active alumni magazine 2003
DESCRIPTION
For friends and alumni of the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, University of AlbertaTRANSCRIPT
University of Alberta
i n t o u c hactivealumni
Saville SportsCentreReady to Rock — finally!John Barry
After plenty of setbacks, delays, nail biting
and cliffhangers, the Saville Sports
Centre is finally a go! The contract for the
$6.5 million design/build contract for the 120,000 ft2
sport facility has been awarded to Bird Construction
Company of Edmonton.
The Saville Sports Centre, named for our major
benefactor, Edmonton businessman and avid sportsman
Bruce Saville, began in April and is expected to open
its doors by January 2004. Bruce is very involved in
community-oriented projects. His participation was
really the catalyst for the development of this second
facility linked to Foote Field at the South Campus.
There’ll be four key components as well as
associated ancillary spaces at the new centre:
•A state-of-the-art, 10 sheet, internationally sized
curling rink
•An eight court tennis facility — arguably the best
facility of its kind in the province!
•A multi-purpose gymnasium
•Approximately 600m2 of undeveloped space that
could be converted for numerous uses, including
a fitness centre or sports medicine clinic
The support we’ve had from the university, the
surrounding communities, provincial government and
especially from Bruce Saville, has been fantastic and
we’re very grateful for it.
Russ Sluchinski, manager of the existing university
tennis centre says it’s been a long haul, but worth
w i t h
the wait. “I’ve waited patiently, as have our
members, for countless years and the reality that it’s
finally about to happen is absolutely staggering!”
The Saville Sports Centre will benefit our students,
faculty and alumni, the university and community of
Edmonton. We anticipate that over 1000 people will
purchase memberships to use the curling facilities
and that an additional 600 to 700 will purchase
tennis memberships. The facility will be well used
by staff and students of the university, but we expect
the general public will account for the highest
percentage of usage.
Watch our web site for construction progress — I’ll
be taking regular shots as this terrific new facility of
ours comes out of the ground. ■
y o u
2003Published annually for the alumni and fr iends of the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation
Building boom!Other expansions and renovations to the faculty:
A $600,000 expansion of the Foote Field building
A $350,000 upgrade of the West Pool.
Renovations include:
■ new sound baffles
■ new tiles for pool basin
■ new hand rails
■ new lifeguard chair
The pool will be closed from April 22 till the
end of July, 2003
2University of Alberta
Spring — andbenefits — in theair for ActiveAlumni!Wendy Andrews, Alumni Association Representative
Irecently took on the challenge of representing the
Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation on
Alumni Council which is part of the Alumni Association
of the U of A. The goal of the Association is to create
lifetime connections between alumni and the University.
I had no idea how active the Alumni Association is, nor
how many services it has to offer to you, its alumni! As a
graduate of the University of Alberta, you automatically
become a lifetime member, at no charge, of the
University of Alberta Alumni Association.
As an alumnus you are eligible to receive many benefits.
Besides special access rates to university services and
facilities, you can benefit from group purchase rates for
auto, home and life insurance, and credit card services.
The world travel and education program is phenomenal
and who would have thought that there would be an
alumni book club! And there’s more!
With your Alumni ONEcard you get special alumni
rates for the university’s Fitness and Lifestyle Centre,
discounts at the Bookstore, access to university library
services, entrance to campus pubs, even access to
recreational facilities at select universities and colleges
all across Canada.
There are many U of A alumni events, on campus and
around the world: a tailgate party before a Bears or
Pandas game in Edmonton, a Shakespearean play, a
show jumping event and dinner at Calgary’s Spruce
Meadows, a skating party in New York’s Central Park…
these are just a few of the unique events that the Alumni
Association hosts every year. Keep in touch!
You can keep in touch and register for your Alumni
ONEcard by logging on to www.ualberta.ca/alumni.
My job is to represent alumni from the Faculty of Physical
Education and Recreation. I hope to be in contact with you
soon for information on how your Alumni Association can
be effective for you. Stay tuned. ■
“With your Alumni ONEcardyou get special alumni ratesfor the university’s Fitness
and Lifestyle Centre,discounts at the Bookstore,access to university library
services, entrance tocampus pubs, even access torecreational facilities at select
universities and collegesall across Canada.”
Wendy Andrews
From the Dean’sdesk: Mike Mahon, PhD; Dean
The times, they are a’changing. I am very pleased
to greet all of you — our valued alumni and friends
— via the newest communications vehicle for the Faculty
of Physical Education and Recreation, Active Alumni.
During the past number of months our communications
strategist, Jane Hurly has helped the faculty to determine
how best to reach out around the world to all of you —
as effectively — and cost-effectively as possible. In the
future Active Alumni will be mailed to you once a year;
and, as 64 percent of you are online, we’ll also be
communicating with you more via email. You’ll receive
two electronic issues of Active Alumni per year. Our
newsletter will be available in PDF format on our web
site as well.
Besides a more contemporary style for our alumni
journal, in the near future we will unveil our new web
site, designed to meet the needs of our most important
constituents — our students, alumni and friends. Through
these and other new communications vehicles we hope
to keep you abreast of our latest teaching initiatives, the
state of the art research conducted by our faculty, and
what is happening on the athletics and recreation fronts.
But while we may have a new look, our desire to
maintain the essence of our roots, established by our
pioneers, remains strong. These traditions are rooted in a
commitment to maintaining close ties with our alumni. I
am extremely pleased to welcome Wendy Andrews as our
faculty’s newest representative to the U of A Alumni
Council. Wendy is a graduate of our BPE program (1978)
and has a passion for the mission of the faculty. With
Wendy’s help, we hope to reach out to many of you over
the next year to ensure that you have an opportunity to
tell us how we can meet your needs as an alumnus of
the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation.
There are many exciting things happening in the Faculty.
We will break ground for the construction of the Saville
Sports Centre in early April. Since we last reported on
this project, we have enhanced its scope to include a
brand new curling facility, an expanded tennis centre
with eight indoor courts, a new gymnasium, and space
for a future sports medicine facility. We are presently
recruiting two new faculty members in the areas of active
healthy children and behavioural medicine — two of our
key strategic initiatives. In March our Pandas hockey team
won their third national championship, building on the
success of our Pandas rugby team who brought home the
gold for a fourth consecutive national championship this
past fall. These are but a few of the many exciting
activities taking place in the Faculty, some of which are
highlighted in this first issue of Active Alumni.
So, we welcome your presence — personally or virtually.
Students, alumni and friends are the foundations of our
faculty. Please keep in touch! ■
3University of Alberta
“We hope to reach out tomany of you over the next
year to ensure that you havean opportunity to tell us howwe can meet your needs as
an alumnus of the Faculty ofPhysical Education and
Recreation.”Dr. Mike Mahon
4University of Alberta
But for John, when the tennis school added swimming
lessons to its roster, life took an unexpected turn after a
chance meeting with then national swim coach Bert
Kinnear who invited him to get his swimming
qualifications and coach the sport.
Coaching swimming was exhilarating. Soon the young
physical education teacher — John taught high school
in Croyden, England — had a squad of promising
youngsters under his wing, training out of Crystal Palace
National Training Centre. At the ’68 Olympic Games, 13
of his swimmers swam for their country.
He served as Scotland’s national coach and director of
swimming from ’69 to ’74 with a stellar record of success.
But another turning point in John’s career occurred
when he was introduced to Dr. Maury Van Vliet at the
Commonwealth Games at Christchurch, New Zealand in
1974. Shortly after, the Canadian Amateur Swimming
Association and Jasper Place Swim Club in Edmonton
created a professional coaching position for him for two
years as part of the 1976 Olympic preparations. John and
Sally settled in Edmonton in September 1974.
In 1976 John was invited by the U of A to combine the
Jasper Place club team with the university team and he
joined the faculty as a sessional instructor. The next six
years were tough as he tackled his master’s degree and
doctorate — coaching, teaching and attending classes.
“It was exhausting, but I don’t regret it. It was the best
possible place to be; it was the best time to be studying
sport psychology,” he says.
Dr. John Hoggretires to BCin June: 35 years as swimming coachand athlete mentor
An athlete once said about Dr. John Hogg that what sheliked best about him was “that he really cared.” “That’sbeen etched on my life,” he says.
For 35 years, John has lived the mantra of caring
— and caring deeply about his students and the
hundreds of athletes he’s trained over the years. But
he’s 65 now and in June this year he retires to BC and the
13-acre Salmon Arm hobby farm he and his wife Sally
bought in 1985. “I’m really getting quite excited about it,”
he says, but confesses he worries about who will carry on
the work in performance psychology and who will be
there for the student athletes who seek him out on any
given day, for counselling, advice, and courage.
He began teaching and coaching youngsters early on in
life. Growing up in England, John began his 35-year
career coaching for a large tennis school to see him
through university after an injury sidelined a promising
career. “I spent my college years (at the University of
London) going round the stately homes of Berkshire
teaching rich kids to play tennis!”
Class of ’63 — Get ready to Celebrate 40 years!
Hard to believe the time has flown by so quickly, but Reunion 2003 celebrates our 40th anniversary!
Plan to attend reunion from October 2nd through 5th this year at the University. Catch up with
friends and faculty, visit your old haunts and hangouts at your alma mater. There’ll be so
much to do and see, so come on out and join us for a wonderful weekend of memories.
Check the Reunion 2003 web site at www.ualberta.ca/alumni/reunion.
There’ll be more information as we get closer to the event.
Contacts for Reunion 2003: Class Organizer: Margo Wyley ([email protected]); phone 780-430-6060
Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation: Nadine McMahon ([email protected]);
phone: 780-492-3893
In 1982 he joined the faculty full-time and set about
improving the aquatics program and then the coaching
route. “I saw myself as a moderator,” explains John of his
approach. “A moderator takes the science of the sport
from the sport scientist to the coach, and from the coach
to the scientist.”
In addition to numerous books and articles on swimming
and mental skills training for athletes, John has recently
devised, and experimented with, several specific mental
skills programs both for high school athletes and for
young children (10 years and under).
His proudest accomplishment? “Without a doubt it’s the
growth of female athletes and the overdue recognition
for them,” says John. “I’ve really tried to be part of that
by spending time with female teams — soccer, hockey,
ice hockey, basketball and volleyball (John has worked
with the Pandas volleyball team for 10 years). I think the
pride rests in the fact that they have done well and that’s
been due in some small part to understanding the mental
and emotional aspects of competition.”
Now the future beckons. John plans to keep writing; he’s
building a greenhouse “to continue my interest in growth
and development by tending plants” — he may even get
back into coaching. “Apparently some local teams are
waiting for me to relocate,” says John. “And maintaining
13 acres will keep me busy!” ■
5University of Alberta
“It was exhausting, but Idon’t regret it. It was
the best possible placeto be; it was the besttime to be studyingsport psychology.”
Dr. John Hogg
Class of 1963Eric AbellJohn AchesonNeville AndersonRussell ArmstrongJohn AudinDale BjornsonAlbert CarronVictor ChmelykLinda Clute (Johnson)David CraggFred Curr
James CurreyAlbert DawsonRoy GallowayEugene GushatyDonald GustafsonDouglas HallWalter HawryschukDouglas HayesBert MahuraLarry MaloneyRonald Marteniuk
Margo Niewchas (Wyley)Guy PasseyJohn PattersonGerald PercyJohn ReidEsther Segal (Solin)George ShawGarry SmithPeter StothartRichard WintermuteClaud Zinger
6University of Alberta
Spotlight on thenewsmakers
The Provincial Fitness
Unit and the Alberta
Fitness Appraisal and
Accreditation (FACA)
program awarded
Dr. Gordon Bell with
the Dr. E.E. Bako Award
at the recent Perspectives
In Exercise Testing and
Prescription conference.
The award is in
honour of Dr. E.E. Bako, a physician who was dedicated
to the promotion and importance of physical activity and
measurement. It’s presented to an individual who has
made an outstanding contribution to the Alberta FACA
program.
Past recipients include Drs. Art Quinney, Alfred
Nikolai, Dru Marshall and Garry Wheeler.
December, 2002: Dr. Gordon Bell received a McCalla
professorship award. This award is in recognition of
Gordon’s outstanding scholarship and provides him with
a teaching release for one year.
January 2003: Dr. Kerry Courneya has been
nominated for a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair. The CRC
program was introduced by the federal government to
attract and retain Canada’s best academics, and stem the
brain drain. The University of Alberta has chosen to
allocate a ‘retention’ Tier I CRC to Dr. Courneya.
Dr. Courneya has been allocated a CRC in the area of
Behavioural Medicine (one of the faculty’s key strategic
initiatives) in the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
category. His nomination will take place within the next
year. This is a peer reviewed competitive process.
The Canada Research Chairs represent one of Canada’s
most significant academic honours.
November 2003: The Pandas soccer team took silver in
the CIS Women’s Soccer Nationals.
February, 2003: CISWomen’s NationalVolleyballChampionships
University of Alberta
head coach LaurieEisler is the 2002–2003
recipient of the Coach
of the Year Award,
receiving the honour for
the second time in her
career (1994–1995). The Regina, SK native has coached
at U of A for 12 seasons since 1991 (assistant or head
coach) winning six consecutive CIS championships
from 1995 to 2000 and claiming a national silver
medal in 1993.
Laurie was also the recipient of a Queen’s Jubilee
Medal for her outstanding accomplishments in sport
for Canada.
February 2003: Dr.Brian Maraj won a
Teaching Excellence
Award. He was
recognised by the
Delta Chi Fraternity,
Alberta Chapter. This
is a student-nominated
award.
March, 2003: CIS Men’sNational Volleyball Championship. U of A’s Golden
Bears took silver against the University of Manitoba’s
Bisons.
CIS Men’s National Hockey Championship: U of A’s
Golden Bears beat the New Brunswick Varsity Reds for
the bronze medal.
CIS Women’sNational HockeyChampionship.U of A’s Pandas won the
championship, taking
gold against University
of Toronto’s Varsity
Blues. ■
Looking back he says the most important life lesson he’s
learned is that, “People tend to emphasize the difference
between Asian and North American countries. But what
I learned from my experiences in Edmonton was that
there are lots of similarities between the two. That
makes me stronger!”
He and Miho keep active: they both love boating and
fishing — and singing their hearts out at Karaoke! Their
pet rabbit, says Makoto, keeps them ‘hopping’ around
the house too.
He has plans to visit Edmonton in 2005 when the
World Masters Games takes the city by storm. “I’ve
started playing baseball again and I’m really looking
forward to participating in the Games, and I’d like to
bring my wife, parents and friends to the event!”
So what’s the next big thing he’d like to do? “I’d like to see
the World Masters Games come to Japan in 2009,” he says. ■
Makoto’s contact information:
Makoto Chogahara PhD
Faculty of Human Development
Kobe University
3-11, Nada, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan
Email: [email protected]
Telephone and fax: 078-803-7731 7University of Alberta
Dr. MakotoChogahara (PhD ’98): baseball playing alumnus carves hiscareer at Kobe University, Japan
When Dr. Makoto Chogahara completed his PhD at
the University of Alberta in 1998 and returned to
his native Japan, he little thought he’d bump into his old
mentor and supervisor, Dr. Sandy O’Brien Cousins again!
Yet just five years later, both were invited to attend the
2003 International Conference on Physical Activity,
Ageing and Productivity in Hokkaido, Japan, hosted by
Dr. Tsutomu Suda of the University of Hokkaido.
It was a wonderful reunion, recalls Makoto, who is
now associate professor in the Faculty of Human
Development at Kobe University where he teaches
exercise gerontology, exercise and sport promotion at
both the undergraduate and graduate levels. “Sandy is a
scholar whom I truly respect. Everything she said to me
really lifted my spirits — just as they did when I was a
PhD candidate in Canada!”
Makoto came to Canada for his PhD, having completed
his undergraduate and masters’ degrees at the National
Institute of Fitness and Sport in Kanoya, Japan. The
subject of his dissertation, “The positive and negative
social influences on physical activity in older adults”
launched a lifelong interest in physical activity and its
value in healthy ageing. His current research interests
are in exercise, and sport promotions and campaigns
for older adults, and in master sport event management.
Makoto has plenty of fond memories of Canada. He and
his wife Miho married in Edmonton at the Hotel
Macdonald in 1996. Miho supported him while he was
studying — something he’s truly grateful for. “Miho
worked very hard to support me. Her unfailing support
and caring made it possible for me to pursue my goal.
Sharing both the good times and the hard times in
Canada are our precious memories,” he says.
Does he miss anything about Canada? “Beer! Especially
Molson Dry; shopping at IGA, the way Canadians say,
‘eh’ — and our best friends Steve and Mauricette! I miss
the food too, but I like both,” he adds.
“People tend to emphasize thedifference between Asian andNorth American countries. But
what I learned from myexperiences in Edmonton was
that there are lots ofsimilarities between the two.”
Dr. Makoto Chogahara
Makoto and Miho
Dr. Sandy O’BrienCousins keynotes atJapan conferenceon ageing andsocial productivity
In February this year, exercise
gerontology expert Dr. Sandy
O’Brien Cousins was the keynote
speaker at the first International
Conference on Physical Activity,
Ageing and Social Productivity in
Sapporo on the north island of
Hokkaido in Japan to share her most
recent findings on physical activity
and productive ageing. The conference, organised by
Dr. Tsutomu Suda, an expert on physical activity and its
impact on social productivity, provided Sandy with an
unprecedented opportunity to compare snowbound
Edmonton and Sapporo and how senior citizens in
particular, meet the challenges of winter. Sandy presented
new data on older adults in Edmonton on the ways they
become more energetic and productive after exercising.
Sapporo, with 1.8 million people, is much like Calgary,
says Sandy, bounded by the mountains and with
excellent Olympic facilities.
Sapporo’s annual cross-country marathon was an eye-
opener, she says. “I was very impressed by the number
of middle-aged and elderly people out there skiing! The
oldest woman was 78 years old and the oldest man was
92.” And while that might not be remarkable in itself,
it is when you consider that Japanese culture favours
gentility, — “the people are very gentle — and genteel”
— yet they participate very aggressively in what seniors
in Canada might consider a high risk sport in their later
years — and vigorously tackle social policies that are
barriers to them too!
Sandy also met up with her former graduate student,
Dr. Makoto Chogahara from Kobe University. “We are a
generation apart but we get along so well. I admire the
way he has maintained his English and switches gears
between cultures so easily.” Makoto translated Sandy’s
presentation for the Japanese audience.
The town of Mikasa with its substantial elderly
population is the site of Dr. Suda’s research on the
welfare of older citizens. He’s looking specifically at
snow-shovelling as a fitness activity for seniors, then
measuring their social productivity — to what extent they
help others — as a result of their being fitter and
more energetic. With its heavy snows which virtually
incarcerate the elderly in their homes, Mikasa’s isolation
takes its toll on the mental and physical health of the
population. “The wet snow comes down almost every
day,” says Sandy. “It takes all the energy of the able
seniors who have to dig out their doorways and those of
their more frail neighbours. They don’t dig out their
windows and so they have no daylight in the winter.
They are literally buried alive unless they can keep
digging themselves out! Travel is limited as their rural
roads aren’t cleared. The only way to get to the market
is to walk seven or eight km down the highway,” says8University of Alberta
“I was very impressed by thenumber of middle-aged and
elderly people out there skiing!The oldest woman was
78 years old and the oldest man was 92.”
Dr. Sandy O’Brien Cousins
Sandy. “The highway is narrowed by
ploughed snow and therefore very
dangerous for pedestrians of any age!”
Depression and suicide are very high
among seniors in Mikasa.
“The Japanese in Sapporo are better in
some ways at making winter an active
living opportunity than we are. They
have outdoor festivals going on all
winter,” remarks Sandy, noting the
extravagant snow-sculpting festival
which dominates Sapporo’s snow-
packed main street boulevard, attracts
thousands of tourists from other parts
of Japan and abroad. “It would be
like closing down Jasper Avenue for
10 blocks and building snow structures
that light up at night and function as
music and entertainment stage areas in
the day. I’d like to see Edmonton do
something comparable, so that winter
can be as meaningful and participatory
as our summer events.”
“It was a small conference, but I learned
so much,” says Sandy. And was the
sushi great? “I’m not a fish eater”
she ‘fesses up. “But Sapporo beer is
THE best! ■
9University of Alberta
Lack of snow leads toCampus OutdoorCentre closureTwenty-one years after its inception, lack of snow for four years
has forced the closure of the Campus Outdoor Centre this
spring. Capricious weather, and a lack of public knowledge about
the offerings of the centre meant it simply wasn’t bringing in the
users — and the revenues — needed to run it profitably. With the
operating deficit expected to balloon to over $300,000 this year, the
demise of the centre became a certainty said dean Mike Mahon.
“This was a very difficult decision to make but we simply cannot
afford to carry a large debt. Moreover, the university does not allow
any faculty to run a deficit. It’s essential that we be fiscally prudent.
Our only option was to close the centre.”
The centre, located in the northwest corner of the Universiade
Pavilion, provided instruction in a range of outdoor activities
including cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter and
rock-climbing, canoeing and kayaking in the summer. Outdoor
equipment rentals were also part of the centre’s business.
Equipment will shortly be liquidated through tendered group sales
to not-for-profit organisations, rather than through individual sales.
All cross-country ski lessons and wilderness adventure programs at
the field centre at Rocky Mountain House have been wound up.
However, the wilderness adventure programs may be picked up by
the centre’s former private sector partner Hela Ventures, which will
continue to operate the field school. The faculty is continuing to
form partnerships for program delivery.
The climbing wall, which is fiscally viable, will remain open for
business for mountain training and will be run through faculty
operations on a self-sustaining basis.
Plans are currently underway to find creative, cost-effective and
workable solutions to continue to offer outdoor programs to our
students. This may mean partnership with an outside group or
company which provides this type of programming.
“In hindsight perhaps the centre was too much of a well-kept
secret,” said assistant dean John Barry, adding that more
aggressive marketing may have assisted in making it more visible
in Edmonton. “But this was a weather-dependent centre and
with our weather as unpredictable as it has been over the past
few years, this unfortunately spelled the end for the operation.” ■
Magnificent snow sculpture at Sapporo’s annualsnow-sculpting festival
Former DeanHerb McLachlanremembers 1953 —and all that jazz!Graduates of the faculty’s first BPE degree program
this year celebrate 50 years since convocation. And
a great year it was! Rita Hayworth wowed the crowds in
Salome; polyester made its debut, Life with Father was on
the box; Beatnik culture was hip, soda fountains were
big, Rock ‘n Roll and James Dean were way cool; the
bikini, poodle skirts and hoola hoops were in.
But for Herb McLachlan, who served as dean from 1978
to 1983 a favourite memory will always be seeing that
first graduating class of the newly-minted Faculty of
Physical Education and Recreation convocate. “Seeing
them in convocation — it always stays with you.”
Born in Edmonton in 1923, Herb had just completed his
degree at McGill — one of two universities in Canada
to offer a BPE (the other was University of Toronto),
when he met the legendary, late Dr. Maury Van Vliet.
“I was just about to take a year of teacher preparation
in Alberta,” he remembers, “and here a nice job arrived.
I had many offers when I left McGill, but I wanted to
come back to my roots — and I wanted to teach.” It was
1948, the war was
over, he was a young
husband — he and
Aletha have been
married 57 years now
— and the princely
$2800 a year in salary
meant “I was made!”
“My first job was to
coach the Pandas in
track and field,” says
Herb, who “got into
basketball,” ran the
men’s intramurals
and taught the
anatomy class.
A big kick for Herb
was seeing the Van
Vliet Centre come out
of the ground in 1959. “The building made our lives so
much easier,” he says. “Before we had the Clare Drake
arena, we played hockey at the old Varsity Rink — a
wooden structure built in 1929. No artificial ice there.
The only way to keep the ice frozen was to keep the
doors open all the time! If we had a melt in February,
we had to cancel the intramurals.”
Swimming used to be held at the YMCA, so the pool in
the VVC was a godsend; and it was a relief to have a
gym to replace the decrepit old airforce gym — unsafe
and dangerous — with its cracking beams that had to be
sandbagged in place while the gym was in use!
Offiating basketball “was my main activity,” says Herb,
who helped launch the Edmonton Basketball Association,
now 275 strong.
Herb’s ties to U of A remain strong: he’s been a
member of the University Scholarship Committee since
its inception in 1985 and shows so signs of letting up;
he’s a volunteer with the City of Edmonton too. He sits10University of Alberta
Class of ‘53
Richard Bradshaw
Muriel Clapp (Shapka)
Leonard Cooper
*Lynn Crawford
James Day
Jean Grusz (Henderson)
Huestis, Marilyn (Holmes)
*Donald MacIntosh
Joan McFarlane (Thomas)
Stephen Mendryk
*Albert Olson
Robert Rosborough
*Walter Tuck
Margaret Visser (Southern)
*Deceased
“The only way to keep theice frozen was to keep thedoors open all the time! Ifwe had a melt in February,
we had to cancel theintramurals.”
Former Dean Herb McLachlan
Herb and his wife Aletha
on the Veterans for Sport committee and on a committee
to establish a Sports Hall of Fame for the City.
Herb, who took his doctorate at the University of
Oregon, turns 80 in August this year and he’s still got
a twinkle in his eye; he’s still physically fit and very
active — he and Aletha are avid line dancers! — And
he works out at the university fitness centre or at the
gym in his apartment building.
Regrets? “None. But I did want to go into medicine at
one time and be an ophalmologist,” he says. A pilot
during WWII, Herb says he longed to go overseas and
“see some action.” But that wasn’t to be either. Maybe
it’s just as well, says Herb. “I really wouldn’t do anything
different if I had to live my life over. I’ve been so lucky,
always, to be in the right place at the right time.” ■
1953: Remember when?■ A microwave network connects CBC television stations
in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. The first private
television stations begin operation in Sudbury and
London.
■ Queen Elizabeth’s coronation is also televised this
year, and the CBC beats U.S. competitors to the punch
by flying footage across the Atlantic.
■ Hurricane Hazel devastates Southern Ontario
■ Korean War ends
■ The first Corvette rolls off the assemby line
■ Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel meet at Forest Hills
High School
■ Ikea opens its first showroom in Armhult, Sweden!
■ Sir Winston Churchill wins the Nobel Prize in
Literature
■ Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes the 34th President of
the United States; Harry S. Truman dies
■ Rosalind Franklin, James Watson and Francis Crick
discover the double helical structure of deoxyribose
nucleic acid (D.N.A.) and change the face of crime-
solving forever
■ Big movies: The Big Heat, From Here to Eternity, The
Robe, Roman Holiday, Shane
■ Oscar award for best picture goes to The Greatest
Show on Earth, Producer — Cecil B. deMille
■ Russian composer, Sergey Prokofiev dies; brilliant
astrophysicist Edwin Hubble dies as does hated
dictator Josef Stalin
■ Montreal defeats Boston in the Stanley Cup
■ Maureen Connolly takes women’s Wimbledon title;
Victor Seixas wins the men’s title
■ Edmund Hilary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay
of Nepal summit Mt. Everest
11University of Alberta
Where are you?Keep the University informed ofyour address changes too
Changing your address? Updating your mailing
preferences? Keep in touch with U of A by letting the
office of Advancement Records External Relations
know where you are.
Via email: [email protected]
Phone: (toll-free in North America) 1-866-492-7516
Local: 780-492-3471
Check out the alumni web site at:
http://www.ualberta.ca/ALUMNI and use the online
form.
Larry and
Bernice (nee
Coward) Beres
(both BPE ’62)
12University of Alberta
Reu
nio
n 2
00
2Yo
u w
ere
ther
e! W
e’re
so
glad
you
mad
e it
!
Left:
Gabrielle Barry
(BA Recreation ’77)
and
Jamie Drake
(BA Recreation ’76)
LtoR: Joe Lovsin,
Dr. Andrea
Borys (BPE ’62)
and Dr. Peter
Dooling
LtoR: Ron
Richards (BPE ’67;
MSc ’69), Esone
Richards and
Larry Dufresne
(BPE ’67; MA ’71)
Photo credit: Pat Bates
13University of Alberta
Universityof Alberta
ReunionWeekend
2003October 2nd to
5th 2003Connecting toEvery Decade
Faculty ReunionWeekend Events:
■ Friday, October 3— Pub Night at Foote Field from
7-9 p.m. (following the U of A’s
Welcome Back Alumni BBQ)
Enjoy live music and a drink on us!
■ Saturday, October 4 — Work up a Sweat:
Join the Faculty’s Turkey Trot,a fun walk/run/stroll fundraiser
for United Way
■ Dean’s Lunch — mix and mingle for every
generation of our alums — 12–2 p.m.
■ Brainiac Blast — 10 a.m.–12 p.m. and 2–4 p.m.
— Learn what’s new in ourresearch — three top
level presentations
— PhD poster displays — meet tomorrow’s ground-
breakers today
— Tour our labs — see the human body as you’ve
never seen it before
■ Pandas Field Hockey — Foote Field 2–4 p.m.
— Watch our Pandas bring downtheir prey — and a championship!
Check the web site:
www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/per
Gene Dextrase
(BPE ’62) and
Arlaine
Monaghan,
widow of Jack
Monaghan (BPE
’64). Jack and
Arlaine’s children
are alumni of
our faculty too!
Dale (BPE ’90) and
Jackie (BPE ’99)
Dan Gilmet (BPE
’63) and Bob
Coyle (BPE ’62)
LtoR: Dr. Bob
Wandez (BPE ’67,
MA ’71, PhD ’74),
Grant Sharp
(BPE ’67) and
Margaret Sharp
When Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia, Tracy
David’s father and grandparents sewed precious
belongings into the hems of their clothes and escaped
to Canada. They were among a small group of Sudeten
Germans who settled on an abandoned Northern B.C.
ranch now known as the community of Tomslake. In
the middle of nowhere, few things were familiar,
except for the game they played.
“They brought soccer with them,” said David, who was
immersed in the sport from the time she could kick the
ball. “I love it. It’s just all-consuming. When they talk
about soccer in other countries being a religion —
I’m a fanatic.”
In May, David, who played on Canada’s first national
women’s team in 1986, will be inducted into the
Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame. The 42-year old is
being recognized for her many exploits as a player, but
could easily have qualified as a builder or coach. “To
me it’s not work, it’s fun,” said David, who still thinks
of Tomslake, population around 300, as home. Blue
eyes wide, she admitted being shocked by the hall of
fame announcement.
Hired to coach the UVic Vikes women’s soccer team
this year, David came to Victoria with a resume
reflecting the development of women’s soccer in
Canada. It started in the north, where a game featuring
the Tomslake Pioneers men’s team was a community
event, and a visit to a neighbour usually included a
friendly match. David, and a couple of other girls
played as fillers on the lone boys’ team, coached by
her dad. The only competition was at tournaments.
“I think the reason I was good enough to play on
the national team was because I played with boys,”
said David.
Moving from Tomslake to attend the University of
Alberta, David was on the field when women’s soccer
debuted at the Western Canada Games. She played in
the first under-18 girls’ national championship, and
organized the Edmonton Angels, an intensely
competitive club team that won six national
championships in 10 years. While David was still a
student, and president of women’s athletics at Alberta,
she received an invitation to a tournament at the
University of Victoria. Because Alberta had no varsity
team, David gathered everyone she knew to make the
trip. Paying their own way, the pick-up squad bunked
14University of Alberta
“Ithink the reason I was goodenough to play on the
national team was becauseI played with boys.”
Tracy David
Soccer veteranand alumnus Tracy David tobe inducted toCanadian SoccerHall of FameSharie Epp, Times Colonist sports staff
Reprinted with permission
Please Keep inTouch — electronically We need your email address
It’s a fact of life that the Internet is making it easier
and easier for us to keep in touch. In many ways,
it’s the natural evolution of the way we communicate
today. To its advantage it’s cheap, fast, easy-to-use.
You may have noticed from the nameplate of Active
Alumni that the alumni newsletter will be published only
once a year from now on. A big part of the reason for
that is cost: printing 6000 copies and sending out a
newsletter the size of Katimavik three times a year had
become too costly. So we’ve had to whittle that down to
once a year for a printed publication and, to keep you
posted, we’ll produce two electronic newsletters that
we’ll email to you and post on our new web site that’ll
be launched at the end of May.
In fact, we’ll be using our web site more for every type
of communication — with students, faculty and alumni.
That’s in line with what U of A is doing to reduce
costs: students apply exclusively online now; the
university calendar is online and soon the print version
of the calendar will be phased out.
In many ways it’s become the central way we navigate
our lives. In Canada 62 percent of us are online; in the
US that’s 72 percent; in Japan, Korea and UK half the
adult population uses the Internet; in Australia 42
percent are online.
Internet use has moved from routine to essential and
we can’t ignore its might as a communications tool
most of us use regularly. So keep your finger on the
pulse: send me your email address — and you’ll need
to keep it current — so we can stay in touch with you.
I’ll pass your email address to Advancement Records,
External Relations as well. ■
Contact: Active Alumni
Jane Hurly, Communications StrategistFaculty of Physical Education and Recreation
University of Alberta
Phone:780-492-6821; Fax:780-492-1008
email: [email protected] (Note: no ‘e’ in Hurly!)
Web site: www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/per/
with UVic players, played in borrowed uniforms, and
won the tournament.
The next year, 1983, David’s lobbying led to the
formation of the Alberta Pandas soccer team. By the
time the inaugural Canadian Interuniversity Sport
women’s soccer championship was held in 1987,
David was coaching the Pandas. In 16 years, she
guided Alberta to CIS crowns in 1989 and ’97. Now,
after moving to Victoria to be near partner Bruce
Wilson, coach of the Vikes men’s soccer team, David
hopes to put a CIS banner on the wall for the Vikes.
“I want UVic to win a number of national
championships,” she said.
Meanwhile David is working on her master’s degree in
coaching, and is the assistant coach of the under-17
national team. And she continues to use her aggressive
midfielder’s skills to move the ball in women’s soccer.
Whether it’s as the only woman taking Level 4
coaching certification with former pros such as
Wilson and Bob Lenarduzzi, or sitting around the
table at a male-dominated conference, she still feels
the need to fight for her cause.
“Even to this day, I still feel I have to prove myself —
maybe because I’ve always had to do it. I’d always
have to show them I could play the game,” said David,
not sure enough young women are growing up with
her brand of street soccer mentality.
“In that part we have a way to go.”
Players these days are identified as national team
prospects at 13 years old. By the team they reach
University, they usually have 10 years of solid
competitive experience. The game between Canada
and the United States at the under-19 women’s world
championship in Edmonton last summer drew a huge
television audience, and more than 50,000 people in
the stands. The advancement is there, but too slow,
David said.
“I think it’s fantastic, but to echo the sentiment of my
generation: What took them so long?”
The answer might be that not enough of them grew
up in Tomslake. ■
15University of Alberta
16University of Alberta
On the EdgeKevin Kwan launches Kwantumto offer broad spectrum ofwellness services
It’s a frigid day in March but the sun streams through
the wall of windows in Kevin Kwan’s chic, decidedly
upscale third floor office in Manulife Place in downtown
Edmonton, filling it with light and warmth. Kevin, who
launched Kwantum in October 2001, looks relaxed in the
hive of activity that surrounds him and perfectly at home
in his new role as successful businessman. We sit in
cushy leather chairs as Kevin explains how he made the
leap from holding down four jobs after graduation from
the BPE program in 1998, to owning his own full-service
wellness company.
“I come from a very entrepreneurial family,” says
Kevin, who was born and raised in Smithers, BC. “I
have four older brothers and a sister and I’ve always
looked up to them — they’re all very successful. My
mother is my biggest supporter and has instilled ethics
and value in everything I do. My father came from
China with virtually just the clothes on his back. He’s
now a successful businessman who owns a hotel,
restaurant, clubs, and a liquor store. He showed me
it’s definitely possible. It’s not just education, but a
combination of your drive, education, and contacts that
make for success.”
Kwantum fulfills Kevin’s dream to offer a downtown
based company providing full-spectrum workplace
wellness solutions, educational programming,
rehabilitation and medical fitness services to
Edmontonians.
“There are essentially three prongs to our
business,” says Kevin. “Facilities
management and design, which we
provide for schools and corporations;
workplace wellness (typically provided
on a company’s premises), and the
downtown centre, serving workers in
the core, offering physical therapy,
exercise therapy, exercise testing,
massage therapy, and nutritional
counselling.” Kwantum also manages
the Manulife Place fitness centre and has
several large meeting and conference rooms for
presentations and conferences.
Though the doors have only been open a short time,
Kwantum already has several large projects to its name:
Elk Island School Board brought in Kwantum to design
the wellness facility at Salisbury Composite High School.
“We were brought in at ground zero,” says Kevin,
consulting with the client on their needs, then
designing a facility, procuring equipment and
customising programming for the students.
“We teach everything from anatomy and
physiology to circuit training and body
composition at the school,” he says.
Kwantum also designed and delivers a
workplace wellness program for the
Provincial Health Authority of Alberta. This
customised wellness program involves regular
education sessions at the client’s premises,
twice-yearly wellness consultations with each
employee, ergonomic work station consultation and
“It’s not just education, buta combination of your drive,
education, and contactsthat make for success.”
Kevin Kwan
17University of Alberta
set up. “We design custom programs for each employee
— and provide consultation on anything from wanting to
get in shape to how to buy a treadmill, to where do I
find a golf pro.”
But he’s not as busy as he wants to be yet. “I’m working
on building the area of exercise referrals, working with
physicians to refer their patients to us when they
prescribe exercise to their patients.” It’s a challenge, he
concedes, and a process of education to set physicians at
ease that the treatment Kwantum will provide is both
research-based and delivered by qualified staff with
degrees in kinesiology and physical education.
Also, he says, though Calgary and Vancouver have similar
centres to his downtown, “People in Edmonton aren’t yet
used to accessing this type of service downtown. We’re
seen as personal trainers, they don’t see the true breadth
of what we do and and appreciate it. I think that will
come as we revitalise the downtown core.”
Kwantum’s primary services, are provided by a team of
BPEs — all alumni from U of A. Erin Dola, Lindy Woo,
Lynnette Scharfenberg and Greg Lembke all have BPE
degrees in sport performance; Trina Bandi, who
provides the workplace wellness programs holds a BPE
degree in adapted physical activity; Kevin specalised in
active living, health promotion and wellbeing. Besides
the core team, there’s a network of health and physical
activity experts outside of Kwantum to round out the
services they offer.
Kevin, who is also vice chairman of Capital Health’s
Community Health Council for West Central and a director
of the Downtown Edmonton Community Association,
takes on practicum students and volunteers from the
faculty, engaging them in organizing a fun ‘Tribal
Challenge” (www.tribalchallenge.com) to help
Edmontonians acquire points for the physical,
intellectual, emotional, spiritual, occupational,
environmental and social dimensions of
wellness. If that’s not enough, he’s also one
of the head coaches for the Edmonton
Dragonboat races held every summer, and
senior men’s volleyball coach at
M.E. LaZerte High School.
As for the future, Kevin says international opportunities
for Kwantum beckon: he recently made a presentation
to a diverse group of company directors and high-
level bureaucrats from China here to study executive
management at U of A. “They were definitely interested
in what I’m doing at Kwantum. The head of a power
corporation wants a similar facility to the one I built for
Salisbury School,” says Kevin, “and an executive from a
hotel chain expressed interest too.”
It’s an opportunity that would dovetail with Kevin’s
personal desire to provide a legacy wellness facility for
Beijing in time for the 2008 Olympic Games. “This would
really be a tribute in many ways to my heritage and a
culture that helps define me today,” he explains, adding
that the introduction of Western foods in China has
caused health issues there he’d like to help combat.
In time, he says, “I would love to be in a position to say
to Dave Mitsui, (practicum supervisor in the faculty),
‘We have a facility in China. I would like four or five
practicum students who want international exposure to
come with me and deliver wellness programs …’”
As I leave the spacious offices, Kevin adds, “You know,
my father’s entrepreneurial character taught me a lot,
but my 98 year-old grandmother taught me the lesson
of being active for life. She rode her exercise bike right
to the end of her life. A lot of what you see here is for
her too.” ■
Kwantum is located at:
Manulife Place
Suite 388,
10180 – 101 Street, Edmonton
www.kwantumwellness.com
email: [email protected]
Phone: 780.428.9355
18University of Alberta
Play in themidnight sun By Audrey Giles, PhD candidate
As a person who grew up in the heart of suburban
Toronto, I am often asked to reflect on the path
that led to my PhD research, which investigates Dene
women’s changing involvement in traditional games in
the Northwest Territories. The often bumpy but never dull
path that led me to the University of Alberta took me
through several provinces and territories, several Inuit,
Cree, and Dene communities, as well as a great deal of
personal growth.
After a few summers working as waterfront staff at a
residential camp, my twin sister Sarah and I decided to
apply to the Northwest Territories (NWT) Aquatic
Program for summer employment following our first
year of university (Queen’s University for me, Dalhousie
University for her). That summer, I spent three months in
Cape Dorset, NWT (now Nunavut) as the community’s
swimming pool supervisor.
As a white, feminist, university educated, vegetarian, I
experienced profound culture shock. The fact that Cape
Dorset was plagued with poverty and had the highest
suicide rate in Canada that summer did not help the
situation.
Upon returning south, I do not think that my friends and
family members thought that I would return North again.
While, undoubtedly, I had a trying summer I found
myself increasingly fascinated by (to quote Robert
Service) “the strange things done in the midnight sun,” —
particularly the sport and recreation practices that I saw.
As a physical and health education student who hoped
to specialize in sport psychology, I found myself writing
papers about socio-cultural aspects of Northern sport and
recreation. This interest was reinforced by my subsequent
work with Alberta’s Future Leaders Program in Northern
Alberta, as well as another with the NWT’s Aquatic
Program, this time in Fort Simpson, NWT. Eventually, I
commenced my graduate work in anthropology of sport
at the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation at the
U of A, with my incredible supervisor, Dr. Debra Shogan.
In general, I find that everyone loves to see my photos,
especially from my fieldwork in Sambaa K’e, NWT
(a community of 65 people accessible only by chartered
aircraft), and to hear my stories of, for example, narrowly
avoiding being shot, making my own moccasins, the trials
and tribulations of chopping wood for heat, and living
without hot water for months on end, etc. Very few
people want to hear the other stories that I have to tell
about the legacy of colonialism, people’s experiences
with residential schools, as well as poverty and other
social problems that are rampant in many Northern
communities.
While I hope that my research makes a contribution to
creating a more complete record of sport and recreation
in Canada’s North, I often feel more confident about the
contributions of the non-profit organization that my sisters
and I founded and continue to run.
Our organization, Sporting Partnerships of Universities
and Northern Communities (SPUNC), links universities
and schools across Canada with communities in the
NWT. Our goal is to reduce regional disparities in
access to sports equipment. In the past four years,
SPUNC, through our partnership with Sport North,
Matco, and several airlines, has sent about 4,000 lbs
of equipment to the North free of charge. Though my
sisters and I are all extremely busy with our various
pursuits (my twin sister is now in medical school, while
my older sister is a project advisor for a non-government
organization in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam), we all
remain committed to trying to put smiles on the faces
of some wonderful Northern children. ■
“As a white, feminist,university educated,
vegetarian, I experiencedprofound culture shock.”
Audrey Giles
U of Ahockey hasplenty tocelebrate Richard Cairney
Reprinted with permission from ExpressNews
University of Alberta hockey
teams were on a high in
March. The undefeated Pandas
are celebrating their second
consecutive national championship,
and third in three years.
The Pandas, who posted a 31–0–1 record in regular-season
play, defeated the University of Toronto Varsity Blues 5–4 in
overtime at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) women’s
hockey championships in Regina, SK. March 9. On the
same day, the Bears won the Canada West Men’s Hockey
Championships and a shot at a national title when they
defeated the University of Saskatchewan Huskies 5–2.
The tight contest against the U of T in the finals saw Pandas’
head coach Howie Draper’s prediction that his team would
need to play its best hockey of the season come true. The
U of T took a 2–0 lead in the second period but the Pandas
came back with four unanswered goals from Alison Benfeld,
Lori Shupak, Taryn Barry and Kristen Hagg. That’s when
things started to go wrong.
“We came back and we were ahead 4–2 and we started to
think ‘well, this one’s in the bag’ but Toronto had something
to say about that,” said Draper. The Blues bounced back
with two goals, sending the game into overtime with just
19 seconds remaining in regular time.
So what does a coach say to a team that has blown a two-
goal lead, just before the overtime period?
“One thing we’ve worked on a lot this year is being able to
come back twice as strong after you’ve been scored on,”
said Draper. “Every goal, for you or against you, has to
make you better.”
The ones for you, of course, are the easiest to deal with.
And the best goal of the year came in overtime when
Taryn Fjeld won the title for the Pandas.
This year, Draper says, most of the team’s scoring has come
from a line made up of Danielle Bourgeois, Lori Shupak,
and Kristen Hagg. The U of T managed to key in on the
high-scoring trio but other players stepped in to get the
job done.
“The sign of a good team is when one line can’t perform
the role they are used to, another line steps up. And we got
input from all of our lines which made the finish that much
more satisfying.”
The victory is the third championship the Pandas have won
since forming six years ago.
In Edmonton, the Bears defeated the Huskies 5–2, winning
a best-of-three Canada West finals and a spot at the CIS
championships in Fredericton, NB, March 20–23. The victory
marks the Bears’ 42nd Canada West title.
Bears coach Rob Daum said the opportunity to go back to
the nationals — this was the team’s seventh consecutive
appearance at the University Cup championships — is a
“terrific achievement” for the team.
“There isn’t any anxiety, we’re just looking forward to
the challenge, and we’re pleased with what we’ve done
to get there.”
The Bears captured bronze, beating the New Brunswick
Varsity Reds 8–2. ■
For all the Bears and Pandas sports action visit: http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/athletics/ 19University of Alberta
University of Alberta
Wall of Fame Fund-Raiser and Dinner May 1, 2003 at the Shaw Conference Centre
Schedule of Events: May 1, 2003
5:30 p.m.: No-Host Reception5:30 p.m.: Silent Auction
begins7:00 p.m.: Balloon Blitz7:30 p.m.: Dinner9:00 p.m.: Induction
Ceremony
This year’s Inductees:Jim Fleming (Hockey)
Barry Kennedy (Swimming and
Water Polo)
Joe Poplawski (Football)
Alex Romaniuk (Wrestling and
Builder)
Shona Schleppe (Field Hockey and
Soccer)
Join our faculty and alumni for a glittering, memorable evening to
honour outstanding athletic alumni and to raise funds for
scholarships for new and current student-athletes.
Last year we raised $29,000. This year we’d like to up the ante
and raise $45,000! We know it’s ambitious, but with your help we
can help student-athletes reach their full athletic potential. Who
knows — you may be helping the next Canadian Olympian onto
the podium at the next Olympic Games!
Please join us!
■ Cost: $150/person. (Tax receipt issued for $100/ticket purchased)■ Shaw Conference Centre, 9797 Jasper Avenue Edmonton, Alberta■ Donations: Donations in any amount are, of course, gratefully received. Your donation will be receipted in the full amount.
Contact: Nadine McMahon Phone: 780.492.3893 E-Mail: [email protected]
activealumni
Active Alumni is produced annually for the alumni and friends of theFaculty of Physical Educationand Recreation.
Story ideas? Comments?Suggestions?Contact editor Jane Hurly at780.492.6821; email: [email protected]
Visit our web site!www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/per/
Jane Hurly, Communications StrategistFaculty of Physical Education and RecreationW1-34 Van Vliet CentreUniversity of AlbertaEdmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2H9
activealumni
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