University of Toronto
Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education FALL 2017 / VOL. 20, NO. 2
A WORLD ABOVE THE MAKING OF A CHAMPION
PLAYGROUND SUPERHEROES
Kids overestimate their physical abilities
NEW BLUES BOSSES
Nine new coaches join the Varsity Blues
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Dr. John Cameron’s legacy
KRISTINE DRAKICH has logged countless hours on volleyball courts at U of T and around the world, as a standout player and an inspiring coach and mentor. She has chosen to leave a legacy gift in her will, to support the programs she believes in. You can do the same. By planning your bequest now, you can ensure that our academic, research and athletics programs continue to grow and evolve for the benefit of future generations.
“My heart is in U of T. I credit my mentors for inspiring me to be a coach and the volleyball program for inspiring young women to lead. Through sports you learn how to take risks, be resilient and make a difference. I want to continue supporting the incredible women who flourish in this program and I want to help make a difference to those who come long after us.�
To learn more or to discuss making a planned gift to the Faculty, please contact Robin Campbell, Executive Director, Advancement and Alumni Affairs, robin.campbell@utoronto.ca Samantha Barr, Manager, Alumni Relations and Advancement Campaigns, samantha.barr@utoronto.ca
BOUNDLESS
JOIN ME. LEAVE A LEGACY.
FALL 2017 / VOL. 20, NO. 2
EDITOR Sarah Baker ASSOCIATE EDITORS Jelena Damjanovic Valerie Iancovich
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CONTRIBUTORS Katie Babcock, Samantha Barr, Sarah Baker, Jill Clark, Jelena Damjanovic, Sarah Fernandez, Kerry Gillespie, Jordon Hall, Valerie Iancovich, Joel Jackson, Hannah James PHOTOGRAPHY Martin Bazyl, Mary Beth Challoner, Bosiljka Dobrota, Joel Jackson, Arnold Lan, Ian McNicol, Robert Reyes Ong, Lisa Sakulensky, Seed9 ART DIRECTION AND DESIGN Joel Jackson
PURSUIT is published twice a year by U of T’s Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education. www.pursuit.utoronto.ca Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Pursuit 55 Harbord Street Toronto, ON M5S 2W6
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EDITORIAL COMMENTS P: 416-978-1663 sarah.e.baker@utoronto.ca ADDRESS CHANGES P: 416-946-5126 F: 416-978-4384 samantha.barr@utoronto.ca The University of Toronto respects your privacy. We do not rent, trade or sell our mailing lists. If you do not wish to receive future editions of Pursuit, please call 416-946-5126 or email samantha.barr@utoronto.ca Printed in Canada Publication Agreement Number: 40065214 Pursuit is committed to preserving the environment. All paper used in Pursuit is FSC® certified, which ensures all paper comes from well-managed forests and other responsible sources. www.fsc.org.
CONTENTS Playground Superheroes 4 Children overestimate their abilities
Woman 20 Wonder The triumph of the student athlete
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Portrait of the 30 AAthlete as an Artist
Finding Strength Step by Step A profile of Gabriela Stafford
The artwork of alumnus Wolf Ruck
A New Set of Whistles Meet the new Varsity Blues coaches
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Ripple Effect 18 The Greg Wells shares tips for healthy living
COVER/ SEED9
Place Like Home 34 No Dr. John Cameron’s legacy at U of T Jacket Full of Memories 40 ALooking back at football in the 1950s
DEAN’S MESSAGE
Dea
The Changing Face(s) of KPE
The fall is always an energizing time on campus due in part to the increased pace brought on by the return of students. Our students today are so different from students of even a decade ago – so much more diverse in their backgrounds, their views, their interests, and their goals. It is precisely that diversity which makes my job so interesting and so gratifying. How will we meet their expectations? How do we, as a Faculty that offers both curricular and co-curricular programs, need to evolve to prepare them for their post U of T world? Our co-curricular programming is, quite by design, structured to welcome diversity. From novice to high performance, we endeavour to provide physical activity and sport opportunities that welcome and enable all U of T students to augment their academic experience through participation in physical activity. Kinesiology itself is a tremendously diverse academic discipline, drawing from social sciences, humanities, biological and physical sciences. Areas of research and teaching span the spectrum of human movement, from the high performance athlete to those who cannot move.
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But, despite the breadth that we currently offer, we need to think carefully about how to be sufficiently agile to adapt to the demographic trends that will continue to characterize our future students and their expectations for academic study, as well as sport and recreational programming. The support and perspectives of our alumni and friends will continue to be important influences as we approach these complex challenges. I hope that Pursuit magazine continues to offer a glimpse into the diversity of programs and people that is a hallmark of our Faculty. I am always so proud to share the accomplishments of our colleagues, students, professors and staff. Have a pleasant read! Best wishes,
Ira Jacobs, Dean
Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education
PHOTO/ SEED9
MAKING WAVES: OLYMPIAN, KINESIOLOGY STUDENT, MEDIA DARLING. OUR COVER STORY REVEALS THE SECRET TO KYLIE MASSE’S SUCCESS. PHOTO/ SEED9
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FACULTY NOTES
FACULTY NOTES
PLAYGROUND SUPERHEROES
RESEARCH FINDS KIDS OVERESTIMATE THEIR PHYSICAL ABILITIES 4
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PHOTO/ ISTOCK
FACULTY NOTES
Does your child fearlessly fly through the air or leap
over large obstacles like an extreme athlete? New research from the Faculty sheds new light on this reckless behaviour, finding that young children often overestimate their physical abilities. It’s a discovery that could not only console exasperated parents, but could also create new guidelines for sport training and help individuals with movement disorders. “In this study we measured how accurately kids and young adults could imagine their movements and how well they could perceive what actions were possible for them to perform,” says KPE researcher and professor, Tim Welsh. “We found that adults tend to estimate their abilities fairly accurately, while young children will overestimate these same abilities.” Welsh and his team studied how well 45 people between the ages of seven and 25 imagined, perceived and executed a specific movement. The study was published in the Journal of Motor Behavior.
“Athletes often use visualization as a training tool, and they also learn by watching others and imagining how they would perform the task themselves,” says Welsh. “We’re trying to understand how this mental practice works so we can help shape learning and coaching environments.” And those changes are already taking place. Emma Yoxon, a graduate student at the Faculty and lead author of the study, has put her research into practice as a synchronized swimming coach. “We use visualization a lot because access to the pool can be limited and we want to avoid overtraining. While imagination is an important tool for many athletes, it might not be as effective for younger children – now I try to get kids moving more.” Such mental practice might not only benefit high performance athletes, but it might also help people with movement disorders recover their abilities. Welsh and Yoxon are currently working with scientists at the Movement Disorders Clinic at Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network. They want to understand how well these individuals could use their imagination to train while resting as opposed to stressing their systems through constant physical performance.
In the future, the team plans to run the same Past research has shown that the studies in individuals with autism, who often more times a person performs a have challenges observing and executing actions. task, the better they become at estimating their abilities to perform “Now that we know people imagine, perceive that task in the future. Younger and execute actions differently, we’re trying to children haven’t had as much understand the different brain areas involved,” experience moving and this may says Welsh. “We’re excited to be breaking new be why their perception of what is ground in this area to hopefully help a wide possible could be less accurate. range of people, from children to elite athletes and those simply wanting to pick up a glass of The findings may influence water.” — Katie Babcock approaches to training athletes.
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FACULTY NOTES
INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP DRAWS WORLD’S BEST TO KPE The Faculty would like to welcome Razan Sarsour, a BKin
student and Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship recipient. Sarsour, from the Ramallah Friends School in Palestine, is part of the first cohort of 37 students to receive the scholarship – the most prestigious and competitive scholarship for international students. The scholarship, which covers tuition and expenses for four years, recognizes students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement and creativity and who are recognized leaders within their school. Emphasis is placed on the impact a student has had on the life of their school and community, and their potential to contribute positively to the global community. Sarsour excels as an athlete and in academics. Her passion is soccer – a sport she started playing when she was six years old, practising on her neighbourhood field. After making the school team, she joined a competitive regional team. Sarsour says her passion for sport has taught her about commitment. She was the only female to take high-level physics at her high school. “I’ve learned to not be afraid and to never give up,” says Sarsour. “I tried hard to impact my community through technology, sport and business as a volunteer and my hope is I’ve made a difference for other kids.” strong entrepreneurial spirit led to the development of an application that “AS A CHILD, I BECAME Her matches volunteers with organizations and orphanages in Palestine. She also a student recycling start-up company that recycled paper into reusable OBSESSED WITH THE operated baskets and taught children in schools and orphanages about recycling. IDEA OF BEING A STRONG Sarsour’s initiative led to opportunities to travel and learn. Last year, she was one to attend a leadership conference in Boston to tackle gender issues. FEMALE ATHLETE. NOW I ofShe100alsowomen attended a course in Norway to learn how to coach kids about fair play HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY and ethical practices in sport. Pais, Registrar and Director of Student Services, says Razan is an TO BECOME ONE Wendy incredible young woman. “We are delighted to have her here at the Faculty,” she “I congratulate her for using her passion for leadership and sport to lead OF THE FEW FEMALE says. initiatives to help others and better her community.” PALESTINIANS WHO Sarsour plans to make the most of her time at U of T. “I’m looking forward to SPECIALIZE IN THIS FIELD.” learning from Canadians and to sharing my experiences of war, occupation and turmoil,” she says. “I’m also excited to pursue my dreams and to explore my passions at a university that values academic success and personal and spiritual growth.”
Her main goal is to empower women athletes like herself. “As a child, I became obsessed with the idea of being a strong female athlete,” she says. “Now I have the opportunity to study kinesiology and physical education and return to my home as one of the few female Palestinians who have specialized in this field.” — KB 6
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PHOTO/ JOEL JACKSON
FACULTY NOTES
WELCOME ABOARD Wendy Pais has joined KPE as the new
Registrar and Director of Student Services. Pais brings more than 12 years of experience in academic program support, student services and registrarial responsibilities at graduate and undergraduate levels. Pais spent eight years as the Assistant Director of Registrarial Services at the Rotman School of Management, and was the Undergraduate Program Advisor in the Department of Computer Science for three years. She left U of T to pursue an opportunity at the Michener Institute of Education as the Associate Registrar. Pais holds a Master of Education (OISE), as well as an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from U of T, specializing in political science. She has a passion for physical movement and is a certified fitness professional.
Luc Simard is the new Assistant Director,
Physical Activity, Equity and Client Services. Simard comes to U of T with more than 12 years of experience in recreation, sport, physical activity and customer service. He comes to KPE from the City of Markham, where he was the Senior Manager, Business Development within the Parks and Recreation portfolio. Prior to his work in Markham, Simard worked for the City of Ottawa, managed the seasonal recreation and sport portfolio, and led a change in operations, resulting in significantly increased revenue and memberships. Simard is a graduate of the Université d’Ottawa and has a Masters Certificate in Municipal Leadership from the Schulich School of Business at York University.
Denita Arthurs joins KPE as the Assistant
Director, Athletics. She has more than 11 years of experience in sport, most recently as the Director of Student Life and Athletics at St. Lawrence College in Kingston. Prior to her work at the College, Arthurs worked for the City of Kingston, where she developed and implemented sport programs to encourage development, and provided an open and accessible experience for participants at a variety of levels. Arthurs is also an accomplished basketball coach, with experience leading teams from club to national levels. Arthurs is a graduate of the University of Victoria with a Masters of Education in Coaching Studies. She also completed her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan and was a clinician with the Coaches Association of Ontario and the Ontario Basketball Association. PHOTO/ COURTESY OF THE FACULTY OF KINESIOLOGY & PHYSICAL EDUCATION
TOP HONOURS FOR MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH Professor John Cairney is the 2017 recipient of the Alex Leighton Award in Psychiatric Epidemiology – named in honour of a renowned leader in Canadian psychiatric epidemiology. Each year, the Canadian Psychiatric Association and the Canadian Academy of Psychiatric Epidemiology recognizes an individual who is advancing the field through innovative studies, methods, teaching and transfer of knowledge. Cairney΄s research focuses on the impact of childhood physical disability on the psychosocial and physical development in children. “Dr. Cairney is an internationally renowned leader in the field of mental health, and this award recognizes his impressive research accomplishments and highlights the growing recognition of physical activity research in the field of psychiatric epidemiology,” says Professor Ira Jacobs, dean of the Faculty. “His work is truly innovative, focusing on the intersections between physical and mental health using sophisticated, community and population approaches that engage children, families and communities locally and nationally.” Professor Cairney held a Canada Research Chair in Psychiatry at the University of Toronto from 2002 to 2008 and a Research Chair at McMaster University from 2008 to 2016. Cairney has more than 200 publications. In 2010, he co-edited the first Canadian textbook in psychiatric epidemiology, Mental Disorder in Canada: An Epidemiological Perspective. The award was presented September 13 at the annual meeting of the Canadian Academy of Psychiatric Epidemiology in Ottawa. — KB PURSUIT | Fall 2017
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FACULTY NOTES
RECYCLING INJURED LIGAMENTS FOR RESEARCH
Ligament and tendon sprains account for almost half of injuries in sport and can keep athletes out of the game for months. Injuries of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are particularly devastating, often occurring when an athlete suddenly decelerates and pivots at the same time – common in sports like soccer, football or basketball. Research on ligaments and tendons is limited because tissue samples are difficult to obtain for study, says Daniel West, a post-doctoral fellow in the Iovate/ Muscletech Metabolism & Sports Science Lab, run by Assistant Professor Daniel Moore. “You can study how ligament cells grow and multiply (cell metabolism) on a flat dish. But that doesn’t give you any functional information, such as how strong or elastic they are,” says West. Fortunately, there is an emerging technique, used in only a handful of labs around the world, that enables scientists to build mini 3D ligaments that can be studied for both metabolism and strength. These mini ligaments are built from injured ligaments that would normally be discarded during an ACL surgery. Instead of discarding the tissue, scientists can harvest the live cells from them and re-grow mini ligaments for use in research.
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“These immature ligaments are smaller and weaker than healthy ligaments and so aren’t good for transplant. However, they are an excellent research model to help us understand the underlying factors that make ligaments strong and healthy,” says West. West learned the technique while doing his first post-doctoral fellowship at University of California Davis. When the opportunity to work at KPE with Professor Moore presented itself, West jumped at it, having worked with Moore under the same PhD supervisor at McMaster University a decade ago. Their goal is to integrate some of the fundamental science techniques, such as the “recycling” of discarded ligaments, with the human physiology research that is the focus in Professor Moore’s lab. This will allow them to study how exercise and nutrition interventions can help repair injured ligaments or, better still, prevent injuries from happening in the first place. Professor Moore calls it a unique opportunity to develop a more holistic rehabilitation strategy for athletes. “An injured athlete, or anyone recovering from reconstructive surgery generally loses a significant amount of muscle mass that must then be recovered during rehabilitation,” says Moore. “This new research model will give us the ability to examine how exercise and nutrition can help rebuild and strengthen skeletal muscle and connective tissue, ultimately accelerating an athlete’s return to play.” —Jelena Damjanovic
PHOTO/ ISTOCK
FACULTY NOTES
CANADIAN SOCIETY FOR EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY CELEBRATES DEAN IRA JACOBS Professor Ira Jacobs, dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, is this year’s
recipient of the prestigious Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) Honour Award, presented each year to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to exercise physiology in Canada. Professor Jacobs was selected for the award on the basis of the scientific impact of his research portfolio, his national and international recognitions, and his notable contributions to CSEP and other scholarly and academic organizations. “I frequently tell others about the tremendously positive scientific impact of Canadian exercise physiologists that is recognized internationally, an impact that is out of all proportion to our relatively small numbers,” said Jacobs, speaking from the award ceremony in Winnipeg on October 27. “Many researchers who have contributed to that impact are previous recipients of the CSEP Honour Award, so it very humbling to now receive that same award. “Whatever impact my research has had is a direct function of the supportive research environments where I have worked both in government and in academia, and the wonderfully creative colleagues and stimulating graduate students who have all pushed me beyond my comfort zone,” said Jacobs. —JD
Mobilizing Change: Enhancing Physical Activity Accessibility A free public symposium addressing physical activity in persons with disabilities, hosted by the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education.
March 1, 2018, Goldring Centre – 100 Devonshire Pl. Details at kpe.utoronto.ca Live webcast at kpe.utoronto.ca/mobilizing-change
PHOTO/ COURTESY OF CSEP
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BLUES NEWS
FINDING STRENGTH STEP BY STEP Kerry Gillespie’s profile of Varsity Blues track and field athlete Gabriela Stafford was featured on the front page of the Toronto Star on July 8, 2017.
Gabriela Stafford has improved her times
every year since she started running seriously as a Grade 10 student in Toronto. She dropped more than a minute off her 1,500metre time and ran in the Rio Olympics last summer, which was an entire four-year cycle ahead of expectations. Seven years of constant improvement is an impressive trajectory for any athlete, but what Stafford didn’t realize until recently is that she wasn’t just running to get faster and to win medals, she was running away.
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Or at least she was trying to run away from her grief, 1,500 metres at a time. Stafford was 13 when her mother, Maria Luisa Gardner, died of leukemia. “I thought if I could be a better runner, I’d be happier,” Stafford says. “It didn’t matter how fast I ran — I was never fast enough, no medal would make up for her loss.” Stafford, now 21 and four years into a psychology degree at the University of Toronto, is competing this weekend at the Canadian track and field championships, looking to book a spot at the world championships in London next month. She qualified for Sunday’s 1,500 final with the fastest time.
PHOTOS/ MARTIN BAZYL
BLUES NEWS
Stafford grew up in a running family: Her father, Jamie Stafford, a U of T professor was a cross-country runner for Canada; her mother was a teacher who coached Grade 4 cross country, the introduction to school sports for many children. But it was never a sure thing that Stafford and her younger sister Lucia would lace up their shoes seriously. They were, in fact, deep into Irish dancing, their dad recalled. “I used to say I was training them by stealth,” he says. It certainly worked for Lucia, who was successful from her first race in Grade 4 and now, at 18, holds numerous Canadian junior records. She raced in her first senior 1,500metre championship race on Saturday, advancing to the final with her sister. But no one called Gabriela a running prodigy. She was a good runner in Grade 10, good enough to get to the provincial school finals but not fast enough to get near the front. But she had something else that suggested her potential might be limitless. “She always had a passion and a lot of heart and just guts,” says Terry Radchenko, a track coach at U of T who has coached Stafford since then. “She’s definitely someone who can push herself to places in a race that other people just can’t get.” That ability to suffer in a race, coupled with years of hard training, account for why Stafford has run personal best
times every year, including a 4:04.87 at a Diamond League race in Rome last month. She is closing in on the four-minute barrier that marks world class ability for women in the 1,500, a race about 100 metres short of a mile. Stafford is ranked 24th in the world but she’s one of the youngest women high on that list. Though Stafford kept improving on the track every year, “you could see there was a pretty heavy weight on her,” Radchenko recalls. Three years ago, on the heels of a big race disappointment, she finally came to realize what that was. Things had been going so well – “every year was kind of like the most successful year of my life,” she says – until she came within a second of breaking the 3,000-metre Canadian junior record in her first year of university. She went to the world junior championships in 2014 confident that she would break the record but ended up running a second slower than her previous best.
Olympic trials. She had to beat runners she had idolized for years to make the team and she had to do it the day after the anniversary of her mother’s death, July 7. That was an emotional roller coaster she wasn’t quite ready for. “It’s tough when you’re at milestones in your life, so last year was really tough because it was my first senior nationals, it was my first time trying to make the Olympic team.” She went in ranked fourth and came out a tearful Canadian champion on her way to Rio. But all the emotion caught up with her and she was disappointed not to advance out of the heats and into an Olympic semifinal. “The trials were such an emotional experience. By the time Rio came around, I was so exhausted. This time I feel I’m approaching the trials in a more stable manner so I’ll be fresher by the time worlds comes along,” she said. At a Canadian Athletes Now fundraiser in Toronto earlier this year, Stafford spoke about her journey from so-so high school runner to Olympian.
“I had a taste of the runner that I could be, I could be a national record holder, And she made it clear that now she and to not get that was devastating. I knows why she runs. wanted to dedicate the race to my mom, I had this whole plan,” she said. “I was “I run because it reminds me that no so upset afterwards. It was clear there matter how weak I feel, I am always was something else going on, more than strong enough,” she said. “Your body just the running – so I went to therapy.” says you can’t take another step but you do, you always do.” She was two years into the process of developing “a better relationship — Kerry Gillespie, Toronto Star with running” when she arrived in Edmonton a year ago for the Rio
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BLUES NEWS
THE TOKYO CONNECTION The University of Toronto Varsity Blues were honoured to welcome the Keio University men’s hockey team for a six-day training camp in August.
“U of T is committed to giving students international experiences and so when an exchange in men’s hockey was initiated by Keio University, we jumped at the opportunity,” says Beth Ali, Executive Director of Athletics and Physical Activity. Keio University is a private university in Minato, Tokyo. It is the oldest institute of modern higher education in Japan, with a rich history and tradition of excellence – not unlike U of T. Training camp included on-ice practices with the men’s hockey team and head coach Ryan Medel, power skating, strength and conditioning workouts at
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the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport, a lecture with Olympic gold medalists and Blues women’s hockey coaches Vicky Sunohara and Jayna Hefford, two scrimmages and the highlight of the camp, an exhibition game against the Blues. “We were honoured to host Keio University,” says Medel. “It was great for our student-athletes and coaching staff to learn about the university hockey system in Japan, as well as their culture. An international relationship is so unique and beneficial for both programs involved. It’s an experience that team members on both sides won’t forget.” And the exhibition game? Says Medel, “They’re a good skating team. They gave us a good run.” In the end, the Blues defeated the Keio team 5-0. —Jill Clark
PHOTOS/ MARTIN BAZYL
DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK
BLUES NEWS
17 years. Combine a physics degree, a bachelor’s of education, a master’s in education and now a PhD focused on science education and that is what you get. University of Toronto has been a place of life-long learning for June Shiraishi and, while she has been here fulfilling her love of learning, she has also spent some time competing as a Varsity Blue. Participating as a member of the women’s lacrosse team from 1998-2003 Shiraishi was named an OUA all-star in 1999, claimed the OUA defensive player of the year award in 2000, and played a role in two OUA championship banners in 2001 and 2002. Upon graduation she was fortunate enough to immediately find a position teaching high school physics and has been doing so now for the past 15 years while coaching the school lacrosse team and continuing her education. Add in becoming a mother of two, her son Kai (8) and daughter Brynn (5), and you have a recipe for a full schedule every minute of every day. PHOTOS/ VARSITY BLUES
But to think, 17 years later, as a 39-year-old mother of two, with a full-time career as a teacher, that June would thrust herself back into competition against some of the very athletes she has now coached is unbelievable.
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“I have been playing recreational sports but there was always something missing,” says June. “I missed the truly competitive nature of intercollegiate sport, the camaraderie of playing on a varsity team, and most of all I missed playing field lacrosse, a sport I have rarely been able to play after leaving university.” Last season, June, as a graduate studies student, returned to the melee of OUA lacrosse with teammates half her age. Yet, the results thus far have been similar to her time as a Blue a decade
and a half ago. In Toronto’s first season with June back defending on the field, the Varsity Blues defeated the reigning five-time OUA champion Western Mustangs for the first time since 2009, a huge victory for a program ready to make a leap. “I have had to do some creative scheduling with my family to juggle all of my responsibilities, but I have so much support from my family, coaches and teammates that I have not been overwhelmed by this wonderful opportunity to challenge myself,” says June. “I truly believe that this is making me a better parent and teacher, and at the same time perhaps showing my kids and students that it’s never too late to follow your dreams.” Fourteen years after becoming a Blue, June’s love of learning and lacrosse put her into a Blues uniform once again. But whatever you do, don’t call it a comeback, she’s been here for 17 years. —Jordon Hall PURSUIT | FALL 2017
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BLUES NEWS
A NEW SET OF WHISTLES Introducing the new bench bosses The Varsity Blues are proud to introduce exciting additions to the coaching line-up. Please join us in welcoming the new group of leaders eager to invest in the development of our student-athletes and help provide an exceptional experience to high performance sport at the University of Toronto. Ryan Medel, Head Coach, Men’s Hockey A native of Ruthven, Ontario, Medel was an assistant coach with the Carleton Ravens for seven seasons and helped the Ravens to seven playoff appearances, including OUA bronze-medal finishes and national championship berths in 2013-14 and 2015-16. Medel played with the Ottawa Junior A Senators and Nepean Raiders, of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). He also played two seasons with the Ravens. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts from Carleton University.
Cassius Mendonça, Head Coach, Field Hockey Mendonça assumed the head coach role after eight seasons as an assistant with the Blues. He recently served as an assistant coach of the Canadian women’s national indoor teams that competed at the Pan American Indoor Cup, Four Nations Series, Can-Am Series and the 2015 World Cup in Germany.
Campbell MacNeill, Head Coach, Women’s Rugby MacNeill joins the Blues after two seasons as the Toronto Nomads women’s head coach. What is more impressive is MacNeill’s international resume. He was head coach of the Easter Island Matamu "A" Rugby 7's team in Chile, and in New Zealand, the Kia Toa Colts and Freyberg High School rugby teams. MacNeill was also a resource coach with the Varsity Vixens in New Zealand.
Mike Didier, Head Coach, Baseball As a player, Didier helped the Blues to four straight Ontario East titles (1997-00), while also earning the Candian silver medal in both 1999 and 2000. He was inducted into the U of T Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. He currently teaches at University of Toronto Schools (UTS) where he is the head coach for the Varsity baseball and basketball programs.
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PHOTOS/ VARSITY BLUES
BLUES NEWS
Tamara Tatham, Assistant Coach, Women’s Basketball Tatham played for the Canadian senior women’s national basketball team from 2007-16. Her national career encompasses two Olympic Games, attending both the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics, two Pan American Games, including a gold-medal performance in 2015, six FIBA Americas championships and two FIBA world championships.
Bob Mullen, Defensive Coordinator, Football Mullen spent the last four seasons at St. Francis Xavier as the X-Men's defensive coordinator. There, he helped guide the X-Men from a 3-5 season in 2013 to a 7-1 year in 2016, including back-to-back AUS championship titles in 2015 and 2016. A Vanier Cup winner as both a player and a coach at Queen’s University, Mullen served as the Gaels defensive coordinator from 1988-00.
Mark Surya, Offensive Coordinator, Football Surya joined the Blues after two seasons as the Laurier Golden Hawks offensive coordinator. He guided the Hawks from a 4-4 regular season record and semi-final exit in 2015 to a 7-1 regular season record and Yates Cup championship in 2016. In 2016, Surya’s offence led the nation in rushing yards per game (281.4), while ranking second in points per game (42.6) and total touchdowns (43).
Andrew Dovey, Assistant Coach, Men’s Hockey Dovey comes to the Blues following two seasons as a graduate assistant with the NCAA Division 1 Canisius College Griffins in Buffalo. He completed a Master of Science in Health and Human Performance while at Canisius College after completing his undergraduate studies and playing for the Adrian College Bulldogs in Michigan.
Peter McBride, Assistant Coach, Women’s Hockey McBride served as the Blues men’s hockey assistant coach in 2016-17 and makes the switch to the women’s team this season. Prior to U of T, McBride was on the men’s hockey coaching staff for the York Lions, an associate coach for with the Newmarket Hurricanes of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League (OPJHL) and an associate coach at Seneca College for three seasons.
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BLUES NEWS
PASSING ON THE LOVE OF THE GAME
At a time when so many media
stories focus on the poorly behaved, obsessive hockey parents, Varsity Blues Assistant Coach Malinda Hapuarachchi’s no-drama take on parental involvement in her sport is refreshingly light. “Without the parents, there would be no field hockey,” she says, only halfjoking. “But the field hockey community is so small. So there is a ton of parent involvement. Everyone is a volunteer! It’s like a family.” This intimate atmosphere means that even when parents are heavily involved in the game, they take more of an altruistic approach.
Even at the university level, Hapuarachchi says the parents play a pivotal role in keeping the spirits up and the athletes energized. “Here at U of T the parents organize our tailgate parties and they bring the athletes their snacks after the games. It’s really sweet.” Hapuarachchi discovered her sport of choice in high school, which is later than many athletes of her calibre. Her parents immigrated to Canada from Sri Lanka and were never involved in high performance sport themselves. But they were nonetheless committed to seeing her excel.
“They were my biggest fans. There were times my dad would drive me to Toronto from Ottawa on the weekend for practice. We would “They aren’t there just to advocate for their have these early morning practices and my own child, they are there to promote the dad would be up at six in the morning and he sport and the growth of the sport because would sit there on the sidelines reading the everything in field hockey is grassroots.” newspaper.
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PHOTOS/ MARTIN BAZYL
BLUES NEWS
In university, my parents would come out to watch us at the nationals. The field hockey community is really a family, a network.”
Blues Stand Victorious
Today, Hapuarachchi is carrying on this tradition, introducing her daughter to field hockey the way that many find the game: total immersion from an early age. “When I got into high performance, I met a lot of people who got involved early on because of sisters or aunts or mothers. You see a lot of that.” Hapuarachchi’s two-year-old daughter Sanomee has been on the pitch since infancy. “When I was on maternity leave with her, I was ready to go back to practices to help out when she was four or five months. If there were athletes who weren’t training or coming off on injury, they would hang out with her on the sidelines. So she was coming out to practices when she was so young and she had no idea really what was going on.” Today, Sanomee is an unofficial member of the team, often running around on the sidelines with her mini stick in hand and her little voice regularly heard exclaiming, “Go Blues go!” And while Hapuarachchi calls her the unofficial mascot of the team, she understands there may come a time when Sanomee puts down the stick and finds her own way to be active. “At the end of the day, I just want her to be healthy and for physical activity to be part of her every day. And I want her to know that no matter what, she’ll always be a part of this very special family that is the field hockey community.” —Valerie Iancovich
Baseball crowned OUA Champions The University of Toronto Varsity Blues baseball team won their first OUA title since 2012 following an 8-3 victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks on October 15 in Ajax, Ontario. The win marks Toronto's fifth OUA banner in program history and the first for first-year head coach Mike Didier.
Upenieks makes history. Blues golfers win OUA banner The Varsity Blues women's golf team won their sixth straight OUA banner on October 14-15 in Ottawa, taking a lead in the OUA championships with seven titles since women’s golf inception into the OUA in 2005. Seasoned veteran Laura Upenieks broke the OUA women's golf record, shooting an outstanding two-day total of 144 (71, 73), while also winning the Judy McCrae Trophy by the largest margin in championship history. Dave Woods was named the OUA women’s golf coach of the year.
Mountain biking wins University Cup The Varsity Blues mountain biking team claimed their first championship title since 2006 at the 2017 University Cup on October 1 at Hardwood Hills. Andrea Burley won her fourth straight gold medal in the women᾽s A division, to claim the overall individual title and Peter Wen won the men᾽s B division overall title following a second-place finish.
PHOTOS/ VARSITY BLUES
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FIT TIPS
THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF HEALTHY LIVING
PROFESSOR GREG WELLS TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW BOOK AND SHARES TIPS FOR HEALTHY LIVING By Jelena Damjanovic
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PHOTO/ ISTOCK
In a sea of health and wellness books, what makes your new book The Ripple Effect: Sleep Better, Eat Better, Move Better, Think Better different? I think it’s great that there are so many books out there now on health and well-being, because it means that many people are interested in trying to live a healthier life. What I tried to do was to clear up the confusion that exists about sleep, nutrition and physical activity by distilling the science down and focusing on actions that people can take. You say that optimal well-being can be obtained through a commitment to the Holy Trinity of healthy living. What is that? I see the Holy Trinity as sleep, eat and move. You need to sleep soundly and if you sleep soundly, your nutrition can improve, because sleeping well regulates the hormones that control your appetite and satiety. If you eat well, you will have more energy and be able to exercise more. Finally, if you move more, all of a sudden you’ll be sleeping better. Once these three areas are optimized, people’s mental health often begins to improve, and that sets the stage for interventions to allow us to develop mental performance capabilities as well. Achieving a health and fitness transformation sounds daunting. How can we do it without making major changes or sacrifices in our lives? Making massive transformations is daunting, so I like to ask people what tiny little things they can implement right now that they are able to do for the rest of their lives. Can you go for a walk after dinner? Can you walk to and from the subway to work? Can you stand during meetings? Can you switch to water from soft drinks? Micro changes make a huge difference if you add them up over time and I believe that’s the key. It’s like compound interest for your body and brain. How do we make the effects last? The key is to be consistent. If you’re going to drink more water, for example, that means drinking more water for the rest of your life, not just for a few weeks. If you’re going to add walking to your life, that means walking most days for the rest of your life. Positive changes don’t have to be hard and they don’t take a lot of time, we just need to be really consistent over time.
FIT TIPS FROM THE RIPPLE EFFECT 1.
We know there’s a link between sleep and physical health and we know there’s a link between sleep and mental health, so the number one recommendation I have for people is to get between seven to eight hours of sleep and to do so consistently.
2. Eat high nutrient density food, not high calorie dense food. You’ve heard it before, but adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet really is powerful.
3. Move more. If you can add 15 minutes of physical activity to your day and you’re
consistent with that, there’s going to be a huge positive benefit that accrues over time.
4. Think clearly. Take some time every single day to focus on the most important thing you
need to do in a completely undistracted environment. For 90 minutes each day, turn off all of your devices, turn off your email and phone, and focus. You’ll get much more done in much less time.
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FACULTY NOTES
WONDER The triumph of the student athlete
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FACULTY NOTES
WOMAN BY JELENA DAMJANOVIC PHOTOGRAPHY BY SEED9
Classes, swim practices, media requests, out-of-town competitions and record-breaking results. How does this kinesiology student do it? The answer is unexpectedly simple.
Kylie Masse is happy.
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“I love swimming and I really like competing. I don’t think I show that I’m very competitive, but I am.” — Kylie Masse
K
ylie Masse came to the University of Toronto ranked 201st in the world in the 100-metre backstroke. Thirty-six months later, she set a new world record and took the gold in the 100-metre backstroke at the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest. And in between, she was standing on the 2016 Olympic Games podium in Rio de Janeiro with a bronze medal around her neck. Typical story of an athlete’s ascent to stardom? Not so much, says Byron MacDonald, U of T’s Varsity Blues head swimming coach. In fact, he says, the story of her success is extremely rare.
But, Rome wasn’t built in 24 hours and neither was the fastest swimmer in the world. MacDonald points out that Masse didn’t make the national team for the 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games in Canada her first year at U of T.
“She’d never been on a provincial team or attended provincial or national training “She just needed another year of high camps. In Grade 12 she went on a small level training,” he says. And attention, tour team, but really all through Grade 11, not only from the coaches, but from nobody knew who this young girl was.” an entire support network, including medical and weight training staff. So, what went into the making of the unlikely world champion? A few weeks before the 2016 Olympic trials, Masse’s rib popped out, a “Her personality,” says Coach MacDonald. common injury in swimmers. Without the proper medical treatment, “She loves to race and she doesn’t really MacDonald says he’s not sure she would have a fear of it. A lot of people worry have made the Olympic team, let alone about the outcome and she just focuses won the bronze. on the process and likes to challenge herself. The other two ingredients are that she has a real love of the sport, and that “All it would have taken for her to lose she developed a solid technique while that medal was to swim 1/100th of a swimming for her local swim club in second slower,” he says. Windsor. So, we had a good foundation to build on when she came to U of T.”
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FACULTY NOTES
Small town, big dreams
The balancing act of happiness
Masse grew up playing hockey and soccer with her brother and sister in LaSalle, the small town in Ontario she still calls home. She played soccer for the LaSalle Stompers for six years and then played house league hockey for a few years.
“My parents have always said sport can only take you so far, you need an education. So, I wanted to make sure that I went to a school that was highly respected in academics,” Masse says.
“We’re a Canadian family,” says Masse. “We have a side property to our house in LaSalle, so my dad would flood it and build an ice hockey rink on it and our whole subdivision would come out every night to play. That was our winter ritual and we treasured it growing up.” She took up competitive swimming at age 10, an average swimmer by her own account. Nevertheless, she stuck to it, in part because she was moving through the different levels with a tight group of friends her age. And, she really enjoyed swimming. “There’s something about being in the pool, when you’re training and you’re working hard. Your head is in the pool and you can’t hear anything, you’re just in your own space. I find that really satisfying,” she says. “I love swimming and I really like competing. I don’t think I show that I’m very competitive, but I am.” Masse started focusing solely on swimming in Grade 10, waking up at 4:50 a.m. for morning practices and returning to evening practices after school. By Grade 12, swimming took over completely and soon it was time to make the next big decision.
At first, it looked like she would go to the US, due to the proximity of the border to her hometown and the fact that many people from her area had gone that route. In the end, U of T’s academic reputation and the historical success of its swimming program prevailed. “I knew U of T was an incredible academic institution and that was something that was really important to me and my family,” she says. Masse had been to U of T for swim meets, but in the fall of 2013 she came on an official trip and met with Coach MacDonald and Assistant Coach Linda Kiefer. It was the Thanksgiving weekend, so MacDonald invited her to his house for turkey dinner with his family. She trained with the team and toured the campus the following day. By fall 2014, she was enrolled at U of T. “Having a good relationship with your coaches is really important to me and I felt immediately comfortable with them,” she says. “They want us to do well in our sport, but they also want us to do well in school, so it really helps to know that it’s okay for me to miss practice before an exam and to not stress about it.” Supporting student-athletes to achieve both in sport and in the classroom is a unique part of U of T’s mandate, says Beth Ali, executive director of co-curricular athletics and physical activity programs at KPE. “Our commitment to providing athletes with enhanced support, such as strength and conditioning, mental training, nutrition and sport medicine is equal to our commitment to providing them with academic support and wellness services,” she says. “This, combined with outstanding coaches and state-of-the-art facilities, has resulted in the success so perfectly exemplified by Kylie.” This balanced approach seems to fit well with Masse’s own life philosophy. When asked how she manages to stay on top of her busy schedule, she admits it’s hard, but that she tries to focus on one thing at a time. “I like to separate the things,” she says. “When it’s study time, I make sure I focus only on my studies, and during practice I try to just focus on what I’m doing in the pool.”
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FACULTY NOTES
“I’m a kinesiology student and a swimmer, so anything to do with the body and movement patterns is really interesting to me. I love studying how it all works together.” — Kylie Masse PURSUIT | Fall 2017
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Between the chicken and the chocolate I choose both She’s not very strict about her diet, either. “I know what I should be eating, but I love my sweets and chocolates. Some people cut that out completely, but I think everything in moderation is fine. I tell myself a happy swimmer is a fast swimmer.” This is a phrase she coined herself and one that sums her up perfectly, says Coach MacDonald. “Kylie is a good enough student and athlete that she probably would have excelled in a lot of different schools, not just U of T, but there’s a big difference between excelling and reaching the top. Kylie is very happy at U of T. If she wasn’t as happy as she is here and enjoying everything as much, then she wouldn’t swim as well and she wouldn’t be doing what she’s doing.”
Homemade success John Atkinson, high performance director at Swimming Canada, points out that Masse’s terrific improvement since moving to U of T from Windsor shows that anybody who is involved in any high performance sport can balance their lives and studies, and achieve worldclass performances in Canada. “I think that U of T is doing a fantastic job showing every young Canadian a pathway to being successful at home,” he says. It seems that message is reaching aspiring champions across Canada. According to Coach MacDonald, the class of incoming recruits for the Varsity Blues swim program is very large and mostly made up of women. “I think there’s definitely a spillover effect from Kylie’s success, a 100 per cent homemade success,” he says. “University-age athletes don᾽t need to search for options outside of Canada to succeed.”
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“There’s something about being in the pool, when you’re training and you’re working hard. Your head is in the pool and you can’t hear anything, you’re just in your own space. I find that really satisfying.” FACULTY NOTES
— Kylie Masse
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A body of work is a work of art
FACULTY NOTES
While future champs are looking to Masse for inspiration, she is focusing on her studies and training for the Commonwealth Games coming up in April on the Gold Coast of Australia. She continues to fill her days with practice and classes, occasionally dropping in on dance classes when she can find the time. Her favourite is dancehall, a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the 1970s, but she’s also a fan of hip hop and plans on taking a beginner Beyoncé class next. Not surprisingly, Masse’s favourite school subjects so far have been anatomy and physiology. “I’m a kinesiology student and a swimmer, so anything to do with the body and movement patterns is really interesting to me. I love studying how it all works together,” she says. So far, it all seems to be working swimmingly for her.
Over the summer, Masse broke the world record in the 100-metre backstroke at the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest with a time of 58.10 seconds. With this win, Masse broke the longest-standing record in women’s swimming set by Great Britain’s Gemma Spofforth in July 2009, and became the first Canadian to win a world title since Brent Hayden claimed gold in the men’s 100 freestyle in 2007.
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PHOTOS/ IAN McNICOL
FACULTY NOTES
Kylie Masse appeared on the cover of Maclean’s weekly magazine and spoke to them about balancing her commitments in the pool and the classroom. The feature story on Masse was one of many articles written about her since she started her triumphant climb to the top. Earlier in the year, Masse shared the story of how she came to U of T in a first-person article for CBC.
PHOTO/ MARY BETH CHALLONER/ COVER/ COURTESY OF MACLEAN’S MAGAZINE
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A PORTRAIT OF THE ATHLETE AS AN ARTIST 30
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Wolf Ruck doesn’t think that art and sport
are very different. In fact, the full-time artist and alumnus of the Faculty’s Bachelor of Physical Health and Education program, feels that sport is a form of art.
“If you look at rhythmic gymnastics or any other sport, there is a certain artistic component to it,” he says. But, although arts and sport were both present in Ruck’s life from an early age, it wasn’t until he became a student at the University of Toronto that he really started to blend the two.
PHOTO/ BOSILJKA DOBROTA
FACULTY NOTES
a Swiss silver medalist in the Olympics, on how to ski cross country. He thought the book would be a perfect fit for Canadians looking for easily accessible alternatives to hockey and downhill skiing. “This was a time when people were starting to recognize how important it was to counteract our increasingly sedentary lifestyle by engaging in year-round sport and recreation. But, unlike today, there wasn’t a lot of information available to the public to guide them on proper technique to maximize the benefit and optimize enjoyment of new forms of physical activity,” says Ruck. So, he brought the book back to Canada and shopped it around to some publishers. McGraw Hill Ryerson Ltd. agreed to publish it and Ruck translated it from German to English and did some additional photography to adapt it for North American readers. The book became a bestseller and that set him off on the path to producing teaching aids for other lesserknown sports at the time, including a book on canoeing and kayaking. His Camp Kandalore experiences in canoeing and kayaking also landed him on the Canadian Olympic Team in Mexico City in 1968. Realizing that printed materials are limited in demonstrating physical action and movement, Ruck turned his attention to making motivationalinstructional sports films. The seeds for that venture were also planted at U of T, where Ruck first saw movies about the Olympics at screenings organized by a fellow student at the time, Bruce Kidd. “These films were very dramatic in terms of portraying sport in a visually stimulating way and they had a tremendous influence on me,” says Ruck. He went on to make five movies, including one on mountain biking called Freewheelin’. The movie was recently included in the inaugural 2017 world festival of films on mountain biking, due to its historical documentary value as the first film ever made on the sport. “At the time of filming in 1984, mountain biking was strictly a California phenomenon and it was hard to find a mountain bike east of the Rockies,” says Ruck. Ruck’s first professional engagement as an artist was by Professor Kirk Wipper, a pioneer of outdoor education in Canada. After two summers working as a canoe tripper, Wipper named Ruck artist-in-residence at Camp Kandalore, where he demonstrated the art of wood carving and painting. Under Wipper’s patronage, Ruck explored classic Northwest Coast Art and painted several canvases in the style of his idols — the Group of Seven. After graduation, many of Ruck’s peers went on to become teachers. Ruck travelled to Europe where he came across a manual, written by
Ruck has since returned to his first love – painting – but his love of sports remains unabated, with scenes frequently making their way onto his canvases to portray what Canadian physician, sculptor and athlete R. Tait McKenzie called “the joy of effort.” He is close to finishing his biggest canvas to date, depicting U of T alumnus and 1976 Olympic silver medalist John Wood and Scott Lee (Ruck’s canoeing teammates in Mexico City) training for the 1972 Munich Olympics. As for new KPE graduates wondering about the road ahead, Ruck has a few words of advice. “The main thing is to keep your antennas up and stay informed,” he says. “I noticed there was a lack of resources out there and I undertook to fill those gaps by using my education and passion for art to help motivate people in active living.” —JD
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SYMBOLISM-RICH PORTRAIT OF JUDY GOLDRING UNVEILED AT U OF T From left to right: U of T President Meric Gertler, artist Linda Kooluris Dobbs, Judy Goldring, Governing Council chair Claire Kennedy, Governing Council secretary Sheree Drummond and U of T’s Chancellor Michael Wilson
A striking painting of Judy Goldring – named one of the most powerful women in Canada – has been unveiled at the University to commemorate her service as chair of the Governing Council. The portrait depicts Goldring on the towering staircase of the building that bears her family name – the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport. The painting is infused with symbolism that tells the story of Goldring’s life, work and deep connections to U of T. The portrait was commissioned by U of T for the Governing Council Chamber. “It has been a great honour to serve the University, and I’m really proud of the portrayal of my time at the university through the portrait,” said Goldring, the executive vice-president and chief operating officer of AGF Management Ltd., in an interview. Goldring said she selected artist Linda Kooluris Dobbs to paint the 32
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portrait because the artist had previously painted Goldring’s father in 1998. That portrait hangs in a boardroom at AGF Management – the company C. Warren Goldring co-founded in 1957. “I can see his essence and I can see his spirit and his composure in the portrait. I figured if she could do that for him, and I’m looking at this 20 years later, then she could do wondrous things for me,” said Goldring. Working closely together from February to June, Goldring and Kooluris Dobbs came up with a painting that is full of symbols and meaning. Goldring said the artist peppered her with questions and kept exploring ideas through conversations, until the two agreed upon a concept for the portrait. PHOTO/ LISA SAKULENSKY
The staircase rising up behind Goldring represents the future, the Goldring Student Centre at U of T᾽s Victoria University is represented by the framed image on the window ledge right behind pictures of Goldring’s children. The glass plate given to her by her brother represents family first, and the silver bracelet Goldring wears bears AGF’s tiger symbol – representing her life and work at AGF. Featured prominently in the portrait is a gown and chair, which Goldring says reflects her role as chair of the Governing Council. Under Goldring’s tenure, the University of Toronto Act was amended to allow non-Canadians to sit as Governing Council members, a move she said reflects the University’s significant international population. Goldring received a Bachelor of Arts in economics from U of T, before attending law school at Queen’s University. She was called to the bar in Ontario in 1993. After practising law at Gardiner Roberts and Bennett Jones in Toronto, Goldring joined AGF in 1998. Taking on progressively more responsibility within the firm, Goldring became AGF’s executive vicepresident and chief operating officer in 2011. In 2015 Goldring was inducted into Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women Hall of Fame, having been recognized three years previously by the Women’s Executive Network. Goldring said her portrait also has one fun detail that stands out. “The neon pink that sticks out is a T-shirt that was given to me by the provost, Cheryl Regehr, which says: ‘Behind every successful women is a tribe of other successful women who have her back.’
COME BACK TO SCHOOL Exploring the evolving nature of kinesiology A new speaker series at the Faculty is aiming to keep alumni and friends informed about the advances made in the field of kinesiology. “Over the years, kinesiology has evolved into a multidisciplinary field of study that includes topics as diverse as physical education, exercise pharmacology, pre-habilitation and so much more,” said Dean Ira Jacobs, who gave the inaugural talk. “This speaker series will allow us to reveal to our alumni and friends the kaleidoscope that our field has become with the help of KPE Faculty members who will be presenting on specific areas of their research, from nutrition to sport and politics.”
“I think studying human biology and the science and art of human movement and human participation is wonderful and truly in the purview of kinesiology. It’s so unique and I think worth supporting,” he said. Allan Weinbaum was on the Varsity Blues fencing team while studying at U of T. He believes these kinds of events have much educational value, offering information that is useful for everyone, including current and former athletes. “It’s all related to our health and being active, so I can’t imagine anyone not being interested in this. I’m looking forward to hearing some information about current research that I can take away and use.” Mission accomplished, judging by the rapt audience.
“To me it’s representative of the wonderful support I got from the administration, from the Governing Council members, from the president, the president’s office and everyone at the University of Toronto.” — Hannah James
Roman Preobrazenski, a physician and BPHE graduate from 1977, was interested in hearing what’s new in the field and where kinesiology is headed.
This article was first published on U of T News website
See "What's On" at kpe.utoronto.ca for future events. PHOTOS/ ARNOLD LAN
All talks are free and will be livestreamed for those who are unable to attend. Don᾽t miss the next talk in the series! —JD
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NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Doctor John Cameron dedicated over 30 years to the David L. MacIntosh Sports Clinic at the University, looking
after the Varsity Blues football players and other members of the U of T community suffering from sport and exercise related injuries. On October 5, the Faculty thanked Cameron for his dedication by unveiling a plaque that will grace the therapy room named after him in the Varsity Centre pavilion.
“When you find something to do that’s fun, it’s not work.”
Cameron started out as a fellow of Dr. David L. Macintosh in 1978, helping him start up the clinic, which was originally housed in the basement of Hart House. It was then moved to the Warren Stevens Building, until finally finding a permanent home on the second floor of the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport – a prime location according to Cameron, not only because of the facility’s state-of-the-art reputation, but because the clinic’s staff can now watch football games even in inclement weather. Urban myth has it that Cameron hasn’t missed a single Varsity Blues football game since 1978. “People used to ask me how I could spend all those nights in the clinic and they didn’t realize that when you find something to do that’s fun, it’s not work,” he says. Cameron, who completed both his undergraduate and medical degrees at U of T, was a Varsity Blues skier, winning three Ts and an intercollegiate skiing championship. He says that’s another reason why he could relate to the student-athletes so well.
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PHOTOS/ ROBERT REYES ONG
John Cameron (front centre) won the slalom race at the 1963 Ski Championships
“Plus, they were really nice guys,” he says. “To have a room named after me in the Varsity Centre pavilion is a perfect end to a very exciting story. David L. Macintosh was my mentor and when I went over to Europe as a surgeon taking over from him I was welcomed with open arms wherever I went. So, when I was asked to consider helping the University with the $98 million Varsity Centre campaign, I thought it was perfect timing. I had just retired, I had some money and I couldn’t think of a better place to support.” Beth Ali thanked Cameron on behalf of the Faculty for his generosity, saying the campaign had transformed the historic Varsity Stadium into a state of the art facility, helping to make a legacy of sport at U of T. “Dr. Cameron has been a key part of that legacy as an athlete, teacher, doctor and supporter,” Ali says. Dr. Ian Cohen, who along with Dr. Doug Richards succeeded Cameron in the Macintosh Clinic, spoke of how much they both benefited from Cameron’s experience and professionalism working alongside him as young doctors. “We tend to make fun in the medical field of surgeons’ bedside manners, but John made up for about 90 per cent of that behaviour just by his example,” says Cohen.
He compared watching Cameron operate to watching a very skilled mountain climber, seamlessly flowing. “There was no wasted movement, everything was purposeful, he never appeared to get stressed and I think that calm demeanour helped those of us in the operating room as well, because he was always in charge and knew what he was doing.” Cameron still recalls the satisfaction of seeing athletes back on the field after surgical interventions. “In 1993, I had five players on the team who had anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repairs done in Dr. Macintosh’s clinic. None of them wore braces and we won the Yates Cup and then the Vanier Cup. It was unbelievable! I still have that blue jacket with the Vanier Cup on the back,” he says. “Memories like that make it all worthwhile.” — JD
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ALUMNI UPDATES
Varsity Blues Get-Togethers
(from L to R): Jim Ware, David Galloway, Don Rogers and Bryce Taylor Back row: Diane Walker, Paul de Souza, Susan Bland, Ed Graves, Cathy Lepper Hitchcock, Roman Preobrazinski Front row: Patti-Jo McLellan Shaw, Maureen Mitchell Graves, Cathy McPherson Elliot, Deb Dykes
CIass of 77 Thirty-one members of PHE 77 came together to celebrate 40 years on from their graduation with an entire weekend’s worth of fun. Friday evening saw the 7T7 grads gather at the Duke of York Pub near Varsity Arena. On Saturday, a smaller group toured the Goldring Centre and were joined by a few more later on for the U of T BBQ on campus. Saturday night the group gathered for dinner at Jack Astor’s, and two brave souls (Anne Belanger and Ester Kivi) ventured Sunday to Woodhaven Lodge hosted by David McKinstry.
Women’s Hockey Golf Tournament
The women’s hockey team hosted their annual fundraising golf tournament on September 17. The group was treated to a beautiful (and unseasonably warm!) day, perfect for a round of golf at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham. The event culminated with a live auction and dinner where attendees were introduced to the 2017-18 roster and new coach Peter McBride.
Blues Football Alumni Network Golf Tournament On August 21, the Blues Football Alumni Network hosted their annual golf tournament and dinner at King Valley Golf Club. Well over 100 guests enjoyed a day of beautiful weather and reconnecting with former teammates and current friends. Thank you to the sponsors and donors who supported this event.
Daniel Toth attended his first ever reunion and Rhonda McBride joined in having been last seen at the 10-year get-together. Classmates travelled from Victoria, Edmonton, northern and eastern Ontario and all parts of the GTA. Thanks to everyone who attended! Huge shout-out to Maureen and Ed Graves, Lynda Harley, Cathy Lepper Hitchcock and Deb Dykes for putting the weekend’s events together. Plans are currently underway for the annual Christmas get-together tentatively scheduled for December 16 in Toronto. Stayed tuned for details on location and time.
7T2 Reunion
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Field Hockey Golf Tournament
The field hockey team hosted alumni and friends at their golf tournament August 26 at Caledon Woods Golf Club. This year’s event helped raise essential funds for the field hockey program and was their most successful effort yet! A special thanks to Alison Lee for her hard work supporting the tournament. At their 45th reunion, forty PHE 7T2 alumni gathered at the Safari Bar and Grill in uptown Toronto where they enjoyed sharing stories and renewing friendships. Some classmates made an extra effort to join the festivities, including Kathy and Sue from BC, Lynne from Wawa, Mike from Ohio and Fran from NS. With five years having passed since their last reunion, there was a real sense of pleasure catching up on everyone’s lives. Special thanks to Ira Jacobs and Robin Campbell for joining to share some words about the changes and great strides that the Faculty has made. Through donations and a portion of the ticket price, the Class of 72 contributed $800 towards the Kirk Wipper Award, which goes to a third or fourth year student who demonstrates leadership, willingness to help others, a concern for the natural environment and enthusiastic involvement in outdoor projects. The 7T2 crew is aiming to have 50 classmates at their 50th reunion in 2022!
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Patrick Jachyra
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Allan MacKenzie
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KINESIO
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CLASS NOTES
AL
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BPHE 8T7
KPE 1T2, MSc 1T4
Allan MacKenzie has been appointed as an assistant professor at the W. Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology at McMaster. He has been teaching at McMaster since 2007 as a sessional instructor and joined the Faculty full time in 2012. His research explores restorative design science on the enhancement of workforce effectiveness within the built environment. Previously, MacKenzie has shared his experience in workplace talent management with some of Canada’s leading organizations, as well as other colleges and universities.
Patrick Jachyra is one of three graduate scholars to be awarded the prestigious University of Toronto Award of Excellence this year. The Awards of Excellence date back to 1921 and celebrate members of the University of Toronto community who have made rich and meaningful contributions to the University, the community and to the world. Currently in his third year of doctoral studies at the Faculty of Medicine, Jachyra already has a long record of achievement and leadership. His PhD research at the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute builds on his master’s training in Exercise Science from the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education and his experience working with individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It explores physical activity participation with adolescents diagnosed with ASD, and is aimed at improving activity participation and mitigating the health risks associated with physical inactivity. Congratulations, Patrick, on this very well-deserved honour!
Janelle Joseph KPE MSc 0T6, PhD 1T0
Alumna Janelle Joseph was appointed director of the Academic Success Centre at the University of Toronto in September. Joseph completed her PhD and two postdoctoral research fellowships (in New Zealand and Canada) in the areas of sport and race. Her Banting SSHRC Post-doctoral Fellowship research focused on physical activity in criminal justice settings and her book Sport in the Black Atlantic: Cricket, Canada and the Caribbean Diaspora was released in January. She is also an adjunct lecturer in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education and has been teaching undergraduates since 2007. She is deeply committed to learner success through the universal design, anti-oppression frameworks and experiential learning opportunities.
PHYSIC
Harold (Hal/Harry) Studholme PHE 6T0
Studholme is eager to reconnect with his PHE classmates and sent this note: “Greetings to my classmates of PHE 60! Don’t hear much from any of you these days. Let’s try to keep some links going. Try me on Facebook at HAL STUDHOLME (I’m the one with the beard, the other guy is from the USA. Can you believe there could be two of us?!?). All’s well out here in the wasteland of Manitoba. Best to you all, Harry Studholme.”
To submit a Class Note, please contact Samantha Barr at samantha.barr@utoronto.ca PURSUIT | FALL 2017
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ALUMNI UPDATES
FACULTY NOTES
IN MEMORY Glen Selkirk
BPHE 9T8, MSC 0T0 Glen passed away in April in Toronto in his 42nd year. During his time at U of T, Glen played basketball for the Varsity Blues and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016 as part of the 1994-95 men’s basketball team. A love of physical education ran in the family – his wife Enid, brother Dan, father Bob and mother Pauline are also grads of the Faculty. His research into the areas of environmental, thermal and exercise physiology led him to a role as a defence scientist at Defence Research and Development Canada. He worked as a cellular biology professor at the University of Guelph’s kinesiology program. His research focused on improving conditions for first responders, with a recent focus on firefighters. This focus was inspired by a passion for giving back to those whose job it is to keep the public safe.
Mary Balfour (nee Hamilton) BPHE 4T8
Helen Gurney BPHE 4T0, Basketball
Mary passed away in Kitchener in her 97th year. She served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during WWII before attending U of T. She went on to a 32-year-long career of mentoring and empowering young women at Soo Tech and later at Sault Collegiate. She kept active in retirement by golfing, swimming, playing tennis and exploring her creative talents.
After a long and full life, Helen passed away in Toronto at the age of 99. During her time at U of T, she played on the intercollegiate basketball team, where she made up for her lack of height with spirit and enthusiasm. Physical education, especially for women, was her focus throughout her life and career. Helen was also instrumental in establishing the U of T Sports Hall of Fame, which recognizes members of U of T’s outstanding sports legacy. She will be remembered with affection and respect by former students, colleagues and friends whose lives she touched and inspired.
Margaret (Jayne) Clement (nee Morrison) BPHE 4T8 Jayne passed away in Kalamazoo, Michigan, at the age of 93. Before attending U of T, she served in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1943 to 1945. Jayne played intramural hockey and basketball and participated in interfaculty swimming. Jayne became known later in life for being active in civic and volunteer groups and her time at U of T was no different. She was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity and acted as Social Rep for the PHE Undergraduate Association. She went on to study small business management at Kalamazoo College and later taught physical education and needle arts classes.
Geraldine Coonan (nee Fitzgerald) BPHE 4T7 Geraldine passed away in February at the age of 95. During her time at U of T, she played intramural basketball and, in 1946, sat on the joint University College and Physical Health and Education Athletic Executive as basketball rep.
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Mary Margaret (Peggy) Jones (nee McVey) BPHE 4T8 At the age of 91, Peggy passed away in Vancouver. During her time at U of T, she served as Second Year Rep and later, secretary, on the PHE Undergraduate Association. She will be remembered for her special knack for truly connecting with people and for being relentlessly cheerful.
Geraldine (Gerry) LaChance (nee Hutchison) BPHE 4T90 Gerry passed away at the age of 92. She served during WWII as a naval plotter with the Women’s Royal Naval Service. While at U of T following the war, she met Bill, another PHE student, who would become her husband of 68 years. Later in life, Gerry worked as a teacher, coach and guidance counsellor. After retirement, she and Bill followed a dream to live on their boat and sailed the Caribbean for almost 10 years.
FACULTY NOTES
Andrea McCaskill (nee Bell) BPHE 7T2
Joan Sorokan (nee Rogers) BPHE 5T2
Andrea passed away in March at the age of 66. She loved to ski and continued skiing every winter into mid-life. In her first year at U of T, she was on the Varsity cheerleading squad. After university, she worked for Avon Sportswear in Toronto and took up motorcycling, having many great adventures with her riding friends. She always loved animals and later in life went to work in a veterinary clinic, which she considered her dream job.
Joan passed away peacefully just before her 87th birthday in Calgary. After leaving U of T, Joan taught in Toronto, later moving out west to Calgary to teach at Mount Royal College. She later worked at her husband’s medical practice until they retired in 1997. Joan enjoyed travelling, golf and playing bridge with her friends. Joan will be remembered as a people person with a magnetic personality and smile.
Eric (Phil) Muntz Applied Science and Engineering 5T6, MSc 5T7, PhD 6T1, Football A scientist and an athlete, Phil died in Los Angeles in August at the age of 83. While at U of T, Phil was a star Fullback for the Varsity Blues football team. He was inducted into the U of T Sports Hall of Fame in 2015 as part of the 1954 Yates Cup Championship-winning team. His football career continued as a halfback with the Calgary Stampeders and Toronto Argonauts. Phil retired in 2014 from the Department of Astronautical Engineering at the University of Southern California.
Bill Nelems Applied Science and Engineering 6T2, Medicine 6T6, Rugby A beloved member of the Varsity Blues rugby program, Bill led a remarkable life. He was a groundbreaking thoracic surgeon who was the first surgeon in Canada to perform a lung transplant. His induction into the U of T Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 was only one of his many accolades: he received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. He had a true passion for improving rural health care both in Canada and abroad. He marked his 70th birthday by cycling 4,500 km through southern Africa to raise money for a small NGO he founded to connect medical practitioners in the Okanagan with those in Zambia. Bill died in March at the age of 77.
Margaret (Marg) Pellow BPHE 4T6 After a long and eventful life that included hosting friends at her cottage, genealogy projects and teaching in Jamaica, Mary passed away in January at the age of 92. While at U of T, she played intramural hockey, baseball and basketball, and served on the Women’s Athletic Executive. Marg went onto a teaching career that spanned 34 years and included focus on mathematics, physical education and guidance counselling.
Jane Staub (nee Macklin) BPHE 5T0, Hockey After 87 years, Jane passed away in her native city of Toronto. Jane spent her career working in the field of rehabilitation for disabled children and youth. Upon retirement, she established a private practice specializing in assisting lawyers and insurance companies where the plaintiffs had sustained brain injuries, spinal cord or birth injuries. Her volunteer work spanned over 40 years and many organizations focusing on brain injuries, polio and Sri Lankan youth.
Curtice Russell St. Michael’s 5T7, MA 6T4, Football Curtice passed away at the age of 81 in Manchester, Vermont. While at U of T, Curt played Linebacker for the Varsity Blues football team and was team captain and co-captain. He had the honour of being named to the All-Century Team in 2001 as one of the 100 most outstanding U of T football players for the 20th century. Curt was drafted to play professional football for the Calgary Stampeders, but instead followed his heart and was ordained to the priesthood, later working in manufacturing and service industries. He will be remembered for his incredible kindness and wonderful sense of humour.
Norman Turner BPHE 6T2, Woodsworth 6T7, Football While at U of T, Norm quarterbacked for the Varsity Blues and played intramural basketball. After graduation, Norm went on to play for the East York Argos and the North York Nights. Norm returned to where his passion for football was born, Danforth Technical School, to teach physical and health education, and coach football and other sports. He will be remembered for his love of golf (and cutting his grass to resemble a golf course) and riding his bike for miles, even through the winter. Our condolences to family and friends.
If you have an In Memory note to share about KPE alumni or former Varsity Blues athletes, please contact Samantha Barr at samantha.barr@utoronto.ca PURSUIT | FALL 2017
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TIME OUT
A jacket full of memories BY JELENA DAMJANOVIC
The 1950s were a magical time for football at the University. The Varsity Blues won the Yates Cup championships three times in that decade: 1951, 1954 and 1958. All three squads were inducted into the U of T Sports Hall of Fame, with honours also bestowed upon individual players. The 1958 squad in particular had an incredible run and is regarded by many as the Varsity Blues strongest team ever. They averaged almost 40 points a game and remain the only U of T football team to go undefeated and untied since the 1910 squad. “We had plenty of team spirit and the tremendous coaching by Dalt White and his staff really contributed to a great atmosphere,” says Tim Reid, who scored a record 68 points in 1958. “And, there weren’t any braggarts on the team. We were just having one heckuva good time.”
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Many on the talented team had been playing together for three years and had developed a sixth sense about their teammates. “I would fake a block and then go out for a screen pass and get the ball, and I’d blink and have three blockers right in front of me knocking down three defensive halfbacks. So, yeah, I looked good,” Reid says with a chuckle. The team decided to reward themselves on their extraordinary run with some nice looking jackets. “We felt really good wearing them around campus,” says Reid, who continued to pull his out of the cupboard years later to watch U of T football games.
PHOTO/ JOEL JACKSON
Your post-party game is just around the corner
F a c u l t y o f K i n e s i o l o g y & P h y s i c a l E d u c a t i o n a n d t h e T- H o l d e r s ’ A s s o c i a t i o n p r e s e n t
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
SPORTS HALL OF FAME N O M I N A T I O N S
The University of Toronto Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1987 as part of an ongoing effort to preserve and display the records relating to U of T’s outstanding athletic tradition.
Every year, athletes, teams and builders are inducted into the Hall of Fame in recognition of their place in U of T’s athletic legacy. Those with an interest in Varsity athletics (i.e. T-Holders, staff, athletes, media and the general public) are invited to nominate an individual or a team to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Nominators are encouraged to supply as much supportive detail as possible with each nomination. To view current Hall of Fame members and learn more about their contributions to sport, please go to our interactive website: halloffame.utoronto.ca For more information about selection criteria and the nomination process or to submit a nomination, please go to: uoft.me/nominate-hall-of-fame
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