Pursuit - Spring 2012

PUR SU IT

SPRING 2012 / Vol. 15, No. 1

K I N E S I O L O G Y & P h ysi c a l E d u c a t ion / Uni v e r si t y o f To r on t o

London Calling Vying for a spot on the world stage P l u s

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PURS UIT

Spring 2012

Spring 2012, Vol. 15, No. 1 EDITOR Althea Blackburn-Evans ASSOCIATE EDITOR Valerie Iancovich

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CONTRIBUTORS Althea Blackburn-Evans, Mary Beth Challoner, Jill Clark, Valerie Iancovich, Reina Shishikura, Masha Sidorova PHOTOGRAPHY Elena Iourtaeva, Jing-Ling KaoBeserve, Seed 9 ART DIRECTION & DESIGN Joel Jackson PURSUIT is published twice a year

by U of T’s Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education. www.pursuit.utoronto.ca Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Pursuit 55 Harbord Street Toronto, ON M5S 2W6 Editorial comments P: 416.978.1663 F: 416.978.4384 a.blackburn.evans@utoronto.ca

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Address changes P: 416.946.5126 F: 416.978.4384 masha.sidorova@utoronto.ca

Contents

3 FACULTY NOTES What’s in a name?

10 BLUES NEWS

Four teams tops in province

14

OUT OF THE BLUE

16

FIT TIPS

Coaching conference draws crowd Mary Beth Challoner mixes it up

18 READY FOR TAKEOFF

Olympic hopefuls eye London

26 DONOR LISTING 32 COURT TO COMMUNITY

Women’s volleyball gets strong support

34 RE-ESTABLISHING ROOTS

How Viiu Kanep came to call U of T home

36 ALUMNI UPDATES

Dan Thompson wants all kids in the game

44 TIME OUT

Marking our medal-winning ways

Dean’s Message

Bryan McBurney

EYEING EXCELLENCE

T

here is a well-known approach to organizational initiatives called the OODA loop – Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. It’s an iterative process that often informs my own strategic decision-making, and it’s one that I have found particularly useful over this last two years, as the Faculty renews its vision and makes important strides on several fronts.

I’m sure some of our best Blues athletes, whether they realize it or not, adopt OODA each time they face an opponent, but I see much broader applications. It’s not just about winning, it’s about determining how to be excellent, however one might choose to define it.

As the Faculty’s strategic academic planning process unfolds, there are a lot of ideas taking shape about just how the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education can and should be excellent.

And with much consultation behind us, we are now immersed in the decision phase, during which many important plans to move the Faculty forward will be formulated.

In the meantime, we are already acting on several fronts.

In January of this year, our name changed to better reflect the diversity of our programs, activities and expertise (see page 3), and the shovel went into the ground for the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport (see page 5). We are also in the midst of securing University approval to install world-class turf fields on the downtown back campus behind University College, both to advance our high performance mission (Pan American Games 2 Pursuit / Spring 2012

field hockey will be hosted here in 2015) and to significantly enhance recreational opportunities for all U of T students. And we continue to grow our faculty complement, welcoming two new faculty members in the coming year (see page 6), and renovating existing space in the Benson building to create new teaching and research laboratories.

As we celebrate all that we have achieved and are working towards, it’s also a perfect time to celebrate what some of our athletes are striving for. Our cover story features several athletes, affiliated with U of T in various ways, who are working hard to secure a spot in this summer’s Olympic Games in London (see pages 18-25).

This is a time of exciting investments, of big decisions, and of tremendous opportunity for the Faculty, for our students and student-athletes, and for the many communities with which we partner.

I hope you enjoy this issue of Pursuit. As always, we welcome your feedback!

Ira Jacobs, Dean Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

F A C U L T Y

N O T E S

NEW NAME, EVOLVING VISION O

n January 1, 2012 the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Physical Education and Health became the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, a name change that signals the breadth of its degree programs and better reflects the range of activities that happen under its umbrella.

“Our new name makes a strong statement about the wealth of offerings in our Faculty,” says Dean Ira Jacobs.

“We are unique in many regards, and this name reaffirms our teaching, research, and sport and recreation program delivery missions.”

The Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education views kinesiology as the study of human movement across a very broad spectrum, encompassing physical activity and inactivity, sport, exercise, play and dance. This discipline draws upon knowledge from the physical and life sciences, the social sciences and the humanities.

The Faculty’s definition of physical education combines the classical meaning – the disciplines studied by those who will teach children and youth about healthy physical and related knowledge and skills – with the Faculty’s additional mission of providing physical activity and sport opportunities for the entire University of Toronto community and beyond.

“There is a common misconception that our focus is primarily on preparing physical educators for careers in education,” says Jacobs. “Teacher preparation is a key part of our mission, and we are known for doing it well, but we do much more than that.

We want prospective students, current students, alumni, and the broader community to understand all that we have to offer.”

The name change comes just over a year after the Faculty introduced a bachelor of kinesiology program alongside its existing undergraduate physical education and concurrent teacher education programs, in addition to master’s and doctoral degree programs. – Althea Blackburn-Evans Pursuit / Spring 2012 3

FACULTY NOTES From left: Guy Faulkner, André Picard, Dean Ira Jacobs, Michelle Brownrigg and Jack Goodman

IS EXERCISE THE BEST MEDICINE?

Public symposium addresses question, draws strong crowd

Photos: Dan Epstein

McGill graduate student Michael O’Shea

came out to Isabel Bader Theatre on December 1 by happenstance. In town for just a few days, he was looking for a conference that would complement his research on parks and community recreation when he found a listing for the free, Faculty-sponsored symposium, “Physical Activity? The Best Medicine?”

“I wasn’t sure what to expect,” said O’Shea (pictured right) while mingling at the postevent reception. “But I feel totally inspired and recharged. It’s great to get connected with the active-living community.”

The symposium was the second in a series of public talks organized to deliver just the kind of engaging experience O’Shea described. Audience members spanned the community and included public health workers, teachers, academics, policy makers and parents.

Three Faculty representatives addressed the audience – each with a unique perspective on the connection between fitness and disease prevention. Michelle Brownrigg, the Faculty’s director of physical activity and equity, framed the discussion, sharing the latest stats on where Canadians are in reaching our recently-

4 Pursuit / Spring 2012

revised physical activity guidelines. Professor Jack Goodman, an expert in cardiac research, assessed the risks and rewards of physical activity, emphasizing that the benefits far exceed potential dangers. Professor Guy Faulkner, who researches the psychological benefits of physical activity, honed in on studies that connect exercise with decreased depression and improved mental health.

Keynote speaker, award-winning author and Globe and Mail health reporter André Picard rounded out the night, emphasizing the need to repackage public health and media messages to better resonate with today’s culture.

He capped off his talk with a reminder to role models: “Parents, teachers, policy makers, and public figures need to exercise leadership rather than talk about exercise.” –Valerie Iancovich The spring 2012 symposium, which took place on April 4 while Pursuit was in press, featured Olympian Alexandra Orlando, Profs. GregWells and Gretchen Kerr, U of T and three-time Olympic track coach Carl Georgevski and CBC Radio’s Teddy Katz discussing what is involved in preparing mentally and physically for the Olympic Games.To view past events visit www.physical.utoronto.ca and go to “Faculty and Research”.

FACULTY NOTES

Jing-Ling Kao-Beserve

From left: Alumna and national volleyball athlete Heather Bansley, Dean Ira Jacobs, Governing Council chair Richard Nunn, Mr. Blake Goldring, President David Naylor, The Honourable Michael Chan and The Honourable David Peterson

BREAKING GROUND FOR GOLDRING Nearly 300 guests turned out at the

Varsity Centre dome on January 31 to celebrate a major milestone for the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education and the University of Toronto: the groundbreaking ceremony for the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.

The Goldring family, the lead donor for the centre, was well-represented at the event. Blake and Judy Goldring were joined by their mother Barbara Goldring – wife of the late Warren Goldring, who championed the plan to support the project – as well as Blake’s wife Belinda Goldring, sister Jane McCabe, her husband Paul and their daughter Caitlin McCabe, and brother Bryce Goldring and daughter Sabrina. Tori, Lindsay and Cailey Stollery came to honour their late father, Gord Stollery, a passionate

advocate of athletics, chair of the Golding Centre campaign, and one of the centre’s key donors. Ron Kimel, whose generous gift will result in the Kimel Family Field House within the complex, was out of the country. The Honourable Michael Chan, minister of tourism, culture and sport, represented the Province of Ontario, which last year contributed $22.5 million to the Goldring Centre.

“This centre represents a new paradigm for Toronto and Ontario – a true ‘sports institute,’ where researchers, graduate students and sport medicine experts will connect with athletes, coaches and sport organizations to create a rich environment for studying, teaching, fostering and engaging in sport at the highest levels,” said Dean Ira Jacobs.

The state-of-the-art facility will house international-level basketball and volleyball courts, a relocated and expanded David L. MacIntosh Sport Medicine Clinic, a range of sport and exercise research labs, and a strength and fitness centre accessible to all U of T students. It will also create a place where U of T’s growing list of key partners – including the Canadian Sport Centre Ontario, Swim Canada and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport – can converge in support of the region’s top athletes.

A feather in the cap of the $98 million Varsity Centre complex, the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport is slated for completion in January 2015. – ABE Pursuit / Spring 2012 5

FACULTY NOTES

EN ROUTE TO NEW ROADMAP The Faculty is midway through the process of

iStock

renewing its strategic academic plan, as task forces consult a wide range of stakeholders to map out a strong future framework for delivering our academic and co-curricular programs.

“The process so far has been very informative and gratifying,” says Dean Jacobs. “It’s wonderful to have so many people engaged in this exercise and passionate about what they would like to see in the Faculty’s future.”

The latest updates can be found through the banner feature at www.physical.utoronto.ca –ABE

FACULTY BOOSTS EXERCISE INTERVENTION EXPERTISE are more sedentary than ever, the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education has strengthened its commitment to better understanding the troubling trend, welcoming of two experts in the field for the 2012-13 academic year.

Dr. Catherine Sabiston, an expert in motivations and emotions connected to physical activity, will join the Faculty as an associate professor in July 2012. Dr. Kelly Arbour-Nicitopoulos, who was a post-doctoral researcher with the Exercise Psychology Unit for three years, will return to the Faculty as an assistant professor in January 2013.

Professor Sabiston (pictured left) comes to U of T from McGill University, where she was an associate professor and named one of Quebec’s top five young researchers. Over the last four

At a time when Canadians

6 Pursuit / Spring 2012

years Sabiston has received nearly $9 million in funding for her research, much of which focuses on women who are at risk for low levels of physical activity, including those with chronic illness, adolescent girls, overweight women and cancer survivors.

Arbour-Nicitopoulos (pictured right), who is currently a research associate in McMaster University’s department of kinesiology, shares an interest in exercise intervention in special populations, particularly people with physical disabilities such as spinal cord injury.

“Drs. Sabiston and Arbour-Nicitopoulos will be excellent additions to our Faculty,” says Dean Ira Jacobs. “At a time when the price of the epidemic of sedentary lifestyles is so costly to us individually and collectively, we’re proud to have their expertise to find some timely solutions.” –ABE

FACULTY NOTES

Elena Iourtaeva

HEALTHY NEIGHBOURHOODS, HEALTHY NATIONS

To an urban planner, Toronto’s

Kensington Market is a vibrant, multiuse neighbourhood. To a nutritionist, it’s a bountiful source of fresh fruits and vegetables. For a physical activity enthusiast, it proves that walking can be a primary source of transportation.

For visiting researcher and market resident Ryan Lange, his neighbourhood exemplifies how wise planning and policies – ones that resonate with the population – can promote health and, more specifically, help ward off obesity.

Lange is studying at the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education on a prestigious Fulbright scholarship after earning his undergraduate degree at Northwestern University. “I have a background in hard science. I know a lot about the chemistry and biology of obesity and am now more interested in the human component, which is almost infinitely more complex,” he says.

Lange looked to Canada for insight, intrigued that despite our similar culture and lifestyle, obesity rates are lower here than they are in the U.S. (an average of one in three, versus one in six). He chose U of T because of its many experts, including Professor Guy Faulkner, and the institution’s multidisciplinary approach. “U of T is a beacon of research, and I want a very well-rounded, threedimensional picture of this problem,” Lange explains, noting connections he’s made with the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and the department of nutritional sciences.

Under the mentorship of Faulkner, Lange’s independent project explores the links between policy on, and public opinion surrounding, obesity. Part of this work involves talking to University of Toronto students about where they lay blame for climbing obesity rates: the food industry, the individual, genes and/

or personality flaws. Lange hopes this data will provide insight on what policy and planning approaches will resonate most with tomorrow’s leaders, here and at home.

At the end of this term, Lange will return to the U.S. for medical school, but would like to eventually join the decision-makers who influence U.S. health-related policy, which he hopes will soon emulate some initiatives currently in place in Canada. He sees value, for example, in our federal government’s Children’s Fitness Tax Credit and potential in agricultural grants to noncorn producers.

Lange also praises Toronto’s car-free zones, food policy council and food share program. “I’d like to see more programs like this in the United States. We should live in an environment that promotes the healthy choice first. Creating informed policy is one way of doing that.” – VI Pursuit / Spring 2012 7

FACULTY NOTES Greg Wells (right) and Ray Zahab

RESEARCH AND TEACHING REACH NEW HEIGHTS Few people will ever run a marathon in their lives, let alone twice a day, every day, for nearly a month. But Ray Zahab is different. In February the extreme athlete and activist challenged himself to do just that – in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable. Zahab’s journey involved a three-week, 1,700-kilometre trek across South America that saw him run the distance between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, crossing the Andes Mountains in the process. Professor Greg Wells is using Zahab’s expeditions – of which there have now been three in the past year – to stretch the boundaries of his own research and teaching by tapping into the evolving world of experiential learning.

“I think we’re still figuring out how to do experiential learning,” says Wells, who performed a variety of physiological tests on Zahab and fellow athletes during the Andes portion of the trek, filming it all for U of T’s fourth-year environmental physiology students to see back home.

The goal is to give students a real-time window into the physical demands that 8 Pursuit / Spring 2012

altitude places on extreme athletes, and the 7,000-metre summit – the largest peak in the Americas – was the ideal teaching environment. While the original goal was to stream Wells’ research live to the classroom, the overlapping Reading Week break required a change in plans. “We recorded videos relevant to the material we cover in class, uploaded them to the web, emailed the students the video links, and then sent them real-time data from the athlete testing. The students were able to see what we were doing as we did it.”

Instead of delivering a standard lecture when he returned to the classroom, Wells facilitated a more collaborative discussion about what took place and what the students learned from what they witnessed. The discussion included a question-and-answer period with Zahab, who had just returned from South America, plus a video chat with Calgary-based Jim Elzinga, one of North America’s leading high-altitude climbers and the only Canadian to have led a successful expedition that established a new route from Tibet to the summit of Mount Everest.

Wells hopes that this approach to teaching will make the students more engaged in and excited about the material.

“I really want to try to rethink the way we teach,” he says. “Kids want information on their iPods, on their iPhones; they want to be able to access information anywhere, anytime. They learn in short bursts via many different technologies. They want to listen to it, watch it, read about it, tweet about it. They want to engage with it.”

But the most critical goal for Wells is merging research and teaching. “We’ve established a new research program around ultra-endurance physiology and extreme human physiology,” he says. “The potential for collecting data around how the human body responds to extreme training and extreme environments is tremendous – not much data is available in that area right now.” The biggest challenge is building a mobile laboratory that can collect research-quality data and broadcast it from anywhere in the world.

“I am trying to fit my entire lab into my backpack!” – ABE

FACULTY NOTES

Finding a new view Zambian exchange student experiences inclusive education up close Maleek are deep in focus on their weekly reading. The challenge for Maleek is not so much sounding out the syllables as seeing the page. Mildly visually impaired, Maleek uses a special screen that enlarges the text and pictures so that he can read in much the same way as his full-sighted classmates.

An elementary school teacher and viceprincipal in his native Zambia, Ngulube is at U of T on a one-year exchange, combining physical education courses with a placement at the Rawlinson Community School in Toronto. “It was a dream of mine to come here,” he says. “I wanted to gain hands-on experience and see how we can adopt new approaches in a Zambian classroom.”

The new approach that interests Ngulube most is the integrated classroom, where children of many different abilities learn together. It’s a model he’d like to see introduced in Zambia, where students with often widely disparate disabilities are segregated into overcrowded classrooms. “It’s a form of social inequality,” Ngulube says of the congestion he sees at St. Mulumba Special School in Choma, Zambia, where he teaches physical education.

“A child with a mild disability who can benefit from a hearing aid can learn in mainstream education. So why congest special schools?”

Rawlinson proved to be a good fit for Ngulube, who is the third student to come to the Faculty from Zambia since the exchange program launched in 2009. Home to over 500 students from junior kindergarten to grade seven, the school has a strong focus on the arts and on assisting students with a variety of learning needs. In the classroom where Ngulube assists, 20 grade one and two students – some for whom English is

Jing-Ling Kao-Beserve

Jesart Ngulube and second-grader

their second language and some who have mild disabilities – come together to learn. In this busy environment, Ngulube works directly with Maleek.

“It’s been a great learning experience,”

says Ngulube. “Students are welloriented, and I admire their learning resources. This is the kind of inclusive education practice I want to take back to Zambia.” – Reina Shishikura Pursuit / Spring 2012 9

B L U E S BLUE

N E W S NEW

BEST IN THE PROVINCE

Five Blues teams marked their spots at the top of the Ontario podium this year men’s baseball

With 2011 OUA coach of the year Jim Sheppard at the helm, the men’s baseball team took gold for the first time in almost a decade, beating the Western Mustangs 8-4 at the provincial championships held in October at the University of Waterloo. men’s tennis

The men’s tennis team squeezed out a gold-medal finish just half a point ahead of the Western Mustangs, at the finals held in October at Western University. This is the men’s 31st provincial title. field hockey

The field hockey team is well acquainted with the top of the OUA podium and in October celebrated their sixth gold medal in seven years. They claimed the title with a 6-0 win over the host Guelph Gryphons. This was the team’s 28th provincial title since 1971. The team advanced to the CIS national championships in Calgary and finished fourth overall.

10 Pursuit / Spring 2012

women’s water polo

The women’s water polo team found themselves in familiar waters at the OUA championships held in November at the University of Ottawa. The Blues advanced to the final match, battling the Carleton Ravens for the fourth year in a row. This time, the Blues beat out their competition 7-3, breaking a three-year trend of falling in second place.

Men’s swimming

Men’s swimming continued to build on an astounding tradition, earning their eleventh OUA gold in 12 years.

The team earned 20 medals and had four record-breaking performances at the 2012 championships, which were held in February at Laurentian University. The stellar performances continued at the CIS championships in Montreal (details on page 12), where the Blues men swam to silver ending, just 11 points shy of the gold medal.

WOMEN’S RELAY TEAM SMASHES CIS RECORD

Jeff Caton

Four female Blues track and field athletes set a new standard at the 2012 CIS track and field championships held March 8 to 10 at the University of Manitoba. Alicia Brown, Rachel Jewett, Fiona Callender and Sarah Wells finished the 4x400 relay with a time of 3:41.47, a full four seconds ahead of the previous record held by U of T (3:45.83). “Three out of four of us were injured last year and this was redemption to go out and reach our goal,” said Wells. “Our team is amazing and knew we could do it today.” The quartet earned a gold medal, which brought the team medal count to six with four podium finishes. The women finished fourth overall with 53 points, and the men placed 11th out of 22 teams.

LACROSSE STAFF HOCKEY HONOURS GETS TOP NOD ON BENCH AND ICE Blues head hockey coach Darren Lowe and leading

scorer Byron Elliott were honoured as the OUA East coach of the year and all-star, respectively. Lowe guided the Blues to a 16-9-3 record and fourth-place finish this season. This marks the former NHLer’s third coach of the year honour in the past 15 seasons with U of T. Fourth-year forward Elliott, who recently signed with the Cincinnati Cyclones (see page 14), picked up his second OUA all-star nod.

A team’s effectiveness on the field can often be gauged by the strength of its coaching staff, a fact confirmed by this year’s honour for the men’s lacrosse staff. The group was named the 2011 coaching staff of the year by the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association. Under the guidance of third-year head coach Joe Nizich, the Blues finished 6-4 and earned their second consecutive playoff berth in 2011, a vast improvement from their 0-9 standing in his first season in 2009. “We are honoured to have received this award,” said Nizich. “It takes a collaborative effort from all the coaches to have a successful season.”

Pursuit / Spring 2012 11

BLUES NEWS

SWIMMERS RANK HIGH IN CIS

James Hajjer

The Varsity Blues men’s and women’s swimmers tallied top performances at the 2012 CIS swimming championships in Montreal, held February 23 to 25. U of T welcomed home five national champions from the three-day meet, including: fourth-year Mike Smerek, who claimed the 50- and 100-metre butterfly titles; fourthyear Andrea Jurenovkis, who won the 50- and 100-metre backstrokes; thirdyear Frank Despond, who claimed the 400-metre freestyle title; second-year Vanessa Treasure, who swam a personal best in the 400-metre individual medley and was three tenths of a second away from the CIS record set by former Varsity Blues and 2004 Olympian Liz Warden; sophomore Jeremie Holdom, who won the gold medal in 400-metre individual medley; and rookie Matt Myers, who wrapped up the 200-metre backstroke event on top. Coaches Byron MacDonald and Linda Kiefer were honoured as CIS men’s swimming coaches of the year as Toronto brought their final medal tally to 20.

Overall, the men’s team earned a silver medal with a total of 547 points, just 11 points behind the national champion UBC Thunderbirds. The women tallied 355.5 points to finish with their second consecutive bronze medal. “We had a great meet,” says MacDonald. “As a coach you plan for 100 per cent best times and top races, but you rarely get close to that. This time, we did.”

STANDOUT STARS As the intercollegiate year drew to

a close, hundreds of Varsity Blues athletes gathered together to celebrate another year of success at the annual athletic banquet.

A number of outstanding athletes were recognized for their achievements, including female athlete of the year Vanessa Treasure (swimming), male athlete of the year Mike Smerek (swimming), female rookie of the year Rachel Jewett (track and field), male rookie of the year Matt Myers (swimming), George M. Biggs Trophy winner Drazen Glisic (basketball) and Clara Benson Award winner Hannah Tighe (field hockey).

Female athlete of the year

Vanessa Treasure Swimming

Male athlete of the year

Mike Smerek Swimming

FEMALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Rachel Jewett Track and field

MALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Lindsay Nemeth

Matt Myers Swimming

ROOKIE RISES TO THE TOP First-year Blues badminton athlete Bethany So was named both the OUA female rookie of the year and the most valuable player in leading the Varsity Blues to a silver medal finish at the 2012 OUA championship, held March 16 to 18 at the Athletic Centre. The Toronto native handily won the women’s singles competition, going 5-0 and capping it all off with a dominant 21-7, 21-14 win over Western’s Fong Cho. The kinesiology major then paired up with teammate Jewel Ho to take the women’s doubles title.The duo went 7-0 and defeated Waterloo’s Carrie Law and Stephanie Yeung 21-11, 21-17 en route to the title. The 2011 Pan American junior singles champion was also named an OUA all-star for her stellar performance this season.

12 Pursuit / Spring 2012

GEORGE M. BIGGS TROPHY WINNER

Drazen Glisic Basketball

CLARA BENSON AWARD WINNER

Hannah Tighe Field Hockey

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Lindsay Nemeth

OUT OF THE BLUE

BLUES ATHLETES GO PRO Hockey standout Byron Elliott and soccer goaltending star John Smits are poised to take their athletic careers to the next level. Elliott, a Blues forward and two-time OUA all-star (pictured above), has signed a contract with the Cincinnati Cyclones, an affiliate of the NHL’s Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators. Eliot led the Blues in scoring for four consecutive seasons. “We are very proud of Byron’s professional opportunity,” says head coach Darren Lowe. “We’ll certainly miss his scoring touch and level of play here at U of T, but we wish him well on the next step in his career.” Smits, an OUA East second team all-star, has signed a contract to play for Edmonton FC in the North American Soccer League. In three seasons with the Blues, Smits established himself as one of the top goalkeepers in the CIS. “We are very excited for John to have this opportunity to play professional soccer,” says head coach Anthony Capotosto. “He has improved every year that he has been with our program and we are proud to see him graduate and moving onto play at the next level.”

The season isn’t quite finished

yet for third-year Blues runner Tamara Jewett. She is one of the 11 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) studentathletes set to compete at the 18th FISU (International University Sports Foundation) world university cross country championships in Lodz, Poland, on April 14. This season Jewett was crowned the 2011 OUA champion and most valuable runner, and went on to earn the CIS silver medal. The Toronto native also earned both OUA all-star and CIS all-Canadian status for her stellar performances.

14 Pursuit / Spring 2012

DESOUZA SHINES AT CFL CAMP Fourth-year Varsity Blues linebacker Wilkerson DeSouza proved he has what it takes to get to the top. The OUA first team all-star, who ranked second in the province with 47 tackles this past season, showcased his skills at the 2012 Canadian Football League’s evaluation camp, held March 2-4 at Varsity Centre. Over the three days CFL general managers, coaches and scouts tested, interviewed and evaluated hot prospects such as DeSouza, who was chosen alongside 58 other top performers to be considered at the upcoming Canadian draft on May 3.

He led his team to the top-ranked defence in the province in weeks three, four and five of the 2011 intercollegiate season. Former Blues teammate Hugo Lopez was drafted to the Edmonton Eskimos last year.

Hai Bao

JEWETT SECURES SPOT AT FISU

U of T scores big with national coaching conference

Event photos: Jill Clark; Soccer ball close-up: Jing-Ling Kao-Beserve

On February 4 and 5, soccer coaches

from across the country converged at the University of Toronto to share and expand their knowledge of the game at one of the largest soccer conferences Canada has ever seen. Hosted by U of T’s Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education and spearheaded by Anthony Capotosto, head coach of the Varsity Blues men’s and women’s soccer program, the 2012 National Soccer Conference brought over 300 delegates to Varsity Centre to learn from the best.

Seven on-field sessions were led by standout coaches from across North America, including: Canadian men’s national team head coach Stephen Hart; United States Soccer Federation staff coach Bob Gansler; the newlyappointed head of player management and advancement for the Vancouver Whitecaps, Stuart Neely; Toronto FC Academy head

goalkeeping coach Paolo Ceccarelli; and former Toronto FC head coach Nick Dasovic. TSN and CBC soccer analyst and commentator Jason De Vos was also on hand to discuss the development of Canadian players.

Participants explored a variety of topics, including advanced goalkeeping tactics, high-pressure defending, building a strong team, and coaching at the professional level.

“The conference offered insight to coaches at all levels in the game,” said Capotosto, who is also the new head coach for the Toronto FC Academy’s under-15 team. “This kind of professional

development positions all of us to better serve the players with whom we work – and ultimately helps us raise the standard of play in Canada.”

Varsity Centre’s state-of-theart field, covered by a dome for the winter, was home to all of the conferences practical sessions, while speaker sessions were led at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE/ UT) across the street. Members of the Blues men’s soccer team and the Toronto FC Academy participated in drills and demonstrations.

Athletes from both teams in the Blues soccer program played a predominant role in organizing and running the event.

“I’m really proud of my athletes for the tremendous effort they put forth,” said Capotosto, who aims to make the conference an annual event. “They helped start what I’m confident will become a great tradition in coach education.” – ABE Pursuit / Spring 2012 15

F I T

T I P S

A t the T op of H er G ame

Photo: Seed9

How former Blue Mary Beth Challoner challenges herself on and off the field

16  Pursuit / Spring 2012

Many student-athletes, fans and alumni will recognize Mary Beth Challoner as the ever-present stage manager at Varsity Blues events and games. But she once played a different role for the Blues, as a forward on the women’s hockey team. After graduation, Challoner decided to pick up an entirely new sport: football. She recently spoke to Reina Shishikura about her passion for her latest sport and her recent foot injury. Douglas Rosa, the Athletic Centre’s personal training and nutrition coordinator, provides some insight on how to improve her game.

Name: Mary Beth Challoner (SMC, 9T8) Occupation: Manager of Events and Marketing, Varsity Blues Age: 37 Sports background: Competitive hockey player since 16 and Varsity Blues forward for five years. In 2002, she traded her skates in for cleats and now plays in a competitive football league.

Accomplishments: “Our [football] team winning at the U.S. national championships in 2006 and 2007, consecutively. No other Canadian team had ever won it.”

Goals: To maintain her current level of fitness and to try something

new every year. “Last year I learned golf and loved it, so this year I’m going to learn tennis from a colleague who used to play on the Varsity team.”

Challenges: Two years ago, during a championship game, Challoner suffered a high-ankle sprain and a Liz Frank injury (the ligaments attaching her toes and ankle were torn). That Cardio routine: “Since football injury was her worst yet and recovery is a big chunk of my life, I don’t do a lot took over seven months. “An injury of other cardio. I’ll do an occasional 30 like that is a big hurdle. My constant minutes on the elliptical.” Challoner also challenge is to not worry while playing takes advantage of working at Varsity and not go into a game scared.”

Centre, where she can use the stadium steps for a quick run.

Diet: A healthy, steady diet with lots of vegetables, fruit, fish and chicken.

Strength and “I eat five meals a day, and watch what conditioning routine: I eat. But if I want a piece of chocolate, Challoner dabbles in weightlifting but I’ll have it. I won’t have the whole bar, admits that she gets bored easily. “I try but I won’t cut myself off from food to do a variety of things to keep my I want to eat.” muscles surprised. Since working with my personal trainer after my injury, Temptations: “My biggest vice I’ve started incorporating things like is Starbucks; I have to work hard to not the pull-push method, where for every get their loaves and lattes. But I do get push workout, I’ll do a pull workout.” them sugar-free!”

DOUGLAS RECOMMENDS: CREATE A SCHEDULE MONTHS IN ADVANCE

“It’s a lot of work, but if she plans her workouts a few months ahead of time, it’ll help in the long run. For example, when she’s in-season, strength training isn’t going to take priority. So during off-season she should incorporate strength and cardiovascular training to prepare.”

DO CARDIO WORKOUTS THAT MIMIC THE SPORT

Since her defence position in football doesn’t require a lot of endurance, Rosa recommends doing short sprints and other high-anaerobic exercises. “It’s great that she’s already running on the stadium stairs. Using the elliptical is good too, but running short sprints is probably more beneficial to her sport.” Rosa also recommends squash to increase her power and agility. “She’ll be able to react faster in her games.”

GAIN POWER THROUGH WEIGHTS

“Mary Beth can try Olympic weightlifting. Many football players do it because it’s high power, and it’s a great workout during the off-season.” He also recommends exercising with kettlebells, which will foster increasing power and explosiveness.

EAT ACCORDING TO ACTIVITY LEVELS

Rosa commends Mary Beth for following a good diet, but reminds her to alter her meals according to her workouts and games. “A good combination of carbohydrates, fat and protein is key both before and after high-intensity exercises. But she’s doing great with eating five meals a day – that’ll maintain her metabolism.”

STRENGTHEN ANKLE MUSCLES TO PROMOTE HEALING

“To strengthen her intrinsic muscles, Mary Beth could start doing exercises on a Bosu ball, which will give her stability. Once she’s comfortable with that, she can progress to using a wobble board.

At home, she should do some barefoot exercises like spreading her toes, mimicking grasping a towel, and plantarflexion and dorsiflexion (extending her ankle up and down).”

Pursuit / Spring 2012 17

Photo: Getty Images

Rosie MacLennan got a feel for her Olympic venue on January 13, soaring to incredible heights during the trampoline qualifier competition at London’s North Greenwich Arena.

18  Pursuit / Spring 2012

READY FOR TAKE OFF Six athletes with six unique paths, bound by one ultimate goal: to give it their all at the London Olympics this summer.

by Valerie Iancovich

“When I was a kid, watching the opening ceremonies, I said, ‘I want to be one of those athletes’ – the same way a kid says they want to be an astronaut,” recalls Olympian and London competitor Rosie MacLennan.

And yet, here she and her fellow U of T athletes sit, in their metaphoric rocket ship en route to this summer’s Olympic Games. But there’s nothing fanciful about qualifying; it demands hard work, talent and sacrifice. Whether that means taking a hiatus from a promising career, moving countries, or living out of a suitcase more than six months at a time, these athletes have proven they are committed and have what it takes to achieve the dream of representing Canada in London this summer.

Pursuit / Spring 2012 19

A Soaring Success Rosie MacLennan admits that having an Olympic Games under her belt will give her an edge this summer in London. “In a way the first time can be a bit overwhelming,” she says of her experience at the Beijing Games. “Now I know what to expect, the pressure I’m going to feel and how to manage it a bit better.” Though she’s too humble to say it, MacLennan is approaching these Olympics in an enviable position.

She was one of just a handful of trampoline athletes to secure an early Olympic spot at the World Championships in November. But she is leaving nothing to chance, logging up to six hours of training a day, six times a week.

A high achiever beyond the gym, MacLennan graduated from the BPHE program in November, earning high honours just after taking gold at the Pan Am Games. She has been training full-time since then – on the trampoline, in Pilates class, at the gym, and in the weight room and dance studio – fine-tuning her body and her routine in preparation for July.

Beyond the physical benefits, the intense training offers a mental edge for those nerve-racking moments right before that first leap on the trampoline. “It helps to know you’ve prepared properly and done everything in your power to get there.”

As regulars on the podium, MacLennan and teammate Karen Cockburn take turns settling nerves and reassuring each other before they jump into the spotlight. “We have to stop ourselves and say, ‘No matter what happens, the sun will still come up tomorrow.’ However we place, it’s not going to change who we are.”

20 Pursuit / Spring 2012

Time to shine Canada is known for many natural wonders, but sandy beaches aren’t exactly at the top of the list. Perhaps that’s why beach volleyball athletes like former Blues Heather Bansley and Josh Binstock have a little extra work to do on the road to London.

volleyball). Finances have been extra tight since October when he put his career as a chiropractor on hold in order to work towards these Olympics. “It was a major decision, but this is the time to do it. I don’t want to have any regrets.”

Both are training full-time and spend countless hours at the gym, on the sand and getting to and from international competition. “I was on the road for eight months last year; it can get pretty exhausting,” says Bansley (BA 1T0, Volleyball). On top of typical demands of elite competition, these athletes are also busy booking flights, sourcing accommodations and managing fundraising and sponsorship opportunities.

Training six days a week, meeting weekly with a mental coach and building on the positive chemistry with his new partner, Martin Reader, Binstock feels great. “I’m in the best shape of my life. We’d like to not just qualify, but get on the podium for sure.”

Photo: Seed9

“Government funding for this sport is pretty limited and travelling for the world tour can get expensive,” says Binstock (PHE 0T5,

As one half of the country’s top-ranked beach volleyball team, Bansley is also confident that the hard work will pay off. “Our successes have given us a lot of confidence; through all of this international competition, we’ve learned we’re on par with the top teams.”

Pursuit / Spring 2012 21

22  Pursuit / Spring 2012

Pros in the Pool

“I learned everything in Beijing,” says Oriwol, a Harvard graduate who now trains with U of T’s High Performance Swim Centre.

“The Olympics is the main event. Nothing else compares; there’s no way to prepare for it, other than just doing it.”

Russell (BSc 1T0, Swimming) had a similar learning experience in 2008. “I was just in awe the entire time. It’s like a constant adrenaline rush; you work your entire life for that. This time around I’d like to think that I’m a little more grounded.”

Though Russell has graduated from U of T, he continues to train under Blues head coach Byron MacDonald, whose style and wealth of experience complement Russell’s personality – especially valuable since a shoulder strain forced Russell to switch events for these Games. “The 200-metre free was my event,” he says. “I’m really pushing it to do the 100-metre. It’s really competitive.”

Oriwol is preparing for the 200m backstroke under the full-time guidance of the swim centre’s head coach, John Rodgers, but Oriwol also benefits from MacDonald’s involvement in the program. “Between the two of them they have decades of experience.

They’ve put so many people on the Olympic team; they have really good intuition.”

Beyond the solid coaching staff, Oriwol has been impressed by the interconnected nature of the centre. “There’s so much collaboration between the University, the coaches, support staff, nutritionists, physiologists, biomechanists. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s just easy to be a high performance, and Olympic, athlete here.”

Photo: Seed9

The Varsity Pool at the Athletic Centre is frequented by some of the region’s strongest up-and-coming athletes.

In this sea of amateur talent, seasoned swimmers Colin Russell and Tobias Oriwol stand out for their wealth of international racing experience and their good odds of representing Canada in London this summer – which would be a second Olympic appearance for both.

Pursuit / Spring 2012 23

National Treasure When a bleary-eyed Elodie Li passed through the gates at the Mauritius International Airport last September, she was greeted by billowing red, blue, yellow and green striped flags, family members beaming with pride, the drumbeats of local musicians, the hustle of news crews and the outstretched hand of the Mauritian minister of sport – all ready to congratulate the country’s new golden girls.

Li (BPHE 0T5, BEd 0T6, Volleyball) and beach volleyball partner Natacha Rigobert made their tiny island nation proud, reaching the top of the podium at the All-Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique. Shortly after their big win, the pair was named Mauritius’s team of the year.

“I’m not really comfortable being the centre of attention; it can be overwhelming,” Li admits during an interview from the south of France, where she’s been training since 2010.

The fanfare is likely just getting started. Earning top spot at the tournament has made the team a favourite to qualify for the London Games. “This whole journey’s been incredible,” says the former Blue. “There’s a lot of hype in Mauritius right now.

Representing a small country means a lot.”

Once the excitement of the Games passes, Li plans to return to life as a high school teacher in Toronto. She will maintain a connection to her sport and her birth country, noting that despite its vast, picturesque beaches, Mauritius lacks beach volleyball resources. “Eventually, I’d like to help develop a program there so people can just come out and experience the enjoyment of playing. I’ve had such incredible support. I feel that it’s important for me to give back.”

24 Pursuit / Spring 2012

London-bound As July 27 gets closer, athletes aren’t the only ones fine-tuning their routines in time for the opening ceremonies. Professor Greg Wells will reprise his role as host of the immensely-popular Superbodies series on CTV. The series first aired at the Vancouver Games and garnered a Gemini Award and a book deal. “Leading up to London, we’re doing our best to know what we will highlight. But it’s the Olympics; unexpected, exciting stories always emerge. That’s part of the thrill!”

Photo provided by Elodie Li

Dr. Julia Allyene, a physician at the David L. MacIntosh Sport Medicine Clinic, was appointed chief medical officer for the Games.

Alleyne, who is also director of Sport CARE at Women’s College Hospital, has tended to athletes at the Salt Lake City, Torino, Beijing and Vancouver Games. “It is extremely difficult for athletes to be selected to an Olympic team, so having the opportunity to work with them for the fifth time is definitely a career highlight.”

Superbodies is set to hit the shelves in May. Inside, Wells shares his first hand experiences and research-based insight into the science of high performance sport. He also shares tips that can help average people adopt healthier, more active lifestyles.

Pursuit / Spring 2012 25

Donor

Listing

FUNDING OUR FUTURE

Y

ear after year, we are grateful to our alumni and friends who support the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education and the Varsity Blues. These individuals, foundations and corporations are much more than supporters – they are the lifeline of many of our programs and teams. Whether it was financial aid for deserving students, supporting new facilities or funding leading-edge research, our Faculty was able to meet these vital needs because of our donors.

This was another great year of people giving back. Together, our friends and alumni have raised $1,444,030 so far this fiscal year to support our academic and athletic priorities.

Annual and leadership gifts make it possible for us to respond quickly to the needs of our Faculty. This past year we were able to provide scholarships to attract the best and the brightest students regardless of their financial situation. Thanks to our donors, we created three new awards: the George Gross Sr. Water Polo Award of Merit, the Mooredale Soccer Award of Merit and the Sheehan-Kennedy Family Swim Award of Merit. These awards will help ensure the long-term success of the Varsity Blues

26 Pursuit / Spring 2012

programs and inspire our student-athletes to reach their highest potential.

The Carter Family Fellowship in Defence Sciences Research was also created to help future graduate students purse their research. This award will allow graduate students to study at state-of-the-art facilities, such as The Defence Research and Development Canada at Downsview Park, and to conduct groundbreaking research.

The fundraising campaign for the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport had also seen some significant progress, with a $22.5 million investment from the Province of Ontario.

As a result, the University of Toronto Governing Council gave final approval on October 27 to build the centre. It will be a world-class hub for sport and exercise research, sport medicine, training and competition – and bring a much-needed resource to U of T and Ontario.

The Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education is ever grateful to our donors who participate in the investment of excellence and help us build for the future.

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30 Pursuit / Spring 2012

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A PERSONALIZED PATH TO FINDING YOUR POTENTIAL “I find it very rewarding to know that I can help clients become more physically active through education, motivation and empowerment.”

— Douglas Rosa, Athletic Centre personal training and nutrition coordinator

Beginners, experienced exercisers, athletes, small groups and clients in active rehabilitation: find a personal training program that works for you.

www.physical.utoronto.ca

Photo: Seed9 32  Pursuit / Spring 2012

Shannon (left) and Katrina Rossall, with parents Anita and John

FROM THE COURT TO THE COMMUNITY What one family gets from – and gives to – U of T sport

By Althea Blackburn-Evans

A

s their first semester at the University of Toronto drew to close in 2008, twins Shannon and Katrina Rossall hit the wall. Like many multitaskers before them, exhaustion had gotten the better of the engineering students and varsity volleyball players. Katrina was suffering from mononucleosis and mom Anita was tempted to hop on a plane from the family home in Calgary. But there was a silver lining: the community feeling that originally drew the Rossalls to U of T and the Varsity Blues volleyball program proved to be the real deal.

“Anita had one foot out the door,” recalls John Rossall of his wife’s initial reaction. “She was on her way to Toronto to look after her daughter!

But [coach] Kristine Drakich and [sport medicine clinic director] Doug Richards called us and talked us into letting them take care of it – and they did.”

The scenario confirmed the Rossall sisters’ earliest impression of U of T and Drakich’s program. “What sold us on Toronto was the sense of community that was here,” recalls Shannon. “I knew I could see myself being here and enjoying it and being happy. The decision kind of made itself once when we came.”

The community atmosphere has continued in spades on the court, where the duo has formed solid friendships in each of the four years they’ve now played.

“It’s really awesome to have a group of girls like that in every year,” says Katrina. “You don’t get that everywhere.” In fact, the twins insist it’s their coaches and teammates who have made the biggest impact on their university experience – and on the skills they’ve built along the way.

“I’ve taken away a lot of lessons – things I’ve learned about myself and about working with people,” says Shannon.

“You have a little part of every person that

you played with; you learn something from each person. That’s the takeaway.”

John and Anita saw an example of that takeaway last summer, when their daughters sat at the dinner table in their Calgary home discussing experiences at their first summer jobs in a large engineering firm. “I thought they had a very sophisticated view of the workplace, how people function together, and how as junior people they could contribute,” recalls John, who as a seasoned oil and gas

become an integral part of the team in more ways than one. From home they are the Blues’ best ambassadors, meeting with potential recruits and their families at volleyball games in Calgary to help put a face to the team. Seeing a gap in financial support, they also made both leading and matching gifts to help establish the Friends of Blues Women’s Volleyball Award – a scholarship fund that will ensure more talented student-athletes get the benefit of the U of T experience. “If we’re always looking to the person beside us to make an investment, no one will,” observes Anita.

“So we approached Kristine with our investment and now we’re working hard to help grow the fund by generating more support.”

To that end, Anita chairs the program’s fund development committee, offering what Drakich calls some “much-needed organizational skills” and acting as the glue to bring other alumni and supporters together. A civil engineer herself, and a passionate advocate for women in science and business, Anita sees this as an opportunity to invest in a new generation of talented young women. “These are just the right people to be supporting, and they will, we know, play impactful roles in their community – wherever they go and whatever they do.”

The Rossalls hope to inspire others to join the metaphorical team by supporting the program in whatever way they can.

“Many small contributions will make a big impact,” says John. “We’re not just building players; we’re building talented, passionate and incredibly industrious members of the community.”

“These are just the right people to be supporting and they will, we know, play impactful roles in their community” industry executive has seen scores of young professionals navigate their way in business.

“I definitely saw them taking things they’d learned from the team and applying them very directly to their new work situation.”

As her daughters find their place in the world, Anita sees what sport can do not only for them but for the many strong women she has watched come through the Blues volleyball program and go on to great things. “These are gals who really have potential to be leaders in the community, but you have to learn how to be a leader,” she insists. “If they get practice at it – at this stage, when they’re busy studying and balancing the pressures of volleyball and the ups and downs that go with it – that is the ultimate benefit to be gained here.”

And Drakich, Anita says, brings much more to the table than a solid history of winning championships. “Kristine is highly involved in the volleyball community beyond what she’s paid to do, and that aligns very much with our value system – you give back to the community in a way that you’re able to.

She is a good role model.”

Impressed by how the program grows its players, and inspired by the community it fosters, Anita and John have themselves

To contribute to the Friends of Blues Women’sVolleyball Award or to the broader Varsity Blues program, contact Rachel Keeling at 416.978.3711 or rachel.keeling@utoronto.ca.

Pursuit / Spring 2012 33

REESTABLISHING How Viiu Kanep’s quest for community spawned a love of sport

This page: Kanep (left) cheering on the Blues, and as captain of the team (front row centre) in 1962.

Opposite (Clockwise from top left): Kanep, right, with other longtime fan and Faculty supporter Helen Gurney; with coach Kristine Drakich and student-athlete award winners; catching up with friends at the 2010 U of T Sports Hall of Fame; with student-athlete award winners

By Althea Blackburn-Evans

W

hen Viiu Kanep came to Canada on the cusp of her teenage years in 1951, she longed to reconnect with the Estonian community of her childhood – one that was torn apart during the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states in the 1940s. In Toronto, where a large Estonian population had begun to settle, Kanep formed those new bonds on unexpected terrain: the volleyball court.

“In Estonia volleyball was a very popular game and everybody played,” she says, recalling her thrill at finding new homeland friends while rediscovering

34 Pursuit / Spring 2012

a favourite pastime. Kanep and her fellow players soon drew the interest of Canadian-born athletes, and before long a new Canadian-Estonian team was born. “I was on top of the world,” says Kanep. “It was here that I began to meet so many wonderful phys ed teachers.”

Among them were recent U of T grad Mary Macdonald (PHE 5T3) and Marg Shedd, both of whom would ultimately join Kanep as inductees in U of T’s Sports Hall of Fame.

The friendships established on the court set Kanep on a path that would ultimately lead her to the University of

Toronto herself, and to the passionate pursuit of a career in physical education.

Her undergraduate years were marked by strong successes both athletic and academic. By her fourth year, in 1962, she was the Blues volleyball captain and a top-scoring outdoor archer. She was also the inaugural recipient of both the Bev Vickers Memorial Trophy and the Clara Benson Award, and a soon-to-be R. Tait Mackenzie Society member – all acknowledgements of her outstanding academic achievements.

After graduation, Kanep’s love of learning took her back across the

ocean, where she studied for a year in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland before returning to Canada to establish herself as a teacher, physical education department head and later counsellor at Applewood Heights Secondary School in Missisauga, where made her mark over a 32-year career.

While teaching took Kanep’s focus away from U of T for many years, good friend Helen Gurney (UC 4T0) drew her back in. “Helen inspected me for my teaching certificate in my first year of teaching, and we’ve been very good friends ever since. She has really been a

mentor for me,” says Kanep. “So when Gurney said, ‘Why don’t you get involved in the T-Holders Association,’ the next thing I knew, I was the president!”

Over the years, time commitments turned into steadily increasing financial contributions, which have strengthened scores of U of T student awards and sport programs. In 2004, the Faculty honoured Kanep by creating the Viiu Kanep Women’s Volleyball Award, a prize she delights in personally handing out each year. This year’s winner, Sarah Chapin, sent Kanep a particularly poignant letter of appreciation that reaffirmed the

importance of her contributions to the University. “As I get older,” admits Kanep, “I like hearing these things!”

What began as a quest to reconnect with her home country has resulted in a lifelong connection to sport and to her alma mater. “Viiu is an excellent representative of the history of women’s sport at U of T,” says head women’s volleyball coach Kristine Drakich. “She has been a devoted fan and supporter of ours for decades – and she’s just an incredible inspiration for the young women who are involved with the program today.”

Photos: Jing-Ling Kao-Beserve, Lewko Hryhorijiw and Torontonensis

ROOTS

Pursuit / Spring 2012 35

ALU M NI

UP D ATE S

Jumpstart president and Olympian Dan Thompson in his office at Canadian Tire headquarters in Toronto.

36  Pursuit / Spring 2012

Inspiring Inclusion

Dan Thompson is committed to sport for all

by Reina Shishikura Photography by Seed 9

“I believe that working with these kids is an investment in Canada and the future”

W

alk into Dan Thompson’s midtown Toronto office and your eyes are drawn immediately to a painting of Chantal Petitclerc, one of Canada’s most inspiring Paralympians. The painting came to him through the “Art Meets Athletes” calendar project that he and his staff at Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities launched last year. The calendar features paintings of Canadian athletes, commissioned by local artists, with a motivational message from the featured competitor. “We wanted to find a way to connect athletes and role models who believe in community and helping kids,” says Thompson (PHE 8T1, Swimming), who is the Jumpstart president.

The charity helps financially disadvantaged kids aged four to 18 participate in sports and recreation by

offsetting registration, transportation and equipment costs through grants to community partners. Revenues from the calendar sales go towards the program, which in this year alone will provide over $13 million to various organizations and community partners to help kids in need.

The philosophy of the program hits home for Thompson, who knows he was a lucky kid. With no need to worry about financing his own education or travel, he was able to focus on swimming at U of T and training to compete at the Olympics, Pan Am and Commonwealth Games. “Now I want to give more than I take,” says Thompson, who is still a regular at the Athletic Centre pool. “I was personally shaped by the sport of swimming, and I believe that the life skills that are taught

through sport and recreation will help create great kids and great Canadians.”

Thompson is inspired to find new and innovative ways to raise funds and to bring sports and recreation to more communities and more kids across Canada. Last summer, the organization held the Jumpstart Games, bringing 800 kids from across the GTA to Machell Park in Aurora for a day of sports and fun. To wrap up the event, Thompson and the other executives barbecued for the kids and sent them home with backpacks full of back-to-school materials. “Most of my time is spent on fundraising and program development, but there’s nothing that brings more joy than being at the events with the children,” says Thompson. “I believe that working with these kids is an investment in Canada and the future. It’s important work.”

Pursuit / Spring 2012 37

Alumni Updates

Top and bottom left photos: Jing-Ling Kao-Beserve

G E tting T ogether

Career Café

A former Olympian, fitness guru, naturopathic doctor, lawyer, financial planner and sport executive were just some of the alumni who took part in the Faculty’s third annual Career Café on February 6. Forty undergraduate students benefitted from the wealth of experience and advice these successful graduates were able to offer. If you have an interesting career path that you would like to share with current students, please contact Masha Sidorova at 416.946.5126.

T-Holders’ Association Annual General Meeting

Jamie MacDonald

The T-Holders elected 12 new directors at large at their annual meeting November 22, 2011, bringing the total number of members to 20. The group also discussed the current sport model landscape at the University of Toronto, in light of the Faculty’s current sport model review.

Accolades all around

Scores of alumni and students enjoyed the Faculty’s two annual awards ceremonies last fall. The Reception for Scholars, on November 10, shone a spotlight on students who have exemplified outstanding academic and leadership qualities, while the Varsity Blues Achievement Awards, on November 21, recognized and celebrated the achievements of U of T student-athletes.

Michael Nolan (left) presented the Leilani Nolan DeVuono “Love for Lacrosse” Memorial Award to athlete Susan Tung (centre) in honour of his late sister, Leilani, who played for the Blues from 1998 to 2001. Women’s lacrosse head coach Todd Pepper (right) joined the celebration.

38 Pursuit / Spring 2012

Women’s Volleyball honours past champions

On October 29, 2011, the first annual women’s volleyball alumnae ceremony took place during home opening weekend.

This year, the Varsity Blues honoured the 1988-1989 OWIAA championship team.

Left to right: Cayra Deluna (Carrie Dorion), Jessica Raedisch, Donna Roach, Janice McDonald-Teggart, Laura Inward, Kristine Drakich, Jolan Storch, John May (1989-90 head coach), Mary (Wales) Parsons.

Alumni Updates

The University of Toronto’s Spring Reunion is just around the corner!

From May 30 to June 3, the campus will be alive with activity as U of T hosts several signature events as well as a number of Faculty-specific gatherings. The honoured years are classes whose year of graduation ends in 2 or 7.

Please visit www.springreunion.utoronto.ca to view all of the events and to RSVP. Events for individual KPE classes are listed below. For more information, please contact the individuals listed or Masha Sidorova, manager of alumni relations, at masha.sidorova@utoronto.ca or 416.946.5126.

PHE 5T2 – 60th Reunion Friday, June 1 6:00 pm cocktails and 7:00 pm dinner Faculty Club Pub, 41 Willcocks St. Toronto Organizers: John Miteff and Ros Stone Contact: John Miteff at 416.244.3754

PHE 6T2 – 50th Reunion Friday, June 1 11:30 am lunch Home of Sally Jo (Evans) Martin Contact: Masha Sidorova at 416.946.5126

PHE 7T2 – 40th Reunion Saturday, June 2 12:00 – 3:00 p.m.

The Auld Spot 347 Danforth Ave., Toronto Contact: Masha Sidorova at 416.946.5126

PHE 7T7 – 35th Reunion Friday, July 6 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

Benson Lounge, Athletic Centre 55 Harbord St., Toronto Contact: Chris Alexiou at alexiouc@hdsb.ca

U pcoming E v ents University of Toronto Sports Hall of Fame

Join us as we honour U of T’s finest athletes, builders and teams. See back cover for a listing of the 2012 inductees.

Varsity Blues Golf Tournaments 2012 Men’s Hockey Contact: Darren Lowe at 416.978.3083 or darren.lowe@utoronto.ca

Thursday, June 7, 2012 6:00 p.m. reception, Great Hall, Hart House 7:30 p.m. ceremony, Hart House Theatre 7 Hart House Circle

Women’s Hockey Contact: Vicky Sunohara at vicky.sunohara@utoronto.ca

Tickets: $30 for adults, $15 for children 12 and under Call 416.978.8849 or visit www.uofttix.ca

Further questions about golf tournaments or reunion events can be directed to Masha Sidorova at masha.sidorova@utoronto.ca or 416.946.5126.

Men’s and Women’s Golf Contact: Chris Torotorice at cgtortorice@hotmail.com

Pursuit / Spring 2012 39

Alumni Updates

Y

D

LO

G

UC

KINESIO

ATION

Class Notes PHYSIC

AL

E

1940s John (Jack) D. Marsh PHE 4T9, B.Ed. 5T8, Med 6T0

For 33 years, Jack had a rich career in education at six different schools in Scarborough. He began as an elementary school teacher and later served as a principal for 22 years, retiring from North Bendale Junior Public School in 1982. An avid lover of a variety of water sports, Jack won a provincial wakeboarding championship at Calabohe Lake at the age of 75, and didn’t hang up his his skis and board until six years later. Jack continues to enjoy retirement with his wife, Barbara.

1970s Jon Dellandrea, UTSC 7T3, M.ed. 8T0, Doctor of Ed 8T7, Football

Jon was appointed president and chief executive officer of the Sunnybrook Hospital Foundation on April 2. As U of T’s former vice-president and chief development officer, Jon led the successful completion of the University’s $1-billion campaign a year ahead of schedule.

Patricia Leith, PHE 7T0

Pat was inducted as a builder into the Lindsay and District Sports Hall of Fame for her outstanding contribution in gymnastics, aerobic gymnastics and dance. In 1978 she helped found the Victoria Vivant Gymnastics Club and held a number of board and coaching positions over the years. She is also the co-author of The World of Fitness and Recreation Leadership, a text that is used in several Canadian and U.S. high schools and colleges.

2000s Marlene Brum-Porto, PHE 0T3 and Michael Porto, PHE 0T3

Classmates Marlene and Michael welcomed Gabriel Brum Porto to the world on May 24, 2011, Marlene, Michael, Gabriel and big brother Matteo are all doing well.

40 Pursuit / Spring 2012

We have the gear. Do you have the drive?

Proud Sponsor of the Varsity Blues

Varsity Sports Store Ordering for your team? Ask in store for details

Varsity Sports Store 55 Harbord St • Athletic Centre Toronto ON M5S 2W6 (416) 977-8220

Hours of Operation Monday - Friday 10:00AM - 7:00PM Saturday - Sunday 10:00AM - 4:00PM

www.uoftbookstore.com

Alumni Updates

In Memory

MR. GORDON STOLLERY M.Sc. 7T2, Goldring Centre Campaign Chair

Canada lost a great citizen, and the University of Toronto lost

a loyal friend with the passing of Arthur Gordon Stollery on December 12, 2011. Gordon built businesses in several provinces, including the renowned Angus Glen Golf Courses, and he made a lasting contribution to the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education.

The soon-to-be-built Frank Blackwood Stollery Atrium in the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport is Gordon’s tribute to his grandfather, the well-known clothier whose store on the corner of Bloor and Yonge streets was founded in 1901 and today remains a Toronto landmark. The atrium is also a nod to the Stollery family’s passion for sport. The light-filled space will feature towering ceilings, allowing students and spectators to view the action on the centre’s world-class basketball and volleyball court in the Kimel Family Field House.

Stollery was initially a business leader in the Alberta oil fields, though his love of golf saw his focus broaden in the early 1990s. A runner-up for the Canadian junior title and winner of many club championships at Rosedale Golf Club in his youth, Stollery developed land owned by his family into the Angus Glen Golf Club. It became one of Canada’s most successful public golf facilities and has since hosted two Canadian Opens.

Angus Glen has been home to the Varsity Blues golf team for nearly a decade, and Angus Glen pros run an annual winter golf academy under Varsity Centre’s dome.

Vanessa Anderson, VIC 2007

Member of the women’s Varsity Blues hockey team from 1999 to 2003 and a member of the lacrosse team in 2004, Vanessa passed away at age 30 in September 2011 after a battle with cancer. She was one of the founders of Toronto Sledge Hockey in the Neighbourhood, a City of Toronto program. Sledge hockey is a modified version of the traditional game, created for athletes with disabilities using a modified snow sled and two short sticks for puck handling. Vanessa’s passion for sport and life will be greatly missed.

Kent “Arthur” Duncan PHE 7T2

Kent died suddenly at home on December 3, 2011. After graduating from the Faculty he pursued a career in education, 42 Pursuit / Spring 2012

teaching 31 years at Northern Secondary School, retiring in 2005. He is deeply missed by his family and many friends at the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Secondary School Athletic Association, Coxwell Sports, East York and Leaside Baseball and Victoria Village Hockey.

Peter Ferguson, PHE 4T8, Hockey

Peter passed away on January 23. While at U of T, he played on the Varsity hockey team and was heavily involved in intramural sports, helping to claim the championship in lacrosse in 1945-46 and 1946-47. After graduation, Peter went on to a rewarding career as a teacher, vice-principal and principal.

Peter took great care of others and was an outstanding mentor.

He is greatly missed by his loving family.

Alumni Updates

Donald M. Gibson, Engineering 4T5, Basketball

Donald passed away on July 17, 2011 at the age of 91. After graduation he enjoyed a long career as an engineer and became extremely involved with Lawn Bowls Canada, the Boulevard Club, curling at the High Park Club and numerous committees and organizations. Donald served on the executive board of directors of the T-Holders’ Association and was recognized for his volunteer services at the University with an Arbor Award in 1990. He will be deeply missed by his family.

Major General Bob (J.P.Robert) LaRose PHE 4T9, Hockey

Bob died on May 15, 2011 at the age of 85. He began his army career when he was old enough to enlist as an airman in the Canadian Air Force at the tail end of WWII. Following the war, he was the first in his family to attend university, where he was a valuable defenseman for the Varsity Blues hockey team. Upon graduation he returned to the armed forces as an army officer, and his career grew from there. He is greatly missed by his family.

Michael David Muir, PHE 6T1, B.Ed. 7T3, Basketball, Football

Mike died peacefully on January 6 with his wife Clare at his side. Mike was a well-respected educator and leader in the North York and York Region school systems for many years.

Most recently he volunteered as a peer facilitator and librarian at Wellspring Cancer Support Centre. While competing for the Blues football team, he was a conference all-star in 1959 and winner of George M. Biggs Trophy in 1961. Mike leaves behind his loving family, who will miss him greatly.

John David ‘Jody’ Ortved, VIC 7T2, Football

Jody unexpectedly passed away on February 1 in his 62nd year after a brief and courageous struggle with cancer. While at U of T, he was an accomplished athlete who enjoyed all sports and played football for the Varsity Blues. Jody is missed by his soulmate and wife, Catherine Caven Ortved, and his children, siblings, nieces, nephews and close friends.

Irene M. Todgham, PHE 4T5

Irene passed away on November 5, 2011 at the age of 87.

Following graduation, Irene was a teacher and an active volunteer with the Chatham YMCA, where she was a volunteer swimming instructor and the first woman to sit as chair of its board of directors. She was also president of the Flora Campbell Auxiliary and then of the Junior Hospital League at Chatham Public General Hospital.

James Worrall

James passed away on October 9, 2011 at the age of 97. He was Canada’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 1936 Olympic Games, where he competed as a hurdler. He would later become president of the then-Canadian Olympic Association, as well as a long-time member of the IOC. A dedicated sport executive, James was on the board of directors of the organizing committees of Canada’s first two Games: Montreal 1976 and Calgary 1988. He was also an officer of the Order of Canada and a member of three Sports Halls of Fame.

Our condolences to family and friends.

James Fraser Mustard, Medicine 5T3, Football

After a long and rich life, Fraser died peacefully at his home in Toronto on November 16, 2011. Fraser had a life of accomplishment as a scientist and a medical educator; he was a member of the founding leadership of the McMaster University Medical School. While at the University of Toronto he was captain of the football team in 1950 and winner of the Copp Trophy in 1949; he went on to coach the team in 1952.

He is remembered by his children, grandchildren, friends and colleagues.

Pursuit / Spring 2012 43

TI M E

OUT

Medal Territory

by Valerie Iancovich

Photo: Seed 9

A

n Olympic medal represents much more than an individual feat of greatness; it serves as a symbol of hope, promise and inspiration for amateur athletes who are dreaming big.

The members of the Canadian rowing team who won this silver at the 1924 Games were among the first athletes from U of T to earn an Olympic medal, confirming that the University of Toronto – already renowned for academics – was also a fertile environment for athletic talent.

Since those eight oarsmen competed in Paris, over 60 athletes from U of T, including standout rowers Kay Worthington,

44 Pursuit / Spring 2012

Emma Robinson and Roger Jackson, have reached the Olympic podium – many of them fine-tuning their sport at the same time that they were accumulating credits.

In 2012, the next generation of U of T student-athletes continues to build on this legacy of high performance excellence, toiling and training day after day at the Athletic Centre, where the nearly 90-year old medal is housed. When muscles ache and homework piles high, its silver shimmer is there to inspire – a quiet reminder of those early pioneers who elevated the possible path of the student-athlete all the way to the Olympic podium.

GOLDRING GALA

A world-class night for world-class sport

The Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport is the soon-to-be hot spot for high performance sport research, medicine, training and competition.

Help celebrate this important milestone and support an outstanding new resource for worldclass athletes.

Join us for a cocktail reception and silent auction, where you’ll meet some of Canada’s top athletes and hear their stories of reaching for gold on the world stage.

May 11, 2012, 6:00 – 9:00pm

The Royal Conservatory of Music, 273 Bloor St. W., Toronto Secure your spot: Minimum donation of $200 (Tax receipt issued for the maximum allowable amount.

Gifts of $1,000 or more are recognized with the donor’s name on the wall of the Goldring Centre) This alumni-led event is spearheaded by Sarah Gairdner (PHE 0T9, MSc 1T1) and Rosie MacLennan (PHE 1T1), world-class trampoline gymnasts in their own right. Sarah is a retired world champion and Rosie, 2011 gold medalist at the Pan American Games, is currently training for London 2012.

Confirm your attendance in one of three ways: email us at rsvp.kpe@utoronto.ca, call 416.946.3714 or mail in the form below and send your donation to Alumni Office Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, 55 Harbord Street, Toronto, ON M5S 2W6 For more details, visit us at http://uoft.me/goldringgala

✃

YES, I want to attend the Goldring Gala and support the Golding Centre for High Performance Sport Campaign I wish to contribute:  $200

 $500

 $750

 $1000 (donor wall recognition)

 Other

Payment Options

 Cheque (Payable to the University of Toronto) or  Credit Card  VISA  MasterCard  AMEX Expiry Date_____ /_____ Card Number__________________________________________________________ Name on Card______________________________________________________________Signature________________________________________________________ Name_____________________________________________________ Address_____________________________________________________________________________ Email__________________________________________________________________________________ Phone (H)_______________________________________________ May we recognize you by including your name in the published donor lists?

Yes

 No

You will receive a tax receipt for your donation by mail. Charitable Registration #: BN1081 62330_RR0001

Solicitation code: 0570044047

20

12

The Sports Hall of Fame honours Varsity Blues’ greatest athletes, builders and teams.

It was established in 1987 as part of an ongoing effort to preserve and display the records relating to the outstanding historical tradition of athletics, academics and community leadership fostered by the University of Toronto. This year’s inductees include:

Athletes

Builders

Elizabeth Hart PHE 1998, Basketball

Robin Campbell PHE 1968, Swimming Swimming coach

Alex Zaliauskas PHE 2000, Track & Field Vicky Sunohara PHE 2010, Ice Hockey Adrian Ma Engineering 1997, Badminton Lisa (Lyn) McRae St. Michael’s 1985, Field Hockey Wayne Dunkley PHE 1973, OISE 1974, Football Marco Cavazzoni Engineering 1989, Swimming Alex Zaliauskas

Liz Hoffman PHE 1971, Field Hockey, Swimming Sports pioneer Nick Volpe PHE 1948, OISE 1949, M. Ed. 1968 Football, Basketball

Teams 1985-86, 1986-87 Women’s Field Hockey CIAU Champions

1971-72 Men’s Hockey Wendy Baker PHE 1986, OISE 1989, Field Hockey CIAU Champions

Elizabeth Hart For Event Details, see page 39.

Publication Mailing Agreement #40065214 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:

PURSUIT

55 Harbord Street Toronto, Ontario M5S 2W6