Athletes at the U of A
A U of A long jumper — our guess is Jean Thurston (Holowach), ’38 BA, ’41 MD, based on yearbook photos of the time — competes in the intervarsity track meet in October 1938.
They’re team players... “It’s amazing what can be accomplished when no one cares who gets the credit.” At the U of A that inspirational statement — painted on the wall of the U of A hockey team dressing room — is most often associated with the legendary coach Clare Drake, ’58 BEd, ’98 LLD (Honorary), but reflects a team approach that has brought a lot of success to U of A sports. They’re champions... The U of A is the only university to have won a national championship in each of the 11 team sports under the Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS) umbrella.
Intervarsity track meet, October 1924. The University of Manitoba won the overall track meet hosted by The U of A. “With a typical Alberta sun shining down, records were broken like peanut shells at a circus,” a reporter wrote in The Gateway about the event.
They’re smart... Since the inception of the Academic All Canadian program in 1990 — which recognizes student-athletes who maintain an 80 percent average — the U of A has had close to 1,500 student-athletes (second only to McGill University) named Academic All Canadians. They’re active... In addition to the pursuit of excellence in competitive interuniversity sports, the U of A has a fantastically successful campus recreation program, recognized as one of the strongest in the country. Recreational opportunities for everyone in the U of A community include intramural team sports and fitness classes. Inter-fraternity relay race, 1928 (yes, those men in dresses are carrying blocks of ice instead of relay batons). Fraternities continue to regularly compete in sports events on campus.
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new trail
Winter 2007/2008