UNews - Peterborough

Moleschi makes instant impact

trevor.kenney — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:03:02 +0000

Kayla Moleschi isn't technically classified as a mature student, but maturity is a big factor in her approach to school, rugby and life in general.

The first-year standout on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's rugby team took some time before deciding to start her university career. Blessed with a natural talent and recognized early as one of the country's best rugby players, she had multiple offers to attend school, but for her the timing had to be right.

"The last couple of years I've been working and I did some schooling at home before I came here, but now I know this is what I want to do," says Moleschi, a product of Williams Lake, B.C. "I want to play rugby but I also want to get an education. Education is something I want, not just something I'm doing to play rugby."

Kayla Moleschi and the Horns are off to CIS Nationals at Trent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, Nov. 4-6.

She worked four jobs prior to enrolling at the U of L, spending weekends doing clean-up in the local plywood mill in addition to two landscaping jobs and a heavy babysitting load. It almost makes rugby sound easy – and given her performance this season, maybe it has been.

Moleschi was named Canada West Rookie of the Year and a Canada West all-star recently, helping guide the Horns to their sixth consecutive Canada West title and berth in the CIS Championship tournament (Nov. 4-6 in Peterborough, Ont.). A kinesiology student, she has yet to decide what life path she'll take, only that she wants to help the people around her.

"I really want to become someone who can help better other peoples' lives, like that movie Pay it Forward, I really like that whole philosophy," she says. "I just want to be able to help those who are struggling."

She talks about teaching, working with sports teams and helping children.

"I have so many things I want to fall back on but what I want to do, I'm not quite there yet," she says. "Being a teacher would be awesome. I'd be able to help the kids and then still have the summers to pursue my rugby career."

She's been on the national radar for years, having been a part of developmental and touring teams since she was 16 years old. Just recently she was carded as an athlete with the Senior Women's Sevens national team, meaning she will leave the U of L in January for a six-month stint in Victoria to participate in Rugby Canada's centralization training. It presents a barrier to her educational goals but it's one she's planning to tackle.

"I have three options: to take online courses; an independent study course; and an applied studies course," says Moleschi. "I think I'll be doing at least two of those, if not all three. It'll be a little difficult because I won't be in the classroom but I really want this."

She's found the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to be a good fit for her, mainly because of the rugby program and coach Neil Langevin's approach, but also because of the welcoming nature of the city.

"Williams Lake is pretty small but when I came here, I found it's not overwhelming. It's a close-knit community and it reminds me a lot of home," says Moleschi, who lives off campus but just a block from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. "The people are really nice and have been very welcoming. It's hard to leave your friends and family but you have to do things to better yourself and in turn you're only going to be bettering them. I really owe them a ton of thanks for supporting me and helping me get to this point."

Moleschi, a fullback, has earned comparisons to star alumnus Ashley (neé Patzer) Steacy, the most decorated player in Horns' rugby history. She's flattered by the talk and considers herself lucky to have Steacy as a valuable resource.

"I get the chance to talk to her quite a bit and she'll always answer any questions I have," says Moleschi. "I'm going to get the chance to play with her on the Sevens team too, so I'm pretty excited about that. They have such a great tradition here and I'm proud to contribute to that."

GET THE FACTS

· Moleschi scored five tries during the conference season and was fourth in Canada West scoring with 25 points.

· Horns head coach Neil Langevin describes her play as, "electrifying" and "dynamic". "She's an all-around force, and she's got hands of glue, she catches everything that comes her way."

· The Horns finished fourth at CIS Nationals last year and are looking for their fourth national title.

· Pronghorns' third-year player Kelsey Willoughby, of Lethbridge, was named Canada West Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive year. She was also rookie of the year in 2009.

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

Horns roll to Canada West title

trevor.kenney — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:45:34 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns won their sixth straight Canada West championship Sunday afternoon with a convincing 41-0 win over the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta Pandas at Calgary's McMahon Stadium.

The game was really never in doubt, with the Pronghorns finding the end zone just 40 seconds into the game and nver looking back.

Canada West rookie of the year Kayla Moleschi broke through the Pandas' defensive line right off the opening kickoff, racing to the goal line to give the Horns their early lead.

The U of L maintained pressure for most of the first half, earning a penalty goal try for Laura Murphy-Burke eight minutes later. She finished with an 11-point day, including four converts.

Tiffany Wideen scored a try just over the halfway mark of the first half, and Juhee Thompson notched a buzzer-beater for the Horns in the waning moments of the opening period to give Lethbridge a 20-0 lead at the half.

Lethbridge would add three more converted tries in the second half. Moleschi touched for her second of the day, while Brandi Van Eeuwen and Genevieve Ahart added one each to make the final 41-0.

The Pandas did have several chances within 10 metres of the Lethbridge goal line, but the Horns defence stood up and turned over the ball each time to keep the Pandas out of the end zone.

Following the game, the Canada West all-stars and award winners were announced, with Lethbridge earning a number of accolades. All-stars included Brandi Van Eeuwen (prop), Kelsey Willoughby and Juhee Thompson (back row), fly half Murphy-Burke, and Moleschi and Cassandra Orr (back three).

The Horns also took both major player awards in the 2011 season, with Moleschi earning rookie-of-the-year honours and Willoughby being named the Canada West MVP.

In the early game, the host Dinos scored a try in the final minute to upend the Victoria Vikes 20-15 for their first-ever playoff victory in CIS competition.

The Pronghorns qualify for the CIS Women's Rugby Championship hosted by Trent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Peterborough, Ont. Nov. 3-6 as the lone Canada West representative.

Recreating a glorious past

trevor.kenney — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:39:57 +0000

One dimensional, black and white photographs represent much of the aboriginal history we know. While serving adequately as depictions of an era, they hardly tell a story or set a scene.

Dr. Linda Many Guns of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Native American Studies (NAS) department is trying to fill in those gaps, reconstructing a rich history one bead at a time. By crafting traditional aboriginal clothing such as dresses, war shirts and moccasins using actual trade cloth and intricate glass beads of a bygone time, she is using colour to recreate history and help it leap off the page.

"For me it's a source of pride," says Many Guns, who is in her second semester of teaching at the U of L. "I don't want to see just black and white pictures of our people keeping the memory alive. By creating these items, you see the incredible colour and beauty of that time, and it's awesome. You get a sense of how dynamic and incredible meeting our people must have been."

Linda Many Guns assembles a display of historical Aboriginal bead work in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library.

Born in southern Alberta into the Blackfoot tribe, she was registered at the Tsuu T'ina Reserve, later transferred to Siksika Nation. Now an educator completing a doctorate degree, Many Guns has worked in a variety of fields, from being a chef to a high-steel construction worker.

What has always resonated with her is the history of her people.

"I've always been proud of my culture and my heritage and like so many of the students I teach here, have spent a good part of my lifetime reconstructing what I know since so much of that was fragmented growing up," she says. "I've never seen myself as assimilated, I see myself as indigenous and am very proud of that."

While working as a chef in the Banff Springs Hotel, Many Guns often visited local museums and was intrigued by the visual history of aboriginal people. She recognized that the clothes they crafted spoke volumes about the lives they lived.

"These pieces could not have been produced by a society that had no structure or no intellectual capital," she says. "Beauty comes from its environment and you must have a peaceful environment and some sense of identity. It spurred these questions in me about my background."

In her quest for knowledge, Many Guns encountered all manner of persons that helped her reconstruct the past. From 90-year-old women with stashes of highly prized, trade-route beads to a society of mountain men who literally experienced life of a bygone era, she unearthed the tales and symbols of her ancestors.

As she learned to create clothing in the traditional way, she gained an understanding of the trade route system, the value of the beads in aboriginal society and the symbols of the past.

"Aboriginal people were no different than any other people, they were always looking for ways to demonstrate status in a community. Having trade cloth was a demonstration of status, as were the beads," she says. "It was truly a sign of wealth to have any number of those beads."

She worked with an experienced group of beaders to craft her first dress, before tackling the challenge of a second by herself. She created the dress she wore when she received her doctorate at Trent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in the spring of 2010.

The current display at the front entrance to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library depicts beads and pieces created over various eras of aboriginal history. The breathtaking colours and intricate craftsmanship create a whole new representation of history. It's that dynamic cultural past she strives to rekindle and introduce to her students.

"I believe that this is just one small example of what the NAS department offers, not just to aboriginal students but to all people," Many Guns says. "We're bringing an awareness and understanding to aboriginal people's lives and their culture, how rich and beautiful it was, to validate the complexity of the nations. We're here, we're still here, still creating these items, and we don't want the culture to die."

GET THE FACTS

· Many Guns has a BA from St. Thomas ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ (Fredericton, N.B.), a master's degree from Carleton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ (Ottawa, Ont.), a law degree from ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Ottawa and a doctorate from Trent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ (Peterborough, Ont.).

· A mother of two, she is also a grandmother of three.

· Many Guns credits Dr. Leroy Little Bear for the support he's shown in allowing her to "open new doors of discovery" in the NAS department.

· The beads featured in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library display date all the way back to the 1800s. Examples of their value include the largest blue beads that could fetch up to 10 buffalo hides per bead in trade.

· One of Many Guns' greatest sources of beads is a woman in Blackfoot, Idaho who has rows upon rows of cases of beads that she'll sell in large quantities.

· Each dress that Many Guns makes takes over a year to construct. "One of the things you learn is the meaning of patience because sometimes you can't get enough product (leather, hides, beads) to put it all together, but I think that is very similar to the way it was back then."

Pronghorns duo named All-Canadians

trevor.kenney — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:39:59 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's rugby players Brandi Van Eeuwen and Kelsey Willoughby were named to the CIS All-Canadian team at the CIS women's rugby awards banquet Wednesday night in Peterborough, Ont.

Van Eeuwen is a third-year prop from Duncan, B.C., who is enrolled in the nursing program at the U of L. Willoughby is a second-year flanker from Lethbridge who is in the Faculty of Education.

The Horns are in Peterborough, at Trent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, for the CIS Women's Rugby Championships. They enter as the three-time defending national champions and five-time Canada West champs. U of L opened the tournament against Queen's Gaels on Thursday morning and scored a nail-biting 15-12 overtime victory.

The Horns are back in action Saturday morning (9 a.m., MST) when they meet Concordia Stingers in a game that will be broadcast at SSN Canada.

For a wrap-up of this morning's action, visit our ThisisMyU website and the women's rugby blog.

Court named Canada West athlete of the week

trevor.kenney — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 22:14:29 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's rugby program clinched its fifth consecutive Canada West title this past weekend, thanks in large part to the efforts of fifth-year captain Shannon Court.

Court was named Canada West Female Athlete of the Week on Tuesday for her contribution. The Red Deer, Alta. native scored four tries in two games and was the backbone of a defensive effort that stymied the opposition all weekend long. Court was responsible for shutting down opponent attacks and caused numerous turnovers in both the semifinal victory over UBC Thunderbirds and the championship final over ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta.

After scoring three tries versus UBC in the semifinal, Court added a brilliant try to put the championship game out of reach in an eventual 18-5 victory over the CIS #5-ranked Alberta Pandas.

The Horns now prepare for the CIS National tournament, Nov. 4-7 in Peterborough, Ont. The club will be seeking its fourth consecutive CIS crown.

Horns rugby tops rankings

trevor.kenney — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:40:48 +0000

The best team in the country for the past three years has the respect of a nation as a new women's rugby season dawns later this month.

The three-time defending national champion ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns top the first Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) women's rugby Top 10 rankings of the 2010 season.

The Pronghorns, who captured a third consecutive Monilex Trophy last fall thanks to a 20-3 gold-medal triumph over St. Francis Xavier ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, received 69 points in the inaugural rugby coaches poll of 2010.

Guelph Gryphons (63 points), who have claimed CIS bronze each of the past three years, go into the new season ranked second, while StFX (62 points) is rated third.

Rounding out the Top 10 are No. 4 Concordia (44), No. 5 Laval (38), No. 6 Alberta (34), No. 7 Western (25), No. 8 UBC (24), No. 9 McMaster (20) and No. 10 Queen's (10).

The CIS women's rugby regular schedule kicks off this weekend with 10 games in Ontario, Quebec and the AUS, while conference play in Canada West starts on Sept. 24. Lethbridge opens the defence of its CIS title at Victoria on the Sept. 24.

Trent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ will host the CIS championship in Peterborough, Ont., from Nov. 4 to 7.

Recreating a glorious past

trevor.kenney — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:07:04 +0000

One dimensional, black and white photographs represent much of the aboriginal history we know. While serving adequately as depictions of an era, they hardly tell a story or set a scene.

Linda Many Guns of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Native American Studies (NAS) department is trying to fill in those gaps, reconstructing a rich history one bead at a time. By crafting traditional aboriginal clothing such as dresses, war shirts and moccasins using actual trade cloth and intricate glass beads of a bygone time, she is using colour to recreate history and help it leap off the page.

What has always resonated with her is the history of her people.

As she learned to create clothing in the traditional way, she gained an understanding of the trade route system, the value of the beads in aboriginal society and the symbols of the past.

She worked with an experienced group of beaders to craft her first dress, before tackling the challenge of a second by herself. Currently, she's creating the dress she'll wear when she receives her doctorate at Trent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in the spring.

GET THE FACTS

• Many Guns has a BA from St. Thomas ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ (Fredericton, N.B.), a master's degree from Carleton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ (Ottawa, Ont.), a law degree from ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Ottawa and will complete her doctorate from Trent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ (Peterborough, Ont.) this spring.

• A mother of two, she is also a grandmother of three.

• Many Guns credits Dr. Leroy Little Bear for the support he's shown in allowing her to "open new doors of discovery" in the NAS department.

• The beads featured in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library display date all the way back to the 1800s. Examples of their value include the largest blue beads that could fetch up to 10 buffalo hides per bead in trade.

• One of Many Guns' greatest sources of beads is a woman in Blackfoot, Idaho who has rows upon rows of cases of beads that she'll sell in large quantities.

• Each dress that Many Guns makes takes over a year to construct. "One of the things you learn is the meaning of patience because sometimes you can't get enough product (leather, hides, beads) to put it all together, but I think that is very similar to the way it was back then."

Sasquatch is a lady too

trevor.kenney — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:19:15 +0000

Strong, sexy and 10-foot tall describes the modern female Sasquatch and the subject of artist Allyson Mitchell's installation, Ladies Sasquatch, at the U of L Main Art Gallery from Sept. 18 through Oct. 30.

Ladies Sasquatch challenges the popular perception of Big Foot's solitary male persona, highlighting the softer side of the female Sasquatch using rich textiles, recycled fabrics, fake bear parts and fun fur.

The display features a commune of lady Sasquatches posed in their unique environments, exposing the lady Sasquatch for what she is and how she relates to her human counterparts. These monumental beauties are part of a national tour, with additional sightings at the Winnipeg Art Gallery and the Art Gallery of Peterborough.

Described as a maximalist artist, Mitchell explores feminist art theory through installation, film and sculpture. Her work has been showcased across Canada and the U.S., throughout Europe and East Asia. She recently completed her PhD in Women's Studies at York ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ (Toronto) where she also teaches cultural studies.

While visiting the U of L, Mitchell is a featured guest lecturer for the Women Scholars Speakers Series, Sept. 17 at 12:15 p.m. (location TBA) and Art Now, Sept. 18 at noon in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall.

UNews - Peterborough

Moleschi makes instant impact

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