For Black History Month, the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees football program has taken a creative approach to honour it’s Black community. For every day of February, the program is highlighting an athlete, coach, or support staff from the program who has been successful on the field, in the classroom, or in the workforce.
University of Ottawa Hall of Famer Fabienne Perrin-Blizzard has entered the Canada Elite Basketball League (CEBL) as the assistant coach for the Ottawa BlackJacks. Perrin-Blizzard is currently the only woman to coach professional sports in Ottawa.
Growing up, every athlete has someone they look up to — a professional player, a coach, maybe even an older brother or sister. Here are athletes some of the Gee-Gees have idolized.
How did you spend your Super Sunday? This is how the Fulcrum’s sports editor spent hers.
“The entire basketball community finds a way to get to that game and that’s what makes it just so awesome,” added Derouin. [On] a special night, we were able to get a win.”
This year, U Sports announced the campaign would be taking place online from Feb. 1 to 7. But even with the shift, various teams throughout Canada have stepped up to make the weeklong digital event the best it can be.
In this new role, Derouin will “provide leadership not only to the BlackJacks coaching staff, but also to the front office” by using his knowledge in basketball analytics.
With the anniversary mark quickly approaching, the Fulcrum sat down with Varsity Athletics director, Sue Hylland, to discuss how the department is using their down-time as the 2021 winter semester kicks off.
Despite being the most well established collegiate riding program in Canada, and the success the team has seen in both Canadian and American competition, the University of Ottawa equestrian team still faces misconceptions about their sport.
“The biggest thing I would get from Steph, I wouldn’t even say growth as a player — I’d say it’s growth as a person. She’s really helped me mold into a man rather than a boy,” said men’s rugby player James Flemming.
There have been plenty of obstacles throughout 2020. Through all of it, what has the University of Ottawa’s Varsity Athletics been up to?
Heading into his third year with the team, Pépin’s experience has been a bit different as the team will not have the opportunity to wear their garnet and grey on the court for the 2020-2021 season.
“This is a great way for people to deal with the mental aspect … we think of a lot of young people aren’t having as much socialization as they once had because there’s no school, there’s no university,” said Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng.
Former University of Ottawa student Rachel McBride has been a professional triathlete for 10 years and has already established themselves as a force in the sports world.
The University of Ottawa announced that their fitness facilities will be re-opened for students and employees to use.
With various leagues cancelled, but training and practice continuing on with new rules and regulations, Gee-Gees athletes share what is keeping them motivated through the pandemic.
The University “received reports that some players were not following self-isolation rules.”
“As the number of cases rise during the second wave of COVID-19, and without an available vaccine, on-going sports restrictions are required to ensure student-athlete health and safety,” said Dr. Taryn Taylor, U Sports chief medical officer.
The schedule for October includes football, women’s rugby as well as men’s and women’s soccer with the Gee-Gees starring in the latter.
University of Ottawa alum Alex Trebek announced the Ottawa Senators’ third overall section in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The Jeopardy! host was introduced by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman as a “Graduate of the University of Ottawa” giving the U of O international exposure.
The Fulcrum sat down with Sonia Du, a registered dietitian in Ottawa to discuss the best tips for students to stay healthy, what unhealthy habits to avoid, and the best ways to make sure you’re eating nutritious foods during stressful times.
The fall season has looked much different than usual for all University of Ottawa athletic teams. In addition to the cancellation of regular season games and activities, Gee-Gees teams are following new guidelines to ensure that athletes and coaches are partaking in their sport safely.
The cancellation of the 2020 soccer season hasn’t stopped Mikayla Morton and the Gee-Gees women’s soccer team from continuing to practice and train at a high-level. Morton is currently finishing up her degree while finding new goals and motivations both on and off the field.
On Sept. 14, 2020, the Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) announced the cancellation of all sanctioned sports programming for the fall semester.
Intramural sports will be played this fall, however they will include a few more rules than last year.
