golDEN gIRl - Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education ...

University of Toronto 

Kinesiology & Physical Education 

CANADA’s 

golDEN 

gIRl 

CREATINg CAPACITY 

Fresh hires, new labs enable expanded 

teaching and research endeavours 

golDRINg CENTRE CHAMPIoN 

Kevin Reed picks up the banner as the 

new Goldring campaign chair 

FAll 2012 / Vol. 15, No. 2 

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED 

What the Faculty is doing to foster a 

stronger generation of learners

© 2012/2013 Marriott International, Inc.

EDITOR 

Althea Blackburn-Evans 

ASSOCIATE EDITOR 

Valerie Iancovich 

CONTRIBUTORS 

Althea Blackburn-Evans, 

Mary Beth Challoner, Jill Clark, 

Valerie Iancovich, Reina Shishikura, 

Masha Kennedy 

PHOTOGRAPHY 

Dan Epstein, James Heaslip (courtesy of 

Springfree Trampoline), Elena Iourtaeva, Jing- 

Ling Kao-Beserve, Luke Pauw 

ART DIRECTION & DESIGN 

Luke Pauw 

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 

ADDRESS CHANGES 

P: 416.946.5126 

F: 416.978.4384 

masha.kennedy@utoronto.ca 

The University of Toronto respects your 

privacy. We do not rent, trade or sell our 

mailing lists. If you do not wish to receive 

future editions of Pursuit, please call 

416.946.5126 or email masha.kennedy@ 

utoronto.ca. 

Printed in Canada 

Publication Agreement Number: 40065214 

Pursuit is committed to preserving the environment. 

All paper used in Pursuit is FSC® 

certified, which ensures all paper comes from 

well managed forests and other controlled 

sources. www.fsc.org 

CoNTENTs 

3 

10 

16 

18 

Faculty Notes 

Strengthening ties with CSCO 

Blues News 

Student-athlete celebrated 

Fit Tips 

Marcel Charland stays balanced 

Canada’s Golden Girl 

What’s up next for Rosie MacLennan 

16 28 

22 

24 

28 

40 

FAll 2012 / Vol. 15, No. 2 

18 

Getting Behind Goldring 

Kevin Reed jumps in as campaign chair 

Active Academics 

The evolution of experiential education 

Alumni Updates 

Karin Helmstaedt’s unlikely career path 

Time Out 

When free weights were wooden

2 

Dean's Message 

C 4 = Creating capacity, 

cultivating change 

What a terrific time to be part of the University of Toronto’s 

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education! This year brings 

a series of exciting events, opportunities and challenges, all of 

which reinforce the importance of what we are all about – to 

both the University of Toronto community and our society. 

In parallel with the growing demand for university degrees 

in our field, this fall we ushered in our largest class of 

students to date – nearly 260 first-year undergraduate 

students and a 69-strong cadre of graduate students for 

master’s and doctoral degrees in exercise sciences. With that 

comes new infrastructure and people to provide our students 

with more courses to choose from and more cutting-edge 

research to transfer and apply. In addition to the new faculty 

members announced in the last issue – Catherine Sabiston 

and Kelly Arbor-Nicitopoulos – we welcome more staff and 

faculty this fall, alongside newly-built teaching and research 

spaces (see page 7). 

Part of a great education also includes a healthy dose of 

activity outside the lecture hall; find out more about how we 

enrich the learning experience for our students in the first of 

a two-part series on experiential education, found on page 24. 

The thrill of the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics is behind us, 

but the pride in celebrating student Rosie MacLennan’s goldmedal 

victory is still fresh in our minds. Read what Rosie has 

to say as she embarks upon her graduate studies here in the 

Faculty (page 18). On page 13 you will also find a summary 

of how our Blues athletes fared in London. 

As Olympic excitement gears down for now, the anticipation 

continues to build for the second-largest high performance 

sport event after the summer Olympics – the 2015 Pan 

American and Parapan American Games will happen in 

Toronto in three years. Both the Scarborough and St. George 

campuses will be Games venues. Construction for the eagerlyawaited 

Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport – which 

pursuit.utoronto.ca 

will host some of the Games’ events – is on schedule. On 

page 22, the new Goldring Centre volunteer campaign 

chair, Kevin Reed, shares his thoughts on the importance of 

athletics and why a devoted Ottawa Gee Gees alum turned 

his support to Toronto. 

Elsewhere in this issue you’ll find inspirational stories about 

staying fit (page 16), finding an unexpected career path (page 

28) and the latest crop of athletes to go down in U of T hall of 

fame history (page 30). 

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

your feedback! 

Ira Jacobs, Dean 

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Faculty notes 

Solidified partnership 

with CSCO supports students, athletes 

The Faculty entered a formal partnership 

with the Canadian Sport Centre 

Ontario (CSCO) on June 27 to enhance 

support for Ontario’s top athletes while 

augmenting learning and research 

opportunities for U of T students, 

faculty and staff across a broad range 

of sport science projects. The five-year 

agreement solidifies a long-standing 

history of collaboration to offer high 

performance athletes the best resources 

in testing, training and evaluation, and 

access to new knowledge. 

“We believe it’s the merging of a worldclass 

sport institute with a world-class 

academic institute,” says Debbie 

Low, CSCO’s chief executive officer. 

“This will open up doors to endless 

opportunities for athletes, coaches and 

sport scientists.” The CSCO is part of 

a national network of sport centres 

that provide personal and professional 

services to high performance athletes 

and coaches, including access to experts 

in a variety of areas, from trainers and 

physiologists to chiropractors and 

sport psychologists. 

A key aspect of the partnership is 

the sport science assistant program, 

already in its second year, which sees 

undergraduate kinesiology students 

heading to the CSCO for the summer 

to gain hands-on experience in the 

world of applied sport science. Working 

alongside leading scientists and 

researchers, the students perform tests 

Dean Ira Jacobs and CSCO's Debbie Low are joined by (from left) summer students 

Lindsay Musalem, Tharmegan Tharmaratnam and Lydia Schultz 

ranging from biomechanical analysis 

with underwater cameras to aerobic 

endurance tests on top athletes such as 

hockey standout Hayley Wickenheiser 

and swimmer Tobias Oriwol, who 

competed in London this summer. 

Dean Ira Jacobs sees the partnership 

as a natural extension of U of T’s 

commitment to generating and 

disseminating knowledge across the 

entire physical activity spectrum, 

including high performance sport. “We 

are helping train the next generation 

of scientists while bringing our unique 

perspectives, experiences and research 

skills to bear on the challenge of helping 

the region’s best athletes succeed on the 

international stage.” –Reina Shishikura 

PURSUIT | FALL 2012 3

4 


Symposium 

explores what it 

takes to compete 

at Olympics 

With every movement, pain 

jetted from my feet, up 

my legs, to the pit of my 

stomach, but pain is pain 

and it was the Olympics 


Olympian Alexandre Bilodeau stood 

at the top of the moguls course at 

the Vancouver Olympics, confronted 

by a sea of rowdy Canadians, glaring 

lights and hundreds of cameras. 

Professor Greg Wells, who was a 

CTV commentator during the Games, 

watched Bilodeau focus his 

eyes and whisper three words: 

“forward and soft” – a ‘note to 

self’ to focus forward down 

the hill and soft in the air. 

According to Wells, it was 

that simple, nerve-settling 

mantra that took Bilodeau to 

the top of the podium. 

Wells shared that anecdote 

on April 4 to a crowd of over 

300 at the Faculty ’s third 

public symposium, “The 

Olympic Athlete: What 

it Takes to Get to The 

Games.” Wells emphasized 

that beyond physical prowess, high 

performance athletes need mental 

strength and go-to techniques such as 

“three deep breaths” to deal with the 

enormous pressure of competing on the 

world stage. That emphasis on holistic 

development was echoed by Wells’s 

fellow speakers that evening: Professor 

Gretchen Kerr, track and field coach 

Carl Georgevski, Olympian Alexandra 

Orlando and award-winning CBC 

sports journalist Teddy Katz. 

“Coaching is not about the event itself,” 

Georgevski told the crowd. “A coach 

doesn’t coach an event. A coach coaches 

people.” Having mentored several 

Olympians and now at the helm of the 

Blues track and field team, Georgevski 

shared examples from his early days 

when he focused too heavily on physical 

endurance and learned the hard way 

that rest, mental preparedness and 

listening to athletes are equally key to 

fostering a champion. 

Kerr, an expert in sports psychology 

and a former elite gymnast and coach 

herself, called for developing the whole 

person and creating better collaborations 

between coaches, nutritionists and 

sport psychology consultants. 

Orlando agreed, insisting that this kind 

of holistic preparation proved essential 

for her leading up to, and at, the 2008 

Games. The world-class rhythmic 

gymnast opened her presentation with 

footage of her routine in Beijing. Her 

athleticism and grace made it easy to 

miss that both ankles were heavily 

taped to support three torn ligaments 

in her left ankle and a serious sprain in 

her right. 

“With every movement, pain jetted 

from my feet, up my legs, to the pit of 

my stomach, but pain is pain and it was 

the Olympics,” Orlando said. While her 

passion and talent for sport helped her 

get to Beijing, it was her personal development 

leading up to 2008 – learning to 

accept failure, manage stress and selfdoubt, 

and see herself as more than just 

a high performance athlete – that helped 

Orlando join Team Canada. “Who 

I wanted to be was not just Alex the 

gymnast. I wanted to be Alex the person.” 

The next symposium, on December 5, 

will share research insights into how 

Toronto kids are getting to school, 

and how we could do a better job of 

encouraging active transportation in 

this city. For more details, visit physical. 

utoronto.ca. –Valerie Iancovich 

PHOTO/ DAN EPSTEIN


Getting U of T 

students moving 

The University of Toronto has partnered with 

ParticipACTION to launch a campaign to educate 

students about the benefits of being active. Led by 

the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, 

the on-campus partnership also includes Hart 

House and Student Life – Health and Wellness, as 

well as recreation and peer health education teams 

from UTSC and UTM. 

The campaign, called MoveU, launched in late 

August with special events, posters, ads and promotional 

items distributed across the University of 

Toronto’s St. George, Scarborough and Mississauga 

campuses. The campaign also includes a strong 

social media presence. 

The four-year pilot initiative will bring Sheridan 

College on board next year. Professor Guy 

Faulkner has provided insight on the direction of 

the campaign and will continue to advise on its 

development while evaluating its success. 

While much of the work behind the scenes has been 

led by U of T and ParticipACTION staff, teams of 

peer ambassadors are spearheading efforts on the 

ground, helping students understand how physical 

activity can improve the way they perform in the 

classroom by lowering stress levels, improving sleep 

patterns and boosting concentration. 

“The goal of this campaign is to inspire students 

from all corners of our diverse community to find 

activities that really suit them and help them to be 

well, productive and feel connected to campus,” says 

Michelle Brownrigg, director of physical activity 

and equity at the Faculty, who initiated plans for 

the campaign. “We’re tremendously excited to have 

ParticipACTION’s support and we can’t wait to 

see this campaign come to life at the University of 

Toronto and beyond.” –VI 


6 


New turf 

extends playing time 

for U of T students 

Downtown campus is set to get two highly-anticipated double 

artificial turf fields as part of its commitment to the 2015 Pan 

American and Para Pan American Games. The project creates 

a lasting legacy for U of T students, extending a world-class 

facility to tens of thousands recreational athletes on campus. 

The turf, which received formal University approval on April 

11, will replace the grass playing fields immediately north of 

University College and south of Hoskin Avenue. The space 

will become the only double-turfed field hockey ground in 

Ontario; other sports can be played recreationally. 

The Faculty will cover 44 per cent of the capital cost of the 

project, which will greatly extend use of the fields for a wide 


range of sports and activities. “We have never had, and likely 

will never have, an opportunity to pay 44 cents on the dollar 

for a capital construction project,” says Anita Comella, assistant 

dean of co-curricular physical activity and sport. “It’s a 

tremendous opportunity to contribute to the Games while 

fulfilling our need to offer U of T students a broad range of 

recreational and learning opportunities.” 

Replacing natural grass with turf will nearly triple the 

playing time for scores of students who enjoy intramural 

sports, create opportunities for future high performance 

training and competition, and enhance the recreational 

space available to students and community members. 

–Althea Blackburn-Evans 

PHOTO/ CAz zyVATKAUSKAS


Research, teaching 

get boost with new hires 

and facilities 

The Faculty augmented its teaching and research capacity 

this summer, recruiting new staff and faculty, and creating 

significant new lab spaces. 

New hires included Ashley Stirling, who joined the Faculty 

in July as a lecturer and experiential education specialist (see 

more on page 25) and Jeremy Knight, who is the Faculty’s 

first research services officer. Cathie Kessler also came on 

board in August in the newly-created teaching lab coordinator 

position. 

PICTURED/ Students Jessica Caterini (L) and Fiona Callender 

test equipment in the new human physiology lab 

PHOTO/ ELENA IOURTAEVA 

New teaching and research labs offer state-of-the-art spaces 

for other recently-recruited faculty members, including Tyson 

Beach, Greg Wells and Catherine Sabiston. 

“This capacity-building comes at a crucial time for the Faculty,” 

says Dean Ira Jacobs, who will share space with Wells in the 

newly-developed human physiology lab. “We have a record 

number of students this year and we aim to provide them 

with the best educational experience while continuing to 

strengthen our research programs.” –ABE 


8 


Expanding his outlook 

PhD candidate Darragh McGee reveals the 

complexity of athlete development in Africa 

How does an adolescent West African 

boy become a professional football 

player in Europe? It’s a question 

that PhD candidate Darragh McGee 

travelled all the way to Ghana, France 

and Belgium to answer. McGee 

returned to Toronto this August after 

spending six months abroad looking 

to gain a better understanding of the 

journeys that these successful athletes 

take, and to explore the much more 

common realities of those who fall 

short of landing in the spotlight. 

“It’s an impossible dream really,” explains 

McGee. “The chances of a boy making 

it to that level are about one in a million. 

Essentially, my research tries to unravel 

the process through which West African 

boys pass, and I question the extent to 

which they are exposed to corrupt and 

exploitative practices.” 

During his time in West Africa, McGee 

immersed himself in day-to-day life at 

training camps and football academies, 

working alongside local and European 

coaches and scouts. What he discovered 


was a vast spectrum of athlete experiences. 

“Many journalists have 

sensationalized claims about these kids 

being exploited by European agents,” he 

explains. “That can sometimes be the 

case, but by no means always.” 

McGee acknowledges that exploitation 

and corruption is rampant in the 

recruitment of young African footballers, 

but he also found cases where agents, 

scouts and talent recruiters fulfilled their 

commitment, either helping the young 

athletes develop abroad or ensuring that 

unsuccessful athletes were returned 

home safely. “The agent may or may not 

be trustworthy, but the reality is that 

the industry is entirely unregulated and 

includes those who have integrity and 

unfortunately, those who are just there 

to exploit what is a very powerful dream.” 

McGee saw a similar spectrum when 

he visited soccer training academies 

in Ghana. “These institutions have 

reputations for being neocolonial, 

western-owned talent nurseries, but 

that’s not the case across the board,” 

he explains. McGee taught English 

and coached at the Ghana-based 

organization Right to Dream, where 

he observed a strong curriculum that 

ensured the holistic development of the 

young athletes. “In the space of 10 years, 

they’ve had over 30 boys get full scholarships 

to American universities and five 

or six went on to play professionally in 

Europe. Some of these boys are basically 

living my life, combining their love of 

football with their schooling,” says the 

current Blues soccer captain. 

McGee wrapped up his research trip 

in Brussels. There he collaborated with 

police and politicians to learn about 

how Belgium is working to overcome 

the athlete trafficking crisis that peaked 

in the 1990s. He hopes that work like 

his will pressure the rest of Europe to 

follow Belgium’s lead. “Regulation is so 

far behind. Belgium is the only country 

in the world where a footballer or athlete 

can be designated as a trafficked person. 

I think it’s time we changed that.” –VI


Going the distance overseas 

Undergrad student makes history during 

summer placement 

Jordan Frost made headlines 

this summer during his 

Faculty-sponsored placement 

with the Physically Active 

Youth (PAY) program in 

Windhoek, Namibia. Frost 

was one of two students 

selected by the Faculty to 

participate in the 10-week 

internship, which requires 

students to develop afterschool 

academic and physical 

activity programming 

for local children. But the 

fourth-year CTEP student 

went above and beyond, 

taking the reigns as coach to 

a small team of PAY cyclists 

and making a bit of history 

in the process. 

Calling on his education and his own 

experience as a competitive soccer player, 

Frost shared tips on nutrition, conditioning 

and teamwork, which helped the 

young men significantly improve their 

riding. The team began qualifying for – 

and winning – races across the region. 

Inspired by these results, Frost took to 

fundraising for his athletes, eventually 

organizing a duathlon in Katutura, a 

community still reeling from racism 

of the apartheid era. “We learn so 

much about making significant change 

through sport [at the Faculty],” says 

Frost. “So my main goal was to organize 

a race that would make a difference, 

and in that area that meant a race that 

would include white and black athletes; 

it would be a first.” With the support of 

a local sponsor, Frost achieved his goal 

and made headlines across the continent. 

His team of cyclists, some of whom 

had never had their photos taken, were 

suddenly seeing themselves in the 

newspaper and getting recognized in 

the street. Frost was along for the ride, 

doing interviews and even helping to 

produce a segment for the national 

news channel. 

The athletic victories and media support 

inspired the cyclists to share with Frost 

their ultimate ambition: to compete 

at the Olympics. Frost thought that 

sending them to the Summer Games 

in London would be a great way to 

help prepare them. “Research shows 

that many teams [from developing 

countries] that go to the Olympics for 

the first time fail to meet their goals 

because they’re just so amazed at the 

experience and the privileges that 

comes with qualifying for the Games,” 

he says. “And these athletes 

had never been on a plane, 

or travelled outside their 

village.” Frost’s goal was 

considered too ambitious 

by many, but with support 

of his PAY colleagues and 

sponsors, he successfully 

raised the money they 

needed to make the athletes’ 

dream a reality. 

The trip to London provided 

the cyclists with exposure 

to travel and a new culture. 

They were introduced to 

Dan Craven, Namibia’s 

only cyclist at the Games, 

and realized the amount of 

commitment and training 

required at that level of competition. 

“When they got back they were really 

prepared to step it up even more,” says 

Frost. “Before I’d have to take initiative 

and work to motivate them. After 

London, it was totally different.” 

For Frost, the PAY experience provided 

more than just an opportunity to 

improve his leadership, coaching and 

teaching skills; it showed him how 

much he was capable of. “PAY is a great 

program. Every kid comes to that organization 

with a goal and the centre does 

everything it can to make it happen. No 

dream is considered foolish. And to me, 

that’s really inspiring.” –VI 


10 

Blues news 

Academic 

Accolades 

For the second year in a row, a U of T student-athlete took top 

marks with Canadian Interuniversity Sport. Darragh McGee, 

a doctoral student and captain of the Blues men’s soccer team, 

was recognized as one of the CIS top eight academic all- 

Canadians for 2011-12, following up U of T wrestler Shujon 

Mazumder's win last year. 

A 2011 CIS first-team all-Canadian and OUA East MVP 

and first-team all-star, McGee ranked among the top 30 

players in the country and helped his team to the third 

best goals against record in the CIS last season. He is 

currently completing his PhD in the sociology of sport 

and recently returned from Ghana, where he spent the 

summer researching the nexus between the phenomenon of 

trafficking, child labour and sport (read more about this work 

on page 8). 


The top eight recipients are chosen each year from over 2,000 

academic all-Canadians who have maintained an A average 

while competing in varsity sport. To create the shortlist, CIS 

chooses one male and one female student-athlete from each 

of the four regional associations. 

“We believe very strongly in developing the whole studentathlete, 

and Darragh is a strong reflection of this,” says Beth 

Ali, U of T’s director of intercollegiate and high performance 

sport. “He has been recognized academically on many occasions 

and his performance on the field is incontestable. That 

our student-athletes have achieved this highly sought-after 

honour two years in a row demonstrates our approach is 

working.” –ABE 

PHOTO/ JING-LING KAO-BESERVE

Barrett 

bleeds blue 

John Barrett shed his interim 

title this summer, becoming 

the head coach of the Varsity 

Blues men’s volleyball 

program on August 1. The 

former CIS all-Canadian, 

CIS national champion and 

national team member held 

the top coaching position 

this past season, after serving 

as an assistant coach with 

the Blues since 2006. 

“I am thrilled to have this 

opportunity to work with 

such a great group of 

student-athletes and help 

U of T rebuild the men’s 

volleyball program to the 

prominence it once had,” says Barrett. “It’s an especially exciting time, 

with the construction of the new Goldring Centre underway, which 

will undoubtedly help attract some of the best athletes in the country.” 

The team will find its new home at the Goldring Centre for High 

Performance Sport when construction is complete in 2015. 

Barrett’s coaching resume includes a long-time association with 

the national beach program, where he was named head coach of 

Canada’s team for the 2003 Pan American Games. His playing career 

includes 15 years with Canada’s men’s indoor team – capped off by his 

participation in the 1984 Olympic Games – and a 12-year professional 

career in Italy, which boasts the number one professional league in the 

world. –Jill Clark 

Home turf 

advantage 

The University of Toronto is set to host three 

championships this year – 2012 CIS field 

hockey, November 1-4 at Varsity Centre; 

2013 OUA swimming, February 7-9 in the 

Athletic Centre’s Varsity Pool; and 2013 

CIS women’s hockey, March 7-10 at Varsity 

Arena. “We’re thrilled to have a hat trick this 

year,” says Beth Ali. “It’s a great opportunity 

to showcase our facilities and to inspire our 

teams to be the best.” 

PURsUIT | FAll 2012 

11

12 

Blues news 

Celebrating 

Grey Cup history 

Paying homage to the 1909-winning Grey Cup team and officials during 

the Rosedale Field celebration on May 30. 

Commemorative stamp. 


Over 4,000 fans gathered at Rosedale Field on 

December 9, 1909 to cheer on the Varsity Blues 

as they made football history – capturing the 

first Grey Cup and setting the stage to take the 

following two consecutive titles and then a fourth 

in 1920. This year, U of T – also host to a record 

29 Grey Cup games – has taken centre stage in 

the celebrations to mark the 100th playing of the 

Grey Cup* scheduled for November 25. 

Festivities kicked off on May 30, when U of 

T football players returned to Rosedale Field, 

joining members of the Toronto Argonauts and 

Canadian Football League alumni, including past 

Grey Cup champions and CFL of Hall of Famers 

to celebrate 100 years of the Cup. 

On August 13, Canada Post used Varsity Centre 

as the venue to launch its commemorative Grey 

Cup stamp collection, which was unveiled by 

Deepak Chopra, president and CEO of Canada 

Post; Mark Cohon, the commissioner of the CFL; 

and Chris Rudge, executive chairman and CEO, 

Toronto Argonauts and the chairman of the 100th 

Grey Cup Festival. 

Rudge also presented Dean Ira Jacobs with a 

commemorative Grey Cup banner on September 

8 at the Argos vs. Hamilton game at the Rogers 

Centre. U of T stands alone in receiving two of 

the prestigious banners – one as host and one as 

winner of a Grey Cup. 

The Blues strengthened their relationship with the 

Argos this year, playing host to the 11th annual 

Huddle Up Bullying Prevention Program. Blues 

football players Aaron Milton and Christopher 

Johnson, and basketball players Alex Hill, 

Dakota Laurin and Adam Plummer joined 

Toronto Argonauts players and cheerleaders as 

ambassadors to over 250 students and teachers 

who shared ideas to keep their schools safe from 

bullying behaviour. –ABE 

*There were no Grey Cup games played between 1916 

and 1918 during World War 1 and no 1919 game 

due to a rules dispute. 

PHOTO/ JOHNNy GUATTO

Blues news 

Staffers head 

to FISU 

Two members of the intercollegiate sport information and 

promotion team will play key roles next year at both the winter 

and summer FISU world university games. Mary Beth Challoner 

(pictured right), manager of events and marketing for 

the Blues, will act as manager of communications at the 2013 

Winter Universiade in Trentino, Italy. Jill Clark (pictured left), 

coordinator of sport information, will be a communications 

officer at the 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia. 

“We are thrilled with the mission staffs we have assembled for 

the 2013 Universiades,” said Mary Macdonald, manager of 

sport and international programs for Canadian Interuniversity 

Sport, who will also be assistant chef de mission at both events. 

“Thanks to their support and expertise, we are confident that 

Canadian student-athletes will enjoy a memorable experience 

and will achieve great success in Kazan and Trentino.” 

PHOTO/ JING-LING KAO-BESERVE 

Blues in red 

Olympic wrap-up 

In addition to the standout performance by Canada’s only 

Olympic gold medalist, Rosie MacLennan (see page 18), 

several Blues donned Canada’s colours – and in two cases, 

those of their home countries – to compete in London. 

Here is how they fared: 

Zsofi Balazs 

Open Water Swimming 

18th 

Josh Binstock 

Beach Volleyball 

17th 

michael Brathwaite 

Rowing – men’s Double Sculls 

12th 

Crispin Duenas 

Archery 

33rd 

Grace Gao 

Badminton – mixed Doubles 

13th 

luke Hall (Swaziland) 

Swimming – 50m freestyle 

36th 

michelle li 

Badminton – Women’s 

Doubles 

4th 

Elodie li Yuk lo (mauritius) 

Beach Volleyball 

19th 

Colin Russell 

Swimming 

4x100 freestyle relay 

10th 

4x200 freestyle relay 

14th 

Donna Vakalis 

modern Pentathlon 

11th 

Sarah Wells 

Athletics – 400m hurdles 

24th 


14 

Blues news 

Teams to watch 

Field Hockey 

The defending OUA champs will take to the field October 

27-28 to vie for their 29th provincial title since 1971. The 

team, set to host the 2012 CIS championship, last reigned 

nationally in 2010 and took top spot on their home turf in 

2007, boasting a total of 11 national titles. The team opened 

their 2012 campaign with a perfect 7-0 September, recording 

three shut-out wins. At press time, they had outscored their 

opponents 31-4, ranking first in goals for and tying for 

first with fewest goals allowed. The Blues have four players 

ranked among the top 10 scorers in the OUA, more than any 

other team. 

Women’s Cross Country 

Tamara Jewett, the 2011 OUA female individual champion, 

won her first two 5K races of the season, placing first at the 

Western International (17:36) and Sean Earl Lakefront Invitatoinal 

(17:17). Jewett is the defending OUA champion and CIS 

silver medalist and looks to defend her title as York hosts the 

Men’s & Women’s Water Polo 

The team had a jam-packed October schedule in preparation 

for the OUA championship in November (the men compete 

November 16-18; the women November 23–25). The women 

are defending champions, while the men look to claim their 

fourth title in five years after a silver-medal finish last season. 

Men’s Soccer 

Having lost a core group to graduation, the defending OUA 

silver medalists are off to a slower start in 2012 with a 5-5-0 

record at press time. The Blues upset the No. 10 Carleton 

Ravens 2-1 at home on September 30 and were looking to 

ride that win into October and playoffs November 2–4. The 

Blues have made the Final Four for the past four seasons, 

and have appeared in the championship final since 2009, last 

winning it in 2010. They also look for their fourth consecutive 

national championship berth. 

Women’s Soccer 

Women’s soccer was 7-3-2 at press time, and fighting for 

playoff positioning. The team has made the playoffs in each of 

the last 12 seasons, and on November 2–4 will look for their 

first OUA Final Four appearance since 2004. 

provincial championship on October 27. For up-to-the-minute information on how the Blues are 

faring, visit www.varsityblues.ca. –JC 

pursuit.utoronto.ca

Blues news 

mike Katz 

passes the ball 

Upcoming action 

Men’s and women’s basketball are set for their home opening weekend, 

scheduled for November 9 (Guelph) and 10 (Lakehead). Games for 

women and men are 6:00PM and 8:00PM respectively. 

Blues track and field will host three invitationals early in 2013, including: 

Sharon Anderson memorial 

January 5 

Hal Brown last Chance 

February 15 

Wrapping up an impressive career at U 

of T, Varsity Blues head men’s basketball 

coach Mike Katz retired October 

1, 2012. Katz spent seven seasons on 

the sidelines for his alma mater, where 

he garnered both OUA and CIS coach 

of the year honours in 2007-08. That 

season Katz led the squad to a third 

consecutive third-place finish in the 

competitive OUA East. Under his 

leadership, the team posted a 158-96 

overall record, three playoff victories 

and several top 10 rankings. 

Prior to joining the Varsity Blues, Katz 

led the Humber College men’s basketball 

team for 19 seasons, amassing an 

overall record of 503-175. During that 

time, he led the Hawks to the Final Four 

every year, winning seven provincial 

championships and five national titles 

while producing seven all-Canadian 

players. The four-time OCAA coach of 

the year and three-time CCAA coach of 

the year was inducted into the Humber 

Varsity Hall of Fame in 2004. 

Fred Foot Track Classic 

January 19 & 20 

The sixth annual Cheer Blue, Think Pink week, in support 

of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, is scheduled to 

take place in late January. Women’s hockey faces off against 

Ryerson at 4:00PM on January 20, volleyball meets Waterloo 

at 2:00PM on January 26, and later that day women’s 

basketball goes head-to-head with Queen’s at 6:00PM. 

For more details on this and other Varsity Blues events, 

visit www.varsityblues.ca. 

On the national stage, Katz was assistant 

coach of the Canadian basketball squad 

and took part in the 2000 Olympic 

Games and the 1994 and 2002 world 

championships. In 1997, he guided 

Canada’s team to a silver medal at the 

World University Games in Sicily. Katz 

was also the head coach of the Ontario 

provincial team from 1986 to 1989, 

capturing one gold and one silver medal. 

“Mike has a great basketball mind and is 

a highly regarded coach in this country 

at every level,” says Beth Ali, director of 

intercollegiate and high performance 

sport. “Mike had a significant impact 

on our program and the student 

athletes within it. He has left his mark 

and we will continue his legacy of excellence 

as we move forward into the next 

phase of Varsity Blues basketball. We 

wish him the very best.” –ABE 


16 

Fit tips 

Building Balance 

Marcel Charland embraces all things active 

If you’ve ever been to the sport medicine clinic in the basement of the Athletic Centre, chances 

are you’ve seen Marcel Charland hard at work, with his trademark smile and energetic personality 

keeping his patients going. Charland got his start as an athletic therapist with the Toronto Blizzard 

soccer team in 1993 and hasn’t looked back since. Outside of the clinic he works with the national 

women’s basketball team, which recently competed at the London Olympics. Charland spoke to 

Reina Shishikura about his commitment to physical activity in various forms, despite sustaining a hip 

and back injury four years ago. Douglas Rosa, the Athletic Centre’s personal training and nutrition 

coordinator, offers tips on what Charland can do to stay injury-free and maintain his activity levels. 


PHOTO/ JING-LING KAO-BESERVE AT BREATHE yOGA STUDIO

NAmE: Marcel Charland 

OCCUPATION: Athletic therapist at the David L. 

Macintosh Sport Medicine Clinic and with the women’s 

national basketball team 

AGE: 51 

SPORTS BACKGROUND: Long-distance running and 

outdoor sports such as kayaking, mountain biking and 

canoeing 

CARDIO AND FITNESS ROUTINE: Charland runs three 

times a week, cycles to and from work every day, practices 

yoga, plays squash and occasionally rock climbs. “I 

just love being active! I even go winter camping to take 

advantage of winter sports.” 

STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING ROUTINE: Mobility 

and body weight work a few times a week, including 

push-ups and squats 

CHAllENGES: In 2008 Charland sustained a hip and 

lower back injury in a bicycle accident. “It could’ve been 

a lot worse, but I’m finding that as I age, it takes a lot 

longer to heal.” 

DIET: Mostly a vegetarian, Charland aims to eat healthy 

80 per cent of the time and allows some indulgences 20 

per cent of the time. 

TEmPTATIONS: “Chips, late-night snacks and wine!” 

Charland admits that late-night snacking is a lifelong 

habit he just can’t seem to break. 

ACCOmPlISHmENT: Running 220km of the East Coast 

trail in Newfoundland in three days, right before his 

cycling accident. “I’ve run marathons, but I enjoy this 

kind of running the most. I train, run and finish on my 

own, and it’s a different mentality because you’re going 

at your own pace.” 

GOAl: To wake up in the morning and not be in pain, 

be consistently active and healthy, and run more trails 

in Ontario. “There are lots of great, beautiful trails here. 

I want to get fit enough again to run or hike all of them.” 

Douglas Recommends 

lISTEN TO YOUR BODY 

“It’s great that Marcel does a variety of activities,” says Rosa. 

“That way it’ll encourage him to keep active. But he should 

make sure he’s not stressing his body out too much and that he 

has clearance from his physiologist.” Exercise should always 

be pain-free and you should listen to your body, he adds. 

Switch up your routine 

While running three times a week is a good cardio routine, 

Rosa says that Charland should combine it with a strength 

and conditioning routine for better results. “For example, one 

week he could run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, condition 

his upper body on Tuesday, his lower body on Thursday, 

do yoga on Saturday and rest on Sunday,” says Rosa. “Then 

the week after, he could switch up the days but make sure to 

take one rest day.” 

Body weight + resistance workouts = best results 

Rosa says that body weight-based mobility workouts are great, 

but that adding resistance workouts would benefit Charland 

even more. “Chances are, after three to four weeks of the 

same workout, your body gets used to it and it hits a plateau.” 

He also suggests Charland include workouts such as side 

lunges, squats, lifting and bending to engage his hips, core 

and back. 

maintain a balanced diet 

Because Charland follows a mostly vegetarian diet, Rosa 

recommends a balanced diet that consists of 50 per cent 

carbohydrates, 30 per cent protein and 20 per cent fat. “The 

carbs should come mostly from vegetables, protein from lean 

meat and grains and good fat from things like avocados and 

peanuts.” 

Nutrient-based fruits are best for late-night snacks 

“Charland’s not alone when it comes to chips being a 

temptation,” laughs Rosa. “Once you open a bag, it’s hard to 

stop!” So he recommends buying healthier chips or small, 

individual-sized bags to prevent over-eating. For late-night 

snacking, Rosa says Charland should eat nutrient-rich, 

low-calorie fruits, such as blueberries, grapes and strawberries. 

“But as long as you have enough protein for dinner, you 

should be able to avoid late-night snacks.” 


EVERythiNg’s 

RosIE 

Riding an olympic high, Rosie Maclennan 

takes on her next big challenge 

BY AlTHEA BlACKBURN-EVANS 

When Rosie MacLennan returned from London in mid- 

August, one of her first stops was her training ground, 

Skyriders Trampoline in Richmond Hill, where a group of 

young athletes eagerly waited to watch Canada’s only 2012 

Olympic gold medalist show off her skills. All eyes were on 

their idol as MacLennan took to the trampoline. But it took 

just one jump to remind the world-leading gymnast what 

a week off can do. “I fell on a single backflip; it was very 

humbling!” laughs MacLennan, describing the incredulous 

look on the novices’ faces. “You lose your spatial awareness 

very quickly.” 

The challenge of taking even a short break is proof of 

MacLennan’s dogged dedication to her sport, despite a 

PHOTO (AND COVER)/ JAMES HEASLIP COURTESy OF SPRINGFREE TRAMPOLINE 

busy schedule as a top student at the University of Toronto. 

Graduating with high honours from the physical education 

program in 2011 – just weeks after taking gold at the Pan 

American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico – MacLennan 

returned to U of T this fall to begin her master’s in exercise 

sciences. 

Despite rumours that she might postpone her graduate work 

to ride the high of the Games, MacLennan is staying the 

course. “Education is something my parents always really 

valued themselves and that value was instilled in me. In my 

undergrad I found an area I was really interested in, so I enjoy 

learning more about it.” > 

PURsUIT | FAll 2012 19

20 

That area is athlete social responsibility, the 

study of how athletes use their experience and 

prominence to further socially-important causes 

or organizations. Working with Professor Marg 

MacNeill, MacLennan completed her fourth-year 

research project on the topic; the two will regroup 

for her master’s work. “Rosie brings great energy 

and experience to her work,” says MacNeill. “As an 

Olympic champion and graduate researcher, she is 

well placed to engage elite athletes in participatory 

action research to examine their evolving roles as 

ambassadors for health and as citizens engaged in 

social causes.” 

The path to U of T started with gymnastics, 

MacLennan says. “My former teammate Sarah 

[Charles, now Gairdner] has had a huge influence 

on me. She was in the program for a year 

while I was still a high school student. Hearing 

Sarah talk about the broad range of classes and 

the tight-knit community was why I applied for 

the program in the first place. With my passion 

in sport and health, it just seemed right. And 

the whole way through she’s kind of guided me 

and given me advice.” Rotating roles as training 

partner, school mate, mentor and fellow champion 

for the Goldring Centre campaign (see next page), 

Gairdner – a former world champion herself – was 

one of the first to congratulate MacLennan after 

her gold-medal win in London. Despite calls from 

prominent folks including Prime Minister Harper, 

she says Gairdner’s call topped the list. “I wasn’t 

able to answer my phone for a long time [after 

leaving the podium] and there were something like 

14 missed calls from her. Hearing the excitement 

in her voice and being able to talk to somebody 

who I’ve shared so much of the experience with; it 

was the most meaningful call.” 

With no immediate plans for the next competition, 

MacLennan is focusing on her new role as 

graduate student, and feeling fortunate to have 

found a school and a sport that allow her to be 

excellent at both. “The Faculty was very supportive 

of me and that really helps. If you find the right 

program and the right training regimen you can 

do both.” MacLennan says each pursuit has similar 

challenges, and in true no-nonsense form she 

breaks them down in the simplest of terms: “You 

have this amount of time, you have to get this 

amount done, and you have to find a way to do it. 

You don’t give yourself any excuses.” 


MAClENNAN’s 

MIlEsToNEs 

1995 

2005 

2007 

2008 

2009 

2010 

2011 

2012 

ToTAl 

+ Life on the trampoline takes over, when 

MacLennan tags along with her siblings to the 

gym for the first time. 

+ Ten years of training results in synchro silver at the 

world championships in Eindhoven 

+ Gains momentum with four medals – individual 

bronze, team silver and synchro gold at worlds 

in Quebec, plus individual silver at the Pan 

American Games in Rio de Janeiro 

+ Heads to U of T to embark on a degree in 

physical health education 

+ Heads to Beijing to compete in her first 

Olympic Games 

+ Takes two – team bronze and synchro silver at 

worlds in St. Petersburg 

+ Brings home individual bronze at worlds in 

Metz, France 

+ Follows up team bronze, synchro silver and 

individual silver at worlds in Birmingham with 

individual gold at Pan Ams in Guadalajara. 

+ Graduates with high honours from 

U of T’s BPHE program 

+ Takes individual gold in London 

+ Begins her master's degree at U of T 

+ Receives the Faculty’s Mavis E. Berridge 

Scholarship and the M.R. Wright and Family 

Fellowship in High Performance Sport

JUMPINg To THE 

CHAllENgE 

Student-athletes 

rally support for high 

performance sport hub 

Rosie MacLennan and Sarah Gairdner know how to deliver top 

performances, on and off the trampoline. The duo, who have 

competed together at the highest levels (see preceding story) 

and are both immersed in graduate studies in exercise sciences, 

have put their passion towards a new challenge: helping to raise 

funds to complete the Goldring Centre for High Performance 

Sport, the state-of-the-art facility that will foster excellence in 

sport science research and teaching, sport medicine, athlete 

training, coaching and world-class competition. 

This year MacLennan and Gairdner co-chaired a successful 

fundraising gala and served as volunteers at an exclusive golf 

tournament on September 28. Combined, the events have 

raised over $200,000 to date. 

The golf tournament, organized by Goldring Centre campaign 

advisors including chair Kevin Reed (see page 22) ), Patrick 

O’Hanlon and Cailey Stollery in memory of the campaign’s 

previous chair, Gordon Stollery, brought together 32 golfers 

at the prestigious Goodwood Golf Club. MacLennan and 

Gairdner joined in to share their enthusiasm for the cause and 

made connections with fellow supporters of Canadian high 

performance sport. 

The gala, held at the Royal Conservatory of Music on May 11, 

featured live performances by athletes and a sports-related 

silent auction. It was attended by over 100 guests, including 

several Olympians. “Rosie and Sarah organized a memorable 

event,” says Judy Goldring (BA Vic 1987), vice-chair of U of T’s 

Governing Council, and the lead volunteer who worked with 

the pair on the gala. “Every detail was thought through – from 

the trampoline on Bloor Street to the silent auction items. 

Everybody who attended had a great time. Rosie’s and Sarah’s 

leadership in pulling this together, particularly in the midst 

of their busy schedules, shows just how talented they are.” Ms. 

Goldring and her family, including the late Warren Goldring 

(BA UC 4T9, LLD Hon 0T3) and her brother Blake (BA Vic 

8T1), a member of the Boundless campaign executive, are 

TOP PHOTO/ JING-LING KAO-BESERVE 

MacLennan and Gairdner at the Goldring gala 

PICTURED/ l to R: Geoffrey Beattie, Kevin Sullivan, Gordon 

Nixon, Rosie MacLennan, Michael Siltala 

among the Centre’s founding benefactors, whose number also 

includes Ron Kimel (BA UC 1966), the Kimel family, and the 

late Gordon Stollery (MSc 7T2). 

MacLennan, who is now a Goldring Centre campaign advisor, 

is quick to emphasize how important private fundraising is 

for initiatives like this. “There’s only so much you can do 

without the resources,” she says. “This Centre will make a 

huge difference in Ontario and Canada.” –with files from 

Allyson Rowley 


gETTINg 

BEHIND 

golDRINg 

Kevin Reed, chairman and CEO of Blue Goose 

Capital and campaign chair for the Goldring 

Centre for High Performance Sport, talks to 

Pursuit editor Althea Blackburn-Evans about the 

power of sport and why a proud Ottawa Gee Gee 

put his weight behind U of T 

Kevin Reed’s fondest memory in sport and in life took place on 

a wintry day in his seventh year, gliding over his backyard ice 

rink. “It’s etched in my mind – that feeling of being on the rink 

my dad made, the snow falling around me. I try to live my life 

like I’m always seven: when you’re on the rink you’re dreaming 

about anything you want to be; anything is possible.” 

That feeling carried Reed through careers in hockey and 

business, where he played competitively in Canada and Europe, 

and established a series of successful companies in fields as 

diverse as engineering, finance and organic cattle farming. 

22 pursuit.utoronto.ca 

PHOTOS/ JING-LING KAO-BESERVE

Reed insists that the lessons hockey taught him are integral to 

how he approaches business – and they’re the reason he is so 

committed to supporting sport. “In business I draw on those 

[hockey] experiences every day. Everyone has a role but you 

have to come together, check your egos, and make it happen. 

My proudest accomplishment is that I’ve found tremendous 

partners and people to work with. Every company I’ve built 

I’ve had best-of-class partners. It makes my job easy.” 

That team dynamic in business drives Reed to give back to 

sport in many ways. A corporate sponsor to more than a 

dozen Olympic athletes over the years, he has now set his 

sights on the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport. 

A relatively recent Toronto resident, Reed sees this city as 

the ideal spot to groom the next generation of top athletes. 

“I firmly believe that Ontario needs more places to help the 

region’s elite-level athletes – and I think Toronto has an 

outstanding opportunity to put a serious Olympic bid on the 

table. The Goldring Centre, with its research infrastructure 

and focus on supporting high-level athletes, bodes well for 

the City of Toronto – and for Canada.” 

Reed’s fondness for Toronto began in his Ottawa Gee Gees 

days, when the view on Bay Street first inspired his career 

dreams and culminated in the creation of Grey Horse 

Corporation, now Equity Financial Holdings. “When I was 

playing for the University of Ottawa we came to Toronto for 

an afternoon game and I just happened to walk down to Bay 

Street. I was quite impressed with how tall the buildings were 

there and I thought, ‘These are big buildings; this must be a 

great business.’ On the bus ride back to U of O I said to my 

buddies, ‘By the time I’m 40 I’m going to build a bank.’ I built 

some companies before that – an engineering company [the 

now internationally-renowned Magellan Engineering] with 

my Ottawa roommate and a software company in the U.S. – 

and then I moved back to Canada and built my bank.” 

When asked to sum up his success and his drive to get behind 

sport-related causes like the Goldring Centre, Reed’s simple 

answer calls back to his early memories on that backyard 

rink. “I haven’t stopped being seven and dreaming big.” 

To contribute to the campaign for the Goldring Centre 

for High Performance Sport, contact Robin Campbell at 

416.978.3711 or robin.campbell@utoronto.ca 

Construction continues 

Nearly 60 feet below ground, the foundation for the Goldring 

Centre for High Performance Sport is forming, laying the 

groundwork for the multi-storey hub for sport science, 

medicine, training and competition. This winter watch for the 

steel skeleton to make its way toward the sky as the Golding 

Centre begins to take shape. Completion is slated for 2015, in 

time for U of T to play host to the Pan American and Para Pan 

American Games. 


24 

Active AcAdemics 

BY VAlERIE IANCOVICH 

ILLUSTRATIONS By LUKE PAUW 

When the University of Toronto’s School of Physical and Health Education instructors sent their first 

crop of students running through obstacle courses and climbing up ropes in the Athletic Centre sports 

gym, few would have known that they were embracing educational principles that almost 70 years 

later would be considered cutting edge. In 2012, as learning styles change, technology evolves and 

job markets grow increasingly competitive, curriculum developers are expanding their focus to provide 

more opportunities that take students out of the lecture hall and into the field to exemplify ‘experiential 

learning’ – an approach that has today’s post-secondary educators abuzz. 

This is the first in a two-part series about experiential education. See our Spring 2013 issue for the second installment. 

pursuit.utoronto.ca

President David Naylor is among the advocates for expanding 

the experiential education opportunities offered to University 

of Toronto students. “The job of universities is to build 

what some call T-shaped individuals – a deep column of 

narrow expertise, capped by substantial breadth,” he said 

in a recent interview with The Globe and Mail. “That means 

more multi-disciplinary and experiential learning, and lots 

of opportunities for interactive problem-solving inside and 

outside the classroom.” 

Though the Faculty has long been a leader in this approach 

to learning, over the last two years there has been a renewed 

commitment to enhance existing opportunities and to 

develop new, more sophisticated bridges between theory and 

practice. “It’s an exciting time at the Faculty right now,” says 

Gretchen Kerr, the Faculty’s associate dean of undergraduate 

education. “We are fortunate in that our students already 

have such a breadth of opportunities to work in the field. 

We’re now focused on being more rigorous and explicit about 

what students are learning from these experiences.” 

It’s a direction CCUPEKA (the Canadian Council of University 

Physical Education and Kinesiology Administrators) 

applauded last year when the organization assessed the Faculty’s 

curriculum during its reaccreditation process. “When 

other PHE/KIN programs across the country were dealing 

with budget cuts and changing direction, they reduced their 

physical activity curriculum,” says Kerr. “We’ve not only 

maintained it, but strengthened it by integrating the physical 

activity and academic theory courses.” 

To ensure this success continues, the Faculty this summer 

welcomed Ashley Stirling in a newly-created role as the 

experiential education specialist. Stirling, whose expertise 

centres around the best techniques and principles related to 

this learning theory, is also teaching third- and fourth-year 

placement courses. “These classes already offer students 

terrific placement opportunities in Toronto schools, at The 

Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto Rehab and various 

athlete development clinics, but my goal is to expand our 

relationships even further,” says Stirling. She is also looking 

to expand the in-class portion of the program, developing the 

students’ communication, listening and teamwork skills so 


26 

that they can clearly articulate the links from the classroom 

to work in the field, which will help in accessing the curriculum’s 

success and the students’ success after graduation. “For 

example, if what a student has learned in her sport medicine 

class relates to her field care placement [working with medical 

staff and Blues athletes], she needs to have specific skills to 

effectively communicate that she understands and can apply 

these connections properly,” Stirling explains. 

This summer, three undergraduate students were given a 

unique opportunity to do just that thanks to the Faculty’s 

recently-strengthened relationship with Canadian Sport 

Centre Ontario (see page 3). For the last two years, this 

partnership has invited select undergraduate students to work 

in the field with high performance athletes, conducting tests 

and research in CSCO’s labs and sports facilities. Lindsay 

Musalem, Tharmegan Tharmaratnam and Lydia Schultz were 

the latest to benefit from the opportunity and worked directly 

with London-bound athletes and legends like hockey star 

Hayley Wickenheiser. “We were applying what we learned in 

class and in the labs to real-life settings,” says Schultz. “It’s 

not an abstract concept anymore.” 

lAbs, REiNVENtEd 

Enhancing the Faculty’s experiential education approach 

also means further developing access to research in our 

own facilities. For years undergraduate students have had 

the chance to work one-on-one with professors on research 

projects – an opportunity many students don’t have until 

graduate school. Two state-of-the-art labs were built this 

summer (see page 7), further expanding the breadth of lab 

work available to undergraduate students. “This will also 

continue to build on the research our undergraduates are 

able to share with their peers at our annual national research 

conference, which is getting stronger every year,” Kerr says. 

Professor Michael Atkinson, who teaches physical cultural 

studies, has reconsidered the very definition of a lab, sending 

his students into the field to act as “citizen journalists,” 

reporting their observations about food, movement and 

health through class blogs. “There’s this whole city out there 

that is a laboratory for physical cultural research and we 

need to take advantage of that,” Atkinson says. “Most of the 

students have reacted to the learning style like fish to water. 

This kind of curriculum really speaks to this generation.” 

Professor Greg Wells, often researching in remote areas, 

can’t always bring his students to the field with him, but 

has used video streaming and webcasts to provide as close 

to an in-person experience as possible when researching 

athletes in extreme conditions, for example. Most recently, 


on an expedition to the Andes mountains, Wells used a 

portable laboratory and video streaming to give his thirdyear 

students a better sense of his data-gathering process 

and the tests he performed on an ultra marathoner who was 

racing through the mountains, exemplifying the theories he 

teaches in the lecture setting. “Students want information on 

their iPods, on their iPhones; they want to be able to access 

information anywhere, anytime,” he explains. “They want to 

engage with it.” 

Building stronger bridges between theory and field work hasn’t 

been reserved for the Faculty’s upper-year courses. For the last 

two years, the Faculty has introduced classes that make better 

use of its integrated nature, transforming the University’s 

courts, fields and tracks into labs for learning, beginning in 

first year. For example, when first-year students learn about 

the theories behind range of motion in Doug Richards’s 

Fundamentals of Human Movement course, they are then 

required to look for ways that those theories are evidenced 

during the physical activity portion of the course: Human 

Movement and Fitness. For Kerr, this direction is a significant 

step forward. “Rather than having the physical activity 

courses and the theory courses exist on their own and just 

hope that it all meshes together, we are deliberately integrating 

theory and practice and making the connections explicit.”

NEw couRsEs, NEw iNtEgRAtioN 

But the revised physical activity classes aren’t the only place 

where students are experiencing this theory-practice nexus. 

Now in its second year, the course, Speed and Power, led by 

instructor Tim Taha and head Blues track and field coach 

Carl Georgevski, requires students to split their time between 

the lecture hall and Varsity Centre. Taha lays the theoretical 

foundation in the lecture while Georgevksi leads the students 

through drills akin to those his athletes undertake in training. 

“We have them learn the basics, but then we also go through 

what a workout would be like for an athlete,” Taha explains. 

“So, they’re actually seeing and feeling classroom theories 

being applied on the track and in their muscles.” Similar 

fusions have been adopted in the Theory of Dance Performance, 

Teaching the Child Physical Activity, and Theory and 

Practice of Coaching Soccer courses in recent years. 

lookiNg AhEAd 

Kerr is committed to keeping the Faculty’s undergraduate 

program at the forefront of providing enriching experiential 

education opportunities. Next on the agenda for enhancement: 

the outdoor projects (ODP), which are perhaps among 

those most fondly remembered by students and alumni. 

While the Faculty will continue to offer the northern adventures, 

Kerr says that tomorrow’s ODP course instructors will 

be more explicit with students about what they’re going to 

learn on these outings. “And when they return students will 

reflect on and analyze these experiences and link them with 

theoretical knowledge.” Kerr’s vision is to integrate experiential 

learning opportunities throughout the undergraduate 

curriculum, drawing explicit connections between theory 

and practice. Students will become active learners, not only 

in the physical sense, but in terms of being able to articulate 

what they are learning. 

Across the undergraduate program, the philosophy going 

forward, according to Kerr and Stirling, will be based on the 

theory that experience itself isn’t necessarily educational, in 

particular for today’s students. “These opportunities must 

be very purposeful,” says Stirling. “They must integrate with 

theory and include critical reflection in order to create the 

most optimal learning circumstance for students and prepare 

them for the road ahead.” 

So in another 70 years, it’s likely that an observer passing the 

Athletic Centre gym or a court in the Goldring Centre for 

High Performance Sport will still see that familiar sight of 

undergraduates bounding and leaping about. The possibilities 

for where they may land, however, are boundless. 


28 

lIgHTs, 

CAMERA, 

CUlTURE

How former world-class 

swimmer Karin Helmstaedt 

found unexpected fame 

BY VAlERIE IANCOVICH 

It was a picture-perfect afternoon in late August and former 

Blues swimmer Karin Helmstaedt (BA 9T0) had been in 

the water every day for a week. “I just love being in the lake, 

swimming outside. I feel fantastic,” she said from her summer 

getaway near Kingston, Ontario. 

Helmstaedt was back in Canada, taking a rare break from 

her role as co-host of Deutsche Welle TV’s flagship cultural 

magazine program, Euromaxx, which airs out of Berlin seven 

days a week. The English-language show highlights the best 

of European life – food, architecture, wine, dance, fashion, 

festivals and theatre. “I never get bored. European culture is 

endless. I learn something new every day.” 

While the cobblestoned streets of Berlin seem a world away 

from the chlorinated lanes of her university days, it was the 

time clocked in the pool that led the former national team 

member to her current role as one of Europe’s most recognized 

television personalities. “I was never swimming as fast as 

I wanted to and never achieving the same times as the East 

Germans, in particular. And yet we trained so hard and I felt 

like I had done everything I could – even cut down my studies. 

I just missed [qualifying for] the 1988 Olympic team. That was 

a really heavy blow for me, and I wanted to figure out why.” 

When Helmstaedt hung up her swim cap in 1990 she turned 

to journalism and she found herself digging behind the East 

German times in the pool. She moved to Europe, where her 

stories went behind the headlines and she was among the 

first to expose the rampant doping on the East German swim 

teams in the 1970s and 1980s. In the process of satisfying her 

own pursuit for the truth, Helmstaedt became a go-to source 

for insight on the landmark doping trials of the late 1990s. In 

1998, she co-wrote an award-winning documentary on the 

controversy, leading to more mainstream coverage of the issue. 

“Eventually the same people ended up getting interviewed and 

the same stories were being told again and again, so it was 

time for a change,” she says. Later that year, with the renown 

and confidence she gained from her film, Helmstaedt walked 

into Deutsche Welle and a short time later secured her first 

on-camera role as host of the news magazine Germany Today, 

later joining Euomaxx, where she has held the mic for almost 

10 years. 

Clearly passionate about her current beat, Helmstaedt returns 

to the sports world when the story’s right, as was the case this 

summer when she cut her beloved Canadian vacation short 

to cover the Olympics for SwimNews.com. “That put a bit of a 

monkey wrench in my plans, but it’s such an exciting thing to 

experience. It’s been an intense summer,” she says, admitting 

she tends to be a bit of a workhorse. “That could come from 

my days at U of T. Some of my German colleagues tell me 

to slow down, calling me ‘die Sportlerin,’ which means ‘the 

athlete.’ I don’t get into the water as much as I’d like to, but I 

guess I still have some of that swimming endurance left in me 

after all!” 

PHOTO/ COURTESy OF KARIN HELMSTAEDT PURsUIT | FAll 2012 

29

30 

aluMni upDates 

gEttiNg togEthER 

Honouring Athletes 

2012 Hall of Fame 

“Once a Blue, always a Blue.” It’s a sentiment many former U 

of T athletes express in their years out of the varsity uniform. 

And a handful of the best felt like Blues all over again on June 

7 at Hart House Theatre, where eight athletes, three builders 

and two teams were inducted into the University of Toronto 

Sports Hall of Fame. Team spirit infused the room – and 

it wasn’t just coming from the 1985–86 and 1986–87 field 

hockey teams, whose camaraderie led to more than one 

tearful embrace. Each former Blue credited their years as U 

of T athletes for helping them to develop lifelong skills and 

establish a community that, decades later, continues to make 

them proud. 

Inductee and badminton standout Adrian Ma’s connection 

to U of T was strong enough to inspire him to fly all the way 

from Hong Kong for the night’s ceremony. “The records 

and trophies were not my highest achievements,” he told 

the crowd. “The sportsmanship and team spirit at games, 

the laughter and tears shared with my teammates…that’s 

what sport is all about.” Ma closed his acceptance speech by 

pulling a 15-year-old T-card from his wallet in a demonstration 

of his long-standing pride. 

PICTURED/ left: Bernadette Casey Bowyer speaks on behalf of women’s field hockey 

Right: Adrian Ma (right) joins student-athlete Andrew Wilkinson at the reception 


Builder inductee Liz Hoffman was toasted by many throughout 

the evening as two of her former field hockey athletes, Wendy 

Baker and Lisa Lyn McRae, and two of her teams were also 

inducted at the ceremony. “Liz constantly went above the call 

of duty,” Baker told the crowd. U of T's former head of athletics 

was clearly moved by the affirmations, crediting the athletes, 

her family, colleagues, staff and coaches for her many successes. 

“What a run!” Hoffman told the crowd. “Without the support 

of this entire team, I would not be here tonight” 

Athlete inductees this year also included Olympic gold 

medalist and hockey legend Vicky Sunohora; OUA and CIS 

high jump record-holder Alex Zaliauskas; basketball standout 

Elizabeth Hart; football star Wayne Dunkley and swimmer 

Marco Cavazzoni, who was twice named U of T’s male athlete 

of the year. 

Robin Campbell, who coached some of Canada’s top 

swimmers, and football veteran Nick Volpe joined Hoffman 

in the builder category. The 1971–72 hockey team, who had a 

fan base that filled the Varsity Arena to capacity, rounded out 

the evening’s inductions. –VI 

PHOTOS/ DAN EPSTEIN

All eyes on the Olympians 

Alumni who live in the London area got the rare opportunity 

to meet some of this year's Olympic athletes in person, during 

a celebration hosted by Beth Ali, U of T’s director of intercollegiate 

and high performance sport. Over 80 attendees joined 

gold medalist Rosie MacLennan and fellow Olympians Jason 

Burnett, Crispin Duenas, Sarah Wells and Elodie Li Yuk Lo 

at the Gallery in the Crypt at Trafalgar Square. Former dean 

and Olympian Bruce Kidd and Dr. Julia Alleyne, a sport 

physician with the Macintosh Sport Medicine Clinic and 

chief medical officer at the Games, also joined the festivities. 

“It was exciting to bring our alumni and friends together 

with these very talented athletes,” says Ali, who anticipates 

the next such event could occur at the Goldring Centre for 

High Performance Sport (see page 22) during the next Pan 

American Games. “I can hardly wait for 2015 – our longanticipated 

new high performance centre and the Pan Ams, 

in the same year!” –ABE 

PICTURED/ l to R: Wells, Li Yuk Lo, MacLennan, 

Duenas, Burnett 


32 


gEttiNg togEthER 

PHE 4T7 

Seven graduates from 1947 attended 

a reunion luncheon on June 2 at the 

Weston Golf Club. Proud to wear 

their 65th anniversary medals, the 

group – which included Dr. Bob 

McMillin, Bobby Belfry, Beth Ratcliffe, 

Bev Brightling, Claude Brundage, Mary 

Arntfield and Clare Deneberg – caught 

up and remembered the great times 

they had together U of T. Special thanks 

go to Mrs. Bobby Belfry for getting 

everyone together and keeping in 

touch with other members of the class 

who were unable to attend. The group 

is proud to maintain a healthy and 

physically-active lifestyle and still have 

a practicing physician, Bob McMillin, 

among their classmates. 

PHE 6T2 

The classmates from PHE 6T2 gathered 

for lunch at the home of Sally Jo Martin 

on June 1 during Spring Reunion 

weekend to celebrate the anniversary of 

their graduation. The group included 

Jean Kennedy, Sally Jo Martin, Ruth 

Waldman, Bev Hayes, Jo Ann Wilton, 

Helen Hobbs, Judy Jensen, Ruth Priddle, 

Sandra Shaw, Dellen Bullen, Lynda Jacob 

and Nancy Currell, Barry Brooker, Steve 

Tipold, Sonny Osborne, Zel Bocknek, 

Dave Chambers, Doug McKenzie, Jim 

Musselman, Don McKay, Barry Rowland, 

Dan Giecko and Dave Ouchterlony. 

Event attendees appearing on this page 

not identified in order 

pursuit.utoronto.ca


PHE 5T2 

The class of PHE 5T2 

enjoyed a full day of activity 

on June 1 as they celebrated 

60 years since graduation. 

The day began with the 

Chancellor’s Circle medal 

ceremony and concluded 

with dinner at the Faculty 

Club. Many thanks go to 

Ros Stone and John Miteff 

for organizing the event. 

PHE 7T7 

The graduates of PHE 7T7 gathered in the Benson 

Lounge in the Athletic Centre on July 6 to reminisce 

and celebrate 35 years since their graduation. 

An organizing committee of almost half the class 

had a great time planning the event and everyone 

is looking forward to the next gathering. 

Back Row: Joan (Rogers) Sorokan, 

Lenore (Elliot) Wilkinson, Dr. Roselyn 

Stone, Barbara (McNabb) Rasinaho, 

June “Babbie” (Plant) Stone, Wendy 

(Hughson) Southey 

Front Row: Joan (Creary) Maggs, Peg 

(Dippell) Menzies, Ruth Brown 

Back Row: Terry Housley, John Miteff 

Front Row: Gerry Barnhill, Byron Peebles, 

Dr. Gerry Sutherland 

missing: Doug Dies, Bill Huycke 


34 


PHE 7T2 

Thanks to a huge organizing effort 

of a dedicated committee headed by 

Angela Papworth, the class of PHE 7T2 

gathered to celebrate 40 years since 

their graduation. The event took place 

at the Auld Spot Pub on June 2. The 

group honoured friends they’ve lost and 

celebrated recent retirements. Most of 

all, they remembered all the great times 

they had together. 


Front row, l-R: Chris Mitskinis, Sue Young, Kathy Green, Angela Papworth, Aki 

Odamura, Karen Zarundny, Jo Tomsett Jones 

Second row, l-R: Don Fraser, Debbie Wales, Joanne Mitchell, Judy Masson, 

Cathy Roberge, Merna Glowinski, Gord Bullock 

Third row, l-R: Anu Marley, George Adams, Bob Knuckey, Kathy Fuller, Stu 

MacSween, Tom Loumankis, Carl Trinier, Val Hancock 

Back row, l-R: Rod Grummett, Doug Heys, Wayne Cousins 

Others not pictured include: Ornella Barrett, Nancy Beard, Anne Chellew, Jackie 

Greaves, Margaret Grieve, Ken Harris, Rocky Horyn, 

Colleen Hrivnak, Dave McDowall, Bob Morrow, Carolyn Pederson, Kim 

Porter, Janet Reynolds, Geri Rodman, Mike Toole, Richard Ward, Sue 

Whiteside, Lynn Zuliani


golF touRNAMENts 

men’s hockey golf tournament 

Men’s hockey alumni and friends gathered at Emerald 

Hills Golf and Country Club on July 10 for the annual golf 

tournament in support of the current program. With great 

weather and good company, the group enjoyed a fun day of 

golf, catching up and supporting a great hockey program. 

PICTURED/ l to R: Tournament champion foursome Tom 

Diceman, Al Stanley, Doug Cherapacha, Dean Haig 

upcoMiNg EVENts 

Swimming quadrennial reunion 

Saturday, October 20, 2012 

Daytime event 

Alumni/current swim team ‘dual’ meet 

50m pool at the Athletic Centre 

4:15–5:00 p.m. 

Evening event 

Hart House 

Reception: 6:00 p.m. 

Dinner: 7:30 p.m. 

For more information, please contact: 

byron.macdonald@utoronto.ca 

Women’s hockey golf tournament 

This annual fundraising tournament took place on Saturday, 

September 8 at Angus Glen Golf Club. The tournament set a 

new record for 43 hole and tournament sponsors, making it 

the most successful fundraiser for women’s hockey to date. 

The team looks forward to hosting the CIS women’s hockey 

championships in March 2013 at Varsity Arena. 

Field hockey CIS championships 

Varsity Blues field hockey alumni reception 

Sunday, November 4, 2012 

Varsity Centre Pavilion 

12:00 p.m. 

Contact: Masha Kennedy masha.kennedy@utoronto.ca 

Career Café 

If you have an interesting career path that you would like to 

share with current students, please contact Masha Kennedy at 

416.946.5126 or masha.kennedy@utoronto.ca 

The next event will be held on February 4, 2013. 


36 


clAss NotEs 

1960s 

Cathy Blackburn 

PHE 6T0, Hockey 

Cathy is the current president of the 

Temiskaming District’s Genealogy 

Group in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, where 

she helps individuals track relatives 

and ancestors who resided and worked 

in Kirkland Lake during the gold mine 

rush. Cathy has helped people from 

all over Canada and the United States, 

as well as Sweden, Finland, Croatia, 

Australia, New Zealand, England, 

Ireland, Scotland and Wales, to find 

ancestral connections to this unique 

geographical location. 


1990s 

Robert Hooper 

PHE 9T3, Track and Field, Cross Country 

Bob Hooper and his wife, Mijka, established 

DanceMakers in their hometown 

of Owen Sound, Ontario, after spending 

considerable time studying, training, 

working and performing in Toronto. 

In 1994 the studio launched with 30 

students and has since expanded its 

enrollment to over 400. The programs 

are designed to teach dance skills, with 

a focus on enhancing self-esteem and 

confidence through achievement and 

enjoyment of the arts. 

Vijay Kanwar 

mBA 9T7 

A member of the Faculty’s campaign 

advisory board, Vijay was recently 

appointed as a council member to the 

Natural Sciences and Engineering 

Research Council of Canada (NSERC). 

NSERC reports to Parliament through 

the Minister of Industry and strives 

to make Canada a country of 

discoverers and innovators for the 

benefit of all Canadians. 

Troy mann 


Troy is the current assistant coach 

for the Hershey Bears, an American 

Hockey League team in Pennsylvania. 

2000s 

Joel Kerr 

PHE 0T2 

Dr. Joel Kerr is the current team doctor 

of the Oshawa Power basketball team. 

With formal education and certifications 

as a chiropractor, ART provider 

and acupuncturist, “Dr. J.” takes a 

holistic approach to helping clients and 

athletes achieve and maintain a healthy 

lifestyle. Actively involved in the basketball 

community in the GTA, Joel offers 

his expertise in first aid and injury 

prevention to annual charity basketball 

events such as Bay Street Hoops Basketball 

and Girls Addicted to Basketball. 

Greg Wells 

mSc 9T9, PhD 0T4 

Currently a professor in U of T’s Faculty 

of Kinesiology and Physical Education, 

Dr. Greg Wells recently published, 

Superbodies: Peak Performance Secrets 

from the World’s Best Athletes. The book, 

available in stores and online, decodes 

the science behind Olympic performance 

and offers high-performance 

tips for people of all ages and abilities to 

improve their health and fitness.

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 

www.uoftbookstore.com 

Hours of Operation 

Monday - Friday 

10:00AM - 7:00PM 

Saturday - Sunday 

10:00AM - 4:00PM

38 


iN MEMoRy 

Robert Christian Schmidt 

B.Ed 0T9, Tennis 

On July 9, in his 30th year, Rob passed away suddenly in 

Durham, North Carolina, after an acute intestinal infection. 

Rob developed a strong love for tennis at an early age, playing 

and coaching tennis at the John Hatch Tennis Centre. His 

love of the sport spread throughout the entire Schmidt family 

and followed Rob as he moved to South Korea, Toronto and 

North Carolina. Rob competed on the Varsity Blues tennis 

team while completing his bachelor of education at the 

University of Toronto. He had a loving and compassionate 

soul, and touched the hearts of many throughout his short 

time. Beloved husband and soulmate of Elizabeth Moore, 

Rob will also be sadly missed by his mother Pauline, father 

Werner, and sisters Laura and Allison, and extended family. 

Scott Kerr Bricker 

PHE 4T9 

Scott Bricker passed on April 29 in his 

87th year. After World War II, where he 

served as a tail-gunner on a Lancaster 

bomber, Scott entered the University 

of Toronto and earned a bachelor’s 

degree in physical health education. 

He re-enlisted in the Canadian Army in 

1948, serving with the United Nations 

in Pakistan and India in 1967-68, and 

retired as a major in the Queen’s Own 

Rifle in 1975. Scott worked for Alberta 

Disaster Services until his retirement 

in 1994. 


Patricia Brooy 

PHE 4T9 

Pat passed away on June 15 in her 85th 

year. The beloved wife of the late Walter, 

Pat was a loving mother to Carol 

(Robert), Kathy (Val Steffan), Jennifer 

and Lorri (Jim), and cherished grandmother 

of Nicole, Kirk, Stephen, Drew, 

Brandon, Christina, Jessica, Philip, Jack 

and Evan. Pat was a proud Canadian 

and vibrant member of her community. 

She generously cared for and selflessly 

gave to others. Her energy and love for 

life was admired by all. 

Robert Cooper 


Bob died this past April in his 87th year. 

He was survived by his wife of 30 years, 

Virginia (nee Kidd), and predeceased 

by wife Marilyn (nee Sproule). After 

graduating from U of T, Bob coached 

the Cobourg Galloping Ghosts before 

moving to Windsor. Bob was an avid 

golfer and past president of Beach 

Grove Golf and Country Club, and also 

a member of the Isla del Sol Yacht and 

Country Club in St. Petersburg, Florida. 

Bob’s philosophy in life was, “If you 

can’t have any fun, don’t go.”


Donald Ferguson 

PHE 4T7 

Donald “Doc” passed away on May 23 

at the age of 86, after a long and happy 

life. After graduating from the U of T, 

Don taught math and physical education 

at Westdale Secondary School for 

34 years. Last year, he was inducted into 

the Westdale Athletics Hall of Fame 

in recognition of his inspiring leadership 

as a basketball coach and as head 

of physical education. With his wife, 

Marie, Don spent many happy years of 

retirement at the cottage, golfing and 

wintering in Alabama. 

Rev. Harold Bernard Gardner 

St. michael’s 5T4 

Father Gardner died peacefully on 

April 4 at St. Michael’s Hospital in 

Toronto. After obtaining a bachelor’s 

degree from the University of Toronto 

in 1954, Father Gardner became 

ordained in 1959 and went on to receive 

a master’s in library sciences from Case 

Western Reserve University in 1961. 

He had a rich career as an educator, 

librarian, administrator and mentor, 

and was an important fixture at St. 

Michael’s College, holding positions as 

assistant registrar, registrar, chaplain 

and dean of men. Another year-anda-half 

was spent working in alumni 

affairs and development at St. Mike’s. 

From 1995-1997, Father Gardner served 

as principal of Detroit Catholic Central 

High School. An avid supporter of the 

Varsity Blues, Father Gardner loved to 

attend hockey games in Varsity Arena 

and served as a mentor and counselor 

to many athletes and students associated 

with St. Michael’s College. 

Joan mavis Goodwin 

PHE 4T8, Basketball 

Joan passed away peacefully on April 

11 in her 87th year. Predeceased by 

her grandson Jeffrey and husband Des 

Goodwin, Joan was the dearly-loved 

mother of Janet Hanley (Nick) and 

Susan Top (Andrew), and cherished 

grandmother of Andrew, Christie, 

Desmond and Mavis. 

Stanley Joseph marchut 

PHE 6T1, St. michael’s 6T2 

Stanley passed away peacefully on 

March 25. The retired coach spent 

24 years leading the Durham Lords 

women’s volleyball team, winning six 

OCAA coach of the year awards and the 

1994 CCAA women’s volleyball coach 

of the year. Known to his friends as 

‘Stan The Man’, Stanley had a long and 

illustrious career in sports and education, 

boasting over 350 career wins and 

missing only one playoff in 24 years. He 

was inducted into Durham College’s 

Sports Hall of Fame in 2001, and the 

Oshawa Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. 

Robert “Bobby” Nicol 

Bobby passed away peacefully at the 

Southlake Hospital in Newmarket 

on July 11 in his 76th year. Beloved 

husband of Rena for 54 years, Bobby 

was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, 

where he played professional soccer 

with Hibernian FC “Hibs” before 

joining the Toronto City FC in Canada. 

During the 1969-70 and 1980-81 

seasons he also coached the Varsity 

Blues soccer team. In later years Bobby 

became an avid golfer and was a proud 

member of the Board of Trade Golf 

Club in Woodbridge for over 25 years. 

He will be greatly missed by his friends 

in the soccer community. 

Robert Platt 

PHE 4T9 

Bob died on June 30 in his 90th year. 

His fast-paced and energetic outlook 

took him from boardrooms to safaris, 

but his favourite stopping-off point was 

the cottage. An Olympic-class rower, 

camp director, pilot, entrepreneur 

extraordinaire, self-styled banker, world 

traveller, conservationist, solitaire 

addict, advertising guru and mentor, 

Bob cut a wide path throughout his 

life. He is greatly missed by his loving 

wife Betty, daughters Marion (David), 

Donna (Jim), Karen (Paul) and Barbara 

(Wayne), his 10 grandchildren and 13 

great-grandchildren. 

Dr. Geoffrey Shulman 

mD 7T8, Waterpolo 

Geoffrey died peacefully on July 2 

after a four-and-a-half year battle with 

cancer. He will be dearly missed by his 

family and loved ones. 

Robert l. Strom 

PHE 5T0 

Robert Strom died on July 2. A 

remarkable man, Robert was respected, 

admired and loved by all who had the 

privilege of knowing him. An active 

alumni volunteer, Robert took the lead 

in organizing several class reunions. He 

personally reached out to classmates to 

maintain contact through the years. 

Nicholas Thierry 

B. Arch. 6T4, Swimming 

Nick passed away on October 2, sending 

a ripple of grief across the swimming 

community. An assistant coach with 

the Blues for many years after graduation, 

Nick will be further remembered 

in the spring issue of Pursuit. 

CORRECTION/ In the spring 2011 issue of Pursuit, Cathy Blackburn (PHE 6T0, Hockey) was incorrectly listed in this section. We regret this error. Cathy 

is alive and well, and living in Kirkland Lake. See page 36 for what she’s been up to. 


tiMe out 

The One-Pound Workout 

BY AlTHEA BlACKBURN-EVANS 

Smooth as driftwood despite their mottled complexion, these 

time-weathered wooden weights were a staple in the strength 

program when Hart House opened its doors in 1919. Used by 

thousands of students for calisthenics over the years, these 

one-pound wonders were retired sometime in the 1930s, only 

to be unearthed by the hundreds when the men’s physical 

education program moved from Hart House to the Athletic 

Centre’s Warren Stevens building in 1979. 

Today, weight training at the University of Toronto has a 

much different face. Wood has given way to steel and rubber, 

and there are myriad options for molding the muscles of 

weekend warriors and elite athletes alike. 

40 puRsuit.utoRoNto.cA 

When completed in 2015, the Goldring Centre for High 

Performance Sport will unveil the very latest strength and 

conditioning technology, offering row upon row of state-ofthe-art 

equipment for whipping pecs, quads and glutes into 

shape. While the one-pounder is a thing of the past, 

the satisfaction of a good sweat and a slow burn are very 

much alive. 

PHOTO/ LUKE PAUW

gET 

golDRINg 

goINg 

you can help change the history of Canadian sport! 

Leave your legacy as one of the founding supporters of the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport. 

Card Number 

Name on Card 

Signature 

Founding benefactors (gift of $1,000 or more) 

Recognition: name of donor will be permanently displayed on the donor wall at the 

Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport 

Complete the form below and send your donation to: 

Alumni Office Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, 55 Harbord Street, Toronto, ON M5S 2W6 

Contact Robin Campbell by phone 416.677.5357 or email robin.campbell@utoronto.ca 

Donate online at donate.utoronto.ca/goldring 

Yes, I want to support the Golding Centre for High Performance Sport Campaign, I wish to contribute: 

$200 $500 $1000 (donor wall recognition) Other 

Cheque (Payable to the University of Toronto) 

Credit Card VISA MasterCard AMEX Expiry Date / 

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

For more information on phE class 

reunions during spring Reunion contact: 

Masha Kennedy 

masha.kennedy@utoronto.ca 

416.946.5126 

HoNoURED YEARs: 

1948 | 1953 | 1958 | 1963 | 1968 | 1973 | 1978 | 1983 | 1988 | 1993 | 1998 | 2003 | 2008 

Publication Mailing agreeMent #40065214 

RetuRn undeliveRable Canadian 

addResses to: 

Pursuit 

55 Harbord Street 

toronto, ontario M5S 2W6

golDEN gIRl - Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?