A look at Ottawa’s toughest sports adversaries

WHEN ASKED TO name the greatest rivalry in professional sports, even the casual fan will be able to cite great examples. Though the rivalries that exist in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) are not as highly publicized, they are just as fierce and steeped in tradition....

SEPTEMBER IS FINALLY here and the University of Ottawa will soon be filled with wide-eyed frosh trying to find their way around campus. Though it may be important to know where the best study spots are, it is just as important to locate the sports facilities at the university, many of which are underused. Whether you want to attend a varsity game and cheer the Gee-Gees to victory or to exercise the night away, it’s always a good idea to...

TO THE ENTERING class of 2014, welcome to the world of athletics at the University of Ottawa. Whether you are aiming to become the next star quarterback of the football team (watch out, Brad Sinopoli) or if you just want to play an entertaining match of intramural volleyball, Sports Services at the U of O offers you the opportunity to participate at all levels of competition. Sports Services organizes numerous intramural leagues throughout the year, which all students can register...

Veteran-laden women’s rugby hungry for success

FIVE YEARS HAVE passed since the University of Ottawa women’s rugby team last posted a winning season. After losing to McGill in the 2005 Quebec Student Sports Federation (QSSF) finals, a barrage of two-win seasons followed—until last year. Behind a three-game winning streak to start...

Men’s football team legitimate contenders for Vanier Cup

AFTER A DISAPPOINTING home playoff loss to McMaster University ending last season, the University of Ottawa men’s football team is hungry for success. Led by a new head coach, Jean-Philippe Asselin, the Gee-Gees are aiming for a berth in the Vanier Cup, also known as...

U of O ‘Ninja of Love’ Nick Denis juggles action-packed lifestyle

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS (MMA) is relatively new to the combat sports scene; the term MMA itself was only coined in 1995. The matches involve two athletes who fight using different styles—such as boxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and kickboxing. MMA’s popularity has soared in recent years, even...

Gee-Gees community shocked by varsity swimmer’s sudden passing

THIS PAST MAY, the University of Ottawa’s varsity swim team dealt with the tragic loss of Peter Suen, who had recently completed his third year of studies in biology. Suen was spending the summer in Montreal, Que., enjoying time off school with his family, when...

IN THE LAST few years, the Gee-Gees and the University of Western Ontario (UWO) Mustangs have engaged in more than a few epic battles, especially in the post-season. Unfortunately for Gee-Gee fans, too many games ended with Western beating Ottawa in a heartbreaking fashion. Most memorably, the Gees’ perfect regular season in 2007 was ruined by a shocking 23-16 home playoff loss to the Mustangs, and in the following year, Ottawa was on the losing side of a 31-17 result...

Women’s hockey coach excited for university coaching career

AT AGE THREE, Yanick Evola was introduced to the sport of hockey and instinctively fell in love with the game. After 31 years, he has completed his transformation from a power skating toddler into a Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) head coach—on May 17, Evola was...

Former Gee-Gee captain returns to lead men’s basketball team

IN SOME WAYS, the new men’s basketball coach is quite similar to the old one. Both James Derouin and Dave DeAveiro were former student-athletes at the University of Ottawa and held assistant coaching positions at the university before becoming the head honcho. In short, they...