With the end of the decade quickly approaching, the Fulcrum caught up with former Sports Editors from the past 10 years to see where life after the Fulcrum has led them and to pick their brains about their best memories on the job.
Andrew Hawley
2009-10 Sports Editor
The Fulcrum: What are you up to now?
Andrew Hawley: I now work in compensation (HR) at Deloitte in Toronto. After being Sports Editor, I moved to the business side of the paper, which is where I became exposed to and ultimately interested in HR. So the Fulcrum had a direct impact on where I am today.
F: What’s your favourite memory as Sports Editor of the Fulcrum?
AH: My favourite memory from 2009-10 was seeing Brad Sinopoli (the current wide-receiver for the Ottawa Redblacks) in his first year as starting quarterback of the Gee-Gees men’s football team. After the team started 1-2, he guided them to a five-game winning streak to finish 6-2 and make the playoffs, passing for over 2,000 yards in the process. Ottawa lost to McMaster in the first round, but it was a tremendous inaugural season for Sinopoli, who showcased some of the talent CFL fans see today.
F: What piece do you look the most fondly on?
I’m most proud of covering the OUA championship won by the men’s golf team in 2009. In general, though, I was proud of giving coverage to various competitive clubs (baseball, equestrian, men’s soccer, etc.) during my year. As a competitive club, these teams (including men’s golf) had very talented student-athletes but simply did not have the same level of funding, support, and publicity as the varsity teams. I thought it important to give them a voice and recognize their very real accomplishments, which were arguably more impressive given the circumstances.
Jaehoon Kim
2010-11 Sports Editor
F: Nearly 10 years after editing the sports section of the Fulcrum, what is Jaehoon Kim up to these days?
Jaehoon Kim: I am still in town working as a labour lawyer. I also have a sports law practice wherein I provide legal advice and representation to national sports organizations, so I remain involved with amateur sports even today.
F: What was the highlight of your year at the Fulcrum?
JK: I went to cover the men’s basketball OUA quarterfinals game at the University of Toronto. I remember the Gee-Gees dominated U of T in that game in a stunning upset to qualify for the OUA Final Four — Ottawa had a ton of fans at U of T that really took over the gym in the fourth quarter of that game.
F: What is your most cherished Fulcrum memory?
JK: I made a lot of friends through the Fulcrum, some of whom I remain in close contact with. In retrospect, I remember everything about the Fulcrum quite fondly, whether it be staying late at night to meet weekly deadlines, attending NASH, and arguing over why every weekly cover should be a sports-themed one.
F: What’s your favourite article you wrote in your time at the Fulcrum?
JK: I wrote an article about the stress that university head coaches have to deal with on a daily basis, and on how so many of them worked such hectic schedules throughout the year. It was published in the Canadian University Press and was reprinted by a number of different student newspapers.
Maclaine Chadwick
2012-13 Sports Editor
F: Where has the post-Fulcrum life led Maclaine Chadwick?
Maclaine Chadwick: I’m living in Kingston, Ont. and working at the Kingston Health Sciences Centre. I work as a strategic communications advisor which involves a lot of interviewing, writing, and contributing to an editorial schedule… all skills I learned at the Fulcrum!
F: Favorite Fulcrum memory?
MC:I started a friendly competition with the Brunswickan to see who could get as many images of bears into our respective papers as possible, with or without context. I can’t remember why this was even a competition, or who won. Our production manager, Kyle, was totally on board and was instrumental in sneaking them into the design of the paper. If you’re ever reading a 2012-13 edition and see a photo or a doodle of a bear for absolutely no reason, that is why.
F: What’s the article you’re most proud of from your year?
I have two…
StarCray was a piece I did about the craze of online gaming, debating who is an athlete/what defines a sport. It was a little outside of my comfort zone. I was so familiar with the varsity world that I was unsure about this piece being classified as sports, to begin with, but it ended up being a lot of fun to create.
My second is when the new head coach of the football team was fired after 5 games. It was the first press conference I attended as a student journalist which was exciting. Also, it was memorable because it wasn’t just a game recap or an athlete profile, it was more of a story about the business of the varsity program. Looking back, I wish I had come up with a better headline than just “Fired”.
Marc Jan
2013-14 Sports Editor
F: Where has your post-Fulcrum life led you?
Marc Jan: I work in the government, and I was working as a Behavioral Therapist prior to my current gig.
F: What was the highlight of your year at the Fulcrum?
MJ: This is a difficult question to answer because there were so many great moments. But the thing I took away from being the sports editor was really working with the volunteers and finding creative ways to help them achieve their goals while also fulfilling my own responsibilities –– god I hated having to prepare tweets. Two people, in particular, were superstars –– they were dedicated, and together, we were a solid unit. I honestly would’ve quit that job way sooner if not for those two people. Moussa Sangare-Ponce had this idea of creating a video series of semi-serious semi-comedic interview/bits/challenges in the context of the Gee-Gees. It was called Mouse on the Loose. Sarah Nolette was an ex-member of the women’s basketball team, but she was an absolute delight to have around and an earnest person, which is kind of rare.
From a wider perspective, though, I was very fortunate to be the sports editor for the return of the Panda Game. I’m sure a better person could’ve capitalized more on that opportunity. There was just never enough time, to be honest.
F: Favorite Fulcrum memory?
MJ: Perhaps tangential, but one of my favourite 2-3 a.m. snack/meals was this shawarma poutine from just up the road. I actually wasn’t that sold on them when I saw their menu until Moussa talked me into trying it. I still crave those things to this day.
More in line with the job, I loved learning to take dynamic pictures. Photography has always been a hobby of mine, but powerful, raw, dynamic photography is kind of difficult to get to from a hobby perspective, especially given the price tag on the good equipment.
F: What’s the article you’re most proud of from your year?
MJ: I think the thing I enjoyed writing about the most was the Pedro the Panda’s backstory as a lead up to the return of the panda games. Would you believe me if I told you he travelled as far as Mexico? I don’t know if they kept the articles, but there should be a few of them up on the website. It was a little side-piece kind of thing. Proud might not be the best word, but it’s definitely the article that pulled me into the job (I originally applied to be exec. editor, and I have very little interest in sports, in general, to be honest).
Sarah Nolette
2013-15 Sports Editor
F: What are you up to now?
SN: I am the events/marketing and sales manager with Gladstone Brewing Company in Courtenay British Columbia on Vancouver Island. I’ve been with the company for over three years now. I love my position, as I get to educate the community about the importance of drinking craft beer and supporting local. A huge portion of my life is dedicated to craft beer now, but I’m still making time to run two basketball leagues in the community and helping out part-time at the local arts theatre in Campbell River.
F: Favorite Fulcrum memory?
SN: My favourite Fulcrum memory was reporting live from the 2015 USports men’s basketball finals in Toronto next to my coworkers and friends Spencer Murdock and Moussa Sangara-Poncé. The Gee-Gees took silver that year, but it was a great event for all three of us to travel down to Toronto and take in the action courtside at the media table.
F: What’s the article your most proud of from your year?
SN: During my years at the Fulcrum as the Sports Editor, it was always my goal to get new people to write in the sports section. Not everyone can connect with university athletics or even professional sports for that matter – but I was always trying to figure out how I could get new volunteers or other editors to connect with sports and health and fitness. Two articles that stick out are “Sneaks with Style: the Fulcrum’s top running shoes” and “Sports with support: The Fulcrum’s top athletic bras”. Those two articles were smaller pieces, but I finally had new names in the sports section.
Nico Laliberte
2016-18 Sports Editor
F: Two years after you left the Fulcrum, where has life led you?
Nico Laliberte: I’m currently in my second year of a master’s of divinity at St. Paul University here in Ottawa
F: Favorite Fulcrum memory?
NC: Covering the Panda Game. Being in the press box at Lansdowne, and then being field-side for overtime and post-game interviews were really cool. And then trying to get the article written up, edited, and sent off before the paper went to print later that evening was really stressful, but I was proud to get it done.
F: Most cherished piece of work at the Fulcrum?
NC: Two articles: “Sue Hylland talks her first year on the job in Sports Services” and “New U of O study connects physical activity with concussion recovery”
Andrew Price
2018-19 Sports Editor
F: What are you up too now?
Andrew Price: Right now I’m going back to school for the paralegal program at Algonquin College, and also working as a fundraiser on the side.
F: What was the highlight of your year at the Fulcrum?
AP: Being able to personally cover huge games like the gold medal match for the Gee-Gee’s women’s soccer team was certainly an honour. And also just getting to meet and work with such a lovely and talented staff all around. Top-notch!
F: Favorite Fulcrum memory?
AP: Our trip to Calgary for the NASH conference and specifically being awarded student publication of the year was definitely unforgettable.
F: What’s the article you’re most proud of from your year?
AP: This is a tough one and it’s hard to pin down one definitive article. For me, the reader-interactive elements we did last year (top athletes/clubs etc) were great, especially since we had a lot of controversies going on. But if I had to pin one article down it wouldn’t have been written by me: it would probably be the story on particular superstitions athletes at the U of O have. There are always interesting things to see there, and the story got a good amount of traction, so I was proud of that.
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