The Eyeopener, March 30, 2016

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Volume 49 - Issue 22March 30, 2016

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PHOTOS: ANNIE ARNONE, CHARLES VANEGAS. ILLUSTRATION: ANNIE ARNONE

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Wednesday, March 30, 2016 NEWS 3

RSU closes two equity centres for summerBy Nicole Schmidt and KeithCapstick

This summer, some of the Ryersontudents’ Union (RSU) equity ser-ice centres will be left unstaffednd empty.The RSU recently decided that

oth the Racialised Students’ Col-ective and RyeAccess won’t re-

main open through the summermonths. Staff members from bothentres are troubled by the movend say the need for these servicesoesn’t end with the academic year.“Marginalized students don’t

isappear in the summer. We don’tust stop going to school, we don’tust stop existing in these spacesnd there’s still things we need sup-ort on,” said Sydney Drmay, aart-time staff member at RyeAc-

ess. “To not have spaces for peo-le in the summer just implies thatn the summer they don’t matter.”

Last summer, all six centres re-mained open. Natasha Campagna,he RSU general manager, said015 was the rst year the RSU

was able to hire a full equity staffor the summer because of addi-ional funding from the Continu-ng Education Students’ Associa-ion of Ryerson (CESAR), which

was not provided this year.In April 2015, the two unions

igned a contract binding themogether in the stafng of the eq-ity service centres. A disconnectn communication created severalonicts, including a delay in pro-iding opt-out cheques.

This disconnect escalated aftercontroversy regarding the RSU’srestructuring process, when for-mer executive directors of com-munications and outreach GilaryMassa and Dina Skvirsky werelaid off. CESAR announced thattheir board of directors had passeda motion boycotting the RSU-runCopyRite print service centre.

“CESAR is not nancially con-tributing to this irresponsible andanti-union student executive,”read a CESAR statement from theannouncement.

Funding discrepancies and is-sues related to workplace privacyand student relations have alsoposed challenges within the equitycentres over the past year.

“If [a student] came to anyoneon the staff or on the board with

a problem or an issue that theirneeds are not being met becauseof a centre not being open, wewould do whatever we can to en-sure we are helping that student,”Campagna said. “Just because thecentre isn’t open doesn’t mean thatwe’re going to deny service andsay we can’t help.”

RSU vice president equity RabiaIdrees added that programs run-ning during the summer tend tohave lower turnout, which can con-tribute to budget issues during theschool year.

But Drmay said the number ofstudents visiting the equity cen-tres last summer was steady. Theyadded that some centres were ableto break ground on programming

that is difcult to start up dur-ing the school year, like GreenMinds — a new initiative aimedto engage students with nature topromote good mental health andwell-being.

In February, each centre wasasked to create a proposal out-lining plans for the summer, tobe submitted for evaluation byMarch 14.

After submitting their applica-tion, Drmay said they were hopefulfor RyeAccess’ summer program-ming to continue this year, but havesince become less optimistic.

“I had my proposal in at thebeginning of March outlining allthe things that RyeAccess does inthe summer and things we couldcontinue doing,” Drmay said. “Asfar as I know it got accepted and

looked at but I guess it wasn’t con-vincing enough.”The Trans Collective was also

planned to close for the summer,but pushback from the collectiveand its members resulted in an ad-ditional hire. Evan Roy, a coordi-nator at the Trans Collective, saidthey’re not going to take “one vic-tory as a victory for all.” Not hir-ing coordinators for every centre,they added, is a “huge oversight.”

Campagna said that during thesummer, a lot of students aren’tRSU full-time students. “Wewouldn’t be catering to our mem-bership directly by having the cen-tres open,” she said. Idrees saidthe university also provides equityservices that help students.

Sunshine List BreakdownEver wonder what useless junk Ryerson’s top earners could buy with their cash?

Some equity centre doors will be locked this summer. PHOTO: CHRIS BLANCHETTE

$356,688.49

Ryerson’s interim presidentcould buy 73,241 small beanand cheese burritos from Bur-

rito Boyz. Mmm. So spicy!

$285,107.70

The university’s vice presidentadministration and nancecould purchase 647 SwagwayX1 Hoverboards.

$291,302.28

Ryerson’s vice president re-search and innovation couldbuy 58 Ryerson Students’Union (RSU) signs.

$342,384.84

Not sure if our vice-presidentuniversity advancement likesanime, but if he did, he could buy7,979 Studio Ghibli box sets.

MohamedLachemi

JaniceWinton

WendyCukier

AdamKahan



4 Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Editor-in-Chief Sean “Sick (6) dad” Wetselaar

NewsKeith “Controlla” Capstick

Nicole “Queen” SchmidtAl “Blood on hands” Downham

FeaturesFarnia “Hates Jacob” Fekri

Biz and Tech Jacob “ASSHOLE” Dubé

Arts and LifeKaroun “Boink” Chahinian

SportsDevin “Catherine Zeta-” Jones

CommunitiesAlanna “Zeus” Rizza

PhotoAnnie “Burrito Babies” Arnone Jake “Popcorn Sutton” Scott

Chris “Floats My Boat” Blanch-ette

FunSkyler “Hot” Ash

MediaRob “On the same level as Be”

Foreman

OnlineIgor “Igz” Magun

Tagwa “Tagz” MoyoLee “Rigz” Richardson

General ManagerLiane “McSleepy” McLarty

Advertising ManagerChris “Vexed” Roberts

Design Director J.D. “The Plague” Mowat

Intern ArmyBen “Lost” HoppeVictoria “In” Sykes

Hannah “The” KirijianvLidia “Light” Foote

ContributorsAnnaliese “Coolio Julio” Meyer

Ian “Yeppers peppers” Yama-moto

Lindsay “Alrighty aphrodite”Christopher

Brittany “Editing takes a longtime” Rosen

Zahrra “#Consistency” AlumairyTova “So” Friedman

Dagmawit “Digiorno” DejeneMaddie “Winning” Binning

Sarah “Deez nutgraphs” KrichelKiki “U-turn” Cekota

Miriam “Pass along” Valdes-Carletti

Ebony-Renee “newgirlat-thewalk” Baker

Fatima “Feminism” SyedHanna “Bruce” Lee

Brittany “GET ON CAMERA”Rosen

Playing the part of the AnnoyingTalking Coffee Mug this week is theannual Ofce Plague, which cor-rupts at least half of the mastheadand leaves the rest shaking with fear.Damn you, yearly disease.

The Eyeopener is Ryerson’s largestand only independent student news-

paper. It is owned and operatedby Rye Eye Publishing Inc., a non-

prot corporation owned by the stu-dents of Ryerson.

Our ofces are on the second oorof the Student Campus Centre. Youcan reach us at 416-979-5262, attheeyeopener.com or on Twitter at@theeyeopener.

Hey Everybody! It’s Eyeopener Election Time!Speeches begin @ 7pm, April 7 location to be announced, check theeyeopener.com for detai ls.

Voting is from 10am to 4:30pm on April 8 . Vote in person at SCC207, via email or by phone.Email [email protected] for details.

But wait! There’s more!We’re having our yearly Annual General Meeting on April 6 , at noon in the Margaret Laurence

Room of Oakham House. If you like our elections, you’ll love our AGM!

Now, here’s a voter list.If your name isn’t on it but should be, email [email protected]

Lindsay Christopher/Olivia Bednar/Sarah Krichel/Noella Ovid/Justin Chandler/Noushin Ziafati/Mitchell Thompson/Brennan Doherty/Zeinab Saidoun /Annaliese Meyer/Ben Waldman/

Behdad Mahichi/Nicole Di Donato/Deven Knill/Noella Ovid/Bahoz Dara/Natalia Balcerzak/Brittany Rosen/Izabella Balcerzak/Laura Woodward/Emma Cosgrove/Dylan Freeman-Grist/

Sierra Bein/Robert Mackenzie/Josh Beneteau

All RSU members (full time undergrads and fulland part-time grads) are eligible to vote on by-lawchanges, motions, & set direction!

For more info on yourmembership in the Students’Union visit www.rsuonline.ca

ASL interpretation provided. If we need other accommodations toensure your participation, please contact [email protected] assoon as possible.

5:00pm Registration5:30pm Start

SCC115Student Centre

Annual General Meeting of the Ryerson Students’ Union

RSU Spring General Meeting

AGM

campaigns & initiatives

right

YOUR UNION

YOUR VOICE

CALLING ALL MEMBERS

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Wednesday, March 30, 2016 OUT OF BOUNDS 5

nd it funny, this barrier that weften put between ourselves and

rofessional athletes. These raisedlatforms on which we ogle mennd women because of one verypecic set of skills that they haveedicated years of training to. Asf they don’t eat breakfast, listen to

music or have feelings of self doubtust like the rest of us.

On a collegiate level things are aittle bit different since athletes aretudents just like us, but do we re-lly know who Julie Longman is

— despite cheering on the women’solleyball team as they played for ailver medal? Or what about Soa

Paska? I’m sure some of you whoollow Ryerson basketball closelyre aware of how dominant she’seen this season, but to the restf us she’s just a jersey. A number.ome stats on a computer.And even those of us who know

Ryerson sports don’t care aboutAdika Peter-McNeilly outside ofthe Coca Cola court — but weshould. We cheer for these jerseys,

compare opponents’ match-upsand leap from our seats as feats ofextraordinary athleticism are per-formed.

But when the nal buzzer ringsand we’re either elated or disap-pointed, we go home and ignore thefact that, so do they. We discuss theloss and what the team should havedone, and so do they. We return toour homes and study for midterms,and so do they. These players,judged for their acts of magic, leadthe same lives we do. Yet this no-tion is left in the bleachers, or in theMAC as we stream through exitson to more important things.

That’s why this year, for the an-nual Eyeopener Sports issue, wedecided to do things a little bit dif-ferently. Calling the issue “Out ofBounds,” we’ve gotten rid of the

jersey and the numbers, instead allthe athletes were shot in day-to-dayclothing, often reecting an envi-ronment they’re in regularly. And

while the written proles are oftenconnected to their athletic achieve-ments with the Rams, we’ve tried tofocus on how athletics is entwinedwith the rest of their lives. How thegroceries they buy reect their spe-cic diets, or the how the TV showsthey watch help them unwind afterpractice.

That’s the strange nature ofwatching sports — all our atten-tion is directed to the action onthe court or ice, and not alwaysdirected to the people who com-mand our attention. And yeah, theashy dunk or diving save shouldbe admired as a feat of athleticism.But what’s more important thanthe action, is the man or womanwho dedicated the time to perfect-ing their ability to pull it off. Andthat’s something that often gets

By Devin Jones

Let’s not forget who these athletes really areOut of Bounds

Eyeopener Sports Issue2016

Managing EditorDevin Jones

Design EditorFarnia Fekri

Photo Editors Annie Arnone

Jake ScottChris Blanchette

WritersRob Foreman Tagwa Moyo Allan PerkinsMatt Ouellet

Chris BlanchetteHailey Salvian

Brandon BuechlerGracie BrisonBen Shelley

Daniel Rocchi

lost in the spectacle of sport.So my hopes for this issue are that

you pick up this paper and comeaway with new knowledge about

people you already know. Becauseathletes, despite the cliché, are re-ally like us, and we should neveroverlook what that means. Andas you leave the MAC on to moreimportant things, the athletes leavethe important moment behind, onlyto return the next day to do it allagain for us, the fans.

Photo: Annie Arnone



6 Wednesday, March 30, 2016OUT OF BOUNDS

The men’s basketball star talks aboutshooting hoops and watching Family

Feud

Basketball players are notorious for tradition and repetition. For instance, Mi-chael Jordan, who is arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, worehis 1982 college basketball shorts under his Chicago Bulls jersey during histime in the NBA. And current Houston Rockets guard, Jason Terry, wears the

pposing team’s shorts to bed the night before their games.For fourth-year Ryerson Rams guard Adika Peter-McNeilly, tradition is all about

amily — Family Feud, that is. Each night he returns to his apartment from practice,its down and turns on his television to watch show host Steve Harvey elicit hilariousesponses from Americans on pre-recorded episodes of Family Feud .

“When you play basketball you’re putting so many hours into being on the court andou spend a lot of time off of it watching lm. So you have to nd time to put your

mind at ease and relax. One of the ways that we do it at our house is by watching Fam-

ly Feud every night,” he says.

As a spectator watching the six-foot-three guard from Scarborough, Ont., it’s easy toee that the hours he puts in on the court when he’s not watching Family Feud pay off.

He’s vocal with his teammates, athletic as any player on the court (he led the Rams inminutes played per game at 31.1) and positive no matter the circumstance.

“I like helping people out. I’m a people person. I feel like being kind and being openwith other people translates to the way that I play,” says Peter-McNeilly.

He says he wants to be remembered as a humorous person, someone who enjoysmaking other people laugh. On the court you can see how his positivity is infectious,while in victory he has a smile that resembles that of Carolina Panthers quarterback

Cam Newton — a smile that was prominent during the Rams 17-game undefeatedstreak at home this season. That stretch included victories over Carleton, Ottawa andBrock all in the same week.

H

is teammates will tell you that he brings a veteran presence, which is es-sential to creating an environment that promotes the growth of playersaround him. With senior guards Aaron Best and Kadeem Green graduat-ing, that is exactly what the team will need to succeed in the future.

“We have loud guys on the team, like energy guys, but Adika is a different type ofenergy. He’s always there to help guys with anything they’re struggling with,” says Jean-Victor Mukama, one of Peter-McNeilly’s teammates and roommates.

After Peter-McNeilly nishes his senior year next season, he hopes to move on toprofessional basketball. It’s an accomplishment that seems to be possible consideringhe averaged 15.1 points per game over the regular season, while also dishing out 4.4assists and grabbing 5.5 rebounds.

For guidance Peter-McNeilly talks frequently with Jahmal Jones about making thejump to professional basketball after his university career ends. Jones was an essentialmember of the Ryerson men’s basketball team a year ago but now plays professionalbasketball in the Czech Republic for Svitavy. When Jones returned home for Christmas,the rst place he visited was Peter-McNeilly’s home, which was a sign for the Ramsguard that basketball extends outside of the court.

“That was a kind of brotherhood moment. And talking to him reassures me that thisgoes beyond basketball because while it is essential, it’s like how’s it going outside of it[basketball]?”

Outside of basketball Peter-McNeilly is studying toward a sociology degree,one that he plans to put to good use once he can no longer contribute as aplayer on the court.

“Family is a big thing for me,” he says. He eventually wants to moveinto the eld of education, with hopes of following in his father’s footsteps as a teacher.And through utilizing the skills he’s learned in teaching he plans on setting up a highschool basketball program and serving as a head coach.

In Grade 5, Peter-McNeilly stopped playing soccer and turned all of his attention toplaying basketball and attending camps to hone his game. And now in university hisbasketball journey has come full circle.

During his time at Ryerson, he volunteered at basketball camps at Jarvis CollegiateInstitute and then at Ryerson in his second year. So his experience in leading extendsbeyond just his leadership on the court.

“Coaching would have to be somewhere in there,” says Peter-McNeilly. “I don’tthink I could ever leave basketball. I want to still be involved, even if I’m not playing.”

This would be a logical step for him as coaching seems to run in the McNeilly fam-ily. His brother Jamie worked with Marquette University of the National CollegiateAthletic Association (NCAA) for six seasons and is now an assistant coach with theVirginia Tech Hokies, also of the NCAA. Another of his brothers, Jay, spent time atYork University from 2012 to 2014 as an assistant coach.

And whether that opportunity is coaching, or a shot at continuing a career playingbasketball after his time as a Ryerson Ram ends, his track record of two bronze medalsat the CIS level and an OUA championship point to nothing but success.

“You can’t just restrict yourself and think you’re done at any point. You always haveto live in a way that you never know where the next opportunity will be,” he says.

!"#"$%&'(")**+

WE HAVE LOUD GUYS ON THE TEAM, LIKE ENERGY GUYS, BUT ADIKA IS A DIFFERENT TYPE OF

ENERGY. HE’S ALWAYS THERE TOHELP

“

”

By Chris BlanchettePhoto: Annie Arnone

I FEEL LIKE BEING KIND AND BE-ING OPEN WITH OTHER PEOPLE

TRANSLATES TO THE WAY THAT IPLAY

“

”



Wednesday, March 30, 2016 7OUT OF BOUNDS

“All the creditgoes to Sof,

she workedhard in practiceand once shestarted seeingchanges, she took it uponherself to do

more”

Soa Paska dgets in her seat at the Mattamy Athletic Centre. Paska, a six-foot-four forward, stands out in a crowd, but she is quiet and modest, and beinginterviewed for a “top 10 sports” article doesn’t seem to fall in her comfortzone. I’m outside of that zone, but head coach Carly Clarke says that is just how

Paska is when you rst meet her.“I don’t know many six-foot-four women that are crazy vibrant and outgoing be-

ause they stand out anyway,” says Clarke. “What does stand out is when you get tonow her.”In early February, the Ryerson Rams women’s basketball team was in the middle of

heir nal stretch of regular season games. Paska, playing in her second year on theeam, found her condence and her place as a starter on the nationally ranked team.

If you frequently attend games — despite her attempts to be low-key — surely Paskatands out. Her ability to dominate in the paint and shoot from distance makes her onef the hardest matchups in the CIS. But her on-court presence isn’t all that people areoticing.This season, Paska is averaging 28 minutes a game, almost 10 more than she played

n her freshman year, and is contributing 15 points — second only to all-star guard andenior Keneca Pingue-Giles. But her stat line is only part of that story.

This summer, Paska worked tirelessly on her game and shed 40 pounds in the pro-ess, making her increase in minutes and production possible.

Paska’s mother, Monika, attributes these changes to her daughter’s determination,ut also the silent motivation received from Clarke, who she says is one of the onlyoaches to not bring up her daughter’s weight. Telling a player to lose weight or workarder is not Clarke’s coaching style, who says she would rather have her athletes in-rinsically motivated than instructed.

“All the credit goes to Sof,” says Clarke.“She worked hard in practice and once she

tarted seeing changes, she took it upon herself to do more.”

All summer Paska started her day getting shots up before work at 7 a.m. Shecut dairy out of her diet, started eating better, added more weight trainingand practiced the beep and yo-yo tests — both sprint-based-cardio training.And her work has not gone unnoticed.

On an away trip to Sudbury, Paska remembers Pingue-Giles reaching out to her andraising her dedication on and off the court.

“Having her notice the hard work I’m doing is great, and coming from her, it meanslot,” says Paska. And with an increase in minutes and production, she says she feels

more condent and is enjoying the process.

“The pieces of the puzzle are really coming together,” says Paska. “I’m not afraid tomake mistakes anymore.”

While her stat line may stand out, Paska is very much a reserved person, both on andoff the court. Clarke says Paska is “very steady when she plays,” as there are no highhighs or low lows. Her calm presence carries through off the court — she is reservedand quiet unless you get to talk with her one-on-one.

Paska’s parents echo this sentiment, saying she is very shy, but when you get to knowher, “You get to see that amazing personality of hers.”

You would think as a varsity basketball player in Toronto, Paska would eat, sleepbreathe all things Raptors. On the contrary, Paska says she doesn’t watch basketball.She loves the sport, but would rather be playing than watching, though if you offer hertickets she won’t decline. She is also different in regards to her pre-game ritual. Whileher teammates are getting ready and dancing to Drake, Paska says she sits.

“Siki [Jez] always tries to get me to dance, but I haven’t yet,” laughs Paska, who saysher favourite night is ‘90s night because it’s more her taste of music.

While being a student athlete can be time consuming, the biggest com-ponent of Paska’s life is her family. When she isn’t juggling her courseload in Ryerson’s early childhood education program, she says shespends what little spare time she has with her parents Monika and Ihor

“Moose” Paska. “Soa is a real homebody, just like her father,” says her mother. “Theyare two peas in a pod.”

To say their family is close is an understatement. Paska’s parents have devoted end-less hours to their daughter’s passion for basketball and have never missed a game.They have courtside seats to every home game and even travel for the away games,regardless of the distance. “They have achieved so much so fast,” says Monika. “Wewould not want to miss seeing any of it rsthand.”

Paska recognizes that not everyone has his or her parents at all the games, whichmakes her appreciate her support system even more. Whether it’s school or basketball,Paska says her parents are always there, which makes her perform better — and itshows.

By the end of our conversation, Paska is no longer dgeting. She is smiling, jokingand letting me see the personality her friends and family speak so highly of. Paska isstill growing as a person and coming into her own. In a span of 10 minutes she let me inher zone, and in one summer she became a force to be reckoned with. With such quickimprovements it may be easy to forget about her youth. Only in her second-year, Paskais primed to lead this Rams team.

THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE AREREALLY COMING TOGETHER. I’MNOT AFRAID TO MAKE MISTAKES

ANYMORE

“

”I DON’T KNOW MANY SIX-FOOT-FOUR WOMEN THAT ARE CRAZY VIBRANT AND OUTGOING BE-

CAUSE THEY STAND OUT ANYWAY

“

”

By Hailey Salvian

Photo: Chris Blanchette




!"#$ &#'($"

Anyone who follows Ryerson hockey knowsKyle Blaney has been a key part of the Rams’success this year, but few know how chal-lenging his road was to get to where he is.

Before coming to Ryerson, Blaney played with theOakville Blades of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.He was one of the team’s top scorers, putting up 99oints in three seasons with the team“I had a couple offers to play NCAA and Graham

Wise] called me asking if I was coming. It was myirthday [in August] and I hadn’t decided yet,” Blaneyays. “I was back and forth in emails with Nebraska, a

Division One team and I was talking about going downor a visit and their school was starting in ve days.”

But ultimately, Blaney decided that a combination ofaving Wise as a coach and the new Ryerson facilities

were enough to convince him. Blaney loved the electric-ty surrounding the team and the ability to play in theewly renovated Maple Leaf Gardens.

“[It was] exciting. It was our rst year in the newuilding so a lot of the hype was around that. You couldee it in teams that would come in and play, they were

mesmerized by the arena and we were kind of in theame boat,” he says.

That season he put up strong numbers with the team,coring seven points in 12 games.

However, at the start of his second season,Blaney found himself in a position nohockey player ever wishes to be in.

Just before the start of the season, headoach Graham Wise came to Blaney with some hardews. Wise told Blaney that he hadn’t made the team foris second season, and would be sitting out for the year.“It was a big adjustment for me personally as more

han just a hockey player. You go from playing hockey

your whole life to not playing it at all,” says Blaney. “Itjust literally didn’t exist to [me]. I didn’t watch hockeyon TV and I thought about transferring [out of Ryer-son].”

Blaney’s family members also understood how muchthe game meant to him and how the change affectedhim. “Hockey is everything to him,” says his fatherPaul. “For him to not want to talk about the game, oreven Ryerson or any of the other CIS teams ... it wasstrange.”

“I was shocked he got cut,” says his brother Ryan.“It was denitely the most important thing in his life.He was devastated.”

According to OUA rules, Blaney would havebeen allowed to void his commitment to Ry-erson since he was no longer playing on theteam. However, instead of leaving the school

he decided to dedicate himself to improving and gettingready for the start of the next season.

“I really dedicated myself to the gym and eating rightthat summer and I came back and made it a pretty easydecision for Graham to put me on the team,” he says.

Wise has been extremely impressed with Blaney sincehe returned to the team, and notes the key role he’splayed since his return.

“We know that was tough on him but if anything youcan say it’s a life lesson. He came back in great shape

chomping at the bit to play, and he’s been great for ussince he came back last year,” says Wise.Since returning in his third year, Blaney has put up

41 points in 33 regular season games with the Rams.Veteran forward Mitch Gallant noticed how Blaney wasable to turn his game around and become such an im-portant piece of the team.

“It kind of lit a re under him,” says former team-mate Gallant. “I know he felt down for a while andit was tough for him, but he came back and he’s beenarguably our best player.”

When a player is cut from a university team, many de-cide to change schools or hang up the skates altogether.Instead, Kyle Blaney decided on a different approach,taking the experience and using it as drive and motiva-tion to come back even better the following season.

And as Blaney laces up his skates before every game,One Direction blasting through his earphones, theknowledge that hockey is never a guarantee weighs onhis mind. But so does the fact that the road he’s takento get to where he is has made him a damn ne hockeyplayer.

)*+,-($

As she ties up her skates in the locker room,12-year-old Justine Glover mentally preparesherself for not only her rst hockey tryout,but her rst time ever playing hockey.

As she steps on the ice, she is comforted by the factthat the coach, her friend’s dad, had asked her to tryout after seeing her play ringette. That comfort soonturns to utter disappointment when the tryout starts.Handling a puck was not something she had ever done.

“I couldn’t do it for the life of me,” Glover recalls.“I was so frustrated and mad and was crying and I justgot off the ice and was like, ‘I’m not playing hockey, I’mnot doing it.’”

That was when she was in Grade 6. Now Glover isthe assistant captain for the Ryerson women’s hockeyteam. The road to her position as a Ram was not aneasy one either. Glover has always been an underdog.

She’s always had to work that much harder for her po-sition.When the defenseman showed up to Ryerson as a

freshman, she was trying out for the team as a walk-on that had not been signed by head coach Lisa Haley.“Tryouts were brutal because I didn’t play junior, I justplayed midget AA and the gap in the speed is way faster

in the OUA than it was in the midget AA,” says Glover.For her, trying to catch up to everyone was a difcult

task — Haley expressed her doubts about Glover earlyon.

“I told her I didn’t even think she was gonna make

the team,” recounts Haley as she laughs.But for Glover, that meant nothing. She continued topersevere through tryouts, working hard on her defen-sive game and making up for her lack of speed. It washer work ethic, leadership and physical style of playthat helped put her on the roster, according to Haley.But what she proved in the last two tryouts might havebeen more important than anything — she was not go-ing to call it quits under any circumstance.

Before she got ready to hit the ice, the team’sequipment manager pulled her aside. Appar-ently she found out that one of Glover’s skateshad broken, making it impossible to use. The

equipment manager had found out when she tried tosharpen Glover’s skates.

“I was like, ‘Crap I need to go buy new skates, butwhy would I buy new skates if I don’t know if I’m gon-na make the team?’” says Glover. “So I borrowed oneof our old assistant coaches — Michelle Janus — I bor-rowed one of her skates and they were a size too smallfor me.”

So with cramped skates around her bruised feet, she

An under By Rob

IT WAS TOUGH FOR HIM, BUT HECAME BACK AND HE’S BEEN AR-

GUABLY OUR BEST PLAYER

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Hockey player made in the a.m.By Ben Shelley

Photos: Annie Arnone




!"#$%&' )"*&It’s all in the perspective

By Daniel Rocchi

01&2

at life right now.”Fine tries to instill in his teammates the same per-

spective that keeps him grounded, especially whenthey’re struggling.

“You have to know when you have to speak,” saysFine. “You just have to try and keep them even keel,keep them at the task at hand, and let them know thatif you work hard, things will get better.”

Even in school, Fine is driven by a desire to broadenhis worldview, working towards a degree in arts andcontemporary studies.

“I’m pretty into theories and what people think,”says Fine. “I’ve learned good qualities through ACS,[like] being more open to people and their points ofview.”

Fine’s passion for sports extends to his afnity forvideo games, with EA’s NHL and FIFA series ranking

high among his games of choice.“When I play him, he beats me pretty bad everytime,” says Gallant. “I’ve never beat him at anything.”

With his nal season of Rams hockey andanother year of school yet to come, Fineisn’t focusing on his future after Ryer-son. He hopes to be involved in hockey

for years to come, with a year of Rams hockey left toearn looks from professional teams in North Americaand Europe, but he doesn’t have tunnel vision.

“The good thing is, there’s opportunity, and it’s re-ally, ‘How much do I love hockey?’” he says. “It wouldbe whatever ts right for the moment.”

Fine has also bounced around the idea of starting ahockey school, having been told on numerous occa-sions that he has the makings of a coach.

For now, Fine’s long-term goals are, not surprisingly,rooted in a larger perspective on life.

“To be successful in whatever it is, whether that ishockey or trying to start a career [in something else],”

he says. “To just be satised and happy with everythingthat I’ve got.”

HOCKEY’S HOCKEY, BUT IT’S NOTEVERYTHING RIGHT?

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ontinued to play. As she got onto the ice, the coachlew the whistle and told the women to report to onend of the ice, it was time to put their endurance to theest – it was time for bag-skating drills.

One thing Glover holds dear to her heart thatshe will never let go of is her dream of be-coming a dietitian. Her original goal wasto “work with sweet NHL or NBA teams,”

ut that all changed after visiting her grandma at theeaforth Community Hospital.After a few weekend-visits, her grandma thought that

t would be a good idea for Glover to meet her dietitiannd see if she could learn anything from her.

“So I scheduled a little meet and greet with the dieti-ian and she taught me a lot of things, answered a lotf questions,” says Glover. “I got to see what it’s like toe a part of a rural hospital community and I think it’s

ust like a nice feeling … to know that you can have anmpact on people that are near the end of life and younow that they need to be as comfortable as possible.”This is a dream that Glover wants to pursue with the

ame ambition that she puts into her sports career. Shelans to earn the same amount of respect in her profes-ion, that she has earned in the locker room.

Team captain Jessica Hartwick said that Glover de-erves a lot of respect for the work that she puts in dur-ng and after practice. Whether it’s paying careful at-ention to the coaches during practice, or taking whathe’s learned and perfecting it even after the nal whistle

lows.“She always stays on the ice for extra time, whenwe have the opportunity to leave, she’s always stayingwhen she can,” says Hartwick.

Glover says she worked for Hartwick’s respect sinceer rst year, when Hartwick was a co-captain who thelayers found “very intimidating” according to Glover.The tough leadership is something that Glover was

rateful to receive from Hartwick as she said that itelps teach her not to be so emotional about the game.

Removing emotions and replacing them with con-ence over the years has helped Glover to become theeader that she is today.

She laughed remembering the moment that Haleypoke to her in private, telling her, “Well Glover, you’reonna be an assistant captain.”Looking back, she doesn’t know if 12-year-old Justine

would believe you if you said she’d be assistant captainor her university squad, let alone make the team. Buthe way 21-year-old Justine looks at it now, after sheandled the puck for the rst time, there was no way sheould stop, broken skate and all.

On the ice and off of it, Michael Fine keepseverything in perspective.

The captain of the men’s hockey teamis quite possibly its best playmaker, and

Fine’s vision of the ice and sense of timing and posi-tioning are focal points in his game.

“He makes all his line mates better,” says now-former teammate Mitch Gallant, who played his nalseason of Rams hockey this year on the team’s top linewith Fine. “He nds open ice — you just have to get tothat open ice and he’ll nd you every time.”

Fine knows that his playmaking ability and on-ice vi-sion are among his top assets as a hockey player, but heisn’t about to dene himself by them, or by any dimen-sion of his sport — regardless of how much he loves it.

When asked about being able to separate himselffrom the game, Fine says, “Absolutely, that’s impor-

tant. Hockey’s hockey, but it’s not everything, right?”Fine, a North York native, joined the Rams in 2012after a ve-year career in the Ontario Hockey League(OHL), where he played for the Sault Ste. Marie Grey-hounds, the Kingston Frontenacs and the SaginawSpirit.

In high school, Fine played for both the hockey andbaseball teams but like many multi-sport athletes, hephased one sport out to focus on the other as his OHLdraft year approached. When the Greyhounds selectedhim in the third round of the 2007 OHL Priority Selec-tion, 52nd overall, the 15-year-old Fine left home tolive in the town of the league’s farthest-ung franchise.

“They go away as kids and they come back as men,”says Fine’s father, George Fine. “[Sault Ste. Marie] ispretty far to call mom or dad if there’s trouble there.They have to grow up, and it probably matured him alot faster than other kids.”

After his time in junior hockey, Fine, now 24,considers coming to Ryerson a watershedmoment for contextualizing hockey in rela-tion to everything else.

“A lot of it comes with one chapter, one side of life,ending in your junior career, and something else begin-ning,” he says.

Now in his fourth season with the Rams, and secondas their captain, the left-shooting centre makes a pointof bringing a level head and an open mind to his roleas a team leader, constantly working to set an examplefor his teammates.

“He’s not really a rah-rah guy but if somethingneeds to be said, Mike will say it,” says head coachGraham Wise. “He goes about his routine the way he’s

comfortable with, the way he knows he can best pre-pare himself, and I think that’s maybe the way he looks

storyman



10 Wednesday, March 30, 2016out of bounds

Robert Wojcik was one of the most feared outside hitters in the OUA. But hedidn’t start off playing volleyball. Instead, until he was 11 or 12, he was a com-petitive swimmer. One day, after a session in the pool, Robert told his father,Marius, what he really wanted to do.

“[Robert] left the pool, he put the bag in the car and he said, ‘I am not going to swimnymore, I am going to play volleyball,’” Marius says.

Ever since then, volleyball became one of the biggest parts of his life. However, it’s notoo surprising Robert chose volleyball. His father played professionally in Poland andoached Robert when he played for the Durham Attack until he was 18.

“I think he always wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father,” says his motherBarbara.

“He’s always been a role model in volleyball for me,” Robert says.Starting at 14, he’s played much of his career alongside fellow outside hitter Alex Daw-

on, who, like Robert, was a senior on the Ryerson team. Marius recalls what Robert andDawson were like when they were teenagers relatively new to the game.

“They looked like little puppies, they were uncoordinated,” his father says.Over the years, the two grew together both on and off the court. Robert says he and

Dawson are the two biggest nerds on the team. They built their own computers togethery following YouTube tutorials. They also play video games against each other and canegularly be found in front of their computers with their headsets on engaged in heavyrash talk. Robert insists that Dawson isn’t better than him like he would say, it just de-ends on the game.Robert was a force in his ve seasons with Ryerson, ranking near, or at, the top of the

eam each year in kills, service aces and took home team MVP honours for the 2013-14eason. He nished his career at Ryerson as one of the most decorated players in team his-ory. The Rams nished the season earlier this month with a solid 14-6 record in the OUAnd qualied for the CIS national championships for the rst time in school history. Theireason ended at the hands of the Laval Rouge et Or in the consolation nal, placing thelue and gold seventh in the country.Robert lives close to campus with his girlfriend, Lauren Sokolowski, whom he met at

Ryerson. She played for the women’s volleyball team for ve years until she graduated

last year. The duo also have a dog named Cooper, an Australian Cattle breed mix. Robertdoesn’t nd he has a lot of free time between school and volleyball, but the time he doeshave is often spent gaming with Dawson.

He isn’t exactly sure what line of work he wants to get into when he graduates at theend of the semester, but whatever it is, it may have to wait until his volleyball days are over.Robert says he has plans to play professionally in Europe.

“I would obviously love to play in Poland because that’s where my family is still, it’s justmy parents that are here in Canada, so staying in Poland would always be really cool,”he says.

The professional leagues in North America are non-existent, so playing overseasis the only option on a professional level. But that’s not all he wants to accom-plish on the court. Robert would “absolutely” want to try and make Canada’snational team one day and going pro is the rst step. He has previously attended

team Canada’s camp, but wasn’t able to crack the roster. However, the experience helpedhim a great deal.

“You’re constantly practicing and playing with the best players in the world, and howelse do you get better?” he says.

It’s impossible to look at Robert Wojcik strictly off-the-court. Sure, there are the videogames, Cooper, his girlfriend and his friends and family. Not just his father, but also hismother, who helped him keep his studies under control and made sure he always did hishomework. While he has the life he wants outside the lines, what happens in them is whathe’s always loved as much as anything else.

“Robert has always lived and breathed volleyball, the game is in his heart,” his mothersays.

Who knows what kind of swimmer Wojcik would have turned out to be had he not toldhis father he wanted to try something else. But based on his Ryerson career and his poten-tial for the future, it’s hard to imagine he made the wrong choice. So while his volleyballcareer at Ryerson is at a close, he hopes the next chapter is just beginning.

I WOULD OBVIOUSLY LOVE TOPLAY IN POLAND BECAUSE

THAT’S WHERE MY FAMILY ISSTILL, IT’S JUST MY PARENTS THAT ARE HERE IN CANADA

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“You’re constantly practicing and playing with the best players in the world, and how else do you get better?”

By Allan Perkins

Photo: Devin Jones

AND HE SAID, ‘I AM NOT GOING TO SWIM ANYMORE, I AM GOING

TO PLAY VOLLEYBALL’

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Wednesday, March 30, 2016 11Out of bounds

For Julie Longman, elementary school was less about playing hopscotch orfoursquare at recess and more about landing a spot on the volleyball team.

“The school I was at had an amazing gym teacher. He wouldn’t let us onthe team until we got 1,000 bumps off the wall,” says Longman. “Then when

turned 11 I started rep.”It wasn’t long after making all 1,000 bumps that she began to take the sport more

eriously. When she started playing volleyball in school, she was also a competitiveymnast. But after having a little taste of volleyball she wrapped up her gymnasticsareer and joined the Aurora Storm Volleyball Club.

“I don’t believe that there was ever a time that Julie wasn’t serious about volleyball.Her school coach gave us the contact for the Storm volleyball club in Aurora. Fromhen on there was no going back,” says Longman’s mother Lorraine.

As the years went by, Longman snagged the number one middle blocker on herAurora Storm team before making the switch to a more competitive team in Durham.Though she could still hit the ball as hard as anyone, all ve-foot-six of her was builto play defense. In her U16 year, Longman turned her primary focus to being the bestibero she could be. And when she moved up to the 17U season where Toronto hosted

he Nationals and her team won gold, Dustin Reid, head coach of the Ryerson Rams,ursued her. He was the rst coach to introduce himse lf to her and show interest in herkills as a player. Reaching out through email, Facebook, and wow-ing Longman withhe facilities in the MAC, she was hooked on Ryerson and the coach — so hooked thathe tossed all of her eggs in one basket and applied only to Ryerson.

“I didn’t apply to any other schools. It wasn’t just a volleyball thing it was a Dustinhing. If Dustin were to move to another school to coach I would move with him,”ays Longman.

Heading to Toronto to play varsity ball, she won Ryerson’s RSU female rookie of theear award and OUA East’s Libero of the Year in her freshman year. But the third-yeartudent was not only nding herself on the court, but also in the classroom. Recentlywitching her major from economics to child and youth care, Longman started to dis-over a “clichéd” interest in giving back.

“I want to be the positive impact on a child’s life the way that my coaches, and myeachers, and my childhood had such a large impact on where I am today. I want to behat person for other children,” says Longman.

Taking on the typical role of an athlete, she just wanted to play her sport and settledor whatever program she could get into. She quickly realized that economics wasn’the best for her and felt that she wouldn’t be able to make it through university in thisrogram. Like many athletes and students, Longman realized that she couldn’t be suc-essful if she continued in her economics program.

“I’ll admit it, it was just kind of me wanting to go play volleyball. I obviously hadn’tgured it out yet,” says Longman

Being the libero, Longman has a big responsibility on the team. By often playing therst contact, she sets up the play and tone of the game. Without her insane drive foruccess, the team couldn’t maintain strong defense or run their killer offense. Reid isery impressed with her improvement over the years, especially with her ability to stepn and set the second ball.

But it was just a matter of time before Longman had solved the puzzle of “g-uring out” university. From school, to volleyball, right down to her health,Longman learned a lot in rst year. After watching her teammates munch onquinoa and veggies as a protein boost, she had to re-evaluate her idea of a

healthy snack.” Coming into her rst year, she had to learn from her teammates what

ealthy eating looked like, and once she made the connection Longman was inuencedo make the changes to her eating habits. After constantly being mocked by teammatesnd coaches for eating chicken strips in her cubby, she ditched the nuggets and tooker health more seriously. She still struggles without the fried chicken because proteinsn’t her cup of tea. But as long as it’s mixed in with other veggies, she’ll eat it.

“I think over time I’ve learned that if you want to be successful in multiple aspectsf university, whether its volleyball, school or just having the energy to get through aong day, food is such a big thing,” says Longman.

Former coach Kevin Hellyer who coached her for three years prior to university istill following her success and mentions how devoted she was to the sport, making aong commute from Newmarket to Durham for practice three to four times a weekor three years.

“I remember we would be at tournaments and one of our team rules was to stickogether and be together the entire time as a group of 10 athletes,” says Hellyer. “Andhe would actually ask me for permission to go off and study when we were travellings a team.”

To this day, travel is a big part of Longman’s volleyball career and has been in theast as well. The constant road trips in university had a small impact on her game iner rst year as she was adjusting to a constant change in routine. But as travel becamehe norm, she knew what to expect and got used to it. Asides from her childhood tripo Disney World, she hasn’t had the chance to do much travelling for personal reasons.

But this year, to act on her interest in giving back, she and a group of nine other ath-

letes are participating in a humanitarian trip to Peru in May.“I think international travel and experience has recently become a big interest of

mine,” says Longman. “It sounds really cliché but I think being involved in the Ryer-son community is really important.”

With her ideal Friday night being a couch and a Netix account, Long-man is excited to go out and travel to a new place. Though she may getcalled the “Grandma” of the team, Longman knows what it takes to besuccessful, and Reid nds Longman’s drive towards success so strong

that it can almost be intimidating.“It says a lot about people, how hard you work when no one is watching. The Julie

that I’ve gotten to know and the Julie that continues to grow is someone who is notputting in work to be recognized, she’s putting in work to win,” says Reid.

And with Longman condent in the priorties she’s recognized since her time guringout what university really meant during her rst year in economics, the determinationto succeed on the court has found its way into her personal life. And as Longmancomes to terms with her own denition of giving back, she’ll look to her teammatesand her younger self to help nd the success she’s found with the ball, the net and theRyerson Rams.

THE JULIE THAT I’VE GOTTEN TOKNOW AND THE JULIE THAT CON-

TINUES TO GROW IS SOMEONE WHO IS NOT PUTTING IN WORK TO BE RECOGNIZED, SHE’S PUT-

TING IN WORK TO WIN

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I DON’T BELIEVE THAT THERE WASEVER A TIME THAT JULIA WASN’T

SERIOUS ABOUT VOLLEYBALL

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By Gracie BrisonPhoto: Annie Arnone




Baseball is full of clichés about its players.

“He’s got a good baseball head,” one coach might say. “He’s a workhorse,”says a broadcaster. “You know, he just goes out and does his job. He leads byexample.”

He’s a star prospect, or a amethrower. A soft-tossing lefty or the ace of a squad. Theist is so long it could make you sick — although it might be the ballpark hot dog youust inhaled.

Phrases like these are used time and time again to describe players, and yet they allorget one critical point: they’re people.

Caleb King is a 23-year-old business technology management student at Ryerson.He’s a loving uncle, a treasured son and a young man on his way to a successful careern business analytics.

And in 2011, he was also one of the most sought-after Canadian high school baseballrospects. By the time King was in his nal year at Scarborough’s Birchmount Park

Collegiate Institute, he’d compiled one of the strongest stat lines on the team and aominating win/loss record. He’d managed a grade average of 80 per cent in Canadand scored 1780 on the American SATs.

He’d received scholarship offers from two American colleges and had his mind set onmaking his way to a major league baseball team after school.

“Of course, everyone thinks they’ve got a shot at the pros when they’re that age,”ays King with a sheepish smile. He’s sitting at a small, circular table inside the Mat-amy Athletic Centre at Ryerson. At six-foot-ve and more than two-hundred pounds,e makes the table look more like a very large steering wheel.However, King and his family decided on the University of British Columbia, argu-

bly Canada’s premiere university baseball school, over a U.S. path, citing education ashe priority in his mind. But after blowing out his elbow the summer before his fresh-

man year, the arrangement was for naught.

“I lost a couple miles-per-hour off my fastball and I went out there and was playingwith Team Canada guys, some really good baseball players,” he says. “I just couldn’tompete at the same level. It was a very humbling experience.”

After struggling through much of the year, King was ultimately cut loose by theThunderbirds.

King had essentially own across the country to perform in Canada’s premiere base-all school — and it had completely gone south.“It would be tough for any baseball player, mentally or physically,” says King’s cur-

ent baseball coach at Ryerson, Ben Rich.But instead of giving up entirely, King opted to take a step back and re-evaluate his

irection. “I decided to take a year off school to gure out what I wanted to do withmy life outside of baseball, because I really had no idea,” he says.

It was that re-evaluation that eventually wed Caleb King the baseball player withCaleb King the data analyst.

Still waters run deep . That’s the phrase Marty King uses to describe his son. Hesays King’s quiet disposition hides his true character: a natural leader with anafnity for friendship.

“He’s always been a quiet leader. He had physical presence because of his size,ut his teammates [on King’s minor baseball teams] respected him,” says Marty. “He

wasn’t a rah-rah guy. He led by example.”But it was King’s pre-Ryerson friendships that put him on the road to his new school.“Some very strong bonds formed [on King’s recreational teams] and in his elemen-

tary school and he’s still friends with some of them today,” says Marty. “Friendship’svery important to him.

In 2012, it was through a friend from King’s time in high school that he managed tond himself a position at the University of Toronto (U of T).

“[She] got me an interview for what was originally just a month long gig,” saysKing. “But they were happy with the work I did, so they kept bringing me back on newcontracts.”

He spent the summer working at the school’s I.T department as a quality and dataanalyst, sparking his interest in business technology and data.

“Yeah, I’m not really sure where that interest came from, but he’s really enjoyed it,”says King’s father with a laugh.

From there King applied to Ryerson’s business technology management program,beginning in 2013, maintaining respectable grades while working at U of T and playingin Rich’s infantile baseball program — an impressive workload for any student. It wasthat determination and work ethic which eventually landed him an internship with the

Royal Bank of Canada’s own I.T. department.“Essentially I analyze, interpret, organize and report on thousands of lines of data fordifferent I.T systems within different departments of the bank,” says King. Despite itbeing a low-level position in the company, he says it’s a nice complement to his schoolwork inside Ryerson’s Ted Rogers School of Management.

“I enjoy it a lot,” he says. “I could certainly see myself pursuing a career in it.”But, like his father, he’s not sure where the interest came from.“Yeah, I’m not sure where I got it,” he says with a smile, his hands folded neatly on

the round table. “I really couldn’t tell you.”

The athlete is a complex creature. They are people, like us, with thoughts andemotions. Aspirations and talents — talents outside of the sports that sooften smother these elements. Baseball is a complex game in its own right,called slow and plodding, a game so often criticized for being rooted in the

past, is especially guilty of this. Too often do its fans and benefactors fail to realize theman with the bat, the glove, or the mask is just that: a man. A man worth more thanbaseball.

“He’s a good ball player, good kid, a lot of fun,” says Rich.“He’s resourceful and condent,” says Mar ty. He’s friendly and reliable — somebody

you don’t need to worry about. He’s determined — his teammate Jason Te puts it:“I guess a lot of people assume he’s just a big power arm out there, little do they

know he also kills it in the classroom.”How’s that for ‘clichés’ about Caleb King?

OF COURSE EVERYONE THINKS THEY’VE GOT A SHOT AT THE

PROS WHEN THEY’RE THAT AGE

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By Brandon Buechler Photo: Annie Arnone




As Raheem Rose shufes through his Yu-Gi-Oh cards, his face lights up as shiny decora-tive monsters slip by, and once and awhile hepauses for a moment to linger on what must

be a favored card. For the guy who was just namedOUA East soccer player of the year, it’s all about a cardgame.

The second-year Rams winger is coming off a seasonmost athletes would only dream of. Rose led the Ramswith nine goals in 15 games and to top it all off, helpedlead Ryerson to a berth in the OUA nal four wherethey lost to McMaster University.

Rose’s teammate Kyle Stewart was not surprised at allwith the success of Rose this season.

“He’s one of those guys where you kind of look forsome magic,” Stewart says. “He’s so versatile, in his rstyear he played the wing, this year he played center midand he also played some striker. Wherever we need him,he is there.”

Rose had a breakout in the second season with theRams, but success didn’t happen overnight. In his rstyear with the Rams, the transition from rep and highschool-level soccer to OUA and CIS was something thatRaheem had to adjust for.

“What changed drastically for me was the systemwith Herman (my rep coach), he focuses more on the

individual aspect of the game,” Rose says. “But withCIS and with Ryerson, they have this whole defensivesystem where, if you don’t operate as a unit, then noth-ing will work properly. So it was really hard adjusting.”

In addition to trying to adjust to the different styleof play at the University level, Rose also foundhimself battling for a position on a team that al-ready had a strong attacking line.

“On North Toronto, I was a constant starter. Com-ing to CIS with Ryerson, I wasn’t playing as much as Idid with North Toronto so I was kind of upset, but youadjust,” says Rose.

Ultimately, both striker Luka Lee and Rose were im-portant parts of the Rams offence in the 2014-15 season

and continued to split time on the wing that season.Rose was determined to nd a permanent home in the

starting line-up for the Rams. After playing a full seasonwith the Rams on the wing, Rose transitioned to play inthe center mideld, the same position he played prior tohis time with the Rams.

This year the center mideld position was up forgrabs and Rose was more than willing to ll that role.After convincing the coaches that he could play that po-sition, he was given the starting role.

The end result was Rose playing a crucial role to help-ing the Rams make their second straight OUA nal fourappearance.

Rose understands that with his success comes moreresponsibility and he knows that coming into next year,he’ll need to be able to be that source of motivation andleadership for the team.

“I don’t want to just lead by example but I want tolead with a voice,” Rose said. “My leadership skills arereally what I’m working on coming into my third sea-son.”

Teammates are even seeing the difference in Roseleadership.

Off the eld however, Rose’s interest in Yu-Gi-Oh — something his teammates madesure was known — dominates his passion

and most of his free time.“He absolutely loves Yu-Gi-Oh,” says Lee. “All hewants to do is duel!”

“In the rankings on our team, I think he is topthree,” says Stewart. “He has all different types ofdecks and he’s always wanting to get people to duel.”

Whether it’s a Yu-Gi-Oh match or a OUA Final foursoccer game, Raheem Rose of the Rams men’s soc-cer team is always ready to play and bring his best.Rose has major plans for the duration of his time asa Ram, putting in the necessary work to take on alarger leadership role as the Rams come together forthe duels that begin in August. Duels that Rose is alltoo familiar with.

Maria Poveda has only spent one seasonwith the Rams women’s soccer team, butshe has made a huge impact in that shorttime

“Maria is always the rst to step up,” says assistantoach Tina Cook. “If we need a volunteer, she’s the rstne up. If we’re having a team conversation, she’s readyo listen and contribute. On the eld, she contributed to

many of the scoring chances she had this season.”Poveda joined the team as a walk-on last August.

Prior to university, Poveda was playing for Team On-ario’s U14-U16 teams that train out of Vaughan, as

well as the varsity team at St. Francis Xavier Secondarychool. While Ryerson’s coaches had seen her play be-ore, she had not attended Ryerson’s specic recruiting

weekends. When she showed up at the tryout in August,t was no surprise to anybody that she made the team.

While joining a team right before the season beginswas daunting, Poveda gradually became comfortable,ully feeling a part of the team after the annual athleteetreat, “I was a little intimidated, because I didn’t knowny of the girls, but slowly I became comfortable and Itarted to play the way I knew how to play.”

Poveda spent the rst three years of her life inColombia before she moved to Mississaugawith her parents and her older sister. Her fa-ther, currently a software engineer, played on a

emi-professional club team in Colombia, and instilledPoveda with the love of the game from a very early age.

“When I was young, he would take me out every Sun-ay and we’d work on technical drills. He gives me a lotf great advice and he tells me how I can work on myechnique when he feels I need to improve,” she says.

Poveda started off playing house league at the age ofeven, but it wasn’t until she was playing soccer withhe boys at recess in Grade 4 that she realized the typef talent she had. “I was the only girl out there actuallyrying and attempting to get around them.”

Between working as a cashier at the Hershey Centre,

and travelling to Vaughan ve to six times a week forpractice, Poveda’s time management skills grew and de-veloped her into the disciplined and empathetic personshe is today.

“Since I started at the age of 14, it really shaped me. Ibecame more disciplined,” Poveda says. “If I do some-thing wrong, it’s my fault, I have to x it. I’m more cau-tious of what I do and how that affects people.”

While Poveda would like to go into eitherbanking security or articial intelligence(an aspect of technology she has not yetexplored) after her degree, she hopes

that there is also a chance she can make the ColombianNational Women’s Soccer team. Not only because ofher home connection, but she’s always dreamed aboutplaying for such a talented group of players.

As a computer science student, what Poveda nds

most interesting about the subject is studying whatmakes a computer fast, or efcient, a trait that she de-veloped throughout high school. As a player for the pro-vincial team, balancing that, school and a job made thatabsolutely necessary.

“I always like to know what I’m getting into,” Povedasays. “I like to know what we’re doing and why we’redoing it, like what the reason behind it is.”

According to her teammates, this attitude gives Pove-da a highly unique look at the game of soccer.

“Without having Maria on the eld, it’s a differentgame,” says Carvalho. “She sees the game differentlythan everyone else does. If there’s a play and we’re at-tacking our opponents, there will be an opening for theball two or three plays before it actually gets there.”

With Maria now fully emersed in the community ofRyerson soccer, she intends to take on more of a lead-ership role in the upcoming season that starts in lateAugust. As her love of artical technology mirrors herlove of soccer, Maria Poveda has studied what makesthe team great, and is actively contributing towards thegoal of a championship season.

By Tagwa Moyo

By Matt Ouellet



14 Wednesday, Mar. 30, 2016

C a n a d i a n

c o m p a n y i n c .Signature Wine

AlumniExpo

Students today, alumni tomorrow

March 31, 201611 a.m. – 2 p.m.Student Learning CentreAmphitheatreRyerson University

Prepare for the #RoadfromRyerson!Stay in touch, get involved and enjoythe privileges of being Ryerson alumni.

ryerson.ca/alumniexpo#AlumniExpo #RoadfromRyerson

Presented by Ryerson University, in cooperation with our a ffi nity partners.

First 500 graduating

students receive aRyerson Alumni gift!



Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016 15

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3!4% 3%5%$01*% -&*6 7)8

96+0),1:; <10=6 >?; @A?B

C6!)D )/1=%E F*+,%'*)G )/1=%8

?AH :%10) Tons of activities, events, free food!Free BBQ, Scavenger Hunt, PingPong and Gaming Tournaments.

Live Music.

All Day!!F*+,%'* 314/+) 3%'*0%



Wednesday, Mar. 30, 201616

Need a break from your books for a quick bite or refreshment?10 Dundas East is just around the corner to satisfy your craving.We’re only a short walk from class, right at Yonge & Dundas.

Baskin Robbins

Blaze Pizza

California Thai

Caribbean QueenChipotle

Curry & Co.

DAVIDsTEA

Harvey’sMII SANDWICH CO.Now Open Milo’s Pita

Opa! SouvlakiPoptopia/Yoyo’sYogurt CaféReal FruitBubble Tea

Sauté RoséStarbucksSubway The Beer StoreExpress Tim HortonsWine Rack

Restaurants

Jack Astor’s Bar & GrillMilestones Grill & BarShark ClubSpring Sushi

IN THEFOODCOURT

FREEWIFI

Documents

The Eyeopener, March 30, 2016