Ravens sports & lifestyle magazine
Issue #1 Fall 2011
Scoop The
The Drive for 8 Ravens men’s basketball team looks to make history
Sara Seiler
From the Ice House to the Olympics
Sandy Mackie
A look at one of Carleton’s longest serving head coaches
An Aussie’s Adventure Ravens water polo player travels across North America
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Contents Did you know? The Drive for 8 Team Profiles Seiler Brings International Flavour to Ravens
4 6 9 13
More Than Just a Beautiful Game for Mackie
16
An Australian Water Polo Player’s Adventure in North America
19
CUFit Spotlight: Bodizar “Bodo” Stavric
22
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Did you know? Former NHLer Shaun Van Allen is an assistant coach with the There are some sibling connections at Carleton. Jessica Resch
Ravens men’s hockey team
plays for Taffe Charles and the women’s basketball team, The Ravens women’s hockey team boasts some international
while brother Gavin is on the men’s team. Brothers Charles
flavor on their roster – Sara Seiler is a member of the German
and Ben Bouwer both play on the men’s water polo team.
national team and played in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, while goalie Eri Kiribuchi played for the Japanese
Three Ravens represented Canada at the World University
national team.
Games this past summer – goalkeeper Rachel Bedek of the women’s soccer team, as well as Cole Hobin and Tyson Hinz of the men’s basketball team.
Fourth year Ravens water polo player Annie Chinneck went to Europe from January to May 2011 as an international exchange student. During these five months, Annie played
Kwesi Loney, Marc Lapointe, Michael Hoefler and Karl
competitive water polo in the Netherlands.
Wasslen, all members of the current men’s soccer coaching staff, are five-year veterans of the program. Lapointe is the Ravens men’s soccer defender Alex Pelchat’s cousin is Dustin
all-time leading goal scorer for Carleton and Wasslen is a
Tokarski of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.
three-time CIS academic all-Canadian.
Third year women’s water polo goaltender and 2010 OUA Championship MVP, Evie Marshall, was on the Junior National
Taffe Charles won five CIS national championships as an
Team in 2008-09
assistant coach with Carleton’s men’s team before taking over as head coach of the Ravens women’s program in 2007.
Ravens men’s soccer midfield Danny Gutierrez is the younger brother of Jorge and Roberto, former five-year veterans of Ravens men’s hockey recruit Matt Stanisz was invited to the
the program.
Toronto Maple Leafs training camp this season.
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After leading Carleton to its seventh national title in nine years, men’s basketball forward Tyson Hinz became the second Raven to be honoured at the BLG awards as CIS male
In his 12 years at the helm of the Ravens men’s basketball
athlete of the year. Osvaldo Jeanty was the first in 2005-06.
program, head coach Dave Smart has led Carleton to an outstanding 315 wins, while suffering only 30 losses in regular and post-season play.
Ravens rower Dave Blair is a second year veteran of the Canadian National Adaptive Rowing Team’s coxed four crew. This year at the World Championship he and his crew won a
Richard Webster of Carleton’s rowing team was a member of
silver medal. Last year he was a member of a crew that won
the support team for the Row to the North Pole expedition
gold. Dave is legally blind.
this past summer. This was the world’s first attempt at rowing to the magnetic north pole.
During his playing career, Ravens men’s hockey head coach Marty Johnston won the Memorial Cup with the First year men’s water polo player Ogi Gutovic was a member
Hull Olympiques before playing professionally in both the
of the Canadian national team that competed at Junior World
American Hockey League and in Europe.
Championships this past summer. He is a three time national club champion with the Ottawa Titans and was twice named Men’s water polo head coach Zoltan Csepregi was a member
the most valuable player.
of the Canadian national water polo team from 1993-2000, while assistant coach Bill Meyer was on the team from 1978 Former Ravens male athlete of the year, OUA and CCUNC
to 1984. Meyer also participated in the 1984 Olympics in Los
individual champion Colin Abbott has taken the year off
Angeles.
school at Carleton to pursue ski racing at the highest level. He accepted a spot on the Callaghan Valley Development
Kelsey Vander Veen of the Ravens women’s hockey team
Centre at the Whistler Olympic Park to train full-time and work
is distantly related to Ryan Malone of the NHL’s Pittsburgh
towards representing Canada on the world stage.
Penguins.
Ravens women’s hockey grad Erica Skinner’s brother won the Ravens women’s soccer defenceman Briana De Souza was
Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s outstanding rookie in
named co-captain of the Guyanese national team last
2010-11.
summer.
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8
THE DRIVE FOR
By: Christina Atallah
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2011
The Carleton Ravens returned to the top of the CIS men’s basketball world last season with an 82-59 victory over the Trinity Western Spartans in the championship game of the Final 8 Tournament.
The Ravens are now only one championship away from tying the historic record held by the Victoria Vikes, who won eight national titles, including seven straight (1979-1985, 1996). And their chances look good.
It marked the seventh W.P. McGee Trophy in nine years for the Ravens, who had won
While the Ravens will be without the help of guard Mike Kenny, who played his fifth
“
Ravens forward and 2010-11 CIS Male Athlete of the Year, Tyson Hinz, will be back for his third season at Carleton. Hinz finished eighth in the OUA with 17.1 points per game last season, thanks to his conference-leading 57.2 field-goal percentage, good for ninth best in the nation.
the stage is set for another impressive run in 2011
the last five editions of the tournament in Halifax from 2003 to 2007, before adding another banner in 2009 in Ottawa.
season at Carleton last year, the core of the championship team will be back in 2011-12.
”
Also returning is last season’s CIS Rookie of the Year, Philip Scrubb. The Ravens guard was a dominating force on the court last year, averaging 13.1 points per game and leading his team in assists with 61. Two-time OUA East Defensive Player of the Year, Cole Hobin, will be back for his fifth and final season. The guard grabbed a total of 85 rebounds last year, with 58 on the defensive end. He led the Ravens in blocks and steals with 17 and 26 respectively. Guards Willy Manigat and Elliot Thompson are also returning for a fifth year.
2003
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If that wasn’t enough, the Ravens have added to their impressive lineup of talent with three new guards.
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Justin Shaver, a highly touted high school recruit, will don the Raven this season. He represented Canada over the summer at the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championships in Latvia, along with Scrubb. Guillaume Boucard, last season’s MVP in the RSEQ men’s collegiate AAA basketball league, has also committed to Carleton along with Ryan Augustine of Next Level Prep.
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Four-time CIS Coach of the Year and sixtime OUA East Coach of the Year, Dave Smart, will lead the Ravens in their drive for eight titles. And he brings with him his combined regular and postseason record of 315 wins and only 30 losses. The CIS Final 8 Tournament will be in Halifax yet again this season, the spot that has proven to be good to the Ravens program. With last year’s performance, the Ravens made their ninth consecutive national championship appearance and 10th under Smart. They extended their winning streak at the Metro Centre to 20 straight games dating back to a 78-77 quarter-final loss to McMaster in 2001.
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With the core of the team returning and Smart coming back for his 13th season as head coach of the program, the stage is set for another impressive run in 2011-12.
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2007
2009
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MEN’S BASKETBALL Team Profile The Carleton University Ravens men’s basketball team enters the 2011-12 season with hopes of matching last year’s successful campaign that saw the red, white and black crowned CIS national champions for the seventh time in nine years. Last year the Ravens went 22-0 in the regular season and 34-1 against CIS competition, holding the top spot on the CIS leaderboard for all 14 weeks.
2010-11 Record: 22-0 Playoff Record: 5-1 All-Stars and Awards:
CIS Male Athlete of the Year, CIS First Team All-Canadian, Mike Moser Memorial Trophy (CIS Player of the Year), OUA East Player of the Year, OUA First Team All-Star: Tyson Hinz Dr. Peter Mullins Trophy (CIS Rookie of the Year), CIS All-Rookie Team, OUA East Rookie of the Year, OUA East All-Rookie Team, OUA East Second Team All-Star: Phil Scrubb OUA East Defensive Player of the Year, OUA East First Team All-Star: Cole Hobin OUA East Second Team All-Star: Elliot Thompson Stuart W. Aberdeen Memorial Trophy (CIS Coach of the Year), OUA East Coach of the Year: Dave Smart
Head Coach: Dave Smart Home Court: Ravens’ Nest Key Losses: Mike Kenny Key Returning Players: Tyson Hinz, Phil
Scrubb, Cole Hobin, Elliot Thompson Key Recruits: Justin Shaver, Guillaume Boucard, Ryan Augustine
The Ravens’ only loss came in the OUA final, where they were stunned by the Lakehead Thunderwolves by a score of 77-62. The Ravens would rebound, however, with a convincing 82-59 win over the Trinity Western Spartans in the championship game of the CIS Final 8 tournament. The Ravens lineup looks much like it did last year. CIS male athlete of the year, Tyson Hinz, will return for his third year after an incredible sophomore season with the Ravens. The 6-6 forward made headlines all season long as he was honoured with numerous awards including OUA East Player of the Year, CIS Final 8 Tournament MVP, and the Mike Moser Memorial Trophy as CIS Player of the Year. He’ll be joined by two-time OUA East Defensive Player of the Year, Cole Hobin, as well as CIS Rookie of the Year, Philip Scrubb. The Ravens will also benefit from the leadership of OUA East second team allstar and CIS championship game MVP, Elliot Thompson, and fifth year guard Willy Manigat. If that wasn’t enough, the Ravens have added to their impressive lineup of talent with three new guards. Justin Shaver, a highly touted high school recruit, will don the Raven this season. He represented Canada over the summer at the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championships in Latvia, along with Scrubb.
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Guillaume Boucard, last season’s MVP in the RSEQ men’s collegiate AAA basketball league, has also committed to Carleton along with Ryan Augustine of Next Level Prep. Four-time CIS Coach of the Year and six-time OUA East Coach of the Year, Dave Smart, will lead the Ravens in their drive for eight national titles. And he brings with him his combined regular and postseason record of 315 wins and only 30 losses. With the core of Carleton’s all-star cast of players returning and Smart coming back for his 13th season as head coach of the program, the Ravens chances of capturing their eighth national titles look good.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Team Profile
The Carleton University Ravens women’s basketball team is looking to build on their most successful campaign since the inception of the program. The 2010-11 season saw the Ravens capture the program’s first OUA East crown and earn their first trip to CIS nationals. After leading the Ravens to such an impressive season, Taffe Charles will return for his fifth year as head coach of the women’s program. He has also added a five-year veteran of the program, Ines Jelic, to his support staff as an assistant coach. Charles and the coaching staff will look to Alyson Bush as one of the team’s leaders this year. The fourth year guard is coming off a successful season where
she earned her second consecutive OUA East second team all-star nod, leading the league in assists with 92 in 21 games and placing second in steals with 71. Fifth year forward Ashleigh Cleary and fourth year forward Kendall MacLeod will also be back and will help fill the void left by graduating players Bailey Lomas and Courtney Smith. Other returning players, such as Krista Van Slingerland, Jessica Resch and Elizabeth Roach add to the Ravens’ depth. The future looks bright as the team will welcome three new faces to the lineup this season: Chloe Levy, Chelsey Blackman and Maddison Turner.
2010-11 Record: 18-4 Playoff Record: 3-4 All-Stars and Awards:
The OUA East is shaping up to be another close division this season, and conference rivals have reason to be worried about this deep Carleton lineup.
OUA East Second Team All-Star: Alyson Bush
Key Losses: Courtney Smith, Bailey Lomas Key Returning Players: Alyson Bush, Ashleigh Cleary,
Kendall MacLeod Key Recruits: Chloe Levy, Chelsey Blackman, Maddison Turner
Head Coach: Taffe Charles Home Court: Ravens’ Nest
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MEN’S HOCKEY Team Profile
2010-11 Record: 18-8-2 Playoff Record: 3-3 All-Stars and Awards: OUA East First Team All-Stars:
Matthew Dopud, Brandon MacLean
OUA East Second Team All-Stars: Brad Good
OUA East All-Rookie Team: Matthew Dopud, Joe Pleckaitis
The Carleton University Ravens men’s hockey team enters the 2011-12 season looking to build on its most successful campaign since the Ravens’ reemergence as a varsity program in 2007. Last year, the Ravens finished third in the OUA East with a regular season record of 18-8-2. Their season came to an end in the OUA East semifinals with a 4-0 loss to the UQTR Patriotes in the deciding game of a best-of-three series. Bench boss Marty Johnston is back again this year along with assistant coaches Ryan Medel and former Ottawa Senator, Shaun Van Allen. This year, however, the Ravens have named a key addition to their bench. They will gain from the expertise of former professional player, Dale McTavish. McTavish has 22 years of elite-level experience, something the Ravens organization hopes will help mentor their team to a championship. The leadership presence of graduating player and four-year captain Brad Good will be missed in the dressing room this season but the Ravens off-season scouting has paid off, as they’ve added some high level athletes to their roster. Six new players will suit up for the team, two of which are former NCAA Division I
players and two are graduates from the Ontario Hockey League.
Head Coach: Marty Johnston Home Ice: Ice House Key Losses: Brad Good
Defenceman Michael Folkes spent the Key Returning Players: Brandon last two years with the Ohio State BuckMacLean, Ryan Berard, Joe Pleckaitis, eyes and will be looked upon to make Matthew Dopud an immediate impact in the Ravens Key Recruits: Matt Stanisz, Michael lineup. Forward Andrew Glass, a threeFolkes, Andrew Glass, Mike Lomas year veteran of the Boston University Terriers program, won’t be eligible to play until the second half of the season. He brings a strong presence to the front Other returning players include Joey end and will be help add scoring power Manley, who tied MacLean for the team to the Ravens’ top lines. lead in points last year, Ryan Berard, who, along with MacLean, was a member of the Forward Mike Lomas and defenceman Canadian team at the Winter Universiade, Matt Stanisz will make their CIS debut and Joe Pleckaitis, who will look to build on with the Ravens after graduating from his impressive rookie season that saw him the OHL. The final addition to the red, named to the East All-Rookie Team. white and black is forward Nick Duhn, who played for the Junior A Kemptville 73’s in the CJHL. OUA East First Team All-Star Matthew Dopud will be back between the pipes for Carleton. He led the OUA with a goals against average of 2.11 last season and boasted a save percentage of 0.914. The Ravens are also welcoming back another first team all-star in Brandon MacLean, who placed ninth in OUA scoring last season with 12 goals and 24 assists for 36 points. He will take over as captain of the Ravens squad.
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WOMEN’S HOCKEY Team Profile The Carleton University Ravens women’s hockey team will once again be tested in one of the most competitive leagues in the CIS. The Ravens enter the 2011-12 season looking to build on last year’s 7-8-5 regular season record that landed them in fourth place in a very tight race in the RSEQ. Carleton’s season ended in the opening round of the playoffs when eventual national champions, the McGill University Martlets, swept the Ravens 2-0 in a best-ofthree series. Bench boss Shelley Coolidge will return for her third season with the Ravens and will welcome a new addition who brings a golden touch to her staff. Carleton’s new mentor coach, Julie Healy, comes highly qualified with a resume that boasts two Olympic gold medals (2006, 2010) and two IIHF Women’s World Championships (2004, 2007) as former Director of Female Hockey with Hockey Canada. The Ravens hope that her strong knowledge of the game will give Carleton the edge to make a long playoff run. The Ravens will miss the veteran presence of graduating players Kristen Marson, who played a total of 91 games for Carleton, the most by any player in the history of the program, and Erica Skinner, last season’s RSEQ nominee for the Marion Hilliard Award recognizing academic and sport excellence as well as community involvement. But the Ravens are excited to add some new faces to this year’s roster, including forwards Chantelle Rivest, Ainslee Kent and Jessica O’Grady. The Ravens will also welcome blueliner Alexandra Monuk. Ravens captain and Olympian with Team Germany, Sara Seiler, will be back for her fifth year. She will be looked to for a bigger leadership role after attending the first International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) High Performance Women’s Camp in Slovakia over the summer. Defenceman Melanie McKnight and forward Kaila Lassaline will both be back for their fifth year, along with 2010-11 RSEQ Second Team All-Star Claudia Bergeron. Bergeron led the team in points last year with 17, good enough for 11th overall in the league. She will be looked upon again this year to lead the Ravens’ offence.
2010-11 Record: 7-8-5 Playoff Record: 0-2 All-Stars and Awards: RSEQ Second All-Star Team: Claudia Bergeron,
Kristen Marson
Key Losses: Kristen Marson, Erica Skinner Key Returning Players:
Sara Seiler, Claudia Bergeron, Melanie McKnight, Kaila Lassaline
Key Recruits: Chantelle
The Ravens trio of Victoria Powers, Eri Kiribuchi and Tamber Tisdale will be back between the pipes, rounding out an impressive lineup for Carleton.
Head Coach: Shelley
Coolidge
Home Ice: Ice House
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Rivest, Alexandra Monuk, Helen Gunner, Ainslee Kent
Seiler Brings International Flavour to Ravens By: Steve Rothwell
“It wasn’t that much different than playing here,” says Sara Seiler about playing in the 2006 Olympics in Torino. “You just focus on playing your best so when you’re playing you kind of forget about the crowd.”
suggested that women’s hockey might not be part of the Olympics in the future because of a large discrepancy between the major hockey powers and the rest of the competition. The IIHF responded by creating this elite camp to help develop players and coaches from less-powerful Experience and calmness playing in big hockey nations. games is just one thing that the fifth-year Ravens centre and German international Seiler’s coach with the Ravens, Shelley player brings to a Ravens team looking Coolidge, says the opportunity to train to improve on a fourth place finish in the at the IIHF camp is invaluable for her 2010-11 season. captain.
little things she picked up will help her teammates this season.”
Seiler is fresh off a trip to the first International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women’s World High Performance Camp in Bratislava, Slovakia. The camp was developed to improve parity in international women’s hockey.
“We learned how they prepare for practice and games as well as how to prepare and recover off the ice,” says Seiler. “It was a lot of little things to develop us as players.”
“[Seiler] had the opportunity to be with the finest athletes the IIHF has to offer,” she says. “When you go and see how players like that compete on and off the ice it gives you a look at how you are training comparatively. With [Seiler] going and learning from the best, she After the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, can come back here and apply that to the International Olympic Committee how she trains and prepares. The extra
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The camp took place in July and featured athletes and coaches from six senior teams and six under-18 teams for a total of 17 athletes and five coaches. Player ambassadors and coaching mentors attended the camp from Canada, the United States, Finland and Sweden to help guide the other nations on training techniques, nutrition, coaching and onice workouts.
Seiler was one of two Germans to attend the camp and was mentored by Canadian forward Fiona Smith-Bell
large role in her final year of university hockey. “This year we expect her to bring a consistent level of play, work on her confidence within her ability level and to push the others,” says Coolidge. “In practice, I expect her to raise the level of play with the other players, which will help raise the intensity.” As for her future in hockey, Seiler is unsure of whether she will continue to compete for her country after graduating from Carleton.
and Swedish defender Maria Larsson. She says that her mentors taught her different ways to train off the ice and had sessions on leadership and ways to succeed in international hockey. “Leadership wise it was a great experience,” says Seiler. “And on the ice, the level of intensity at camp is a good thing that I can show our players.” Seiler is hoping to bring back some useful tips and strategies from the high performance camp, but also brings the Ravens squad a lot of international experience playing for Germany. The 28-year-old played in the 2006 Torino Olympics, where Germany enjoyed its best ever finish of fifth place, and has been a regular for the country’s international team ever since, despite the squads’ struggles.
to see the things that she needs to do to keep herself in the game longer at a high level,” says Coolidge.
“Every athlete dreams of playing in the Olympics,” says Seiler with a laugh. “But at some point I need to decide whether I want to keep playing hockey or start working on my career.”
But if Seiler’s work ethic is any indication, While Seiler has been a staple in the it wouldn’t be a surprise to see her at the Ravens line up, she admits there are next Olympic games. areas of her game that she can improve on heading into her final season with at Carleton, including putting up points. “I think I can play in a lot of different situations, be defensively responsible and skate with anyone out there,” says Seiler. “Although I’m a centre, I’m not a natural goal scorer, so I want to put the puck in the net a little bit more this year.” Coolidge contends that Seiler has the ability to score goals, but needs to work on her confidence around the net to improve her goal totals.
“She doesn’t see herself as a scorer and that’s why I think she isn’t,” says Coolidge. Germany was dropped to the second “She is a player that can hit any target division of international women’s hockey at any time in practice. For us, it’s about after they lost to Slovakia in the qualifiers [Seiler] coming in and working on her for Vancouver. Funding was cut back and quick release, which will make the the program went through a tough time. difference in her scoring goals or not.” Now, in 2011, the German program is recovering and Seiler has high hopes for “She has an incredible shot, so it’s up to the team going into the 2014 Olympics [Seiler] to be confident in her ability to in Sochi, Russia. put the puck in the net and do the same thing in a game that she is able to do in Playing at the highest level and practice.” participating in the high performance camp should help Seiler’s longevity in This season, the Ravens are looking to hockey according to Coolidge. improve on last yea’s playoff defeat to eventual national champions, the McGill “She is old enough and mature enough University Martlets. Seiler should play a
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More Than Just a Beautiful Game for
Mackie
By: Marcus Guido
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Sandy Mackie says he started playing soccer as soon as he was old enough to kick a ball. But the Glasgow, Scotland native is best known around Ottawa not for his playing abilities, but his skills as a coach. He was a Canadian Soccer Association staff coach who’d led squads at the provincial, national and professional levels. When Carleton University needed a new man behind the Ravens men’s soccer team’s bench, he applied as soon as the position opened and was successful. He’s now been that man for 19 straight seasons. In 1994, he earned OUA Coach of the Year honours for taking ten rookies to the postseason after the 1993 team graduated 12 men. Two years later, he won the title again after coaching the Ravens to their first unbeaten season in team history. The squad has since had another five perfect campaigns. And 2006 was a year to remember for him and his Ravens. He was chosen as CIS Coach of the Year for winning OUA Championship gold. But Mackie is quick to deflect any sort of praise onto his student-athletes. “It’s the players – not me.” Despite all the success his players might have earned him, he says he still has a lot to learn about the beautiful game.
been fortunate enough to coach athletes who have raised that standard. “I’ve been very privileged, and that’s not a cliché,” he asserts. “I’ve had some absolutely great students go through the soccer program in the 19 years I’ve been [at Carleton]. There have actually been too many of them to single anyone out as being the best.” But to get better, it’s obvious an athlete needs to train hard and have the motivation to do so. At Carleton, the men’s soccer program has set high standards, both academically and soccer-wise, that a player has to meet in order to actually play, Mackie says. The athletes on the team practice for 90 minutes a day, every day, under the coaching staff’s watchful eyes. And even though they may string together long winning streaks, he says “you’re only as good as your last game.” A coach’s job involves many different aspects, he says. It’s not just instructing players in order to get a good performance out of them and going over set formations to lock down a late-game lead. A good soccer coach should also preach how to act beyond the confines of the pitch. Mackie probably thinks this way because his life has been devoted to a lot more than just soccer.
“I probably watch matches every day,” he says. “I talk to people in the pro game in Scotland. I’m still a student of the game.” The need to constantly learn is partly because soccer at Canadian universities is becoming more and more competitive, and as a result the OUA really doesn’t have any weak squads, he explains. Teams typically recruit athletes in their late-teens who’ve been playing competitively since they were only six or seven years old. The student-athletes’ experience has continuously raised the standard of play, he says, adding that he’s
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He immigrated to Canada in 1976 with his wife Pat, three-year-old son Stewart (a Carleton grad and five-year member of the men’s water polo team) and sixmonth-old daughter Gillian (a Waterloo grad), uncertain he would find work. He did. And in the same year, too. He joined the Gloucester Police Service, became the deputy chief and was involved in law enforcement until he retired 10 years ago as deputy chief of the amalgamated Ottawa Police Service. There’s even a story going around Carleton’s athletic department that he had to suddenly run off Ravens’ Field in the middle of a match to deal with an incident, but “that never happened,” he says, adding he’d never leave his players while they’re on the pitch. Though that story might be false, his desire to pass on the values he gained working with the police service is anything but. “I hope some of my life experiences and lessons learned in policing will enable me to give student-athletes an idea of how they can serve their community and truly be part of a team,” he says. For a coach who tries not only lead his team to a winning record, but shape his players’ lives outside the game, a 20th straight season seems certain.
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An Australian’s Adventure in North America
By: Steve Rothwell
“The first day I saw it snow in Ottawa I had a bit of a tantrum,” says fourthyear psychology student and Carleton Ravens women’s water polo player Katie Kirkpatrick. “There were definitely tears.” It was then that her friends turned to her and said, “Katie, you know you’re going to Alaska in less than two months, right?” After a four-month exchange from her native Australia in the fall 2009 semester, Kirkpatrick decided that she wanted to do all things North American before going home. “My mindset was, I’m in North America, and I don’t know when I am going to get back here so I might as well do as many dream things as I can,” explains Kirkpatrick. “So I
thought that I might as well go to Alaska and go dogsledding. I did all this booking before I had even seen real snow.” Kirkpatrick left Carleton after Christmas exams in 2009. She then went on a twomonth adventure across North America, making stops all over British Columbia, as well as to New York City, Seattle and Alaska before heading home to Sydney, Australia. Upon returning home, Kirkpatick was not short on stories to tell from her travels. In New York, she stayed at a homeless shelter in Brooklyn over Christmas. The shelter had been listed as a hostel when she made her initial booking online. “I had noticed it was getting dodgier as we got further into Brooklyn,” says Kirkpatrick. “By the time I had climbed down the fire-escape type staircase I noticed the hostel was right under the tracks and the neighbouring shop was all smashed in.” Instead of leaving, she roughed it for three days. “I’m sure they had never seen a girl – especially one like me – booked in there before,” she says with a laugh. While in Alaska, she met a professional dogsledder who took her on a weeklong sled through Denali National Park, where
the crew had to be totally self-sufficient and survive for a week. Once she left Alaska, she headed to British Columbia to do some backpacking. It was here that she tried snowboarding for the first time and even got swept up in Canadian Olympic fever during the gold medal hockey game. “I got trapped downtown in a street party,” recalls Kirkpatrick. “All of a sudden I got swept up and was on top of the crowd. It was unintentional, I just kind of got squeezed up on top.” After finishing her travels, Kirkpatrick knew she wanted to return to Canada more permanently than an exchange. She had never really liked taking classes at her original school, Macquarie University in Sydney, and enjoyed being independent. “Though most people would just move out of the city to get away from their parents, I decided to move across the world,” she says. Kirkpatrick also regained her passion for learning at Carleton and met a bunch of new friends playing water polo at the university. “I liked the psychology program and made a good group of friends here,” says Kirkpatrick. “So it didn’t feel like I was starting fresh when I moved here.”
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Kirkpatrick was forced to sit out from water polo because of problems with her international credits in her first full year at Carleton. Despite this, she still trained with the team almost every day during the season. “We’ve had other exchange students from England and Australia train with us in the past, but I didn’t add them to the varsity roster,” says Ravens head coach Steve Baird. “[Kirkpatrick’s] talent, work-ethic and commitment was so impressive, that it didn’t take long for her to earn a spot on the team. She was a key component in the 2009 OUA Championship win and will play a big role in our attempt at a threepeat at home this season.” On top of a strict training regimen, Kirkpatrick also works three jobs in Ottawa to finance her education. One is an office job for a family friend’s father, one is at the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario and the other is at an ice cream store in the Byward Market. Whether or not she’ll remain in Canada after graduation – well that’s a different story. “I would consider staying in Canada if I did masters work, but I don’t know if I can handle three or four more winters,” says Kirkpatrick with a laugh. “So far, I’ve only prepared mentally for the next two.”
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CUFit Spotlight:
Bodizar “Bodo” Stavric By: Keshia Eversley-Omlin Bodizar “Bodo” Stavric emigrated from Yugoslavia over fifty years ago, and for over thirty years, he and his wife were research scientists for Health Canada. Bodo has numerous papers written on the effects of caffeine on the body and travelled all over the world presenting his findings. On his travels, he climbed many mountains including the Himalayas in India and Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. Bodo used to have very bad migraines and evidence from his research showed that if he drank a cup of coffee when he felt a migraine coming on, the caffeine would help to prevent it; but, he started drinking up to 15 cups of coffee a day.
Spotlight on Fifties Plus Fitness at Carleton: This program is for people 50 years of age or older. The two 90-minute land classes include a thorough warm-up and stretch, cardiovascular activity, all-important strengthening exercises and a relaxing cool-down. There is one 60-minute session in the pool (shallow water). The objective of this class is to build and maintain physical vigour safely and enjoyably.
To help curb his addiction to coffee, he started jogging. At first it was just around the house, then up and down the street. He moved on to running around one block, then two blocks, and before he knew it he was running up to 10 kilometers a day. Once Bodo and his wife retired fifteen years ago, they enrolled into the Fifties Plus mature fitness classes at Carleton. “I enjoyed this program very much,” he says. “Fran [the instructor at the time] was very friendly and helpful in her instruction towards the class.” However, with his hiking expeditions all over the world, Bodo says he did not find the class challenging enough for his level of fitness.
Registration is now open, so visit www.carleton.ca/athletics for more information and to sign up today!
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He and his wife decided to develop their own exercise regimen. Twice a week, they started coming to Carleton’s fitness centre to use various cardio machines and engage in weight training. After they have finished their hour and thirty minute workout, they do laps in the Olympic-sized swimming pool. When asked about his favourite part of Carleton Athletics was, he said with a smile, “They’re not far from our house and we only have to pay membership fees once a year. The facilities are clean and the staff is very friendly.” It’s also a social experience. “You meet people that are on the same level as you,” he says. “You already have physical activity in common, so you find other general interests like music and culture and you can talk about them.” Bodo will be turning 85 this year, but he certainly does not look his age. “There are many factors that contributed to my health,” he says. “Being physically active has been a major factor. But I also don’t drink or smoke and I eat healthy. I sleep well and I enjoy life. I wouldn’t be able to partake in all these activities if it weren’t for being physically active.” Bodo has been in over fifty runs including semi-marathons, marathons, triathlons and 10K races. One that stands out is the Midnight Sun Marathon in Nanisivik, where he took home a Zinc medal. Apart from running, he also took part in the 1983 Canadian Ski Marathon from Lachute to Ottawa, which spans about 160 kilometers. Bodo may have a few years on you, but it is never too late to start! Physical well-being starts at Carleton. CU Fit. Look good. Feel Great.
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