Seven things…

1. I’m not feeling a lot of remorse for Georges Laraque after the Montreal Canadiens told the 13-year NHL veteran to go home and stay there for the rest of the season — a move Laraque called “classless.” Laraque is being grossly overpaid — the Habs signed him to a three-year contract to the tune of $4.5 million — for the one goal he scored in 18 months wearing red and blue.

It’s not like he was being a very good goon, either. Laraque only fought 13 times in that span or about once every five games. In the NHL, those who cannot score fight. And those who cannot fight or score should look for a new line of work.

2. Chris Bosh is the real deal. He showed everyone his aggressive off-season work out regimen is paying off by following up a 21-point, 10 rebound, 42 minute effort against Cleveland in which he was battling with Shaq the entire night with another 42 minutes of solid play against Milwaukee the next night, where he put up a career high 42 points.

It’s scary how much better the 25-year-old gets with every new season. If MLSE is serious about raising a basketball banner that doesn’t say division champion they will do everything in their power to ensure Bosh stays in Toronto past this season. That includes giving him the maximum salary and spending way into the luxury tax to surround him with quality, championship-driven players.

3. Third is the spot where the Maple Leafs will most likely pick in the 2010 NHL entry draft, assuming they stay in 28th place in the standings, which is where they sit today. Oh, wait. Traded that first round pick away. Well, there’s always next year. Oh, wait. Traded that one too.

Aside from proving my preseason prediction that they would fail miserably to be correct, the Leafs this year continue to demonstrate new ways to lose on a nightly basis — like in overtime to the lowly Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night.

4. Unlike the aforementioned Laraque, Michael Peca was worth every penny he was paid over his 13-year NHL career which unfortunately came to an end this past week when Peca announced his retirement after he couldn’t find an NHL suitor. Peca was one of the best two-way players in the NHL, providing a scoring threat in the offensive zone while playing shutdown defence in his own end.

His contributions to the penalty kill were also greatly underappreciated, although 30 NHL teams felt his shorthanded services weren’t needed this season, including the Leafs whose 69.7% penalty kill sits dead last in the NHL by a mile. How Rickard Wallin and Colton Orr can find employment in the NHL while Mike Peca can not is a fact that will forever puzzle me.

5. Fifth is the number where the Ottawa Senators currently sit in the NHL Eastern Conference standings — also about five spots higher than anyone expected them to place. Albeit quietly, the Sens are piecing together a nice run in the new year, having won their last six games in a row. The team is only three points behind defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh who the Senators will play next Thursday in a game that may be a bit more intriguing than it was before the season began.

6. Why does everyone hate the Jets? A hard-nosed team who were considered by most to be nothing more than also-rans in the AFC East this year makes the conference championships on the heels of stellar defence, a solid ground game and a 23-year-old QB who has risen to the occasion in just his first year in the league. What’s not to like? Do I think they will beat the Colts on Sunday? No. But, will I be cheering for them to upset Peyton and his troops? No doubt.

7. We can all breathe a sigh of relief now that the rumours about Carlos Delgado signing with the Blue Jays have proven false. Aside from the nice sentimental value of having the greatest Jays first baseman since John Olerud return to the nest, Delgado would have provided absolutely nothing to this team.

His inclusion at first base or DH would take valuable playing time away from the Jays young guns: Travis Snider, Randy Ruiz, Adam Lind and Brett Wallace. Not to mention the age-advanced Delgado will probably hit around the same clip as Jays current first baseman Lyle Overbay, while providing an incredible downgrade in terms of defence.

The Jays have admitted they won’t be contending this year, so taking a flyer on a past-his-prime veteran is definitely a bad move. Let the kids develop and we can all dream of how good this team can be in 2012. Just like how in 2008 we all dreamed of how good the team would be in 2010. Wait a second…

Student sick of vandals who stick

To the editor:

I am getting so sick of seeing stickers all over campus.

Essentially, the people who are doing the “sticking” are vandalizing our campus, and it’s about time it stopped. When you put up your stickers for your respective snowboard companies, all you do is present an image that said company either a) employs vandals or b) that snowboarders and people who wear these brands are above the law and have a complete disregard for private property.

As a snowboarder myself, I resent the displays of vandalism all over campus and hope that the people doing it will stop. All you are doing is damaging property, and the cost of the clean up for this vandalism is coming out of student pockets. Not only are you making the campus look vandalized, you are making the people who wear these brands and support these companies look bad.

While you may think you are promoting these companies in a harmless way, the vandalism is causing contempt for the companies, and I can honestly say that because of this disregard for property they have lost at least one customer/supporter — me. Stop with the stickers, please.

—Nicole Borsi
Criminology III

Kids are dumb, their television is garbage

I’m pretty sure everyone is thinking it, so I’ll just go ahead and say it: kids these days are idiots.

This is probably an opinion adopted by many people as they age, and it probably won’t be long until I start telling you to get off my lawn. But before I start lecturing nobody in particular about how cans of pop only used to cost a dollar, allow me to share a story.

The other day, one of my roommates noticed the original Power Rangers was being shown on television. After high-fiving each other for about 10 minutes, we all sat down to relive some front-flipping glory from our youth.

But the giddy grins on our faces quickly reverted as we realized Power Rangers has been ruined. When slime suddenly dumped on one of the characters, the word “splat” appeared comically across the screen. When the show returned from commercials, there was a recap of what had happened over the last five minutes. It was as if kids cannot appreciate a show unless they are constantly being bombarded with gimmicky junk on the screen, and being constantly reminded of what had just happened.

After regaining my balance from the throttling my childhood had just received, I realized the state of kids’ television has degenerated to the point of being unrecognizable in comparison to what we used to enjoy.

There is no modern equivalent to The Magic School Bus or Bill Nye the Science Guy. Children interested in science, geography or history used to be able to flip on the television and learn while being entertained. The only show I’ve seen today that looks like it might be trying to educate kids is Dora the Explorer. This show, however, seems to only be useful if you want to learn about Spanish and exploring. Sorry, curious five-year-olds of today — unless you’re aspiring to be Juan Ponce de León, you’re out of luck.

Imagination seems to be a thing of the past. You might have once found children building their own world out of Legos, or learning the countries of the world in the form of a song. Now you’ll find them on their cell phones, showing off their lack of understanding of the English language. You might also find them staring mindlessly at whatever Miley Cyrus is trying to pass as a television show.

Children are like sponges — they’ll soak up whatever is in the puddle we toss them into, even if that puddle is garbage juice. Ultimately, we have the responsibility of making sure the next generation is exposed to quality programming.

If your son or your niece or your little cousin asks you to watch The Jonas Brothers with them, do not hesitate to lock them in the basement with only a bowl of water and a season of The Animaniacs. It may seem cruel at first, but years down the road when they’re all grown up, and you’re released from prison, they’ll thank you for it.

Student Advocacy

Questions have arisen about the real impact of the political and social advocacy work undertaken by students.

In the midst of a prorogued Parliament and in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake, students have taken to Facebook and other media outlets to vent their frustration and affect change. Such movements are symptoms of a larger trend in student activism that charities and political groups have attempted to tap into.

“One of the elements we have within our fundraising and advocacy campaigns are many fundraising clubs found on different campuses,” Cathy Memah, manager of community partnerships and events for UNICEF Canada, said. “Those have always been a really effective way for students to participate.”

According to Memah, every donation helps UNICEF meet its goals regardless of the amount.

Moreover, student advocacy in the political realm has seen success according to Ontario University Students Alliance president Dan Moulton.

“When I say that [the government] is listening, I really mean that they’re listening. Student activism means a lot when it comes to communicating our issues to the government,” Moulton said. “This government does care.”

However, Moulton also mentioned that it was hard to know what exactly becomes tangible policy out of the input given to government officials by OUSA.

“We’ve been pushing the government for technology investment and we saw the textbook and technology grant come into play,” Moulton explained in reference to the past successes of OUSA. “We saw grants for rural students because we’ve made our case clear we feel that rural students need support getting their foot in the door when it comes to coming to university.”

Some, including Kane Faucher, associate professor in the faculty of information and media studies at Western, doubt the influence of student advocacy.

“Given the conditions of our current political regime, where anyone associated with intellectualism is marginalized or ridiculed, it is unlikely any changes will occur from student activism unless they make their convictions known at the ballot box,” Faucher said.

In Faucher’s view, social media and activism should be aimed at making students more inclined to vote.

Mike Roslan, a third-year chemistry student at Western, echoed these sentiments. He doubted the impact of student attempts to raise funds for charity or awareness.

“I don’t think it makes a difference. I never hear of any positive results from any Canadian student group,” he said.

Roslan also mentioned that joining a Facebook group for various charitable causes makes absolutely no difference.

“There is a big debate in political science over the effectiveness of different types of protests and activism,” Dietlind Stolle, associate professor of political science at McGill University, said. “When it comes to easy forms of activism like joining a Facebook group suddenly people are asking ‘how effective is it anyway?’”

Stolle stated that the effectiveness of groups responsible for co-ordinating activist events can be measured in different ways. She added the most obvious measure of effectiveness is whether or not a group fulfilled its original goal, which could be simply showing dissatisfaction.

“They may be successful in showcasing their political opinion but not necessarily successful in bringing about the policy change or the end goal of their endeavours.” Stolle added. “To measure the effectiveness in a broader sense, let’s ask to what extent do these [activities] raise general awareness.”

Moreover, she referred to the prorogation of Parliament as an example of a campaign in which the goal may not be to directly change policy.

“We cannot really change Stephen Harper’s decision, but that may not be the goal of the protest […] it is a more symbolic goal of showing our dissatisfaction and that may be a better measure of effectiveness,” she said.

Some students, however, believe on-campus activism and student-run charitable activities do have a positive impact.

“I think it is quite effective,” Shawn Hendrikx, a third-year political science student at Western, said. “If you are in a student group you have a forum to communicate.”

Charity Checkup

The images of the devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti shocked the entire world. It sparked many students into action, with many groups on campus attempting to set up fundraisers for the Haitian people.

As we watched charities and student groups campaign for Haiti, a question arose — could this process be more effective? In general, student charity groups seem to face many problems when it comes to raising student interest and support for their causes.

With so many charities to choose from at Western, it is nearly impossible to accomplish the admirable goal of raising money for those in need. There are dozens of charities on campus — and they’re all fighting for the same pool of volunteers and charitable donations.

In addition to the overwhelming choice of year-round causes, such as Cancer fundraising or Western Heads East, new “hot button” issues like Haiti are guaranteed to emerge and draw the attention — and support — of students.

Even if a charity manages to gain volunteers from this competitive pool of supporters, the majority of students who join these new causes only know the bare minimum and lose interest in the issue after a few months, especially when another natural disaster or political cause occurs somewhere else in the world.

There is a problem with the general approach most charities use. A common tool for spreading awareness is Facebook. But more often than not, students will join groups just as a nod of support, rather than a pledge for action or monetary donation.

When charities do successfully draw a large number of supporters, fundraisers — which often seem more like catered parties — tend to follow. Add to this the time spent organizing the logistics of these events meant to raise money, and it’s easy to see how the main goal of fundraising can get lost.

An alternative for students is to avoid the bureaucratic process of large advocacy groups and instead try accomplishing something on their own. After all, if Craig Kielburger could start Free the Children, why can’t anyone do it?

Of course it’s impossible to raise enough money to save all of Haiti at once. A better solution is to start with a practical starting point, which will hopefully inspire others, and allow your charity to grow.

At the end of the day, the important thing to keep in mind for all charities is to ensure that their work is sustainable. While it is great to support Haiti now, it will mean very little if there is no support a few months down the road.

To do this requires setting up an established volunteer and donation base to draw from. While this is easier said than done, perhaps it will require similar charities to pool their resources and accomplish their fundraising goals together. After all, the goal isn’t to compete with each other, but to help those in dire need of money and supplies.

Uncertain future for post-secondary fees

The structure of Ontario’s education system may be overhauled this year as three policies surrounding post-secondary education are set to expire.

The possible turning point has caused a frenzy among student lobbying groups, which have started posturing their way into the minds of policy-makers.

“This […] is a watershed year on post-secondary education,” Dan Moulton, vice-president university affairs for the University Students’ Council, said.

Moulton is also the president of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, which launched its annual Blue Chair campaign this week to raise awareness about access to education.

The campaign placed 35 empty chairs around campus with posters attached describing students who suffered from a lack of access.

“We sometimes forget about the students who can’t get into the front door of the university in the first place because of barriers to education,” Moulton said.

Among the barriers is rising tuition costs, an issue often divided along ideological lines.

The Canadian Federation of Students, another student lobby group, has argued for both lowering and freezing tuition under the banner of its “Drop Fees” campaign.

In preparation for 2010, CFS proposed a shift from a loan-based program to a grant-based program in October of last year.

Shelley Melanson, the chairperson for CFS Ontario, argued loan programs only defer the cost of education instead of helping students. Her younger brother recently graduated university, only to find a job market with high student unemployment rates.

Melanson praised the Liberal government’s tuition freeze between 2003 and 2005 and argued it may be the sensible move in 2010.

“There is the political appetite to [freeze tuition],” Melanson said. “This government is the first in Ontario’s history to ever do it.”

But freezing and lowering tuition doesn’t come without consequences. Without extra government funding, students may end up facing “freezer burn” — a period of tuition spikes following years of unchanging rates.

Tuition rates jumped nearly 23 per cent in the state of Virginia after mostly unchanging rates between 1996 and 2002, according to the State Higher Education Executive Officers association.

“Higher education tends to be one of those areas that’s an easy target for revenue sources,” Jeffrey Stanley, associate vice president for SHEEO, said. “You really don’t want to put it on the backs of students and families.”

The balance between government funding and tuition fees is what citizens have to manage to avoid freezer burn, Stanley added.

“What we’ve really had over the last 10 to 15 years is this shift where public dollars are being pulled out of the system and instead we’re relying on private dollars,” Melanson said.

This shift is influenced heavily by the strength of the economy, according to Stanley.

Jeff Lindquist, the president of the UWO Tories Association, said Ontario shouldn’t reduce or freeze tuition costs in 2010 because of the recession.

“Ontario’s facing one of its largest deficits in history because of reckless spending by [Ontario Premier] Dalton McGuinty,” he argued.

While Melanson and CFS believe post-secondary education is a right, Lindquist argued it is also an investment.

“You don’t see kids at Ivey complaining. I go there and pay very high tuition but we know that the level of education will earn us a higher pay bracket when we graduate. So it’s about return on investment.”

Graduate students looking for a return on investment have a steep hill to climb. While tuition rates have increased by 21.5 per cent for undergrads between 2001 to 2007, rates for post-graduate programs increased by 44.1 per cent.

Brits ban booze contests

British officials have banned drinking contests in licensed establishments to lower health risks associated with over consumption, due to the country’s lack of product price control.

“Statistically, Britain has always had a larger drinking culture [than Canada]. This culture is related to its lack of ‘floor pricing.’ The cheaper the alcohol the more people are going to drink,” Bob Peter, president and chief executive officer of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, said.

Although Peter approved of the ban, he mentioned it will not have a major effect on the profits of bars as individuals will continue to drink.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario also has similar laws in effect to curb excessive drinking.

“The AGCO is responsible for protecting people from the dangers of excessive drinking. Activities associated with drinking contests — official or not — contradict the Liquor License Act and are therefore illegal in Ontario,” Lisa Murray, senior manager of communications for AGCO, stated.

The ban followed a voluntary adoption in 2005 of the Irresponsible Promotions Code, which impeded the promotion of over consumption including all-you-can-drink offers.

While bars across Britain agreed precautions should be taken to discourage over consumption, they felt officials are wrongly targeting licensed establishments considering the majority of alcohol is being sold through supermarkets. The law banning drinking contests in Britain is expected to be passed later this year.

—Monica Blaylock

Vampires, cakes, on display at McIntosh

If you never thought that you would be creeped out by gallery artwork, think again.

Artists Daniela Sneppova and Fiona Kinsella teamed up in Western’s own McIntosh Gallery to present haunting artwork and installations that push far past any sort of normal comfort zone. From cakes and vampires to taxidermy and hair, the satisfying shock value of both exhibits make the gallery a highly recommended pit stop between classes.

MONSTROUSLY ARTISTIC. Two new exhibits by Daniela Sneppova (above) and Fiona Kinsella at the McIntosh Gallery will inspire and put chills down your spine.

The ongoing vampire fad provided lots of thematic explorations for Sneppova’s I think I love you but I have chosen darkness series of portraits. The artist — who is also a visual arts and faculty of information and media studies professor at Western — seized the opportunity to communicate gender issues within the craze.

“It’s really strange that these stories don’t empower women,” Sneppova says.

Considering Twilight, True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries each feature a human girl succumbing to the lure of a male vampire, there seems to be an exploitation of gender imbalance.

Sneppova’s installation gives this common pop culture trait a 180-degree flip to alternatively present female characters as the empowered seducers.

“I think that the vampire is a really interesting idea of the monstrous-feminine, where they’re still kind of attractive,” Sneppova says.

The cultivation of this idea is obvious in the main projection piece of her exhibit. Combined shots of female actresses with vampire fangs hissing and cackling create a genuinely hair-raising experience.

“This is more document-based. I really like working with other people, doing performance, and documenting it,” Sneppova says.

Although the images and sinister soundtrack can be interpreted as frightening, Sneppova recognizes the humour that can be found in each piece through their over-the-top presentation.

Other works in Sneppova’s section of the gallery also utilize film as the primary medium. Capturing shots of elaborate taxidermy displays in museums and historical landmarks associated with vampire legends, the featured visuals are stimulating.

Fiona Kinsella's The Wilderness

Fiona Kinsella’s The Wilderness also flirts with concepts of pleasure and horror. The artist created a plethora of decorated cakes with subtle accents of glass eyeballs, hair and teeth to create a completely unique exhibition.

“Basically, the cakes reference religious relics, so if you’re aware of that, you can see that immediately,” Kinsella says. “If you’re not aware of it, it doesn’t matter because the other point of entry is the cake.”

The eerie and unexpected objects on each cake dictate a specific story about saints who have been praised and martyred over time. One doesn’t have to be religious to appreciate the fine detail and unsettling allure of each piece. Bones, spoons and even porcupine quills on frilled cakes are beyond interesting as is.

“I don’t necessarily believe in all of the stories, or even believe in saints, but the stories about them are beautiful,” Kinsella says.

The artist has been accumulating these objects from various vendors, friends and locations all around the world. Every cake is entirely unique, and this is primarily due to its adornment.

“I’m interested in beauty and the potential of beauty to be able to completely consume you and in effect change you to some degree,” Kinsella says.

These quirky cakes, along with vampires and more, can be viewed at the McIntosh Gallery for the next month.

The exhibit runs from Jan. 14-Feb. 27 at the McIntosh Gallery on campus.

Mustangs fall to Brock in OT

The Mustangs women’s hockey team is its own worst enemy.
The Mustangs coughed up a two-goal lead in the third period at Thompson arena Sunday night, eventually losing 4-3 in a shootout to the visiting Brock Badgers.
The loss marked the second time in two consecutive nights the Mustangs had squandered a lead late in a game, after losing a three-goal lead against the Guelph Gryphons the night before.
“When we get ahead, our heads just aren’t in it anymore,” Mustangs forward Katie Dillon, who scored two goals on Sunday, said.
The Mustangs line of Dillon, Ellie Seedhouse and Chantal Morais was effective all weekend, accounting for 10 points against the Gryphons and Badgers.
“[Scoring two goals] was a bit of a surprise — usually it’s one of them who scores,” Dillon said. “My linemates are excellent — they move the puck really well and make things happen. Our line just gels really well and we find the openings.”
Kaley Sisler and Lindsay Gidomski scored the other Mustang goals as part of a Western attack that launched 33 shots on Badgers goaltender Beth Clause.
“[Clause] made some really nice saves. There was one deflection at the end of the game where her glove came out of nowhere,” Mustangs assistant coach Ted Brown said.
Maggie Young opened the scoring for the Badgers at the end of the first period, while Kristen Dewsbury, Kelly Walker and Shannon McLeod scored goals in the second and third periods, engineering Brock’s comeback.
After Dewsbury and Meghan Hewins traded goals in the third round of the shootout, it was McLeod who clinched the game for the Badgers, sneaking one past Mustangs goalie Lindsey Martin in the fourth round.
“Winning this game is huge — Western always plays us tough and this was a neck and neck battle,” Badgers head coach Todd Erskine said after the victory. “We just kept trying to control the puck and play the way we know we can. Our girls stepped up and did a great job today.”
The Mustangs exit the weekend with just one point, despite playing the two teams on either end of them in the standings and earning multiple goal leads in both games. The Mustangs also continued their woes on home ice, where they are just 2-8 this season. The team is 6-4 on the road.
“Are we satisfied with one point? Not at all,” Brown said. “Going into this weekend there were four points sitting there for us — no ifs, ands or buts. We can’t lose these games. We have to learn how to play with a lead and how to win with a lead.”
The Mustangs play a road game against league-leading Laurier this Saturday, before returning to London for a game against the Waterloo Warriors on Sunday afternoon at Thompson.
“Offensively we’re playing well. Defensively we need to tighten up our zone. And we will,” Brown said. “We have good defencemen and we have good goalies. We just need to support them. It takes all five on hand to do the job.”

Curlers rock the house at Sectional

Curling may forever be known as Canada’s second favourite ice sport. But after the way they played this past weekend, the Western curling teams are hoping that will change.

The men and women of the Western curling team took to the ice for the 2010 Western Division Sectional Bonspiel at the Highland Country Club in London, opening their season on home ice for the first time in years.

And even if it was polished rocks and brooms instead of a puck and sticks, Western proved it could dominate on the ice.

The men swept the field, going a perfect 4-0 and establishing themselves as easy favourites to repeat as Ontario University Athletics champions. The women recovered from a rocky start that saw them drop their first two games to leave with a respectable 2-2 record.

“I’m very proud of both our teams,” Mustangs head coach Rory Munro said.

Munro owes the success from this weekend to the chemistry the two teams have fostered over the past few months.

“You put people together and you do your best to encourage their chemistry to come out,” he explained. “You try to encourage off ice activities that will build team character and integrate the idea of increased team chemistry.”

Men’s skip Evan Lilly echoed that sentiment.

“We all get along really […] well. Being able to be candid with each other, be upfront about what we have to do and what adjustments we have to make, it’s a great asset,” he said.

Of course, nothing forges team chemistry like the pressure and experience of competition, which the Western curlers have had plenty of before their season officially kicked off.

“The teams were chosen in early October and they’ve been competing since that time against some fairly stiff competition in the competitive league at the Highland Country Club,” he said.

The men opened up their season with four lopsided victories. That 4-0 record gives the Mustangs a comfortable lead going into crossovers, where they will face the top teams from the Eastern division. The top ranked teams from both these tournaments will be selected for the OUA championships.

Munro was quick to point to Lilly as an integral part of the Mustangs success. The third-year curler, playing his first year as skip for the Mustangs, turned in a great performance. His shot placement was excellent, allowing Western to shut out their opponents repeatedly.

“When you have the lead, you really want to make sure you have the best chance to stay on the board,” Lilly remarked after the game. “Keeping the house clean was our goal for every game, and it worked out. The team in front of me made some really great shots.”

Unfortunately, it wasn’t as smooth sailing on the women’s side. They came into the tournament as defending OUA champions and heavy favourites to repeat — only to drop their first two games to the Brock Badgers and Waterloo Warriors.

“We struggled in the first two games,” assistant coach Dave McDonald admitted. “It might have been a little bit of nerves. The team wasn’t playing up to their potential. And at this level of competition, you just can’t do that.”

To their credit, the women rallied, winning their final two games in dominant fashion and reigniting their championship aspirations.

Talking with the women after the game is an interesting experience. Rather than the one on one interview’s that are standard post-game, the whole team gathers round — coach and all — for what is less an interview and more an informal discussion.

Despite their initial disappointment, they seem happy and relaxed, once again the confident team they believe themselves to be.

“We just had to get used to reading the ice,” fifth-year Mustang Hollie Nicol explained. “We struggled a bit with that the first two games. Just the little things [like] working out the kinks [and] getting used to playing together under pressure.”

Going into crossovers with a 2-2 record is not exactly a comfortable position for the Mustang women but McDonald is confident in their chances.

“We think we are still the top team in the province,” he stated assuredly. “We have a strong roster, top to bottom. And two weeks from now [at crossovers] I think everyone is going to see that in Peterborough.”

If Munro is correct, the rest should follow naturally — meaning that even if Western should fall short in hockey, we have one team that will continue to rule the ice for some time.

The men and women play the crossover tournament in Peterborough two weeks from now.

Country’s best compete for spot on Olympic team

The top figure skaters from around the country flocked to the John Labatt Centre last weekend to compete at the 2010 Canadian Figure Skating Championships. With the Olympic Games only a few weeks away, the stakes were raised and the calibre of skating was high as a ticket to Vancouver came along with the gold and silver medals.

Senior Men

The future of Canadian men’s skating is bright, as indicated by the performances of medal winners Patrick Chan, Vaughn Chipeur and Kevin Reynolds.

Chan, the defending national champion and world silver medalist, is only 18 years old but skated with poise and strength. Ranked first after the short program, Chan nailed his long program with two triple axels and beat his own Canadian record from last year with a score of 268.02. Chan, however, doesn’t focus on the numbers.

“Points don’t really mean much to me. It’s more how I felt and how I skated,” he said.

Twenty-five year old Vaughn Chipeur of Calgary took the silver and his place on the Olympic team after skating two athletic and charismatic performances.

The surprise of the event came from British Columbia’s Reynolds, the 19-year-old who was ranked fifth going into the long program. Reynolds pulled out two quads — the only ones of the event — and skated cleanly. Although his long program score beat Chipeur’s, Reynolds could not make up the difference with the combined scores from the short. He was able to grab the bronze, but unfortunately missed his shot at Vancouver. However, Reynolds is trying to focus on the positive.

“It’s bittersweet because I was so close, but I had a personal best and improved my scores by a lot,” he said.

Senior Women

When Joannie Rochette won her first national title in 2005, she told reporters “Yes, but Jen won six.”

Five years and five championships later, Rochette achieved the same feat as Jennifer Robinson — Canada’s favourite figure skater from a decade ago — last Saturday afternoon.

Rochette not only claimed her sixth straight win, but she also set a new Canadian record with her flawless long program score of 144.08 — 27.83 points ahead of the second place skater, Cynthia Phaneuf, and just a few points behind the word record set by South Korea’s Kim Yu-Na.

Although her long program — complete with seven clean triple jumps — will likely be remembered as one the highlights of the 2010 championships, it was certainly not a runaway win for Rochette, as she came into the free skate in second place behind Phaneuf.

“To be honest I was not so comfortable […] I was just not reactive enough,” the 23-year-old from Île Dupas, Quebec said after missing her triple lutz in the short program. “But what can you do? It’s over now.”

Phaneuf, who found herself ahead of Rochette for the second year in a row, was focused only on making the Olympic team, meaning she would need to finish second overall. “I’m coming here to go to the Olympics. This is my goal,” she said.

Despite doubling two planned triples in her long program, Phaneuf was able to hold on to second place.

“I was happy to go out there and do a program that will take me to the Olympics,” the 22-year-old from Sorel-Tracy, Quebec said of a long program that lacked the vigour of her cleanly skated short. “I wasn’t going for first place.”

The final results of the women’s event ended in a Quebec sweep, with Myriane Samson from St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu winning bronze. Western student Diane Szmiett placed fourth.

Senior Pairs

For one team, the senior pairs event ended in a familiar position. For another, it saw a triumphant comeback. For another, heartbreak.

Following a breathtaking long program — skated to music from The Way We Were — Jessica Dubé and Bryce Davison claimed their third national championship.

“I was crying on the inside near the end. It was too much for me,” Dubé said of the final moments of their nearly perfect skate.

“It flowed, one thing to the next — I can’t explain how it happened,” Davison added.

However, the dramatic fight for second place and final spot on the Canadian Olympic team was a hard fought battle that ended in the injury-plagued team of Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay taking second, leaving Meagan Duhamel and Craig Buntin with the bittersweet bronze medal.

“We left all the energy we could on the ice. We did everything we could have. Tonight there were two teams that did more,” Buntin said, holding back tears.

“It’s heartbreaking. As competitors you know how hard these teams work,” Davison said of Duhamel and Buntin’s third place finish. It’s heartbreaking to see that great of a competition and see a team that good not make it, he added.

Edging out Duhamel and Buntin in the long program by 8.15 points, Langlois and Hay’s ticket to the Olympics comes after being forced to take more than a year off competition due to a fractured fibula in Langlois’ right leg. At 29 years old, Saturday was likely Langlois’ last shot at the Games.

“When we couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, those people guided us,” Langlois said of the team’s support system during her recovery.

“It didn’t feel like the most amazing skate [today], but it felt amazing to be out there,” she added.

Ice Dance

Ice dance — possibly the most overlooked of the figure skating events — had the crowd spellbounded with performances by hometown heroes, and on the edge of their seat watching the battle for the second Olympic spot.

London natives and defending champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir stole the show, and the gold, with both their original and free dances, earning deafening standing ovations for both. Their complete synchronization, unique lifts and graceful ease put Virtue and Moir ahead of the rest of the field, despite the added pressure of skating in front of family and friends.

“It’s exciting. It’s nerve racking. It’s every emotion rolled into one,” Virtue said after their skate.

Though their score set a new Canadian record, Moir claims there’s still work to do before heading to Vancouver.

“Overall we were really happy with our skate but we’re going to want to push it more going into the games,” he said.

The real drama was with the battle for the silver medal and second spot on the Olympic team. The young team of Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier, only 19 and 18 respectively, were neck-and-neck with Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Waterloo throughout the competition. Though both teams skated clean original dances, Weaver and Poje were ranked marginally ahead going into the final skate.

Both teams made one minor error in their free dance, but in the end Crone and Poirier grabbed the silver and the tickets to Vancouver.

“We were both really surprised, but it’s really exciting,” Poirier said. “We’re going to go home and train really hard and make the most of this opportunity.”

Model talks fame, fortune and suing Google

One of the often praised advantages of living in the digital age is the ability of the Internet to allow a greater number of voices to contribute to relevant discussion — but how much of this actually occurs on blogs and web pages is increasingly becoming more of a concern. London-born supermodel Liskula Cohen knows a bit about that.

SUPERMODEL TO THE RESCUE. Model Liskula Cohen fought digital defamation when she took legal action against Google.

This past Tuesday, Cohen visited London to speak to Western students about her recent legal woes. In early 2009, Cohen filed a lawsuit against Google to reveal the name of an anonymous blogger who posted defamatory remarks and images about Cohen through their blogging service.

The blog, entitled “Skanks in NYC,” came to Cohen’s attention when a modeling client discovered it online. Since the Internet has become a valuable and inexpensive tool for models to showcase their work to potential clients, Cohen said the blog was dangerous to her career and reputation as a working model.

The lawsuit was a success and Google was ordered to release the name of the blogger. A defamation lawsuit is now being filed against the woman, an acquaintance of Cohen’s.

The case has set an historic legal precedent. Speaking to Western students, Cohen posed the question “if it is illegal in print or on television, why should the ‘information highway’ be any different?”

Thanks to Cohen and her lawyer, there is no longer a difference. Anyone that is defamed or harassed by an anonymous contributor online is now able to discover the identity of that person and bring a legal action against them.

Whether or not more people will come forward with cases of online harassment remains to be seen, but many have already taken comfort in the outcome of the lawsuit. Cohen briefly spoke about the tragic case of Megan Meier, a 13-year-old girl who committed suicide in 2006 after a degrading bout with cyber-bullying.

Following the Google lawsuit, Cohen said she was contacted by Meier’s mother and thanked for helping set the legal precedent she struggled to attain after her daughter’s death.

Western’ faculty of information and media studies hosted the speech titled Cohen’s speech as “Fighting Digital Defamation — Celebrity in the Google Age.” The presentation marks the first use of the money collected from the new FIMS levy.

However, not all FIMS students are happy with the way the money is being spent.

Michael Lynch, a fourth year media theory and production student, noted he has often had to defend his program to fellow students, and inviting a super model to speak as opposed to a key player in the media industry makes it difficult for his arguments to hold weight.

“As far as I’m concerned, [it’s a case] of one grown woman suing [another grown women] for calling her a bad name on the Internet,” Lynch noted. “Google should not have been involved and it is unfortunate they were forced to [sit] through the immaturity of both parties involved.

Lynch added he could see the relevance of the speaker, but thought there were better options.

Cohen, however, felt her case deserved to be taken more seriously than some press approached it.

“[The press] will say, ‘Oh, you sued Google because they called you a ho’, — any judge would have laughed you right out of court. I was called a lot worse things than a ho.”

—With files from Meagan Kashty