UNews - Travis Grindle

Pronghorns honour Debby Steacy by renaming scholarship

trevor.kenney — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 17:21:20 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorn Athletics is honoured to announce that the department is renaming its Academic All-Canadian Scholarship to pay tribute to the late Debby Steacy.

Steacy, a longtime supporter of Horns Athletics, passed away suddenly in April 2014 at the age of 58.

Each year, more than 20 per cent of Pronghorn athletes earn CIS Academic All-Canadian (AAC) honours. The Pronghorn Booster Club, with funds generated from Operation Red Nose activity, partner with the athletics department to help fund the AAC Award.

A long-time booster club member and volunteer coordinator for Operation Red Nose, Steacy was a huge advocate for using the funds raised through the booster club to recognize not only athletic achievement but academic excellence. Sandy Slavin, Pronghorn athletic director, and Travis Grindle, president of the Pronghorn Booster Club, agreed that it was only fitting that the Pronghorn Academic All-Canadian scholarship should bear her name, to honour and recognize her commitment and dedication to Pronghorn Athletics.

Operation Red Nose was a program that Steacy held close to her heart. She worked tirelessly for Operation Red Nose, organizing more than 600 volunteers for the annual 12-night campaign, and ensuring that the program ran as smoothly as possible.

Having been a successful CIAU varsity athlete herself, Steacy understood the value of being a student-athlete. She supported all three of her children’s university and athletic careers. Each of Jim, Sean and Heather Steacy were highly decorated Pronghorn Athletes. Jim and Heather each reached the pinnacle of the track and field world representing Canada at the Olympic Games in the hammer throw. Jim, a two-time Olympian, competed in Beijing (2008) and London (2012), while Heather joined Jim in London. Ji is currently representing Canada at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

Beginning in fall 2014, athletes achieving Academic All-Canadian status will receive a Deb Steacy AAC Scholarship on behalf of Pronghorn Athletics.

Journey complete for Mackinnon brothers

trevor.kenney — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 17:15:22 +0000

UPDATE: The Mackinnon brothers completed their journey and dipped toes in the Atlantic Ocean on July 16 before completing their journey back in Comox with a fundraiser barbecue on July 19

Scott Mackinnon (BA '07) understands that the world is so much greater than the space within which he exists. It's a point he undoubtedly learned while watching his once vibrant grandfather slowly lose his battle with Parkinson's disease, and one that was driven home while maturing as a young man at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. Now, as he cycles with his three brothers (Sean, Ross and Ryan) across Canada in memory of his late grandfather Neville 'Baha' Munro, he's reminded of that lesson every day.

"I always told my brothers what a supportive, passionate, loyal and aware community Lethbridge was," says the former Pronghorns men's basketball player and native of Comox, B.C. "It's just pretty cool that they are able to experience that first hand now. My experience here at the U of L definitely led me towards doing something like this – to be more socially aware and more conscious of something way beyond myself and something more important than myself."

Biking for Baha was an idea hatched between the brothers years ago. Their grandfather had wanted to cycle across Canada after being diagnosed with Parkinson's at age 60. A special bike was built for him by his eldest son (their uncle) but his declining motor skills never allowed for the trip to take place. In 2003, Baha passed away but his dream lived on.

"The last few years, riding across Canada became a big interest of mine and it became a huge conversation piece between us," says Mackinnon. "We started talking about it but things always seemed to get in the way. This year, all of a sudden, all four brothers fell into a place where there was time to do it and so here we are."

The quest to cross Canada and raise funds for Parkinson's research began May 19 on the B.C. coast and passed through Lethbridge May 30-31. The goal is to dip their tires in the Atlantic Ocean sometime in July (they finished July 16), all the while raising one dollar for every kilometre they cycle, as well as an additional dollar for the distance Baha would have covered for a total of $40,075. The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research is the recipient charity.

Coming through Lethbridge was a homecoming for Mackinnon and an opportunity to show off the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community he grew so close to during his time as a Pronghorn.

"Coming through Lethbridge was the best thing that could happen to us," he says. "We're pretty inexperienced touring cyclists so once we got through the mountains, Lethbridge was a key morale boost for us. It's been so good to see Travis Grindle and Eoin Colquhoun, coach Dave Adams and a lot of the people I really respect and look up to. The effort they put in to helping us, we're all taken aback by it."

The group spent two nights in Lethbridge, participated in an evening fundraiser, met kinesiology professor Dr. Jon Doan, toured his lab and learned about his work with local Parkinson's patients.

The generosity and open arms that greeted the group was exactly what he expected.

"I absolutely loved the U of L because of the small community," says Mackinnon, who went on to earn a bachelor's degree in education at Queen's ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and just completed his first year of teaching at an international school in Manila.

"I loved how you would be walking through the halls here and everyone would say hi. You have the small class sizes, everyone was friendly, and on the court, the crowds and the community support that you get here is amazing. You just couldn't ask for a better place to go to school and I would recommend to anyone to go here."

The group has now completed its journey, which is chronicled on their blog (bikingforbaha.weebly.com). As well, CBC Halifax created this video upon their arrival.

For Mackinnon, as much as the ride is personal, it continues to drive home the universal lesson he learned long ago.

"I've thought about my grandfather on this ride more than I have in a long time and it's one of the best things about this," he says. "It's really refreshing what an influence he had on our lives and what an inspiring man he was. It's also allowed me to learn so much. Ignorantly, I didn't realize how many people were affected by Parkinson's and it's really cool to be able to know there's that support network out there and that we can help towards finding a cure, towards something that can help these people cope with this terrible disease. It's been very eye opening."

GET THE FACTS

• The Biking for Baha team was greeted by a group of local cyclists as they made their way into Lethbridge. The Lethbridge Lodge provided them with two nights accommodation, while Backstreat Pub and Coco Pazzo's chipped in meals

• Mackinnon played for the Horns over two different stretches, from 2000-2002 and again from 2004-2007, scoring 862 points in 85 career Canada West games

• A true blue Pronghorn, Mackinnon and his brothers were given Horns basketball shirts by head coach Dave Adams. "I'll always be a part of Horns nation," says Mackinnon. "I love this place. If I could get a teaching job in southern Alberta I'd come back in a second."

• Mackinnon will return to Canada to look for a teaching job after one more year in the Philippines

• To donate to Biking for Baha, visit www.michaeljfox.org or www.bikingforbaha.weebly.com

This story first appeared in the June 2012 issue of the Legend. For a look at the entire issue in flipbook format, follow this link.

Mackinnon and brothers honouring Baha

trevor.kenney — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 21:55:38 +0000

UPDATE: The Mackinnon brothers completed their journey and dipped toes in the Atlantic Ocean on July 16 before completing their journey back in Comox with a fundraiser barbecue on July 19

The Mackinnon brothers, left to right, include Ryan, Ross, Scott and Sean. Here they are in Dr. Jon Doan's kinesiology lab after a brief tour of the facilities.

The quest to cross Canada and raise funds for Parkinson's research began May 19 on the B.C. coast and passed through Lethbridge May 30-31. The goal is to dip their tires in the Atlantic Ocean sometime in July (they arrived July 16), all the while raising one dollar for every kilometre they cycle, as well as an additional dollar for the distance Baha would have covered for a total of $40,075. The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research is the recipient charity.

Coming through Lethbridge was a homecoming for Mackinnon and an opportunity to show off the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community he grew so close to during his time as a Pronghorn.

The group spent two nights in Lethbridge, participated in an evening fundraiser, met kinesiology professor Dr. Jon Doan, toured his lab and learned about his work with local Parkinson's patients.

The generosity and open arms that greeted the group was exactly what he expected.

The group has now completed its journey, which is chronicled on their blog (bikingforbaha.weebly.com). As well, CBC Halifax created this video upon their arrival.

For Mackinnon, as much as the ride is personal, it continues to drive home the universal lesson he learned long ago.

GET THE FACTS

· The Biking for Baha team was greeted by a group of local cyclists as they made their way into Lethbridge. The Lethbridge Lodge provided them with two nights accommodation, while Backstreat Pub and Coco Pazzo's chipped in meals

· Mackinnon played for the Horns over two different stretches, from 2000-2002 and again from 2004-2007, scoring 862 points in 85 career Canada West games

· A true blue Pronghorn, Mackinnon and his brothers were given Horns basketball shirts by head coach Dave Adams. "I'll always be a part of Horns nation," says Mackinnon. "I love this place. If I could get a teaching job in southern Alberta I'd come back in a second."

· Mackinnon will return to Canada to look for a teaching job after one more year in the Philippines

· To donate to Biking for Baha, visit www.michaeljfox.org or www.bikingforbaha.weebly.com

This story first appeared in the June 2012 issue of the Legend. For a look at the entire issue in flipbook format, follow this link.

Policing the Games

trevor.kenney — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:59:18 +0000

Olympic athletes are on a constant quest to achieve higher, faster, stronger results. ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge alumnus Tim Takahashi (BA '94) helps to make sure they do so fairly.

Takahashi, a U of L kinesiology sessional intructor and clinic director of Dynamic Rehab, will serve as a doping control officer at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics this month. He is one of 200 persons working under the auspices of VANOC (Vancouver Olympic Committee) and WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) charged with policing the games. While Takahashi is passionate about his role of rooting out those who try and use performance-enhancing drugs to gain a competitive edge, he admits that enforcement isn't the ideal way to rid sport of cheaters.

"I believe that policing and enforcement of the anti-doping policy is not the way to stop them," says Takahashi. "We understand that there's no possible way we can catch everyone. Really, our attitude is we're letting people know we're here, there's a functioning program, there are checks and if you're caught, there are consequences. I think the real answer is education – it's educating the athletes."

Takahashi initially held the dream of making it to the Olympic Games through his work as an athletic therapist. After graduating from the U of L he completed a master's degree at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and, following a year of work, opened the first of three Dynamic Rehab clinics.

The road to working an Olympics is long and heavily populated with therapists who boast years of seniority. Takahashi looked at another route and felt he had something to offer as a doping control officer.

"I saw a lot of doping first-hand as a graduate student in the mid-90s, and I remember thinking then that I did not want to be a part of that," he says. "I'm a strong believer in doping-free sport and not just the fact that it's dangerous or could hurt the athlete, there's an ethical and moral side to sport. It reflects on our attitudes toward sport and society."

It's a lesson he tries to impart on his children.

"I've got four kids and they see what I'm involved in, and I try and show them the right way to be involved in sport. We all want to excel in athletics, but there's a way to do it in a safe and ethical way."

Takahashi's selection to participate in the Vancouver Games comes from his involvement with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES). He applied over five years ago to work with CCES and spent the better part of two years advancing through the selection and training process before he was certified. Since then he has worked as a doping control officer for the southern Alberta region, testing athletes from a variety of sports. His work includes both in competition and out of competition testing.

"Our motto is anytime, anywhere," he says.

Takahashi will do everything from contacting an athlete about a test to collecting samples, running initial baseline analysis tests to confirm they are good for lab use, to packing and securing the sample for shipment to WADA facilities. Following exacting protocols comes with the job.

While in Vancouver, Takahashi and the 200-person doping control team is expected to run more than 2,000 tests. Sadly, he expects there will be a number of positive results.

"We're catching just a trickle of what's out there, and unfortunately, I'm seeing more and more positive tests," he says. "In a way, it is discouraging."

Using his experience in class is one way to slowly begin the process of educating a generation about drug use in sport.

"I use a lot of examples from this work already," he says of his Kinesiology 2350 (recognition and care of athletic injuries) class. "It's nice to know things in theory, but when you can tie a real-world example to what you're talking about it really drives the point home.

"This experience is a way to add to my teaching skill set. It's a great opportunity to see world-class, elite athletes at the top of the game trying to do their best; how they get there and what methods they use or don't use."

GET THE FACTS

• Takahashi is in Vancouver from Jan. 31 to Mar. 1 and has just two days off over the 30 days he'll work.

• His work with CCES saw him test athletes at the recently held World Junior Hockey Championships in Saskatoon.

• In addition to running three local clinics (two in Lethbridge, one in Taber), Takahashi also works with athletes at the newly formed Alberta Sport Development Centre. Former U of L athletics manager Travis Grindle is the executive director of the ASDC's Southwest office.

• Takahashi and his wife have four children aged 10, 13, 18 and 20. On leaving them for a month to work at the Olympics, he says, "My wife understands and my kids think it's pretty cool, and I expect it will be an amazing experience."

UNews - Travis Grindle

Pronghorns honour Debby Steacy by renaming scholarship

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