17 minute read
U Prairie Challenge
sports & health
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The U Prairie Challenge debut
If you’re into competition, rivalries, or school spirit, you’ll want to stay up to date with this challenge
sophia stevens s&h writer
Let me at ‘em.
Illustration: CCLM via Wikimedia Commons and mohammad_hassan via Pixabay, manipulated by Lee Lim
The strong rivalry between the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan has spanned decades, especially the rivalry between their sports teams. This year starts a brand-new inner province challenge between the U of R and the U of S sports teams. The U Prairie Challenge, as it’s being called, will be a season-long points-based system between the two universities. This competition will involve 11 different men’s and women’s sports teams. The hope is that this challenge will help to promote varsity sports and greater spirit within the university atmosphere.
The plan is to highlight a new USports team each year as each sport deserves recognition for their hard work and the dedication that student athletes showcase within their sports. Each sports team will be allocated a total of one point whether they play each other twice or four times. If a tie were to occur the points up for grabs would be split in half. The idea of the U Prairie Challenge was that of University of Regina President, Dr. Jeff Keshen. When Keshen attended the University of Ottawa, the Panda Game was discontinued between uOttawa and Carleton. These games between these universities would see crowds of over 15,000 students in attendance.
When Keshen attended school at Mount Royal University in Calgary, a similar rivalry and challenge would occur between Mount Royal and the University of Calgary with a focus on a particular sport each season. The idea was to give students a sense of identity and excitement surrounding their university. When asked about what makes him excited about the upcoming U Prairie Challenge, he said “the students.” Keshen went on to say “it’s about creating a sense of connection, wanting our students to have those experiences that they are so proud of, and they look back upon their time at the U of R as something that was really engaging for them.”
In response to U of S President Peter Stoicheff’s comments about winning the U Prairie Challenge and their athletic track record when playing against the U of R, Keshen stated that he’s “really proud of our athletes,” and knows “that they’ll do their absolute best, whatever the result will be.” Keshen hopes that the U Prairie Challenge will continue annually, and that there will be an opportunity to highlight each sport in the years to come. The U of R women’s soccer team kicked off the U Prairie Challenge in their second week of competition, tying the Huskies 3-3. This gave both the U of R and the U of S 0.25 points to begin the challenge.
When asked about the women’s soccer team’s performance against the U of S, Keshen had this to say: “I was so proud of the soccer team, I think that they did brilliantly. They were on the road; it was the first game. And like every team that plays, we are super proud, because they are ambassadors for the university. They are volunteers in our community. They bring such positive energy and attention to the university. So, I’m proud of their performance, and proud of those players.”
This past weekend, the Rams played the Huskies in the official kickoff game of the U Prairie Challenge. Keshen was in attendance for the Rams vs Huskies game and anticipated a great game between the two rivals, as both teams have started the season 2-0. In an interview with CTV News, Rams quarterback Noah Pelletier said that the U of S is a “gritty team, but so are we. They’re a pretty similar team to us, so it’s kind of going to be athlete on athlete. Whoever plays the hardest and shows up is going to win the game.”
In another statement to CTV News, head coach of the Rams Mark McConkey had this to say about the U of S: “they’re a good team and they’re well coached. We’re just excited, it’s another chance for us to
compete against a strong team. To us it’s a rivalry game, so we’re just ready to go.” The Rams should always be confident going into their game against the U of S. An athlete for the Rams who should be especially confident is defensive lineman Anthony Bennett, as he just won the Canada West Defensive Player of the Week award for the second time this season. If players continue to show up like they have been “They were on the road; it was the first game. And like every team that plays, we are super proud, because they are ambassadors for the university. They are volunteers in our community. They bring such positive energy and attention to the university.” doing, then they should pull off a victory. During the Student Athlete Orientation back in August, Keshen expressed that the prize for the winner of the U Prairie Challenge would be a tractor tire. It was important that the prize was representative of Saskatchewan and its culture. The representation of Saskatchewan agriculture felt like the most suitable option. The original plan was to get a tractor tire that was regular size, however, the logistics of transporting a tractor tire from Regina to Saskatoon would be quite the challenge. The U Prairie Challenge is an opportunity for the students and faculty members to come together to showcase their Cougar and Rams spirit in cheering on their student athletes as they compete against our university’s rivals. The hope is to foster a renewed sense of identity and pride within the university for our sports teams. Hopefully the fans and supporters of the Cougars and Rams feel more connected with the university teams and understand how impactful their support is to the student athletes who are competing. The schedule and standings for the U Prairie Challenge can be found on the U of R Athletics website along with the rules of the challenge. The next scheduled game for the U Prairie Challenge will be when the U of R women’s soccer team hosts the Huskies at home on October 7 at 7 p.m.
–JeffKeshen
september 22 - september 28, 2022 sports & health
carillonregina.com | the carillon | 12
Marino: here for a bad time, not a long time
CFL bad boy released from the Roughriders
He just can’t keep out of the news, and for all the wrong reasons. Earlier this year, Saskatchewan Roughriders’ defensive lineman Garrett Marino received the longest suspension in CFL history. On July 8, Marino illegally tackled Ottawa Redblacks’ quarterback, Jeremiah Masoli. Adding insult to injury, Marino then made inappropriate comments about Masoli’s heritage and celebrated the low tackle. For this, along with another illegal tackle earlier in the game, Marino was given a four-game suspension.
The 28-year-old California man was notorious long before his suspension. Marino played college football for the University of Alabama-Birmingham before he entered the CFL, and only joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders recently in 2021. He describes himself as one who plays “the game with an edge.”
Too edgy, apparently, because now Marino is a free agent. Returning from his suspension, Marino was fined again for unnecessary roughness. During the Labour Day Classic against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Marino tackled Winnipeg’s starting quarterback, Zach Collaros. Normally, this would be a good thing. The only problem was that Collaros didn’t have possession of the ball. In other words, an utterly unnecessary and illegal hit. On September 6, the Roughriders released him.
The day after Marino’s release, Roughriders head coach Craig Dickenson told the media, “When he sees the other colour, he hits it. He doesn’t know half the time if it’s the quarterback, running back, o-lineman, if he sees a jersey of a different colour, he hits it. […] That’s why he’s so darn good and disruptive, but it also is a dangerous way to play and it gets you in trouble.”
So Marino did get in trouble – several times. He earned himself the longest suspension in CFL history. Then, after this suspension, there was no apparent change in his behaviour on the field. Is Marino’s release too little too late?
In most cases, releasing a player from a team is much less dramatic. Like any other organization, if a player has become more of a liability than an asset, they are let go. In most cases, it’s a respectful and unremarkable departure. The player has outlived their usefulness. The team must make room for fresher talent. Thank you for your service, and best of luck for the future!
Considering Marino received the longest suspension ever, then continued to act aggressively and recklessly, why wasn’t he released earlier? Is Marino such a great defensive lineman that the Roughriders overlooked his racist taunts and unprecedented suspensions?
In August of this year, the Roughriders released offensive lineman Na’Ty Rodgers because he had 14 penalties in nine games. After Rodgers’ release, Craig Dickenson made the following comments: “I know (the media) doesn’t believe me when I say that, but it’s true. We really emphasize playing within the rules, playing clean, and he wasn’t able to do that. We talked to him numerous times and we really tried to bring it home to him. At some point, if a guy is struggling to play within the rules and isn’t playing well on top of that, you have to make a decision that is the best for the team.”
Marino demonstrated time and again that he can’t play within the rules. He can’t play clean. But it appears that Marino’s performance was good enough to overlook these transgressions. After that brutal tackle on Masoli, after the racially-charged comments, after the longest suspension ever, it still wasn’t time to let Marino go. Keeping Marino on, it seems, was still in the team’s best interest.
Craig Dickenson, commenting further on Marino’s release, said, “It was a cumulative decision. It just got to be too much. You know, it starts wearing you down and becoming a distraction and he knows it. I don’t even think he was surprised.”
It’s not a good look. Marino’s short career with the Roughriders is a repugnant stain on the team. The fact that the team tolerated his behaviour for so long is also a profound disappointment. But for those of us who have been paying attention, we aren’t surprised either.
So long, farewell, you gave us quite a fright.
Illustration: Lee Lim bodie robinson
staff writer
Mental health struggles for student athletes
Whether it’s during the game or not, your self-talk and headspace always make an impact
In 2020, Samwel Uko, a University of Saskatchewan football player, was found dead in Wascana Lake. Earlier that day, Uko had walked into the Regina General Hospital seeking help for mental health related problems and was turned away by health officials citing that they could not help him due to COVID-19 restrictions. In the same week that Uko died, Matthew Baraniuk, a U of S Huskies player, died from struggles with mental illness. Following Baraniuk’s death, his sister spoke with CTV News to say that mental health supports are needed for athletes, and that a psychological mentorship program could be beneficial to athletes.
In an article by the CKOM News in Saskatoon in 2020, the news source spoke with University of Saskatchewan receiver Yol Piok, who spoke about his experience with attempting suicide, and how a friend saved his life. Piok stated that “For athletes, sometimes the pressure comes from within to just power through problems and not to address them,” and that that is a mistake. Piok believes that talking about your problems is the first step in the right direction to address these types of issues.
For many student athletes, it is difficult to reach out for help when they are struggling as sports culture has taught many athletes that seeking help is considered weak. The approach to seek help has become more destigmatized as the years have progressed. However, student athletes continue to face internal shame for wanting to seek help. A lack of access to mental health supports and barriers along with this deep-rooted culture within sports for all genders have led many athletes to internalize their issues without seeking external support. These incidents involving student athletes are not exclusive to football players, but rather to the greater university sports world.
In response to needing to find more mental health supports for student athletes, the University of Regina athletics have hired a Mental Wellness Coordinator to help student athletes with their mental health. The Mental Wellness Coordinator will assist student athletes through both in-competition performance and out of competition support. Hopefully, this type of support will help student athletes in their time of need before it’s too late. Along with the implementation of a Mental Wellness Coordinator, a few U of R sports teams have hired and begun working with a sport physiologist to help with athlete performance. This includes classroom discussions about pre-competition routines and awareness regarding self-talk.
Athletes often experience moments of frustration or disappointment while competing, which can often lead to negative self-talk and can affect performance. Therefore, the implementation of a sports physiologist helps to make sure that athletes have a way to release those types of emotions and be able to move on rather than dwelling on mistakes or mishaps during competition.
Bell Let’s Talk is a campaign put on by Bell Canada in January to stop the stigma of mental illness. Many sports teams across Canada including the U of R sports teams normally partake in Bell’s Let’s Talk campaign. However, it is important that the discussion surrounding mental health does not only happen on Bell Let’s Talk Day, but is rather a conversation that continues throughout the year. The university sports world is making positive changes to try and address mental health concerns of athletes, which hopefully will create a safe space for athletes to seek help.
Happiness and health or hard work and hubris? Spoiler: they’re the same picture.
Photo: Lee Lim
op-ed
The philosophy of college education
It was meant to open doors, but few can afford the cost of the key
Sometimes it does feel like students are expected to pay their weight in gold for college these days.
Photo: padrefilar via Pixabay, manipulated by Lee Lim
amina salah staff writer
College education is something that is out of reach for many people. In a world that preaches education being a human right, the real wake-up call comes when you’re an adult and are faced with tuition costs. College education is not only a privilege; it is also a commodity. Universities rely on students for a large portion of their revenue, paying for facilities and access to campus.
The Canadian education system is brutal. Immigrants and international students often have an even harder time navigating its complexities and nuances. There is little to no guidance. You’re simply thrown into this world and expected to figure things out on your own. Moreover, the western education systems look down on those in the Global South. All education is not equal. Some are deemed more worthy. This is why immigrants are forced to start over and gain brand new, western-approved credentials. It doesn’t matter how many years they have spent studying and honing their craft. Once they arrive in Canada all of that gets thrown out the window. I have met people who used to be professors, lawyers, and academics in their home countries who now work for a minimum wage in Canada.
Moreover, aid for college students is not easily accessible, and the little we receive is nowhere near enough to cover the cost of tuition, textbooks, supplies, and other associated costs. Meanwhile, my friends in Europe and especially Scandinavian countries are being paid to attend university. A good friend of mine paid around $200 last semester as tuition. We often talk about inflation and the rising costs of living, but we need to focus on how this affects college education. In this day and age, it is difficult to accomplish certain things without a Bachelor’s degree. It is bare minimum at this point.
Moreover, the older I’m getting, the more I’m realizing that even a Bachelor’s degree is not enough, which is why many people choose to attend graduate school. According to Statistics Canada, tuition fees for university programs increased for both undergraduate and graduate students for the 2020/2021 academic year. Keep in mind we were (and are) still in a pandemic, and despite the promise of relief tuition is still rising. The pandemic has emphasized the financial concerns of many students. On top of that, the job market is unpredictable due to the pandemic.
Statistics Canada’s crowdsourcing initiative highlighted that around two-thirds (67 per cent) of post-secondary students were extremely concerned about their lack of job prospects in the near future, a by-product of the pandemic. On top of that, over three-quarters (77 per cent) of returning students showed concerns about their finances. Even after the Canada Emergency Student Benefit, 46 per cent of participants showed uncertainty regarding their ability to pay tuition for the fall 2020 term. Undergraduate tuition has increased by 1.9 per cent in provinces such as Prince Edward Island to 5.7 per cent in Saskatchewan. For international students, the average tuition was $32,019 in a 2020/2021 term.
Furthermore, college education in Canada is more general until you get to the Master’s and PhD levels. It isn’t until your third or fourth year that you start tackling and focusing on the nuances of your program. Prior to that, the first few years are almost freewheeling, as you’re focused on taking electives and general education classes that have little to do with your major. When I talk to my European friends, their programs are often times more focused and they don’t spend any energy on topics outside of their realm of degree.
I personally prefer that style of education in comparison to Canada’s. I spent the first two years of my undergrad taking random classes I had no interest in because, although they were required, they weren’t focused on my program. Now that I’m in my fourth year, all of my classes are focused on my major and I don’t have to take any more classes outside of that. I understand the importance of general education classes, but is that not what high school is meant for? I don’t see the point of taking calculus again in university when I also took it in high school. It seems redundant, but that’s just me.
The college education system is designed to extort students. It is simply daylight robbery. The reality is that grants aren’t even available for everyone. It’s an extremely selective process that neglects some. I won’t be surprised if another graduate degree level is introduced in the next few decades. Universities are not here to cater to students as customers, they’re here to line their pockets.
It’s very easy to forget that, ultimately, this is a business. It shouldn’t be that way, but nothing can be done to tackle it. With tuition costs rising, the quality of college education is not improving. At the height of the pandemic, new costs were introduced to target the shift to online classes. It almost feels like newer costs are being added each year. It is almost impossible to pay for college out of pocket, and, in the end, students are forced to sign up for student loans that will keep them in debt for a very long time. At some point, you are not even paying for the loan itself. Rather, you are simply paying the interest. It’s an exploitative system that preys on college students, and student debt relief is not doing as much as it needs to.
The harshest truth to face is that the world of higher education is a privilege. It’s often advertised as a right, but that does not translate to reality. It is a myth that politicians and humanitarian organizations love to preach from their moral high ground. Students of today are dealing with a future that is uncertain and at times feels bleak.
