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DUBBING OVER

TRYING TO REACH

Lipdub filming complete, released late November

Still hope after women’s volleyball drops two on the road in Alberta

T

The TRU World-sponsored Lipdub project wrapped up filming this past weekend. Expect to see it on Nov. 20 • Page 2

GET SPOOKED

COMMUNITY IN MIND

This Halloween, you’ve got some options

WolfPack squad leading the way

Splendid ways to get scared and have fun this Halloween in Kamloops • Page 4

WolfPack cheerleaders have appeared at a number of community events • Page 7

he WolfPack women’s volleyball team improved by leaps and bounds last season and are hoping that the upward trajectory they started last year will continue throughout the 2015-16 CIS season.

A tough opening matchup saw the WolfPack travel to Edmonton this past weekend where they dropped the first two games of their season to the University of Alberta Pandas.

Falling three sets to one on Friday night before losing in straight sets the following night is surely not how Head Coach Chad Grimm wanted the season to start, but for a program that has been through some tough times it is important to keep things in perspective.

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OCTOBER 21, 2015

Behind the scenes at TRU LipDub TRU students and staff musically display their campus on the global stage Jim Elliot NEWS EDITOR Ω Approximately 200 members of the TRU community showed up to broadcast what they love about TRU to the rest of the world. The assembled crowd danced, hula-hooped and performed acrobatics all while lip-synching along to “Best Day of My Life” by American Authors. The purpose of all this was to create a video for display on the internet that shows off the best of TRU campus life.

According to Tatiana Gilbert, the LipDub crew’s PR representative, 300 people registered to participate online, but only about 200 showed up, staggered throughout the day. In addition, 38 volunteers made up the lip dub’s production crew. The crew was led by director Suraj Shah, an international marketing ambassador for TRU World, and cameraman Japneet Singh.

“I got involved in March, but I know that Suraj, the director of all this, has had it planned for a

year,” Glibert said on the process of organizing the lip dub.

Shah had ambitious goals for the event and was hoping 1,000 would turn out.

When asked about her crew’s motivation for undertaking such a large and complicated project, Gilbert said “TRU and Kamloops is so diverse. We wanted to showcase our campus, showcase Kamloops and encourage people, not just from Canada, but from outside to come and make TRU their perfect school.”

Filming began at 11 a.m. but continued until after 3 p.m. due to the numerous takes required to perfect the long tracking shots.

“Now you guys get a taste of Hollywood, you get to do it all over again,” said community volunteer Shalen Curle following an on-camera mistake during the second scene. As filming dragged on, director Suraj Shah motivated his volunteers by telling them “everyone will see this, your children will see this!” over a loudspeaker.

Food for volunteers was

provided by Domino’s Pizza and Dorian Greek House, and signs bearing both of their logos were presented for the cameras in the lip dub. Costumes for the stars of the lip dub, ranging from vampires to Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk were donated by Value Village.

According to Gilbert, the project received funding from TRU World and TRUSU, but would not disclose how much.

The final video is expected to be completed by Nov. 20.

Approximately 200 people participated in TRU’s LipDub on Oct. 17.

The final video is expected Nov. 20. (Jim Elliot/The Omega)

Truth and Reconciliation Commission Chair to speak at TRU

Lecture will fit into TRUSU and administration’s plans for further indigenization of campus Jim Elliot NEWS EDITOR Ω A key figure in the recent Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) will be speaking at TRU on Oct. 26. Justice Murray Sinclair, speaking as part of the seventh annual TRUSU Storyteller’s Gala, will deliver a lecture on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in relation to educational institutions.

Justice Sinclair was the Chair of the TRC upon its conclusion and also holds the distinction of being Manitoba’s first aboriginal judge. According to Paul Michel, TRU Aboriginal Education’s executive director, Sinclair’s lecture will be focused on the TRC’s calls to

action for universities.

Sinclair is not charging a speaker’s fee for the lecture.

The event is a part of both the Storyteller’s Gala and the President’s Lecture Series, but Michel gave full credit to TRUSU for booking Sinclair.

Michel said that just as they were considering Justice Sinclair for the President’s Lecture Series, TRUSU announced that they had already booked him.

According to TRUSU’s Aboriginal Representative, Sonya Charley, TRUSU’s equity committee has been working on the Storyteller’s Gala since the summer. TRUSU has hosted high profile lectures on First Nations’ equity issues at the Storyteller’s Gala for the past six years. Recent speakers have included First Nations’ author Richard Wagamese and former

National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Phil Fontaine.

According to both Michel and Charley, TRU has already made efforts to improve aboriginal education and indigenize the campus.

“With [Sinclair’s] visit, the benefit of that is it gives an excellent opportunity for Thompson Rivers University to respond to our current efforts in indigenizing our campus,” said Michel.

According to Michel, the process of indigenizing the campus will be based on making the campus more welcome for First Nations students and educating the student body on a number of First Nations issues. Some of the issues Michel mentioned were why the TRC was needed, legal decisions on land title,

social challenges in aboriginal communities and historic oppression and trauma through residential schools. Michel also said he would like to see indigenous subject matter included within academic programs.

The Storyteller’s Gala will also feature a number of other activities preceding Sinclair’s speech. According to a tentative schedule drafted by Michel, activities will include an interactive workshop on aboriginal philosophy and an update on the state of aboriginal education in Canada.

“The larger student body has an opportunity to learn about the powerful dynamic recommendations associated with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.”

The Storyteller’s Gala will

take place on Oct. 26 in the Campus Activity Centre, with Sinclair’s speech beginning at 7 p.m.

Justice Murray Sinclair is set to speak at TRU on Oct. 26.

(University of Winnipeg/Flickr Commons)

Mental Health Matters: mental illness in the media Daniel Hicks CONTRIBUTOR Ω This week’s article will be about another more serious mental illness that I think makes the public nervous about the mentally ill.

This illness, like many others, is hard to grasp because of how it’s represented in the media.

People with schizophrenia

aren’t actually all that dangerous to others – they are more dangerous to themselves and aren’t likely to just go out and kill innocent people like the media portrays.

I have five friends with schizophrenia and I have known them as peaceful non-violent people. They haven’t harmed another person in their entire lives.

My best friend has

schizophrenia but it hasn’t been too bad a problem for him for 20 years. He’ll have it for the rest of his life, but he is at least able to control his emotions.

The police have now been getting a car out to deal with people with mental illnesses by helping them cope. Programs like Car 40, which pairs up a mental health nurse and an RCMP constable, have helped make things better.

According to the RCMP, the program has reduced repeat ER visits and provided an “enhanced response” to those in crisis. The program focuses on de-escalating situations and providing care to the patient after an incident.

As I skimmed a book about serious mental illnesses I came to the conclusion that you can’t blame the people who have them, since these diseases are

mostly genetic.

The portrayal of people with mental illness in the media upsets me. I don’t think they should be all bunched up like that and seen as the same.

Expanding programs like Car 40 will continue to help change how people with mental illness are approached. hicksd14@mytru.ca

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The tale of the city that couldn’t pick just one Kamloops is left with an opposition MP after the progressive vote splits evenly in two Sean Brady EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ω Bill Sundhu campaigned on the NDP party slogan “Only the NDP can defeat Stephen Harper.”

The country could not have sent a stronger message that this was just not true.

Justin Trudeau and the Liberals were elected by an astounding margin. Federally, in what was once called a three-way race, the NDP has crumbled, the Conservatives have come up short

and the Liberals have firmly grasped a majority government.

Locally, however, the outcome was anything but decisive for any party. Cathy McLeod held her seat with approximately 35 per cent of the vote, down from her much more decisive win in 2011 when she pulled in 52 per cent.

The real story, however, is just how hard the progressive vote split. As of midnight on Monday, Bill Sundhu (NDP) and Steve Powrie (Liberal) both held more than 30 per cent of the vote.

So what happened? Well, it all depends on the motivations of voters. It’s a struggle to find faults in how any local candidate ran their campaign. It’s difficult to fault McLeod simply because she won. Sundhu and the NDP fared far better than the party did on the national level. Powrie kept pace with the incredible result of his party, greatly improving the on results from 2011, where here in Kamloops the Liberals managed just 5.3 per cent of the vote.

If the intentions of the

Your thoughts on the election results

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YOU

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approximately 60 per cent of voters who voted for the NDP or Liberals in this riding were to oust Stephen Harper, they failed dramatically. Now, the Kamloops–Thompson–Cariboo has an opposition MP that was not voted for by approximately 65 per cent of the electorate. It is difficult to see the riding well represented in this scenario.

Clearly, strategic voting fell to the landslide that was the Liberal victory. Powrie ran a strong campaign, but not so strong that anyone can say he

didn’t greatly benefit from the trend seen at the national level.

Nonetheless, the end of this kind of electioneering is in sight. Trudeau has promised to strike an all-party committee to look at electoral reform and that this would be the final first-past-the-post election in Canada. Whether or not that puts an end to strategic voting is yet to be seen, but I certainly hope that it does, given the practice’s catastrophic failure in this riding. editor@truomega.ca

Preliminary election results as of midnight Oct. 19 Cathy McLeod – 35.1%

Conservatives – 100 seats

Steve Powrie – 31%

Liberals – 185 seats

Bill Sundhu – 30.2%

New Democrats – 42 seats

Matt Greenwood – 3.6%

Greens – 1 seat

What do you think of the election results, both federally and in the Kamloops–Thompson–Cariboo riding? Do you feel well represented on both levels?

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Letters Policy

Literary and visual submissions are welcomed. All submissions are subject to editing for brevity, taste and legality. The Omega will attempt to publish each letter received, barring time and space constraints. The editor will take care not to change the intention or tone of submissions, but will not publish material deemed to exhibit sexism, racism or homophobia. Letters for publication must include the writer’s name (for publication) and contact details (not for publication). The Omega reserves the right not to publish any letter or submitted material.

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OCTOBER 21, 2015

A country of contradictions: body image in Thailand Marlys Klossner ARTS EDITOR Ω No matter where in the world you go, there are always unrealistic standards of beauty. Growing up in Canada, I rarely felt anxiety about living up to these standards. When I went to Thailand I realized that not everyone is so lucky.

The first thing I noticed were the ads for skin whitening products, which were advertised as moisturizers that gave you “pinkish fairness.”

In the West we strive for tanner skin.

In Thailand where most people are naturally tan, they want to be pale.

These advertisements were shocking to me, because, as I pointed out to one of my friends, the girls in the ads were made to look whiter than any Caucasian person I’d ever met. Often they looked unnaturally pink, as well. Trying to find body wash that didn’t claim to have any whitening qualities took serious effort.

There is a conscious effort in Thailand to emulate the Caucasian look.

Tinted contacts are very popular, as well as stickers that simulate a folded eyelid.

Shopping for clothing in Thailand is often a gamble, especially for someone who doesn’t know Thai sizing. Even in major malls, most stores don’t have changing rooms.

Instead, you have the option to try things on over your clothing.

This makes shopping slightly nerve-wracking, as you can’t tell for sure if an item will fit you well, if at all. I suspect that this

subconsciously contributes to the problem. I know firsthand the momentary anxiety over wondering if an item will fit, but not wanting to try to pull it on over what you’re already wearing.

The sizing is another matter. In North American sizing I wear a medium shirt, but the shirt for my Thai school uniform was XXL. I was prepared for this, knowing that in the grand scheme of things I am by no means extra-extra large, but I can’t help but wonder how it would feel for a Thai girl my size, who is constantly told by her clothing that she is bigger than the norm. Many shoe stores as well will sell only up to an American size 7 or 8 if you’re lucky. Often, larger sizes will cost more than smaller ones.

Thailand has people of all sizes, but it is true that some of the girls I saw there are the smallest I’ve ever seen. On the skytrain I saw a girl whose thigh was barely bigger than my forearm. My friend on exchange from Brunei whispered to me, “Do you think I’m as skinny as her?” to which I replied, “No one is as skinny as her.”

The most intriguing part of Thailand’s projected body image is the incredible tolerance for crossing gender boundaries. I consider Canada a tolerant place, but compared to Thailand, we have a long way to go. You’ve probably heard of Thailand’s famous Ladyboys, but androgynous looks are just as popular. While discussing dating with one of my Thai friends, she jokingly remarked that it was sometimes difficult to tell if the guys

she is interested in are real boys. On the flipside, gay jokes are still very present, and there is discrimination against gay and trans people, which contradicts their pervasiveness. For example, gay marriage is not legal in Thailand. This country seems to be full of contradictions.

Having lived in Bangkok for barely a month, two of my new friends mentioned that they had had problems with eating disorders.

While I don’t expect them to be an accurate reflection of the general population, it was still shocking that two of the first people I had met had both dealt with this. Since then, several of my Thai friends have said they also know someone who has an eating disorder.

My friend Plubploy is an active, enthusiastic girl, but she wasn’t

always this bubbly. She started restricting her eating and exercising excessively.

“I did that for almost a year and lost a significant amount of weight in a short time. I also had a bulimic friend before I had that lifestyle. We were besties,” Plubploy told me. She and her friend fed (or starved) off of each other.

Luckily, her love for singing broke her out of it. The binging and purging were wrecking her throat, and her vocal ability was in the crossfire. She started eating more regularly, and managed to find the control she craved by being a healthy vegetarian.

I asked if she thought the pressure of being the “ideal Thai girl” contributed to her disorder, and while she said it didn’t, she did say that other

people’s comments did.

“When you go to university you would hear everywhere along the hallway, restrooms, classrooms, everywhere, you would hear ‘Oh my god I gained so much weight, I need to lose weight, oh my god I shouldn’t have had that food, did you see she has put on so much weight, I need to lose weight.’ Fat and skinny words are all over the place,” she said.

Plubploy’s friend Pakmilan is still in the grips of bulimia. She weighs barely 100 pounds. “About five years ago, vomit became a part of my life – like a routine,” she said.

Every country has its own unattainable standard of beauty, but the struggle to be thin seems amplified in Thailand, and it is enforced through the beauty market and attitudes shared by many.

Shopping in Thailand is a much different experience than it is in Canada. (Evo Flash/Flickr Commons)

You’re in for a spook-tacular time this Halloween Splendid ways to get scared and have fun this Halloween in Kamloops Jennifer Will CONTRIBUTOR Ω With Halloween fast approaching, make sure you don’t get stuck at a dull party or watching a tiresome horror movie on Netflix. There is a variety of spooky and fun festive events being held on Halloween and the days leading up to it here in town.

The Sakred Skin & Studio calls all the ghosts and ghouls with their fourth annual Haunted House.

The admission fee for this house of horrors is canned goods or a donation to the Kamloops Food Bank. There will be a kid-friendly show on Oct. 30 from 1–4 p.m. and two extra frightening shows from 7–10 p.m. on Oct. 30 and 31. Last year the group raised over $1,200 in donations for the food bank.

On Oct. 23–25, experience a haunted Corn Maze Extravaganza at Tranquille Farm Fresh. Take the fun of the corn maze and add a dark twist with ghostly figures. Walk through the maze in the dark of night and be prepared to get scared out of your skin. This untraditional haunted house will run from 5:30–10:30 p.m. and admission is $12 per person. Wander around the maze in the daylight from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. and be sure to stop by the

pumpkin patch.

Another thrilling event going on at Tranquille Farms this October is the tunnel tours. Get ready to navigate these haunting halls and explore the underground world.

Tranquille was once home to the enormous King Edward VII tuberculosis sanatorium, but was later converted into a mental hospital.

Their tunnels were originally used to transport laundry to the laundromat and food to the cafeteria. These abandoned buildings are sure to be the perfect spook. Tickets are $28 each and can be booked and purchased at www.kamloopslive.com or by phone at 250-374-5483.

TRU will be holding a free Halloween Bash on Oct. 30 from 6–10 p.m. in the CAC Grand Hall.

There will be food, music, dancing, a photo booth, pumpkin carving and so much more. They will also be featuring a Haunted House that will surely send a chill down your spine.

ISAP and the TRU Wellness Centre will be sponsoring this event, with prizes to hand out to the students.

This celebration will definitely be something you do not want to miss, so bring your student card to register and get some free candy.

Sunset Valley Farms has teamed up with PCMA-TRU to bring you the Bonfire Bonanza. On Saturday Oct. 24 starting at 6 p.m., get ready for

The Old Courthouse, where a madman is on the loose in a Murder Mystery. (Jennifer Will/The Omega) a haunted corn maze and bonfire.

Cozy up with hot dogs and hot chocolate around the campfire, then roam around the frightening maze, if you dare. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at the TRUSU desk at the university. Tables will be set up in Old Main and in the International Building on Oct. 13, 15, 20 and 22 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Be sure to check out the daytime fun at Sunset Valley Farms as well. They have a corn maze, a terrific pumpkin

patch and hayrides! They are open daily to the public from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for loads of fall entertainment.

The Ghost Train is a Kamloops tradition and a haunted house on wheels, presented by Kamloops Heritage Railway. The departures for this train are Oct. 23, 24, 29, 30 and 31 at 7 p.m. The rides usually last about an hour. Don’t miss your date with the devil, for this train features many ghoulish characters who will accompany you on your ride. You

can purchase your tickets online at www.kamrail.com. They are $29 each and include hot chocolate and a snack.

Tons of other spectacular events are going on this Halloween season that are sure to scare and make your blood run cold. Be sure to check out www.tourismkamloops.com for more events such as the Murder Mystery scavenger hunt and puzzle, and the guided flashlight tour of Kamloops’ haunted past.

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Kamloops author Ian Weir speaks at Downtown Library Screenwriter/novelist talks unreliable narrators, historical inspirations and his writing process Marlys Klossner ARTS EDITOR Ω On Wednesday, Oct. 14, acclaimed playwright, screenwriter and novelist Ian Weir spoke about his influences, process and experience at the Downtown Kamloops Public Library.

Born in North Carolina but raised in Kamloops, Weir worked as a newspaper reporter before starting out writing radio plays. Weir won numerous awards for his writing for the stage and has worked extensively in screenwriting.

Weir wrote his first novel “Daniel O’Thunder” in 2008 and just last year released “Will Starling.” Both novels take place in 1800s London.

At the event, Weir read excerpts from “Will Starling,” explained his inspirations and took questions.

Weir’s storytelling ability was unintentionally demonstrated as he spoke about the extensive research he had done on Gothic

London. Many of Weir’s characters are at least in part inspired by real people, and fictionalized versions of some actual people from the time make cameo appearances. Weir’s explanations of these people were riveting.

The audience of 20 was mostly made up of writers.

Before beginning, Weir spoke with some acquaintances in the audience, including a man with whom he’d gone to elementary school.

Weir was heavily inspired by his father, who was a doctor and would often be called out at odd hours to perform surgery.

While he stressed that none of the characters were based on him, he called “Will Starling” a tribute to his father.

The novel is told from the point of view of a surgeon’s assistant in 1816, the year Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, and he is convinced that the most prominent surgeon in London is doing unholy experiments.

Interestingly, Weir describes himself as squeamish, and

said that when he was writing about the old school surgery techniques, he thought “If I can write a paragraph without fainting, then I know it’ll be good enough for the reader.”

Weir enjoys playing with reader perception, as both of Weir’s novels are told by unreliable narrators. He can’t imagine “Will Starling” being optioned for film because he says that film as a medium presents an objective reality, where his unreliable narrator presents a highly subjective, potentially false reality.

Weir spoke at length about the differences between genres.

Screenwriting and playwriting has made Weir into a very visual writer, and his imagery is excellent.

When Weir wrote his first play, which was nominated for and won a Jessie award, he had been writing in the headspace of the male lead. Later, when an actress asked about a female character’s motivations, and what the character had been

doing right before the scene, Weir had to admit that he had never thought about it. While Weir appreciates that theatre challenges his thinking, he enjoys the way writing a novel allows him to see the world through one character’s eyes.

Weir put great care into creating an authentic environment for the story to take place. “I did two years of research before I even started ‘Daniel O’Thunder,’” he said.

What Weir likes about writing novels is that he doesn’t have as many pressures with time or money as he did in writing for the stage or screen. He found that this extra time sometimes gave him too much editing time, so he found himself agonizing at length over the details.

“The process [for ‘Will Starling’] was more tormented than anything I’d ever written before.”

The next author talk at the Downtown Kamloops Public Library will be Monique Grey Smith on Nov. 4. at 7 p.m.

Author Ian Weir spoke to an audience at the public library downtown. (Marlys Klossner/ The Omega)

Film Review: Sicario Jonathan Malloy CONTRIBUTOR Ω

Album Review: If I Should Go Before You

City and Colour’s latest genre-bending experimention in sound Nic Waddell CONTRIBUTOR Ω City and Colour presents “If I Should Go Before You,” an expansion from their acoustic sound into live rock show production.

Rather than ditching the minimalistic acoustic sound that City and Colour is known for, Dallas Green continues to breathe authenticity into his music through production that sounds like you are attending a live show.

Green says the album was inspired by playing live shows with his touring band and was recorded with his touring band in Nashville.

Dallas Green is originally known for his Canadian post-hardcore band Alexisonfire but has been indulging himself in acoustic-folk music since 2000 under the name City and Colour.

“If I Should Go Before You” marks Green’s fifth album and 10 years of music under the City and Colour banner.

Green’s voice blends perfectly with the guitar solos and atmospheric soundscapes. “If I Should Go Before You,” contrasts nicely with Green’s last work titled

“You+Me,” a collaboration with pop singer P!nk, that features intimate instrumentation and sweeping strings.

The main genre found in “If I Should Go Before You” is an infusion of psychedelic blues combined with City and Colour’s indie folk rock sound.

However, Green does experiment with the country and jazz genres. “Killing Time” represents a jazzy upbeat feel while songs like “Runaway” and “Friends” introduce a foray into country music.

City and Colour’s first featured single “Woman” which also starts off the album is a nine-minutelong introduction filled with psychedelic guitar riffs. The song has an atmospheric feel and sets the tone for the rest of the album.

“Woman” thematically expands from his previous material showing growth and maturity in Green’s songwriting abilities.

The album as whole is about love and most likely draws inspiration from Green’s relationship with TV host Leah Miller. “If I Should Go Before You” differs from his previous works in that it is more positive and uplifting than before. Rather than writing

about the woes of love, Green focuses on the happy things and his everlasting love for his new woman.

“If I Should Go Before You” reflects Green’s newfound happiness and maturity within his own life. The album finishes on a more serious note with “Blood,” which speaks about his perseverance in his relationship. “Blood” is strikingly similar to Green’s previous work with nothing but a solo guitar and his voice hinting that he is not quite done with his acoustic sound.

While City and Colour might have started out as merely a side-project to Green’s other musical endeavours, it has evolved into an attention-gaining outlet for his indie rock aspirations. With “If I Should Go Before You,” it is clear that City and Colour has grown extensively from its humble beginnings.

With its diversity and experimentation into new production and genres, “If I Should Go Before You” proves that Green is a capable songwriter able to write songs beyond the minimalistic instrumentation of his acoustic guitar and into complex soundscapes.

Slow, shuddered breaths and the release of tension in my jaw. Those are a couple of the aftereffects of Canadian director Denis Villeneuve’s gripping and intense new film, “Sicario,” that straddles the American/Mexican border as officials on both sides of the conflict try to defeat the cartel.

The film follows Kate Macy (Emily Blunt) after she discovers a bungalow of horrors and is recruited by the C.I.A. to track down the cartel members responsible for countless deaths and the increased tension between governments. Led by a “true American” cowboy (Josh Brolin) and an enigmatic suit-wearing Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro), Kate is pushed further into the so-called “land of wolves,” where she witnesses the effects of top-down deconstruction and exploitation of the Mexican people by the American government.

The film focuses mainly on the lack of control faced by Kate throughout her journey and the people who are seemingly in complete dominance.

Unflinching in the grimness and application of this timely story, “Sicario” stands tallest when its characters are up to their necks in despair.

Villeneuve has approached these murky waters before, particularly in “Incendies” and 2013’s Oscar-nominated “Prisoners,” but he brings a new spectrum of political greyness as he elevates screenwriter Taylor Sheridan’s material.

All of the actors are in top form in the excellent cast with Del Toro and Blunt working brilliantly as opposite sides of the same blood-soaked coin.

An intimidating soundtrack and the beautiful lensing of cinematographer Roger Deakins coalesce together

in a way that makes for one of the greatest all-around packages to come to theatres this year.

And it functions as a timely one at that. What truly works are all of the integrated cogs that mesh together for Villeneuve’s argument.

Relevant in its depiction of lives surrounding both sides of the border, the film presents a justification that wholly believes that the Mexican people have been severely affected by the “war on drugs” so adamantly brought up in news today. While the issue cannot be faulted solely to one government it raises the issue of the American ignorance dominating many political stances (for example, Donald Trump’s idea to force the Mexican government to build a literal wall between the two countries).

“Sicario” is not an easy watch. It is unrelenting in its grim demeanour and steadfast political views. Do not let that deter you though, the film is a rewarding watch with a thick dose of tension and spectacular direction that will sink in and immerse you into its bloody, unforgiving world that will keep you thinking long after you leave the theatre. 5/5 Loops.

(Lionsgate)

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COMICS & PUZZLES

OCTOBER 21, 2015 Puzzle of the Week #6—Looking to the Future

If you write a date in YYYY-MM-DD format, there can sometimes be a date which has no duplicate digits. When will be the next time this happens?

This contest is sponsored by the Mathematics and Statistics department. The full-time student with the best score at the end of the year will win a prize. Please submit your solution (not just the answer but also why) by noon next Wednesday to Gene Wirchenko (<genew@telus.net>). Submissions by others are also welcome. The solution will be posted the Wednesday after that in my blog (http://genew.ca/). Come visit the Math Centre (HL304): we are friendly.

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Women’s volleyball drops two in Alberta Women drop season openers but hope experience can pull them through Cameron Doherty SPORTS EDITOR Ω CONTINUED (COVER) After failing to win a single match in the two years prior to the 2014-15 season, TRU rose up the Canada West conference standings last year, finishing in ninth place and registering ten wins in Grimm’s first season in charge.

“We just got back to playing again, enjoying the game and not necessarily worrying about the numbers as much as the process of how we’re going to get better,” Grimm said on his team’s improvement.

A major catalyst for TRU’s newfound success was the play of outside-hitter Iulia Pakhomenko, who, after transferring from Northwood University in Michigan, set not only the Canada West conference records of 38 points in a single-match, and a conference record of 13 serving aces, but also finished the year ranked

second in the conference in kills per set, total kills and service aces per set.

Volleyball is a sport that requires a whole team working together to be successful however, and Grimm pointed out that he thinks multiple players on the WolfPack last year had breakthrough seasons in 2014-15.

“I think Kaitlin Lomas is one of those girls. She has developed into what could be a dominating middle player.”

Looking forward to this year, it is clear that the progress made by the WolfPack last season has earned them the respect of other teams in their conference.

In a ranking done by Canada West that polled the Head Coaches of the conference on how strong they thought the teams looked entering this year, TRU found itself in the sixth spot, a position that would see the WolfPack through to the playoffs for just the second time in the program’s history if the prediction proves prophetic.

A number of key players are all

returning for the WolfPack this year and Brianne Rauch, Morgan Kolasa, Katie Woo, Alyssa Wolf and Krista Hogewoning are all players that Grimm feels the team will rely on for leadership both on and off the court. A deep core of veteran players is something that fourth-year setter Katie Woo feels makes this version of the WolfPack stronger than ones in the past.

“Every year with Chad [Grimm] the team has gotten better. This is by far the oldest group I have ever played with, which has not always been the case for our program,” she said.

Targeting veteran players was a key recruiting tactic for Grimm as TRU pulled in multiple college transfers who already had experience playing high-level volleyball.

“I’d say that the nucleus, even though they might be new to TRU, they aren’t new players as far as first years. We are a more veteran group so now the challenge is we need to start getting some of the things

veteran teams have. We need to take care of the ball, we can’t afford to give away free points. I think we need to get into that mentality a little bit more and if we are able to not give away free points I think we can compete with anybody.”

So while the season may have gotten off on the wrong foot for the WolfPack, this is a team that has the experience and ability to grow on the improvements of last year and turn the 2015-16 season into something special.

Alyssa Wolf. (TRU Athletics)

WolfPack squad leading the way

TRU Athletics

Swim team training up Aliya Hussein CONTRIBUTOR Ω As I walk into the pool, Brad Dalke is busy organizing his students.

He spots me and slows down for a second, making sure I’m acknowledged. Dalke, after all, has been coaching swimming for 30 years and knows how to deal with people.

It is his second year coaching the TRU swim team, which is an integration between the TRU varsity swim program and the long-time Kamloops Classic Swimming club team. Although there are 26 swimmers in total, only six belong to the TRU swim team. The other 20 belong to the Kamloops Classic Swimmers, a competitive community swim club, consisting of a mixture of students from Grades 9 to 12.

On the TRU squad, only two members from the swim team are returning veterans, with standout performer from last year Sara McChesney, postponing her return because of an injury. However, Dalke has recruited four more members this year. Two of them (Sadie Kim and Taylor Carmichael) are high school and Kamloops Classic Swim Team graduates, currently in their first year at TRU. The other new members are Megan Rosseau from Comox, B.C., and Greg Petersen, a fourth year student at TRU, who only found out about the swim team last year and trained individually so he could join the team this year.

The team headed to the Penticton Iron Pentathlon this weekend, Oct. 16 to 18, to compete in a three-day competition consisting of five events with 50, 100 and 200 metre distances

as well as an individual medley. Last year at the Pentathlon, the swim team did exceedingly well. “60 per cent of the swims at the meet were within 3 per cent of the best times in the team,” Dalke said. That excellence was repeated this year, as highlights from the meet include Petersen setting times in three separate events that qualify him for the Canada West University Athletic Association championships, as well as Carmichael finishing tenth in the women’s overall standings.

The training is a combination of both teams, with commitment and dedication on both ends to become a high level athlete. Dalke mentions that as his first year as the TRU swim team coach, “[he] noticed how quickly the varsity season goes by – they start training in September, and have to be ready to race in the conference championships by the end of November. It’s a condensed season.”

Coming up on the calendar for the team is the CWUAA championships, where the top CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) season performers will stand out. With Petersen qualifying over the weekend, Dalke predicts that he will be joined by Jagdeesh Uppal, who has “remained steady and improved his times from last year,” and Taylor Carmichael, who shows “great potential.”

The 2015-16 season for the TRU Wolfpack swim team will indubitably make a splash, with the new members of the team providing a fresh perspective and all members training hard. The next event that the team will be competing in is Oct. 24 at the Kamloops Classic’s Distance meet.

Cheerleaders focusing on community involvement Cameron Doherty SPORTS EDITOR Ω The WolfPack cheerleaders are everywhere. Whether it’s a community event, a WolfPack game or just walking around campus, it’s hard to go anywhere in Kamloops without seeing a bright orange hair bow bouncing up and down with enthusiasm.

“Community involvement has been a core part of this cheer team for years. Part of it is that we like to give back to a community that gives so much to us.

They really support us, whether it’s at WolfPack games or when they see us in the community, they’re fantastic,” said cheer team Head Coach Kelsey Boule.

The members of the cheerleading team volunteer at anywhere from 10 to 15 community events throughout the year, which adds up to about 50 to 75 hours of their time. This community involvement is tacked onto an already busy schedule that includes not only leading the cheers at WolfPack games but also three practices a week, a special gymnastics practice and mandatory gym sessions.

For team captain Alexis Gosselin, volunteering in the community is something that comes naturally.

“I am taking the Bachelor of Social Work program here at TRU, and being a part of the team keeps me involved with working with people in the community. I have a huge heart and a driven passion to work with others,” she said.

The team was out at Westsyde Secondary School on Friday

night to cheer on both teams in the annual Friday Night Lights high school football game, and while those type of events are fun, Boule says that her favourites to attend are the ones that feature a good cause.

“A lot of these events are for such good causes like the CIBC breast cancer walk. It is a fabulous one for young women to get involved in. This is an important cause, and for me as a coach it is important for my team to be more than a team that just competes, but to have more things that help them with their future,” Gosselin said.

The team features 21 full-time athletes and four alternates that Boule says decide to join the team for a multitude of reasons. “ A couple of our girls are longtime gymnasts, as well we have girls who have never been on a

cheerleading team, from smaller communities who always wanted to cheerlead. We give them that opportunity and they like the community involvement so we really get a mix on the team.”

While competitive cheerleading is growing in B.C., TRU is one of the only a few schools in the province to enter into competitive cheerleading events.

The team focusses more on community involvement in the first semester of the school year before entering into multiple cheerleading competitions in the second half of the year. Last year in the two competitions that they were matched up against the cheerleading squad from the University of British Columbia, TRU managed to split the season’s series, winning one of the competitions.

The cheerleading squad volunteers at the Run For The Cure. (TRU Athletics)

NEWS

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OCTOBER 21, 2015

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