UNews - Rio de Janeiro

London Games a change in focus

trevor.kenney — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 22:22:57 +0000

This was supposed to be Jim Steacy's Olympics. It was supposed to be his time to strive for the podium, until debilitating foot and ankle injuries took away nearly two years of his training.

But you won't hear any complaints coming from Steacy (BASc '09), who will be competing in his second Olympic Games in London. Instead, you'll get the perspective of an athlete who knows just how fortunate he is to have the chance to perform on the Olympic stage.

"I really feel grateful going in," says Steacy, the eight-time national hammer throw champion, Canadian record holder and Horns Athletics product. "There's 45 athletes on the track team and only seven of us who have been on the team before, so to have the opportunity again is a blessing and not something I take for granted."

Horns alumnus Jim Steacy still sees himself as a medal contender if he can earn his way into the finals in London.

Injuries have not made Steacy bitter; rather they have reinforced his will and put into perspective just what it means to be an Olympian.

"After the injuries that I had in 2010 and 2011, it was seriously in question as to whether or not I'd make the Olympic team again or even if I would compete again," he says.

"It's been a rough four years but it's taught me to appreciate things a lot more and to take things for granted a lot less. Getting to do what I do is something that one percent of one percent of people get to do, so I'm definitely proud and honoured to be a part of the team again."

Competing in Beijing in 2008, Steacy qualified for the Olympic final and managed a respectable 12^th-place finish. For a 24-year-old in a sport where age and experience play huge roles, he was seen to be on the fast track to a podium performance in London. A broken foot and torn ankle ligaments have changed the expectation level.

"A medal opportunity is definitely a possibility in 2016 if he continues to throw. Making the final this year would be a good stepping stone in that direction," says his coach Larry Steinke. "He had 18 to 20 months where he wasn't able to train, period, and there's no shortcut to getting back to the top level. It's simply a matter of time, getting the volume of throws in and getting the timing back – it takes time."

Steacy echoes the words of his coach and is fully committed to being ready to attack the podium in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

"I'm not going to be at my peak performance or at my prime in London, so for me, a successful experience is making it into the final," he says. "I'll try and claw my way in, throw a season's best and if I do that, it'll be a tremendously successful experience. So the shift in focus is to four years from now in Rio. If I can stay healthy and do things right in training and rehab, there's no reason I shouldn't be on the podium."

Steacy eyes Rio 2016 as his next target, hoping for an injury free future.

Steacy is grateful for the support he's been shown over the years, and especially during the struggles of the past two years.

"Being an athlete and trying to get to this level is not an individual thing. You have to rely so much on your family and friends, coaches, your physio teams to get there," he says, giving a nod to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community that came out to support the athletes at an Olympic Send-off Celebration before the group jetted to London.

"Knowing you have the support of the community behind you, you wan to do well for them. They took the time out of their day to come wish us well and we want to thank them and perform well for them."

Competition Schedule

Hammer Throw Qualifying – Friday, Aug. 3 at 11:20 a.m. GMT (5:20 a.m. MDT)

Hammer Throw Final – Sunday, Aug. 5 at 8:20 p.m. GMT (2:20 p.m. MDT)

Mahon's trip aided by Brazilian students

trevor.kenney — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:26:31 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President Mike Mahon was among a group of 30 Canadian university presidents who travelled to Brazil to take part in an educational tour, the largest-ever initiative of its kind. The goal was to showcase Canada and strengthen relationships with Brazil, a rapidly growing economic powerhouse.

Doing business in Brazil is not a new process for the U of L. For several years, recruiters have participated in major trade shows, and a number of Brazilian students have traded Rio and Sao Paulo for Lethbridge. Felipe Ferreira, Guilherme Costa and Daniel Lima are three such students, all in their third or fourth year of study, who have taken advantage of many programs while attending the U of L, including applied studies and international exchanges, as they have worked to complete their degrees.

David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, delivered the opening address at the Conference of the Americas on International Education in Rio de Janeiro as part of the week's activities. Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for Science and Technology, also attended.

U of L President Mike Mahon, left, receives some friendly tips on interesting places to see during his trip to Brazil from a trio of Brazilian students studying at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. Felipe Ferreira (BMgt International Management/French/Supply Chain Management) and Guilherme Costa (BA Kinesiology) are both from Sao Paulo, while Rio de Janeiro native Daniel Lima (BSc Psychology) met Mahon to talk about some of the opportunities the U of L group might have to connect with educational institutions and organizations while in Brazil.

Central Station showing tonight

trevor.kenney — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:31:01 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Latin American Film Series continues tonight at the Lethbridge Public Library's Theatre Gallery with a showing of the Brazilian film, Central Station.

From Rio de Janeiro's central train station, a retired woman and a child, that after an unexpected turn of events, ends up under her care, embark upon a rather unusual road trip.

While not a documentary production, Central Station is recognized as a sociological portrait of Brazil's poor that puts human faces on the faceless crowd that most outsiders associate with well-worn accounts of Brazil's social dismay. This artful film is acclaimed for the subtlety with which it presents the personal journeys of the two characters.

The screening is at 7 p.m. in the Theatre Gallery and will be followed by a discussion led by Dr. Omar Rodriguez of the U of L's Department of Modern Languages.

This event is open to all and there is no charge for admission.

Screening of Cidade de Deus (City of God)

trevor.kenney — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 22:57:50 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Department of New Media will be presenting a screening of the critically-acclaimed film Cidade de Deus (City of God), Monday evening at the Lethbridge Public Library Theatre Gallery.

Dr. Omar Rodríguez from the Department of Modern Languages will introduce the film and later lead a discussion session following the screening.

Cidade de Deus is an engaging and often disturbing journey into the violent slums of Rio de Janeiro. Well inscribed in a Latin American tradition of social violence cinema, the film introduces innovative uses of editing, colour, music and narrative techniques (like the voice-over and the flashback) to create a strong sense of reality without falling into dominant and more traditional forms of realism.

The film reaped numerous awards following its release in 2002 including: Winner of the Gran Coral, Best Fiction Film, New Latin American Film Festival, Havana, 2002; Official Selection, International Film Festival, Cannes, 2002; Winner, BAFTA Award, Best Editing, 2003; Nominee, BAFTA, 2003, Best film not in the English Language; Official nominee on Behalf of Brazil, Oscar, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Hollywood.

The screening and discussion begins at 6 p.m. and runs through 9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 9 at the Lethbridge Public Library Theatre Gallery.

UNews - Rio de Janeiro

London Games a change in focus

Related Topics

Mahon's trip aided by Brazilian students

Related Topics

Central Station showing tonight

Related Topics

Screening of Cidade de Deus (City of God)

Related Topics