20 The Chronicle February 7 - 13, 20<strong>17</strong> chronicle.durhamcollege.ca
21 The Chronicle February 7 - 13, 20<strong>17</strong> chronicle.durhamcollege.ca Sports Make some noise for mental health Noor Ibrahim The Chronicle There was something louder than cheering at the Durham Lords men and women’s volleyball games against the Georgian Grizzlies. On Jan. 26, spectators filed into the bleachers with some unexpected objects in hand - pots and pans. The banging from the pans could be heard from outside the gym. But this wasn’t just for fun. The commotion was part of the Make Some Noise for Mental Health campaign started three years ago by the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology’s athletic team, the Trojans. The campaign made its way to Durham College only one day after Bell Let’s Talk day. It is also backed by the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The point of the campaign is to create as much noise as much possible during athletic events to spread the word about mental health issues and create conversation. While anything from air horns to bells to thunder sticks is acceptable, the theme of this game came from the kitchen. “What better way to make some noise than with pots and pans?” said Scott Dennis, Durham College’s Sports Information and Marketing Officer. “They’re pretty loud.” Dennis and Chris Cameron, special events coordinator with DC’s athletics department, decided pots and pans were a fit when they saw it at another school. This is the campaign’s first year at Durham. Even though it targets athletes, Dennis said many students struggle with mental health. “All students have to juggle things with part-time jobs, with Generals triumph over the Storm Rebecca Calzavara The Chronicle Despite some significant changes to their roster, the Oshawa Generals continue to find ways to win hockey games. The Generals travelled to Guelph and left with a 6-2 win against the Storm at the Sleeman Centre Jan. 27. The Generals traded captain Anthony Cirelli to Erie and defenseman Mitchell Vande Sompel to London at the OHL trade deadline on Jan.<strong>10</strong>. The Generals picked up forward Allan McShane, <strong>16</strong>, and defenseman Ian Blacker, <strong>17</strong>, and several draft choices in the deals. Since that date, the Generals have posted a 4-4 record and remain near the top of the Eastern Conference standings. According to new captain Joe Manchurek, this was the first time that the Generals have won on the road since Dec.2. “It was a good team effort, we got a couple goals early which was pretty key,” Manchurek said. their studies, and families get involved as well,” said Dennis. “Being a student is tough. So it’s important to talk to people if they have problems.” Lords soccer player Daniel Kaminski said mental health issues affect athletes in a big way. Photograph by Noor Ibrahim Chris Cameron (left) and Scott Dennis of the athletic department and varsity basketball star Lindsay Panchan show their noisemakers for the women's volleyball game on Jan. 26. Manchurek said he is adjusting nicely into the captaincy and believes the team has come a long way since the trades were made and everyone is fitting well together. “It was pretty tough at first, they were two guys who have been here a while but we’ve come along way with the new guys” Manchurek explained. “We are showing them how we play so I think we are all fitting pretty good and I think we just got to keep playing.” In Guelph, Medric Mercier opened the scoring for Oshawa. Not shortly after that goal the second came from Manchurek. Later in the first period, with the teams playing four-on-four, Kenny Huether made it 3-0 . The Storm started off the second period strong, but the Generals didn’t hold back, ending the period with two more goals. With ten minutes left in the period, Domenic Commisso scored the final goal for the Generals making the score 6-1 .The Generals will be playing the Windsor Spitfires on Feb. 9. A lot of athletes won’t come out as having a mental disability or having something wrong with them,” he said. “If they have depression or something, it’s hard to come out especially when you’re an athlete because you don’t want to be taking time away from your [sport.]” One in five Canadians suffer from mental health issues, according to Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. According to a University of Toronto survey of 113 student-athletes, 18 per cent of the athletes suffered from depression while <strong>17</strong> per cent had anxiety. Kaminski says mental health issues with athletes is understandable. “Playing sports, practicing, games - that takes you away from your everyday life,” he said. Kaminski was a spectator at the game. He said the game was effective in creating conversation. “It helps the athletes see that they can come out and have more courage because people are there to support, listen, and be there for them,” said Kaminski. Dennis agrees. “It gets people talking about mental illness. That’s the whole point. So that someone who is suffering from that is not alone and is not afraid to come out with it,” he said. The campaign was one of the many events, recently featured at the Lords games to boost spectator numbers. However, according to Dennis, this event was much more important than the others. He hoped spectators walked away with more than just entertainment, but with information about mental health. The female Lords were undefeated that night while the men’s team couldn’t knock off the Grizzlies with a final score of 2-3. Durham's athletic therapists get athletes back into the game Unsung heroes of sports Joshua Nelson The Chronicle Saul Behrman doesn’t wear a Ridgebacks jersey or don the Durham colours, doesn’t coach or manage, but is a critical member of the varsity sports community on campus. Behrman is an athletic trainer at Durham College and UOIT’s training unit and plays a crucial role in the rehabilitation of injured players. Behrman makes it his primary goal to prevent injuries and help players from more than 21 UOIT and Durham College teams get back in the game. “After someone gets hurt, we would bring them into the clinic, and myself, or we have two other certified ATs (athletic trainers) here as well, or some of our students, we would supervise them in doing assessments and rehabilitation for those injuries,” said Behrman. The athletic trainers are not only available to an athlete who walks in and requires treatment, they are also on scene for every home and away game Durham or UOIT has in case of an injury or emergency on scene. “We also do the on-field assessment as well, so we’re responsible for home game coverage, and we send students away as well, to provide any therapy or emergency management for any injuries that happen on the field or on the court,” said Behrman. Players who are injured on the field must be lead through strict protocols to determine if the injury is serious enough to warrant a pull from the game, Behrman said. Athletic trainers must follow these protocols to ensure the safety of the individual and prevent further injury. “They are trained…so if someone got hurt on the field we have protocols to do an on-field assessment…is it safe to move the person? There’s no more of a serious injury like a fracture or an urgent situation, then how is it that we are going to get them off the field? Then if it’s safe to get them off the field we would do what we call a sideline assessment,” said Behrman. Athletic trainers have the unique job where they get to interact heavily with their patients; they can form long-term bonds with students who receive their treatment. "I love working with the athletes here, I think they are all at a really cool age where they still are competitive, but they’re also students, they understand just your everyday life…they want to learn and they want to understand what is wrong with them and how to fix it,” said Jessica Thompson, a third year athletic therapy student from Sheridan who is working as an intern with Durham and UOIT’s athletic training unit. Cassie Charette, a goaltender for the UOIT Ridgebacks women’s hockey team, credits the athletic trainers for helping her stay in the game. “They’ve helped me so much, I’ve had a recurring hip problem since my first year and I’ve honestly come here probably once a week,” said Charette.