s your favourite holiday of the year? May 2-4 because of all the amazing fireworks displays 7. Who did you look up to most growing up? My father was definitely one of the people and when I went into high school, my badminton head coach was also someone I looked up too. 8. Growing up, was there an athlete who you looked up to? Ronaldo, he won everything. He was the Michael Jordan of his sport. 9. Let’s say you’re stuck on an island and you can only bring three items, what are they? Laptop, cat and fishing rod.
Mondav. March 12.2012
SPORTS
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Keith Fowler, an office admin teacher at Conestoga College, is passionate about supermoto racing. Here he is shown competing at the Shannonville track.
Supermoto mojo New club looking for motocross enthusiasts atmosphere where people can meet with other riders. Do you have a motocross Supermoto Ontario hopes to bike? Do you want to meet get more people involved to others in the sport, and try keep it cheap and have a larger turnout at upcoming racing? If so, Supermoto Ontario is races. for you. It is a lot safer than regular Supermoto Ontario is a new motocross racing because club, as of November 2011, there aren’t any big jumps or which is focused on promoting tall table tops. Supermoto has supermoto racing in Ontario. toned it down in hopes of The club is a non-profit recruiting retired motocross organization and is made up racers and young people who of a board of directors who are don’t want to risk injury. passionate riders. And it’s You can still fall off of your only $40 to join. bike, but you’re going very Jerret Bellamy is the presi slowly so you won’t have to dent and person who came up worry about any broken with the idea of starting a club. bones or sprains. The tracks are usually 70 “He was looking for volun teers to help out so I jumped per cent pavement and 30 per in right away and it’s the cent dirt. most fun I’ve ever had,” said There will be no damage to Keith Fowler, secretary- a bike, even if you do fall, treasurer and office admin because the bike is already teacher at Conestoga College. close to the ground. It is an Fowler was really into easy level for people to get mountain biking with friends, into, even if you’ve never been when one of them suggested on a motorcycle. The bikes are motocross he go out for a track day. He bikes with street wheels and has been hooked ever since. It is a safe and friendly slicks. Slicks are tires that B y TORIE ROTH
don’t have treads on them. Slicks are to help the bike slide when it falls so that no damage will occur, which means that you don’t need to pay for bike repairs. Motocross protective gear is the minimum, in terms of clothing. The only preparation you have to do for your bike is to wire the front brake and get a catch can, which will catch any fuel that might fall onto the track. It is necessary for the safety of other riders so that they don’t slip on it. You can buy a catch can, or make it yourself by simply using a pop can. Track days are held once or twice a month from October until June in Drumbo, Bracebridge and Innisfil, Ont. “The Drumbo truck stop has dedicated their section to us,” said Fowler. “Whenever we want to do a setup, we give them one week notice.” The 2012 Canadian Supermoto Racing Series will be held on May 12-13 at La
Tuque in Quebec, and the X Fest will be held at Mecaglisse Quebec, which is the largest track in North America, on July 14-15. “We are looking at bringing the races to the riders,” Fowler said. “It is easier for them to get to a local track than to drive elsewhere.” Members need to get their own bikes to the track loca tions, but many members have trailers or trucks and are willing to help out. It’s not only adults who ride. Supermoto also has a mini category with smaller bikes, wheels and smaller riders. Children 12 years and under can join. Even adults are starting to ride these smaller bikes, how ever, children and adults are never on the track at the same time. “We even have pro-level rac ers who come out and give free lessons to members so they can learn everything they wanted to learn by an actual professional,” Fowler said. At races, you can receive
medals or trophies. Last year, Fowler received rookie of the year. He also won the CAN/AM series overall title and placed second at the provincials and third at nationals. Only professionals can receive cash prizes, but mem bers can receive smaller prizes such as a new tire or hand grips for their bike. So far, 20 members are involved and there is no max imum for how many people can join. For $60 you can pick up a family membership. “Even if you have 12 brothers and sisters, as long as you’re all living under the same roof, it’s only $60,” said Fowler. Supermoto Ontario is recog nized as an official organiza tion. With it, members can race anywhere. To join, go to www.supermotoontario.com, print out the application form, fill it out and send it to the address list ed on the form with a cheque to “Supermoto Ontario Club Inc.”
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