U of T is known for many things, among them laborious reading lists, a frigid student community, and non-existent school spirit. This year, the Varsity has found twelve reasons to banish that baleful apathy. So take a break from the textbooks, quit trying to track down a fake ID, and let these athletes entertain you.
Guide to Canadian student sports acronyms- OUA: Ontario University Athletics-the OUA championship is the highest university title in the province. CIS: Canadian Interuniversity Sport-the CIS championship is the highest university title in Canada. OFSAA: Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations-the OFSAA championship is the highest high school title in the province.
Women’s Varsity Rowing
Kristen Lake, Kat Haimes, Aoife Donnelly, Cathy Crawley, Pamela Hastings
This year’s Varsity women’s rowing team is primed and ready to go, with two boats that are literally spilling over with talent. Building on the novice crew’s OUA championship win last season, the returning powerhouses Pamela Hastings, Catherine Crawley, Kristen Lake and Aoife Donnelly are looking to take their team all the way to the Canadian university championships in Victoria, BC. While they’re not short on talentHastings and Crawley both competed at the US nationals this summer, and team newcomer Kat Haimes rowed in the NCAA championships with her old alma mater Boston University-the team is regrettably underfunded. “When it comes to funding,” explains Hastings, “this sport is run on volunteer support. We don’t have paid coaching.” In fact, each member pays a $400 team fee, which enables the crew to access and share facilities and training equipment with wealthy high schools UCC and Havergal College. “The university does provide transportation and accomodation when we’re on the road,” Lake points out, it’s just “the nature of rowing, being such an expensive sport,” that leads to the hefty team fees. On the plus side, rowing opens its arms to athletes with little or no experience on the water. Seven of the 18 women on this year’s team are new to U of T’s rowing program this year.
This Saturday, Sept. 27, U of T hosts its regatta on Centre Island. The action starts at 9 a.m.
- Mark Dillon
Team: Track and Field
Event: High Jump
Field of Study: Physical education and health
Year on team: First
U of T track coach Carl Georgevski first spotted protégé Mark Dillon when the young high jumper was just entering high school in Bowmanville, Ont. For the next five years, Mark proceeded to blow the rest of the provincial and national competition out of the water.
From grades 10 to OAC, Dillon won gold at OFSAA, and for the past two years has taken home consecutive gold medals at the junior nationals. This summer, Mark won a silver medal at the Pan-Am junior games. His jump of 2.21m-the equivalent of seven feet, three inches-was recorded as the third best high jump on the continent.
That Dillon is now enrolled at U of T, a school that offers nothing in the way of athletic scholarships for first-year students, may come as a surprise seeing as both Clemson and Cornell offered him full rides. But Mark, who claims he “didn’t really listen” to their offers, only applied to U of T.
Dillon has been taking part in U of T track’s junior development program, under Georgevski’s tutelage, for the past several years. As such, Mark has grown used to the Varsity environment, prattling off a list of reasons that validate his choice: “I feel comfortable here; I like the atmosphere; it’s close to home. There are good coaches here. They know what they’re doing.” Mark is setting his sights on CIS gold this year, and hoping to maybe earn a spot on next year’s Olympic team.
Track and field season is set to open at home on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2004.
- Jennifer Porenta
Team: Swimming
Event: Freestyle (50m, 100m, 200m)
Field of study: Physical education and health
Year on team: First
There’s no doubt that star rookie Jennifer Porenta was enticed to U of T by the lure of the Varsity swimming program. Coach Byron MacDonald, who has produced 50 international level swimmers in his 25 years at this school, has had his eye on Porenta for years now. “He definitely recruited me. I think it’s one of the reasons he’s helped me out in the past couple of years…he wanted to see me swim with him when I was done high school,” she explains.
Turning down scholarships to both Washington State University, and the University of British Columbia, Porenta chose to come to downtown Toronto, and into the Varsity swimming fold. “It wasn’t really a tough decision,” she says of her choice, “I feel more comfortable coming here.”
But now that she’s here, will Porenta find the new level of competition daunting? Doubtful. This 18-year-old has already been around the world and back representing her country, and this school, off the starting blocks. This summer, Porenta placed second in the world championship trials in Victoria, B.C. She then went on to swim for U of T in Daegu, South Korea at the World University Games, where she came in sixth in the 200m freestyle. She has also been down under to swim for Canada at the Youth Olympics in Australia.
- Ian Parrag
Team: Men’s Lacrosse
Position: Midfield, Captain
Field of study: Masters in biomedical engineering
Year on team: Fourth
Team captain for three years running, Ian Parrag didn’t try out for the lacrosse team his first year at U of T. This star player, who’s high school team was ranked one of the top in New York State, didn’t think he’d make the cut-“I thought the team was better than they were,” he shrugs.
But while the Blues men’s lacrosse only went 2-7 last season, Parrag is convinced that things are turning around-in terms of both ability and support. “The level of play from my first year to now has dramatically increased,” he said, adding that the depth of this year’s bench finally gives the starters a break. His first year on the team, Ian recalls that he “didn’t leave the field.”
And on the back campus sidelines, fan numbers are slowly starting to increase. “This is the first year we’ve actually had signs that say when our games are,” exclaims Parrag. However, these efforts are still overshadowed by the fact that men’s lacrosse is still not part of the OUA. “It’s Canada’s national sport,” comments a perturbed Parrag, “and it’s not even recognized.”
Men’s Lacrosse play their next home game against Queen’s on Oct. 4. Look for them on Back Campus at 2pm.
- Templar Kalundu Iga
Team: Football
Position: Running back
Field of study: Political science
Year on team: Third
Number: 28
Ever been to a Varsity Blues football game? If you have, then this running back needs no introduction. With every other play, the name Templar Iga booms over the loudspeaker, leaving no doubt that on the field, number 28 is the player to watch.
Born in Kampala, Uganda, Iga moved to Toronto as a young teenager, and it was only then that he picked up football. “I was really good at soccer, and there was no challenge,” he explains, “so I decided I was going to play another sport.” It just so happens he turned out to be a natural running back.
As far as Templar’s concerned, however, luck has nothing to do with it. “I think football players are the best athletes in the world,” he argues, “they’re fast, they’re strong…and football’s never their first sport.”
Scouted in grade nine by former Blues head coach Bob Laycoe, Templar was encouraged to work hard at school to meet U of T’s rigorous academic standards. “[Laycoe] always stressed school. He knew how hard it was to get into U of T,” explains Iga. Now that he’s here, Templar considers himself lucky, despite the trials of playing for a losing team.
He’s attending what he calls “a great school,” and he even has a tentative solution to student apathy. Iga believes that the lack of student interest and involvement with Blues football is a two-way street. “We need to give [the student body] more participation. We should be able to go help out at intramurals. If we give them something more, they’ll give us something back.” Now only in his third year on the football team, Iga’s already making plans for the future. After graduation, he hopes to head for France and play for NFL Europe.
The Varsity Blues homecoming game is coming up, Oct. 4 against Windsor. Kickoff is at 2pm, Varsity Field.
- Jake Pottier
Team: Men’s Water polo
Position: Utility
Field of study: Economics
Year on team: First
The U of T men’s water polo team went undefeated last year to win the OUA Championships. But this year, with several veterans graduating or bowing out of competition, coach Som Seif is looking to build a solid foundation for his young team with the talented rookies that are walking through his door.
Jake Pottier, from Kitchener, Ont., and a former member of Canada’s youth national team, is one of these prodigal newcomers-whether he knows it or not. “[Seif] took me aside and was talking about helping to be a leader on the team…which is kind of weird cause I’m a rookie,” recalls Pottier.
While Jake is hoping that his team can maintain last year’s perfect record, he didn’t choose the U of T Varsity program for the glory. “It seemed like a nice bunch of guys,” he answers when asked why U of T-“and it’s the closest one to my home.”
The men’s water polo team played an exhibition tournament in Rochester this weekend. Their season begins in early October, and their first home game is set for Oct. 29 vs. McMaster.
- Dominic Roppa
Team: Baseball
Position: Catcher
Field of study: Dentistry
Year on team: First
A Chicago native, Dominic Roppa’s catching abilities landed him a full athletic scholarship out of high school to attend Northern Illinois University. In 1998, at the close of his NCAA career, Roppa was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 42nd round. But after only 12 games with the major league club, Dominic threw out his shoulder, needed reconstructive surgery, and was released.
He left the world of professional athletics to pursue a postgraduate degree, and wound up in Toronto at U of T’s school of dentistry. Only now, in his fourth and final year at U of T, has Roppa learned that the school has a Varsity baseball team. Five years off the diamond, and Dominic Roppa is now back behind the plate, this time for the Varsity Blues.
While coming back after a prolonged hiatus has helped Roppa “heal old wounds,” this seasoned player is also bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge to the table. “I have a lot to offer these young kids,” he admits, “people who know the game of baseball are the ones you should be learning from.”
Talent-wise, this NCAA-groomed player doesn’t see much difference between here, and the U.S. “We have a lot of good talent…and a lot of our success comes from team success. There’s nine people on the field, not one,” he explains.
It’s fan turnout that is the marked difference, as far as Roppa’s concerned. “U of T doesn’t advertise its athletics,” he explains “here, it’s almost considered a club, an extracurricular activity.”
So far this season, the Blues are going 6-6 but, says Dominic, “there isn’t a game we should’ve lost yet.”
The baseball team squares off against York at 7pm tomorrow night in Christie Pits.
- Jenny McRae, Bree Kruklis, Safiya Muharuma
Team: Women’s Ice Hockey
Position: Left wing, Centre, Defence
Field of study: Jenny is enrolled in the Faculty of Exercise Science, Bree is a FPEH student, and Safiya is a French specialist
Year on team: Fifth
Last year’s OUA champions, and CIS silver medalists, Blues women’s ice hockey have been one of the best teams in the country for years now. They’re so darned talented, in fact, that coach Karen Hughes couldn’t pick just one player to represent her team. Ironically, out of the three, only Jenny McRae, an OUA first team all-star and the leading scorer on last year’s team, was recruited to play for the Varsity Blues. Safiya Muharuma, a member of the under 22 national team in 2001/2002, remembers that she “knew nothing about the program at all,” before attending U of T. Centre Bree Kruklis was on her way to McGill, before she sent U of T an April application.
Luckily, the reputation of the hockey program speaks for itself. “They had the top coach in Canada at U of T, and it’s one of the best schools academically,” says Kruklis, listing her reasons for turning down a full scholarship to St. Lawrence University in the States. “It’s better to come to a place and get a good education,” she explains.
And why not be part of a winning team while you’re at it? Since McRae, Muharuma, and Kruklis have been on the team, the Blues have witnessed incredible success. In 2000/2001, the women went undefeated the entire season, placing number one in the country with a record of 35-0. The past two years have seen the team place third (2001/2002), and then second (2002/2003) in the national championships.
With the coaching, playing, and program in place, the only missing piece is support. “We don’t get many fans,” admits McRae, “there’s not very good student support.” Kruklis agrees: “we’re not the hot ticket in town…but I think [students] would be surprised at the skill and talent level, if [they] came to some games.”
The Blues first season home game is scheduled for Nov. 7. They will be facing off against Waterloo at 4pm in Varsity Arena.
- Philippa Kedgley
Team: Field Hockey
Position: Forward, Midfield
Field of Study: Physical
education and health
Year on team: Fifth
Philippa Kedgley knows field hockey. Playing since the age of eight, and a native of balmy Vancouver, Kedgley has seen her fair share of fields and arenas. But this two-time OUA field hockey all-star only shrugs when she explains that “there are no facilities in Toronto that are playable…facilities on campus would be a huge benefit.”
U of T’s field hockey team, who last year came second in the OUA and fourth in the country, and which is “always nationally competitive,” trucks out to Oakville for every home game-something Kedgley and her teammates have grown accustomed to. A switch to playing on field turf has made both Varsity Field and Lamport Stadium, the team’s old playing arena, unusable for this season.
But the additional distance to the games, and the fact that “academics is a draw for the university as a whole,” has put a hurt on fan attendance. “It’s very rare that we get any supporters,” explains Kedgley, who was a CIS first team all-star last year and plays for both the senior Ontario field hockey team, and the national team’s developmental squad.
Philippa and the rest of the Blues are undefeated so far this year, and for Kedgley, who is in her fifth and final year on the team, a future in field hockey may yet be in the cards. “I want to keep playing, it just depends on where I’m going to be.”
- Antonia Gawel
Team: Mountain Bike
Position: Captain, Coach
Field of Study: Economics
Year on team: Fourth
“We’ve had to start turning people away,” explains Antonia Gawel of U of T’s mountain biking team, “it’s an Olympic sport now which gives it more exposure.” This year, more than 100 students showed up to the team’s first meeting-but the squad usually consists of around 40 riders.
Thankfully Gawel, who is a member, captain, and coach of the team, is no newcomer to mountain biking. Although she only started to get involved with racing when she first arrived at U of T, the lithe, petite Gawel has excelled at both downhill and cross country versions of the sport. This year, Antonia won the gold at the Canadian National Mountain Bike Championships held out in Whistler, BC, placing first in the women’s category 19+ for downhill racing. She also racked up three third place finishes in the Ontario Cup this year, again for downhill.
Although Gawel stresses that “people don’t necessarily realize what it takes” to be a mountain biker, we can rest assured that the Blues team grasps the meaning of competition. For four of the past five seasons, the Varsity squad has won the overall provincial championship, taking home the gold each time.
“People see [mountain biking] as recreational,” explains Gawel, but “it’s one of those things that takes coming out and seeing to know what it’s all about.”
The next race for the mountain biking team is this Sunday, Sept. 28 in Hardwood Hills, Barrie, Ont.
- Vanessa Nobrega
Team: Women’s Basketball
Position: Point guard, shooting guard
Field of study: Commerce
Year on team: Fourth
Toronto native Vanessa Nobrega knows that in choosing to attend U of T, she was looking to get the best of both worlds. “Michele Belanger is very well known,” says the point guard of the women’s basketball coach and five-time OUA coach of the year, “and academically [U of T]’s a very good school.”
The past four years have proven Nobrega right, her reasoning solid. A leader of the basketball team, Nobrega has helped it flourish during her playing career, and in 2002 the women walked away with the provincial championship. Simultaneously, Vanessa has a commerce degree in the works.
While she can’t complain about the “close-knit” athletic community at the school, Nobrega feels “there should be more support [for athletics] at such a big university.” In her opinion, it’s “more marketing and advertisement” that’s needed to boost involvement and awareness amongst the teeming student body.
This season, the women’s team has built a “deep and mature recruiting class,” and as far as Nobrega’s concerned, they’re dead set on heading to the national championship. “I think we’ve got the coaching staff and potential to do it this year.”
First home game is Friday, Nov. 14 vs. Laurier. Tip-off at 6pm, in the AC.
- Robert Rupf
Team: Men’s Soccer
Position: Defender, Captain
Field of study: Engineering
Year on team: Fifth
Soccer coach Jim Lefkos describes men’s team captain Robert Rupf as “the backbone of our team for the past two years,” recalling that “in five years, I don’t remember him missing a practice.” Surprising dedication from a player who admits that before coming to U of T, he didn’t know too much about the Varsity soccer team. “I’d read in the paper that they were competitive,” he said, admitting that his choice in university was “primarily educational…I wasn’t recruited. I was a walk-on to the team.”
But the soft-spoken Rupf, who doubles as an engineering student, has proven to be one of the Blues’ biggest assets. Playing the backfield, he helped lead the team to a provincial title in 2002, securing himself a position as an OUA all-star along the way. In addition, Rupf almost made the men’s national soccer team two years ago. He was one of the last cut from the final roster.
Despite the Varsity team’s success, Rupf acknowledges that “we don’t get many people out to our games.” Seeing as “soccer is a low-profile sport here…we’ve sort of learned to deal with the situation,” he explains.
So far this season the soccer team is undefeated. The next men’s home game is Saturday, Sept. 27 vs. Waterloo on Varsity Field at 3pm.
