U of T Administration & the Varsity Stadium deal

Grade: D-

With two swings at prospective stadium deals and zero hits, U of T’s senior administration in charge of development is in danger of striking out. With the death of Larry Tanenbaum’s latest proposal to develop the former Varsity Stadium site, it now seems that generations of students to come are duty-bound to stroll by Bloor Street’s most publicized eyesore forever. As if it wasn’t bad enough that students had to stare at the dilapidated ancient Greek ruins that they called a stadium for the past 20 years, instead we’ve got a fenced-in empty space with a lumpy gravel track around it.

Tanenbaum’s proposal to develop the old Varsity Stadium site and adjoin U of T with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and the Argos could have been the most exiting moment for athletics at this institution in decades. But once again, the wheels of progress have ground to a halt as our leadership is unable to close the deal. The field beside Varsity Arena has now sat empty for two years and the football team plays in a makeshift pseudo stadium. Before that they played in a rusty old relic with loose nails and cracked concrete. Is there any mystery as to why we can’t attract better players to play on the team? What’s next? Maybe when they actually get around to remodeling Varsity Arena they can rip off the roof and have the men’s and women’s hockey teams play on an outdoor rink. The fans can sit in the snow banks.

Plain and simple, it should not take years for decisions regarding a new stadium and athletic complex to be made. If this project were likened to a student’s essay, U of T would be turning in an unfinished draft a month late with no doctor’s note.

It is for this reason that the administration receives a “D-” for their work this year. The grandiosity and vision behind the idea itself saves the U of T brass from completely flunking. However, the real visionary in this case may have been Mr. Tanenbaum. Nevertheless, had the university borrowed his vision and closed the deal with MLSE and built a lavish new edifice for the students they would receive an “A.” As it stands, empty fields and unrealized potential bring low grades for administrators and students alike.

  • Matthew K. Thomas

Women’s Basketball

Grade: B

The women’s basketball team finished off the OUA regular season with an impressive 17-5 record. Unfortunately, they ran into the red-hot Ottawa Gee-Gees in the East semi-final and were beaten by a mere seven points, the final being 72-65. This was a marked improvement for the team, despite the loss, over the 10-10 performance of last season.

Nikki Doucet was by far the standout player on the team. The 5’9 point-guard from Liverpool, Nova Scotia was named OUA East Player of the year. She ranked second on the roster in scoring with 12.4 points per game, third in the OUA with 4.27 assists per game, and fifth in the province with 2.6 steals per game.

  • Matt Somers

Men’s Basketball

Grade: C

On the men’s side, the Blues were ousted in the OUA quarterfinal, when York beat them soundly by a 97-62 score. With a 6-16 record, the team should be pleased they squeaked into the playoffs period, especially after missing them last season. In general, the basketball team was very streaky, going winless for several weeks in January before ending the regular season with two straight wins over Ryerson.

To be fair, the team underwent major changes in the off-season, losing their head coach Ken Olynyk and all five starters. Coach Sherwyn Benn and his young team did an admirable job under the circumstances.

  • MS

Women’s Volleyball

Grade: A-

It’s hard to justify giving the women’s volleyball team anything other than a perfect grade. After blazing through the regular season, the Blues claimed their rightful provincial championship and steamed right on to the nationals in Saskatchewan. Led by a rock-solid starting line-up, anchored by setter Katie Bickerton and rookie sensation Anastasia Danilova, the team put up a valiant fight at the playoffs only to be upset by the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. Even though U of T was denied a spot in the national semifinals, the fifth-seeded Blues ended up placing fifth overall, breaking even in the tournament and able to come home with heads held high. The minus after the A is only a reflection of the high expectations the rest of us U of T-ites had for the team. It’s like when you send the best speller in the class to the national spelling bee and they take home fifth place. It’s a hell of a lot better than anyone else in the class could have done, but it’s only fifth place.

  • Rebecca Addelman

Men’s Soccer

Grade: A-

Check the standings on the OUA men’s soccer website, and next to the U of T team is a big, fat goosegg. From the looks of the season’s results, the Varsity Blues lost every game in the 2003 season, ranked dead last in their OUA division, and scored zero points overall… fantastic! But things don’t quite add up. If you were lucky enough to catch a game on the defunct Varsity field this fall, you most likely would have watched the U of T Blues trounce the competition. With jaw-dropping displays of stellar defense and sparkling offensive finesse, the Blues, led by captain Robert Rupf, dominated the provincial bracket the entire regular season. In fact, the team was heading into the playoffs ranked number one in Canada.

There was a bright future ahead for the boys until an eligibility debacle dashed it all away. Thanks to some rather questionable management, the coaching staff had been shuffling an ineligible player into the line-up all season. When York blew the whistle on U of T after the quarterfinals, the Blues’ entire season got flushed down the toilet. Every win was replaced with a loss, they were booted out of the playoffs, and just like that the country’s most promising university men’s soccer team was left to wallow by the wayside. The team deserves an “A+” for their effort and commitment, but a couple of bad apples have spoiled the batch. Let’s just give this team an “A-” in recognition of their on field exploits and keep turning a blind eye to the soccer scandal-the biggest upset of the year in U of T intercollegiate athletics.

  • RA

Men’s Hockey

Grade: C

One would think that four straight years of placing first in their division wouldn’t bring such mediocre grades. However, men’s hockey at U of T has been stagnating ever since they overcame Queen’s four years ago to qualify for the Queen’s Cup (OUA championship). In a division with three of the weakest teams in the OUA, the Blues’ divisional championships are misleading gauge of success. The more appropriate yardstick for Varsity men’s hockey is their performances at the OUA championships. And for the fourth consecutive year the Blues lost in the OUA semifinal game.

This year’s squad did feature some outstanding efforts from such players as Ian Malcom, Tyler Middlebrook, and Tristan Senior. From their strong play the Blues were able to knock off the highly touted Western Mustangs in the OUA quarterfinals. Nonetheless, this team’s progress has hit a plateau, and until they can win one big game and put themselves in the position to compete at the nationals, their marks will remain average.

  • MT