UNews - Winnipeg

Horns looking for medals at Canada West Track Championship

trevor.kenney — Fri, 27 Feb 2015 18:51:37 +0000

The 2014-15 Canada West Track & Field Championships will see a small but talented ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge team compete this weekend at the Max Bell Fieldhouse in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Manitoba.

The Horns will send 12 athletes to the championship meet this year, with seven women and five men ready to challenge for conference titles.

Reigning CIS rookie of the year Aaron Hernandez and two-time Canada West weight throw gold medalist Peter Millman lead the Pronghorns this season and are favourites to win their respective events. The men’s team as a whole has been ranked 10th in the country for the past three weeks.

Following a stellar freshman campaign where he won both the Canada West and CIS gold medal in the triple jump, Hernandez enters the championship meet as the jumper to beat, ranked first in both the Canada West and CIS in his event.

Millman has had an exceptional start to his third season and goes to Winnipeg as the top ranked thrower in Canada West. Undefeated thus far this season, Millman sits atop the rankings in both the weight throw and shot put amongst Canada West competition. He is also ranked second in the CIS.

Ryan Sommer sits in second place in the Canada West rankings in both weight throw and shot put and sixth in CIS. Madison Hurst and Jordan Armstrong round out a strong men's team, ranking sixth and 13th in conference rankings for shot put and weight throw respectively.

On the women’s side, third-year Truro, Nova Scotia product Montana Forsyth is the top ranked Pronghorn athlete, ranking fifth in the weight throw, while Lara Roth is ranked one spot behind her at sixth.

The women's 4X200m relay team is ranked sixth in Canada West and looks to better its season's best time and ranking.

Overall, the Horns are poised to take home five medals and build on their preparations for the CIS Championships.

"We have had a strong season from a number of athletes thus far, but Canada West is where the rubber really starts to hit the road and preparations for CIS begin to show through,” says head coach Larry Steinke. “I'm expecting strong results from everyone and signs indicate that we will have some very notable performances again this year at Canada West."

Busy weekend upcoming for Horns Athletics

trevor.kenney — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 18:23:28 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women’s hockey team took a small step back last season, missing the Canada West playoff party. On Friday night, the Horns will begin their quest to return to the post-season when they open the regular season against the defending Canada West champion UBC Thunderbirds at Nicholas Sheran Arena.

With 19 players returning from last season, the Horns have an experienced group, led by senior defenceman Glenda Edie and fourth-year defenders Courtney Minor and Katie Mucha. Add in the returning goaltending tandem of Crystal Patterson and Shauntelle Williams, and the Horns are in good shape in their own zone.

Despite being one of the lowest scoring teams in the conference last season, the Pronghorns possess a group of talented forwards and will need to score by committee to generate the offence needed to get them into the playoffs once again. Megan Bailey had a breakout season last year and her team leading 16 points tripled her output from the previous season. Third-year forward Kirsten Reeves led the Horns last season with 12 goals, putting her in a tie for third in the conference, and she will be leaned on heavily for production again this season.

With seven of their first eight games at home to start the year, the Horns have a great opportunity for a fast start.

Puck drop for both Friday and Saturday nights is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Nicholas Sheran Arena.

Horns Soccer

The Proghorns men's and women's soccer programs are both on the road this weekend, the men heading to Winnipeg to face the Wesmen, while the women are on the west coast to challenge the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Victoria and Fraser Valley.

Coming off a weekend split last weekend with the Mount Royal Cougars, the men’s soccer team is at 2-6-0 on the season. With seven games remaining in the season, the Horns are only four points out of a playoff spot.

The Horns, who have scored just seven goals in eight games, will need to generate more offense if they are to make a push to the post-season. Guilherme Costa leads the teams in goals with two, both coming from the penalty spot.

The Wesmen (2-4-2 CW), won just one of their first six games but earned four points last weekend in Calgary, beating the Dinos 3-2 before completing the trip with a 1-1 tie the next day.

On the women's front, the Horns (0-5-2) are still searching for their first victory of the season after suffering two losses in Saskatchewan last weekend, dropping a 2-0 decision to the Saskatchewan Huskies and 2-1 to the Regina Cougars.

Offensive production continues to be the Horns undoing so far this season, only scoring three goals thus far.

Defensively, the Horns have been solid, having only allowed 11 goals in seven games.

Friday night, the Horns face the Victoria Vikes (4-2-0), before travelling to Abbotsford on Saturday to meet up with the Fraser Valley Cascades (2-3-1).

Women's Rugby

Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, the Pronghorns women’s rugby team heads out on the road for a pair of games versus provincial rivals Calgary Dinos and Alberta Pandas.

Sitting at 1-1 and with a guaranteed spot in the Canada West Championship tournament (which the Horns host Oct. 18-20), this weekend’s results will determine the seeding for the Canada West semifinals.

Friday in Calgary, the Horns will have revenge on their mind when they face the Calgary Dinos (2-1). The Dinos ended the Horns' 22-game conference winning streak last season with a 31-18 win and then knocked the Horns out of title contention with a 33-32 victory in the Canada West semifinal in Edmonton.

The Horns are led by Kim Leavitt’s three tries, which places her in a tie for second in the conference, and Tiffany Wideen, who has taken over the kicking duties this season and has connected on three converts. For the Dinos, Natasha Loucks leads a balanced attack with three tries and Kate Scotland has connected on six converts and two penalty goals for 18 points.

Sunday, the Horns take on the defending Canada West champion Alberta Pandas (3-0). So far, the Pandas have yet to be tested. Following their 62-17 trouncing of the Dinos to open the season, the Pandas shut out both of their BC opponents on the road, beating the Victoria Vikes 49-0 and the UBC T-Birds 39-0.

Men's Basketball

Finally, the Horns men's basketball team will host MacEwan ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ for a pre-season tilt, Friday night at 7 p.m. in the 1st Choice Savings Centre gym.

MacEwan is currently an Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) team but will be joining Canada West next season. The matchup will be a solid first test for the Horns, who are itching to get into game action after a long practise schedule.

Closing de Grandmaison

trevor.kenney — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:40:51 +0000

The Nicholas de Grandmaison: Recent Acquisitions exhibit Closing Reception and Hoop Dance Performance takes place Tuesday, June 25 at 7 p.m. in the Main Gallery

Each face, with its deep lines, juxtaposing colours and gentle strokes, tells a story – a story of honour, dignity and character; joy and sorrow; life and death – a story of a people in the midst of transition.

By capturing the faces of Canada's First Nations people, painter Nicholas de Grandmaison (1892 – 1978) left a deeply personal record of history.

A Russian aristocrat forced out of his homeland, a prisoner of war and eventually an immigrant to Canada, de Grandmaison felt an intimate connection to the First Nations people and empathized with the massive cultural changes they were forced to endure during the mid-20th century.

From the 1930s up until his death, de Grandmaison was struck with an urgency to paint the Plains Indians because he believed their way of life was quickly disappearing.

Nicholas de Grandmaison travelled across the Canadian Prairies documenting history through the faces he painted. Recognized as one of the most significant portraitists of First Nations people in Canada, de Grandmaison's own story began across the Atlantic.

Nicholas de Grandmaison. Courtesy of U of L Archives.

Born in Russia in 1892, de Grandmaison's roots trace back to France and a great-grandfather who was rescued during the French Revolution. Because of his heritage, de Grandmaison's early years were privy to upper-class privileges his forefathers had been afforded by Catherine the Great a century earlier, including art lessons and learning about social graces as part of his schooling. After graduating from college, he attended a military school and was trained as an officer.

When the First World War broke out, de Grandmaison, who was in his early-20s, served as a soldier in East Prussia where his unit suffered a terrible defeat and he was sent to Germany as a prisoner of war. He spent a number years as a prisoner of war in Germany where he put his artistic talent to work, drawing his fellow prisoners and even some of the camp's officers.

Eventually, de Grandmaison regained his freedom, but his life was far from worry-free upon returning to Russia. As a monarchist, he ended up fleeing his civil war-ravaged homeland and escaping to Poland/Germany.

In time, de Grandmaison made his way to England. In London, with support from his friends, he attended St. John's Wood School of Art. That creative journey, however, did little to ease de Grandmaison's constant fear of deportation. So, using the winnings from a horse race wager, he set sail for Canada in 1923.

Upon disembarking in Quebec City, de Grandmaison connected with some harvesters who were headed to Manitoba. His career as a farm labourer, however, was not to be. After doing multiple odd jobs, de Grandmaison secured work at a large commercial art firm in Winnipeg. There, in addition to joining the Winnipeg Arts Club, he spent the next few years illustrating catalogues, painting portraits of chief justices, politicians and the children of local business leaders. But it wasn't until de Grandmaison ventured to northern Manitoba in 1930 that he found his true calling in life: capturing portraits of First Nations people.

He once wrote the First Nations people he saw inspired him "to forget the past and look forward to see and paint them all."

Nicholas de Grandmaison, Wolf Tail (Apisoh'soyi), 1960. From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Collection. Gift of BMO Financial Group, 2012.

Wanting to capture First Nations people in an authentic setting ultimately compelled the artist to move to Alberta where he set out to paint First Nations people who lived far away from cities and towns, and consequently had managed to retain their customs.

While in Alberta, de Grandmaison married Sophia (Sonia) Orest Dournovo, a talented sculptor in her own right, and together they went on to have five children – all of whom would grow up to become artists or work in some facet of the art world.

When the children were young, de Grandmaison worked on a number of commissions as a way of supporting his growing family. Despite these everyday responsibilities, he remained devoted to drawing First Nations people.

Specifically, de Grandmaison was fascinated with his subjects' faces. In them, as he once described, he saw "…all the sorrow, oppression and history…indelibly written. They have character, colour and history in their blood."

But a rich past wasn't the only thing that de Grandmaison saw in the subjects; he was also keenly aware that their cultural practices were under great pressure from assimilation.

In fact, when the artist had arrived in Canada, First Nations people had been moved onto reserves and were being taught how to farm. This dramatic shift, as de Grandmaison came to understand, posed a serious threat to First Nations people's traditional way of life. So while first-hand memories were still vibrant, de Grandmaison felt duty-bound to document the history of First Nations people.

He accomplished this goal in two ways: by recording First Nations people as they told stories in their own languages and by preserving their features in pastel drawings. Today, those recordings and works of art – many of which are housed at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge – serve as proof of de Grandmaison's unwavering loyalty to Canada's First Nations communities.

"There are not many paintings that actually depict First Nations people as individuals," says Josephine Mills, director/curator of the U of L's Art Gallery. "De Grandmaison's paintings focus on the honour, dignity and character of each person. He didn't see First Nations people in a stereotypical light; he tried to show their individual personalities and life stories."

Nicholas de Grandmaison, Blackfoot Child, 1936. From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Collection. Gift of BMO Financial Group, 2012.

Not only a technically skilled artist, Mills says, de Grandmaison possessed the exceptional ability to capture an individual's unique personality. Through careful colour selections, precise compositions and gentle lines, he was able to depict subjects' expressions as well as their character.

De Grandmaison's attention to detail was evident in every aspect of his work. For example, he recognized the importance of portraying First Nations people in their real clothing. It was a commitment to authenticity that stood de Grandmaison apart from other portraitists who chose to dress First Nations people in ornate and often culturally inaccurate costumes.

Instead, de Grandmaison was deeply deferential toward First Nations people, and this approach did not go unnoticed by First Nations communities. In fact, as a symbol of the respect and affection that First Nations people felt for de Grandmaison, he was named Chief Little Plume, honorary chief of the Piikani Nation. When de Grandmaison died in 1978, he was laid to rest on the Brocket Reserve in southern Alberta.

Thirty-five years later, the gestural, unfinished qualities of de Grandmaison's drawings continue to intrigue viewers and tell an important part of the Canadian story. And thanks to a recent gift to the U of L, even more people will now be able to appreciate the late artist's work.

In February 2013, the BMO Financial Group donated 67 original pastel portraits by de Grandmaison to the U of L's Art Gallery, along with $50,000 to care for and create access to the works. The collection, which is valued at more than $1.6 million, spans a period of more than 30 years and traces the development of de Grandmaison's talent and facility as one of the most important painters and portraitists of western First Nations people in Canada.

The donated portraits are part of a portfolio of works by de Grandmaison that were purchased by BMO in 1978 from the artist's family following his death. To that end, the collection now has an ideal home at the U of L, says Robert Hayes, senior vice president, prairies division of BMO Bank of Montreal.

"The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ already owns one of the most comprehensive collections of artworks and artifacts by this important Canadian portraitist. We are excited to enhance this collection with a gift that will allow it to continue to serve as a resource for students, faculty and independent scholars," says Hayes.

This gift of works from BMO Financial Group joins over 170 drawings, paintings and personal archival items (most of which have been deemed to be of outstanding significance and national importance) already housed by the U of L Art Collection and Archives, which the de Grandmaison family previously donated to the U of L.

"The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ takes seriously what it means to be entrusted with these cultural treasures," says Mahon. "These pieces hold special meaning for the U of L as most of de Grandmaison's work was created in this area. I find it fascinating that the communities Nicholas de Grandmaison was passionate about are the same communities the university remains passionate about today."

Being chosen as the keeper of the additional portraits is a testament to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's overall approach to art.

One of the most significant art collections in Canada, the U of L's Art Gallery's holdings number over 14,000 objects from Canada, America and Europe – and those works are not simply kept in storage on campus. "The gallery does a great deal with its works," says Mills. "We exhibit them, send them on tours, loan them to other galleries and use them to generate research."

In addition to using the works as teaching and research tool for faculty and students across the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, there are plans to initiate an oral history project that will collect stories from anyone who knew de Grandmaison and any of the subjects in his portraits. Mills has also commissioned First Nations artists, such as Jeffrey Thomas, to create new works in response to de Grandmaison's artwork, and there are future plans to loan the collection to other museums and create a touring exhibition.

"This generous gift will significantly enhance our collection, exhibitions, and public programs and thus be an excellent resource for our community," says Mills.

Most importantly, the gift preserves a part of the past.

"While we tend to understand history as big events, this piece of Canada's history focuses on the individuals and their stories," says Mills. "If we didn't have these paintings, we would be missing an important part of our Western heritage."

Editor's note: This article references Drawn From The Past – Nicholas de Grandmaison by Gordron Synder, Introduction by Joan Murray, as a factual resource.

The faces of history

trevor.kenney — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:12:40 +0000

The Nicholas de Grandmaison: Recent Acquisitions exhibit Closing Reception and Hoop Dance Performance takes place Tuesday, June 25 at 7 p.m. in the Main Gallery

Each face, with its deep lines, juxtaposing colours and gentle strokes, tells a story – a story of honour, dignity and character; joy and sorrow; life and death – a story of a people in the midst of transition.

By capturing the faces of Canada's First Nations people, painter Nicholas de Grandmaison (1892 – 1978) left a deeply personal record of history.

A Russian aristocrat forced out of his homeland, a prisoner of war and eventually an immigrant to Canada, de Grandmaison felt an intimate connection to the First Nations people and empathized with the massive cultural changes they were forced to endure during the mid-20th century.

From the 1930s up until his death, de Grandmaison was struck with an urgency to paint the Plains Indians because he believed their way of life was quickly disappearing.

Nicholas de Grandmaison. Courtesy of U of L Archives.

He once wrote the First Nations people he saw inspired him "to forget the past and look forward to see and paint them all."

Nicholas de Grandmaison, Wolf Tail (Apisoh'soyi), 1960. From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Collection. Gift of BMO Financial Group, 2012.

But a rich past wasn't the only thing that de Grandmaison saw in the subjects; he was also keenly aware that their cultural practices were under great pressure from assimilation.

Nicholas de Grandmaison, Blackfoot Child, 1936. From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Collection. Gift of BMO Financial Group, 2012.

Being chosen as the keeper of the additional portraits is a testament to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's overall approach to art.

"This generous gift will significantly enhance our collection, exhibitions, and public programs and thus be an excellent resource for our community," says Mills.

Most importantly, the gift preserves a part of the past.

Editor's note: This article references Drawn From The Past – Nicholas de Grandmaison by Gordron Synder, Introduction by Joan Murray, as a factual resource.

Academic excellence recognized

trevor.kenney — Wed, 29 May 2013 17:55:32 +0000

This year, 15 deserving ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge graduands will receive medals that acknowledge their significant academic achievements, including the Governor General's Gold and Silver Medals for overall academic excellence, along with medals from specific Faculties and the School of Graduate Studies.

The diverse group of medal recipients come from around the world, across Canada and close to home, including:

- Lethbridge, Calgary, Enchant, Rocky Mountain House and Medicine Hat, AB
- Jaffray and Cranbrook, BC
- Herbert, SK
- Winnipeg, MB
- Kingston, ON
- Milton, ON
- Les Sables d'Olonne, France
- Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Meet the students who will receive their academic medals of achievement at the 2013 Spring Convocation ceremonies:

Governor General's Gold Medal
Lori-Ann Rosalind Sacrey – Rocky Mountain House, Alta.

Governor General's Silver Medal
Fern Megan Violet Leavens – Jaffray and Cranbrook, B.C.

School of Graduate Studies Medal of Merit (Doctor of Philosophy)
Chad Robert Laing – Lethbridge, Alta.

School of Graduate Studies Medal of Merit (Master of Arts)
Rachel Holly Shields – Lethbridge, Alta.

School of Graduate Studies Medal of Merit (Master of Science)
Samantha Jane Dawson – Kingston, Ont.

School of Graduate Studies Medal of Merit (Master of Counselling)
Erika Pauline Kewley – Milton, Ont.

Graduate Studies Medal of Merit (Master of Education)
Leslie Anne Waite – Calgary, Alta.

School of Graduate Studies Medal of Merit (Master of Science, Management)
Olufemi Oladimeji Aiyegbusi – Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria (now a Lethbridge, Alta. resident)

Faculty of Arts and Science Gold Medal (Arts)
Joanna Waszkiewicz – Les Sables d'Orlonne, France (now a Lethbridge, Alta. resident)

Faculty of Arts and Science Gold Medal (Science)
Ashlee Eleanor Matkin – Lethbridge, Alta.

Faculty of Health Sciences Gold Medal
Twyla Lyndell Doyle – Herbert, Sask.

Faculty of Education Gold Medal
Hailee Brianne Virostek – Enchant, Alta.

William Aberhart Gold Medal (Education)
Joanne Christine Collier – Medicine Hat, Alta. (now a Lethbridge, AB resident)

Faculty of Fine Arts Gold Medal
Joelle Esther Strang – Winnipeg, Man. (now a Lethbridge, AB resident)

Faculty of Management Gold Medal
Michael Stephen Despres – Calgary, Alta.

The rich landscape art of R.F.M. McInnis

trevor.kenney — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 20:48:00 +0000

R.F.M. McInnis, Cows and Little Ones (detail), 1996. From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Collection. Gift of Jim Coutts, 2010.

Robert Francis Michael McInnis was born in 1942 in Saint John, N.B., where he received a diploma in fine and applied arts in 1961. In his early career, McInnis worked as a newspaper reporter and photographer, and served as a Royal Canadian Air Force photographer from 1962 to 1966.

R.F.M. McInnis, Red Barn and Clouds, 1998. From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Collection. Gift of Jim Coutts, 2010.

Before moving to Toronto to devote his life to painting at the age of 30, McInnis held the position of Art Department Head at the Prince George College in British Columbia. In the years since his decision to focus on painting, McInnis has roamed east and west, living in Canada's urban centres and homesteading on the Albertan prairies.

R.F.M. McInnis, The Hill, 1994. From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Collection. Gift of Jim Coutts, 2010.

He is known for his landscape paintings depicting the rolling hills and grain elevators of rural Alberta, but has also completed a large body of work featuring the figure as his subject.

RFM McInnis continues to paint at his current home in Winnipeg.

Lasting Images - Rita McKeough

trevor.kenney — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:29:36 +0000

Rita McKeough was born in 1951 in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. She received a BFA from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and a MFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design before settling in Calgary, where she currently teaches at the Alberta College of Art and Design.

Rita McKeough, Two Urban Scroungers, 1984. From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Collection; Gift of the artist, 1994.

McKeough has been a committed multi-disciplinary artist for over 30 years, and has exhibited extensively in group and solo exhibitions across Canada and internationally, including exhibitions at the Walter Phillips Gallery (Banff), Plug-In Gallery (Winnipeg), Nuit Blanche (Toronto) and the National Gallery of Canada. In 2009, McKeough was the recipient of the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts, and the following year was selected for the Alberta Biennial of Contemporary Art at the Art Gallery of Alberta.

McKeough's practice is informed by her interest in social issues, idealism and a belief in art's ability to spur social change. Her performances and installations – often complex, collaborative efforts – touch on issues such as displacement, domestic abuse and ecological damage. Though her subject matter is often politically charged, McKeough opens a dialogue with the viewer through a disarming sense of humour and play.

Rita McKeough, Urban Uprising, 1984. From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Collection; P.U.L.P. print gift, 1984.

McKeough's Urban Scroungers multi-media piece creates an interactive environment for the viewer through sound and sculptural objects, and points to McKeough's concern over urban sprawl and the voracity of corporate expansion.

McKeough's newest installation, The Lion's Share, is on view in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Main Gallery until Jan. 5, 2012.

This story first appeared in the December 2011 issue of the Legend. If you'd like to see the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Ballet for everyone

trevor.kenney — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 21:30:37 +0000

As a 10-year-old child growing up in Montreal, Mary Falconer fell in love with ballet when a neighbourhood school began offering Saturday morning classes.

Her teachers were part of a ballet association that sent instructors to schools and community halls to teach children in their own neighbourhoods. It was a philosophy that stuck with Falconer, whose passion for ballet progressed into a career and a lifelong study of ballet.

When Falconer arrived in Lethbridge 30 years ago as a young Canadian Ballet Association certified teacher, she says she didn't feel the need to have her own studio.

Long-time teacher Mary Falconer believes ballet isn't just for prima ballerinas.

Instead, Falconer, who has studied under the Canadian Ballet Association; The National Ballet School; Royal Winnipeg; Stanford ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ; and many international teachers; established herself in the community by approaching local schools without ballet programs.

In 1993, she established the first ballet program at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, offering programming for children, youth and adults. Almost 20 years later, there are now 330 students enrolled in classes each year taught by Falconer and two other teachers.

Classical ballet is an art form that continues to charm dancers and audiences alike. "I think it still holds that mystic place of beauty and grace," says Falconer. "Some people dance for the physical component, others feel a connection between the movement and the music, or like performing."

But for all its charm, most students don't intend to become professional dancers or ballet teachers. Nevertheless, all students can gain a life-long appreciation of the art form, greater self-esteem and body awareness. Falconer's goal is to help students get the most from the art form.

"I never need perfection – but I need their best," she says.

After many decades, Falconer has never lost her passion for teaching.

"When I'm teaching, I'm in another world – the world of my students," she says.

California recruits join Horns

trevor.kenney — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 19:47:46 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns men's basketball team has solidified its back court with the signing of two American guards out of the California junior college circuit. Head coach Dave Adams recently introduced Daryl Cooper and Alex Fletcher as the newest Horns for this coming season.

The additions of Fletcher and Cooper continues the Horns overhaul this off-season, where the squad has added seven players, all with ties to winning programs. Earlier this off-season Adams secured four players from the national silver medalists Lethbridge College Kodiaks, as well as Tyson McIntyre from the Alberta 4A champion Raymond Comets.

Basketball Operations Manager Brad Karren was the first to identify Cooper and Fletcher during the California JUCO Final Four and did the majority of the leg work leading up to their visits.

"Brad did a great job identifying Daryl and Alex as two guys that would fit in to what we are trying to build here," says Adams. "We were able to work both of them out and really liked what we saw."

Cooper, a 6'1" point guard, spent the last two seasons at City College of San Francisco, where the team finished the season with a 32-1 record and won the California JUCO Championship. Cooper averaged just over 7 points per game and accumulated an impressive 2.95 to 1 assist to turnover ratio.

"Daryl is a pass first, score second point guard with incredible basketball IQ, work ethic, skill and leadership qualities," says Adams. "He will immediately address our deficiencies at the point guard position."

A 6'2" shooting guard, Fletcher is no stranger to his fellow California recruit, as Fresno City College was the lone team to beat Cooper's team last season. In both seasons in Fresno, Fletcher was a member of the Central Valley Conference champions and had trips to the California JuCo Final Four, where Fresno lost in the semifinals.

As a sophomore starter, Fletcher was a Central Valley first team all-star, averaging 11.06 points per game while hitting a remarkable 47.5 per cent of his shots from behind the arc. He also set a school record last season, hitting 12 three-pointers in a single game. An exceptional student, Fletcher had a 3.68 GPA in his two years at Fresno City College.

"Alex is an unselfish hard working blue collar basketball player," says Adams. "He shot a high percentage from three-point land and will immediately address our weakness there from last season. He will also immediately infuse an uncompromising work ethic into our locker room."

The Horns open training camp Aug. 29 and will kick off the 2011-12 Canada West Schedule Nov. 4-5, traveling to Winnipeg to face the Wesmen. The Horns home opener is Nov. 11 versus UBC – Okanagan Heat.

Mastering a new game

trevor.kenney — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 21:16:45 +0000

The road between accepting an athletic scholarship and being the first in her cohort to defend and pass a Master of Science thesis is long, but Katie Lafreniere has travelled it well.

Originally from Winnipeg, Lafreniere expected to start her post-secondary experience as a basketball player at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Manitoba, but that reality vanished when she broke her ankle in her senior year.

Despite her injury, Lakeland College offered Lafreniere a sports scholarship and two years later, with a business management diploma in hand, she set her academic sights on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Master's student Katie Lafreniere takes social marketing to heart.

Lafreniere says that her decision to attend the U of L was an easy one to make because an existing transfer agreement between the two institutions allowed her to immediately enter into her third year of a bachelor's degree in management.

"It just made sense for me to come here," says Lafreniere. "It worked out really nicely."

Lafreniere spent the next two years developing a deep interest in social marketing, a process she believes was made possible because of the knowledge and support of the faculty members she encountered along the way.

"It's still a new discipline and we have professors here who know a lot about the topic," says Lafreniere. "They were the ones who were able to show me what, exactly, I wanted to do in life."

Later, as she readied herself to take the next step on her journey, Lafreniere realized she would be able to build her thesis on something that both her parents and her Aboriginal heritage had instilled in her since she was a child - a genuine sensitivity toward and tremendous respect for the environment.

"It opened my eyes. It just became a passion for me," says Lafreniere. "I want to have that practical aspect of it in my life, where I'm contributing to an actual cause in the real world."

Under the supervision of Dr. Sameer Deshpande, Lafreniere began her master's research in the spring of 2010; her work revolves around defining the perspectives and subsequent decisions of irrigators in the Cluny, Alberta, area who voted on a 2007 water-rights agreement between Balzac and the Western Irrigation District.

"Social marketing is a process that applies marketing techniques in order to influence behaviours to benefit society," says Lafreniere. "My research . . . would be how to convince irrigators who have more than enough water . . . to give the water that they're not using to other people who do need that water."

Over the next several months, Lafreniere plans to explore a second phase of her research by crafting a marketing campaign based on the findings of her research.

"We're very close with . . . water management organizations in Alberta that want our research and they want to apply it in what they're doing now," she says. "That's kind of the beauty of it; I don't have to convince anybody that it's important."

UNews - Winnipeg

Horns looking for medals at Canada West Track Championship

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Closing de Grandmaison

Each face, with its deep lines, juxtaposing colours and gentle strokes, tells a story – a story of honour, dignity and character; joy and sorrow; life and death – a story of a people in the midst of transition.

By capturing the faces of Canada's First Nations people, painter Nicholas de Grandmaison (1892 – 1978) left a deeply personal record of history.

A Russian aristocrat forced out of his homeland, a prisoner of war and eventually an immigrant to Canada, de Grandmaison felt an intimate connection to the First Nations people and empathized with the massive cultural changes they were forced to endure during the mid-20th century.

From the 1930s up until his death, de Grandmaison was struck with an urgency to paint the Plains Indians because he believed their way of life was quickly disappearing.

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The faces of history

Each face, with its deep lines, juxtaposing colours and gentle strokes, tells a story – a story of honour, dignity and character; joy and sorrow; life and death – a story of a people in the midst of transition.

By capturing the faces of Canada's First Nations people, painter Nicholas de Grandmaison (1892 – 1978) left a deeply personal record of history.

A Russian aristocrat forced out of his homeland, a prisoner of war and eventually an immigrant to Canada, de Grandmaison felt an intimate connection to the First Nations people and empathized with the massive cultural changes they were forced to endure during the mid-20th century.

From the 1930s up until his death, de Grandmaison was struck with an urgency to paint the Plains Indians because he believed their way of life was quickly disappearing.

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