Real Gees don the garnet and grey and compete for their school.
Competitive Clubs
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.
Why is it that clubs receive so much less attention and coverage on campus than varsity teams? After all, they are composed of athletes that are as passionate and as competitive in their own respective sports as varsity athletes.
There are big changes coming to the U of O’s sports program. As early as next year there should be a crop of new Gee-Gees teams in U Sports competition that students can get excited about.
This was the second year in a row that the Gees have taken home the John Drake trophy, and the first year that they took home all three major varsity awards.
After years of coming close, the University of Ottawa’s ringette team finished 2016 on a high note, battling eight other schools to bring home gold at this year’s University Challenge Cup.
Coming into the game, the Gees had an astounding 8–0 record, scoring 373 points and only allowing 35 points against throughout the entire season.
The U of O team finished fifth in the province and qualified for the final tournament held just outside of Woodstock.
For the Gee-Gees cheerleading team, many of their fellow athletes have been struggling to get recognition for their entire lives.
The 2016 season is still young for the team. After five games, the team is 1-4, but has shown some promise and resiliency.
They’re a team that’s under competitive club status at the University of Ottawa—one step short of varsity—a level that they hope to achieve at some point in the future.
The Gees were ranked second going into the women’s championship games. However, the team bounced back to reel off two consecutive victories, which were enough to secure a third-place finish.
“Over the past years, we have been developing a racing team,” said club president and fourth-year political science student Jacob Thornhill. “[We] have proven to be competitive enough to place in many regattas. What we seek now is recognition as a competitive club from the University of Ottawa.”
NOT EVERYONE CAN get into university on a sports scholarship that guarantees them a spot on the football team, but that doesn’t mean you can’t join a varsity team or a competitive club.
