UNews - Nova

Horns' Millman always had U of L on his mind

trevor.kenney — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 20:56:58 +0000

Peter Millman’s track career began with him trying to run over hurdles as fast as he could. Today, Millman could just hurl them out of the way and waltz down the track – he’s clearly found his niche.

“I thought I was going to be a hurdler in Grades 6 through 8 and honestly, was really bad, and it was sort of embarrassing for my dad,” laughs Millman, whose father Paul coached track at the provincial and national level. “So I started throwing the discus in Grade 8, won provincials my second year and that’s basically where my throwing career began.”

Ready to embark on his second year of studies at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Millman is already a known commodity on the Canadian Interuniversity Sport track and field scene. That will happen when you win gold and silver medals in your first Canada West Championship meet and are named Canada West Rookie of the Year – and that was just the beginning.

Millman, 19, spent the summer racking up personal best throws and more accolades as he claimed three medals at the Canadian Junior Track and Field Championships. The Truro, N.S. product won gold in the shot put and silver in each of the discus and hammer throw events. He was then named to Canada’s Pan American Junior Championship team and competed in Medellin, Colombia at the end of August, qualifying for the finals of the hammer throw event and improving his Pan Am ranking from 10th to seventh position.

Peter Millman prepares to throw the shotput during the Pan American Junior Athletic Championships.

“Coming here and focusing on throwing and training with Larry Steinke, I believe opens everything up for me,” says Millman, who eyes world championship and Olympic appearances in his future. “I had opportunities to go to the United States but to me, it looked like an athlete factory down there and with Larry, it’s one-on-one focussed training designed to get you to the next level.”

The U of L didn’t have to spend a lot of time recruiting Millman, he was essentially in the family from the time he took his first training trip to Lethbridge in his Grade 10 year.

“I tried to convince my parents to let me move out here in Grade 10 and just start training with Larry but that wasn’t going to happen,” he says. “I had chosen the U of L by Grade 10, it was always where I was coming.”

The draw of course is head coach Steinke, leader of the national throws program and the mentor to Olympians Jim and Heather Steacy. He’s been mining talent from Truro for years, having previously brought Kate Forbes and Jonathan Doucette (now the coach at Dalhousie ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ) to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. Along with Millman came Kayla Gallagher (last year’s CIS gold medallist in weight throw) and Montana Forsyth. In the fall, Millman says his dad will bring another high school group to Lethbridge for a week of training, possibly laying the foundation for future throwing prospects attending the U of L.

“The thing about Larry is that his programs are so individually based and he’s so knowledgeable about track, even outside of throws events, he knows the sport so well,” says Millman. “He understands what you need in terms of lifting, really everything within your training, he sets it up. Everybody has their own program focused on what they individually need to develop.”
Millman has changed his academic focus this fall, moving away from international management and focusing on history. He admittedly struggled last year and looks to return to the strong classroom performances he put in while in high school.

“I wasn’t going to force myself to study something I didn’t really want to do,” he says of the management vein he tried to follow in the shadow of father’s career (he runs an international student recruitment program in Nova Scotia). “I want to take something where my interests lie and I’ve done that this year. I really like the courses I’m in this semester so I hope things go a lot better.”

His competitive goals are enhanced this year as he looks to build off his rookie success as well as the summer experience he gained internationally.

“Hopefully, I want to medal this year at the CIS Championships. I had such a great outdoor season with the shot, I hope it transfers to the indoor season,” he says. “After that, theoretically the NACAC Under-23 (North America Central America and Caribbean) Games are a possibility. I’m still pretty young and would have another shot at it in two years but it’d be great to make that team.”

GET THE FACTS

• Millman says he still has an autograph from former Pronghorn thrower and Olympian Jim Steacy on his bedroom wall back home in Truro from his initial visit to Lethbridge in Grade 10

• Millman competes in each of the discus, hammer/weight and shot put events but says, “I’m starting to think that maybe I have more potential in the shot put.”

• Millman has a younger sister in Grade 12 who he describes as a “genius”. She also throws hammer and is looking at attending an Ivy League school in the eastern United States

• Millman placed fifth in shot at the Pan American Junior Athletic Championships, while Horns teammate Kayla Gallagher won bronze for Canada in the hammer throw

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ mourns passing of DeBow

trevor.kenney — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:19:30 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Community offers its most sincere condolences to the family, many friends and colleagues of the late Dr. Shirley DeBow, a Lethbridge-based community volunteer, social worker and educator who served as the 10th Chancellor of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge from 2003 – 2007.

Shirley passed away on Monday, March 25, at age 68.

She is survived by her husband Gerald DeBow, and their three children – Jeremy, Suzanne and Adrienne – and their families.

A memorial service has yet to be confirmed.

This notice will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Shirley served the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and broader community with enthusiasm, good humour and dedication, and participated in a host of community activities as Chancellor that served to strengthen the relationship between the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the Lethbridge community at large.

She served on the U of L Senate from 1993 to 2001, as well as a number of U of L-specific committees and groups, and received an Honorary Degree from the U of L in 2008 for her extensive community service efforts.

During her time as Chancellor, she either hugged or (was hugged by) more than 6,000 students who were welcomed into the U of L family and helped establish the Senate Volunteer award, as well as an endowed Senate Scholarship for students, among other outreach activities.

"The U of L has long been fortunate to have strong community support and committed volunteers and Shirley DeBow was very much one of those people," said Dr Bill Cade, who served as U of L President during Shirley's term as Chancellor.

"She devoted much time and effort to ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ activities over the years, especially in her role as ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Chancellor. This was a job that Shirley loved and was ideally suited for. She performed her duties with much class and with genuine interest in the well being of our students.

Cade said that Shirley also served as an outstanding ambassador for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and worked tirelessly with the broader southern Alberta community to advance the U of L.

"One of Shirley's most significant legacies was the establishment of the Senate Scholarship Fund. Shirley provided leadership at a critical time when the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Senate launched a drive to raise scholarship funding for outstanding students. They were very successful and the fund continues to this day. It was a pleasure to work with Shirley in her capacity as Chancellor of the U of L. Elsa and I will miss her and we offer our condolences and best wishes to her family at this time."

Shirley's care and concern for people extended far beyond her immediate family, and she was forever a Maritimer, no matter how much time she spent on the prairies. Shirley was born in Nova Scotia (delivered by the doctor-father of Canadian music artist Anne Murray)and spent her childhood on Cape Breton Island, where her father served as an Anglican priest.

She attended Dalhousie ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, the Maritime School of Social Work, and, after moving to Alberta in 1966, attended the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary Faculty of Social Work.

She accepted a position as a social worker with the Government of Alberta, then progressed to NAIT, where she launched the first Social Services Worker program.

Shirley took this experience to the newly-established Grant MacEwan Community College in 1971, where, as the institution's 5th full-time employee, she established several key outreach programs and was particularly proud of an outreach program that she personally delivered to remote and northern locations of the province. She became the Head of the Social Services program, and was an instructor within the program until moving to Lethbridge in 1984.

In Lethbridge, she taught at Lethbridge Community College on a part-time basis and worked as a Social Worker/Supervisor of Social Work Programs at FamilyCare Inc., training and certifying social workers in several communities in southern Alberta, including the Town of Claresholm, the Kainai first Nation and the Siksika First Nation.

She will be remembered as the ultimate grandmother who was fiercely proud of her family, as a gracious host who welcomed people from all walks of life into her world, and as a community volunteer who worked tirelessly behind the scenes for organizations in need.

Condolences may be sent to the family at this address: senate@uleth.ca

Hansen benefits from personal touch

trevor.kenney — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:25:57 +0000

A Wikipedia search led Danish student Stine Hansen to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's web door, but it was the personal attention she received thereafter that brought her to campus.

Hansen is in her fourth year, thriving as an international student with her eyes set on completing a degree in urban and regional studies. Now an ambassador for the U of L experience, she's a far greater resource than any Wikipedia link.

"Everything I learned about Lethbridge before I moved here, I learned on Wikipedia," she laughs, admitting now that to pack up and leave Denmark to study in Lethbridge, Alberta was a major leap of faith.

International student Stine Hansen found the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge through Wikipedia.

"It was a bit of a risk but my parents were, surprisingly enough, very supportive," says the 27-year-old. "The registrar's office was really good helping me with my courses and transcript, and I just got a really good feeling about the place.

"I also got such good support from the International Centre for Students (ICS). They told me what to expect when I arrived, how to get settled, when to arrive, and how they would help me. At the time, because of all that support, it didn't seem that big a deal to sell everything I owned, pack three suitcases and move here. Looking back it was a little bit crazy."

You might think her assimilation into Canadian culture was an easy one. Hansen's a European who speaks English, and she had been motivated to come study in Canada after a high school exchange program took her to Nova Scotia when she was 16. But the culture, food and lifestyle are markedly different and it began to hit her on the drive from the Calgary airport to Lethbridge.

"The first town I went through was Nanton, then Claresholm, then Fort
Macleod and I really started to wonder what I had gotten myself into," she says, having grown up 20 minutes from Copenhagen and recently lived there. "I came into Lethbridge on a rainy Sunday afternoon – it looked deserted and I felt very alone."

She once again used the International Centre for support. Hansen attended the various meet and greet sessions with other international students, took advantage of the Global Connections partner program and signed up to play intramural soccer.

"If you're shy you're never going to get anywhere, you really have to open up. I used to be a shy person but now, I figure you have to step out there," says Hansen.

Her studies followed suit, and she quickly found that the personal attention she received from ICS and the registrar's office was reflected in her classes.

"That's what I like so much about the U of L, it's a small campus and pretty much every class I've ever had I can go to the professors and say, "I don't get this", and they'll sit down and help you out," says Hansen. "They really try, they know your name and I really like that."

Originally interested in pursuing a career in urban planning, she changed her focus to the study of human geography and found a special kinship with anthropology professor, Dr. Jan Newberry. She's excited to work on an Independent Study program with Newberry this summer.

"When I go back home I always say how much I love doing what I'm doing," says Hansen. "Even here, I've convinced a few people to come into my major. I love the multidisciplinary aspect of it, because you can study anthropology, sociology, geography, it's been great."

In fact, Hansen credits women's studies professor, Dr. Tiffany Muller Myrdahl, with setting her on a career path.

"She suggested I attend the Association of American Geographers' Annual Meeting last year. I went with another international student to Washington, D.C., and I came away knowing this is what I wanted to do. I really appreciate her showing that to me," says Hansen, who intends to pursue a master's degree in geography of disability and transportation.

Her success as a student has not been easy, and it hasn't been a straight line but because of support from all over campus, Hansen is eager to talk about her U of L experience. It's why she jumped at the opportunity to participate in the recent International Student Fair in the Atrium, where students from around the globe constructed tri-fold displays to help educate campus about their home nations.

"We got out there and the people who wanted to ask questions got that opportunity," she says. "It's definitely worth doing again. I believe if I only reach a few, it's still a success. I think there's a misconception that international students are only from the Far East but we are a really diverse group and maybe I'm the only one from Denmark but that's OK."

GET THE FACTS

• Post-secondary education in Denmark is free, prompting Hansen to quip, "My parents really love me."

• Hansen's older sister completed a master's degree in economics from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Copenhagen.

• Hansen became ill during her second semester and credits ICS liaison officer Charlene Janes for helping her through. "She is the best person ever. The ICS staff really knows its students and Charlene knew what was best for me at that time. Every time my parents come to visit, they make sure they go visit Charlene because they appreciate how much she looks after us."

• Hansen's tri-fold display highlighted the differences between Canadian and Danish Christmas traditions. She was also eager to tell people just where Denmark is in the world. "I love to talk about my country and I don't expect everyone to know. The Fair was great because I got a chance to show them what my Denmark is like."

For a look at the March issue of the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Welcoming Nova Scotia

trevor.kenney — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 21:41:58 +0000

Pronghorns men's basketball head coach Dave Adams, far right, welcomed players and coaches from Winston Churchill High School and the North Preston Bulls Basketball program in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia recently. The two schools were engaging in a spring exchange.

North Preston coach Neville Provo, far left, along with 14-year-old Sheron Simmonds, are also featured in this photo. The Bulls play in the Metro Youth League in Dartmouth and Provo and his wife Karen have been at the helm of the program for 16 years.

While in southern Alberta, the team took in a Southern Alberta High School Basketball League Zone championship game, visited tourist sites such as Waterton National Park and the Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump and participated in a basketball camp sponsored by the Pronghorns men's basketball program.

The Winston Churchill Bulldogs will complete the exchange when they head out to Nova Scotia, Apr. 12 to 16.

UNews - Nova

Horns' Millman always had U of L on his mind

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