University of Toronto

Nearly 100 students, staff and faculty came out to show their support for Haiti at the first -ever Zumbathon event held last Friday at the Athletic Centre.

 The fundraiser was a two-hour energy blast led by instructors Candice Paulsen, Dione Mason, Jessica Charbonneau and Andreea Diaconescu. The Latin-inspired moves got everyone dancing, smiling and, of course, breaking a good sweat. The events drew some frequent Athletic Centre users, but about a quarter of the participants were in the building for the first time.

 “It was great to see so many members of the community come together for this important cause,” says organizer and assistant program manager Rosie Posca.

 Participants donated a generous $500 which will go towards the Partners in Health Relief Fund.

On March 26th, the Faculty is celebrating aboriginal culture and health with poetry, discussion and physical activity. The day will proceed as follows:

9:30am – 10:00 am                   Registration & Breakfast

10:00am – 10:15am                  Opening Circle and Welcome   

10:15am – 10:30am                  Ice-Breakers   

10:30am – 12:30am                  A Poetry Path: Writing towards What Matters to You

12:30pm – 1:15pm                    Lunch  

1:15pm – 2:15pm                     The Medicine Wheel & the Four Directions  

2:15pm – 3:45pm                     Athletics and Indigenous Communities – Panel Discussion

3:45pm – 4:00pm                     Stretch Break

4:00pm – 5:30pm                     Developing Leadership Styles

5:30pm – 6:00pm                     Closing Circle

Evening Activity Option

6:00pm – 8:00pm                     Drumming Circle at First Nations House

To register, please email the Centre for Leadership Training & Education

As the grey skies hover, winter winds howl and temperatures plummet, the new, Latin-inspired Zumba® classes at the Athletic Centre are providing a welcome dose of heat for an unprecedented number of students and members looking to shake up their work-out regimes with these high-energy sessions.

Brittany Knight, an OISE student, is one such participant. She tried Zumba® for first time on January 4th and found it a refreshing way to break a sweat, unique to many other classes that she’s tried. “What I love about this class is the cultural diversity of the workout and music,” says Knight. “For a university like Toronto that has ‘equity, diversity’ as its promotional rhetoric, it was uplifting to see that taken seriously right down to a student’s personal health and fitness in a gym class!”

Zumba® instructors must certified to lead this unique class which combines easy-to-follow, Latin-inspired moves with toning and sculpting exercises that target glutes, legs, arms and abdominals. The music is also Latin inspired and sure to get hearts pumping.

“The instructor, Candace, was outstanding,” Knight says. “Her energy, passion, sensitivity, and smile added so much to the positivity of the experience.”

Zumba® classes are offered on a free, drop-in basis Mondays at 12:10 (in the dance studio) and 7:10 p.m. and Wednesdays at 6:10 p.m. (in the field house). Each class is 50 minutes.

Check out the Zumba-thon on March 5th!

When the Olympic Games begin this month, all eyes will be on athletes such as University of Toronto alumni Heather Moyse of Canada’s bobsleigh team and three-time medalist Jayna Hefford of women’s hockey. 

But several physicians from the university’s David L. MacIntosh Clinic will also be at the games – and they’ll be watching for more than medal-winning performances.

“Bobsleighs are very loud,” said Dr. Ian Cohen. “When they crash it’s like a freight train — you hear it before you see it.”

Cohen is deputy medical supervisor for the Whistler Sliding Centre, where the skeleton, bobsleigh and luge competitions will take place.

“The ideal scenario is that everyone makes it down the track safely,” Cohen said. “But the reality is that there’s never been an event where crashes didn’t occur.”

Cohen attended last year’s World Cup event at the sliding centre as part of an effort to prepare for the Olympics. Despite reassurances from locals that no one had ever crashed on the upper part of the track, one athlete did so during the competition, suffering a lacerated liver and spleen, fractured rib and concussion.

“It was terrible for her,” Cohen said. “But that World Cup event was helpful for us — it taught us a lot.”

During the Olympics, medical staff will be stationed in four places along the track, including at the top. The team, which includes surgeons and EMS workers, will have access to a clinic equipped to deal with everything from cuts to resuscitations.

Cohen was eager to go where his skills could be most useful and the sliding centre fit the bill. He’d like to bring back photographs, which would be “helpful from instructional point of view.”

Cohen expects to see skin burns, common when athletes clad in thin Lycra suits crash or fall off a sled. But concussion and other brain injuries are of greater concern. Before the Games begin, the medical team will practise what Cohen calls “extractions” — the art of removing a patient’s helmet after an accident without damaging the neck or spine. As physician for Varsity Blues teams such as hockey and football, that’s something he knows a lot about.

But in Whistler, the medical workers will have to execute these manoeuvres while standing on an icy slope.

Dr. Julia Alleyne will also accompany Skate Canada to Vancouver as team physician, a position she’s held for more than a decade. And the clinic’s Dr. Mark Leung will also be at the sliding centre. He’ll be part of a team looking after spectators — providing first aid and emergency care.

“I just completed my Sports Medicine Fellowship training at the University of Toronto in June 2009,” said Leung. “I’m honoured to have this opportunity so soon to represent my country.”

Leung, who travelled with Team Canada women’s basketball to Cuba and China last summer as team physician, expects to use mostly his primary care skills.

“We’ll be managing local and international spectators with issues ranging from the common cold, dizziness and chest tightness to being acutely aware of early signs of frostbite, cardiac events, stroke, pneumonia and the H1N1 flu,” Leung said.

 -Jennifer Lanthier

In Zambia he is known as the father of pediatric medicine but Chifumbe Chintu is hardly a household name in Canada – and that made the U of T alumnus a great fit for Black History Month.

“What is important is to document and tell our stories,” said Rosemary Sadlier, president of the Ontario Black History Society. “Our stories are buried and they’re not always about politicians or inventors.”

Sadlier made the comments at the Feb. 4 unveiling of a special exhibit celebrating Black History Month at the Faculty of Physical Education and Health. Throughout the month, the Athletic Centre will display a series of posters detailing the accomplishments of black athletes from the 1960s to the present. “This is about reclaiming athletics in a positive way and showing how regular people can be role models through exceptional effort,” Sadlier said.

Margarett Best, Ontario minister of health promotion, praised the efforts of staff member Desmond Miller, who conceived the idea for the exhibit and carried out the research. Chintu, who came to U of T from Rhodesia on a scholarship, received his medical degree from the university in 1966. He competed for the U of T track team and was captain of the medical soccer team in 1964.

“They call him the father of pediatric medicine in Zambia and he’s still a professor in the school of medicine at the University of Zambia,” Miller said. “He’s one of the valued academics I found who were able to take their sporting careers and go beyond that to contribute to physical education and sport and health.”

In addition to Chintu, Miller selected Harry Jerome to represent the 1960s. Jerome is shown with fellow athlete Bruce Kidd in a photo from the British Empire Games in 1962. Profiles of athletes from subsequent decades will be unveiled each week, Miller said, and posted on the faculty website. “I’m so pleased to be able to celebrate the achievements of black athletes here at the University of Toronto, in Canada and across the world,” said Kidd, dean of the faculty. “We applaud what you’ve done in such a short time, putting together such a creative display.” -Jennifer Lanthier

Olympian Colin Russell’s record-breaking performance led the University of Toronto Varsity Blues men’s swimming team to their seventh consecutive Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championship at the Eleanor Misener Aquatic Centre at Brock University on February 6-7th.

This was the ninth men’s title in 10 years for the Varsity Blues who accumulated 998 team points. The Western Mustangs finished second with 656.5, followed by the Ottawa Gee-Gees with 469.5. U of T’s women’s swim team finished second to the Mustangs who won consecutive OUA women’s banners for the first time in school history, while the McMaster Marauders finished third.

Toronto coaches Linda Kiefer and Byron MacDonald were named OUA men’s team coaches of the year, while Paul Midgley of Western was named women’s team coach of the year.

Named 2010 male swimmer of the meet, Russell of Burlington, Ont. set his third individual OUA record on day four in the men’s 50-metre breaststroke, claiming gold in a time of 28.42. He set earlier records in both the men’s 100m and 200m freestyle. A science major, Russell also finished first in the men’s 50m freestyle on Sunday in a time of 22.94.

The Varsity Blues team of Russell, Mike Smerek , Cam Cummings and Marco Monacoalso established a new championship record, winning the men’s 4×50m medley relay in 1:41.62. Toronto men also claimed gold in the 4×100m freestyle relay as team members Luke Hall, Martyn Forde, Steven Hibberd and Taylor Bond finished in a winning time of 3:24.97.

Zack Chetrat built on his success this season and defended his 2009 title, winning the men’s 200m butterfly event in a time of 2:00.51.

First-year swimmer Andy Townsend was named the male rookie of the meet after winning a bronze medal in the men’s 100m butterfly and a gold medal as part of the men’s 4×200m freestyle relay team.

In women’s action, Andrea Jurenovskis won the women’s 200m backstroke in a time of 2:15.42, while Poppy Ruskys finished third in the women’s 400m individual medley.

The Blues team of Sasha Theron, Julia Boron, Samantha Bancescu and Heather Maitland picked up a silver medal in the 4×100m relay, behind the first-place Mustangs and ahead of the third-place Gee-Gees.

Gold and silver medalists in individual races and gold medalists in relays at the championship are named OUA all-stars.

COMPLETE RESULTS: www.brocku.ca/brockswimming/results/oua2010/

The Varsity Blues swimmers will now prepare for the 2010 CIS swimming championships which will be held Feb. 18-20 at the University of Toronto’s Varsity Pool.

The University of Toronto’s Varsity Centre new entryway building, known as the pavilion, won the Structural Design Innovation award at the Ontario Concrete Awards (OCA) held December 2nd at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Sponsored by the province’s concrete industry, the ninth annual event acknowledges some of the province’s most creative construction projects.

The Varsity Centre pavilion features an open and airy design with an inspiring view of the state-of-the-art  track, the FIFA two-star rated field and bustling Bloor Street. It also houses a new team room for athletes and offices for coaches and staff.

The next project at the Varsity Centre complex is the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport which will house research and teaching labs, a strength and conditioning centre, a state-of-the-art sport medicine clinic and a 2000-seat basketball and volleyball field house.

 ”We are so proud of our new facilities at Varsity Centre,” says Dean Bruce Kidd. “This award acknowledges that Varsity Centre has been a positive addition to the design landscape here in the city of Toronto.”

The University of Toronto’s Athletic Centre boasts a new feature its members don’t yet know about but are already using:  showers heated by the sun.

In late 2009, the university installed 100 solar collector panels on the roof of the Athletic Centre, located at Harbord Street and Spadina Avenue.  The installation, which became operational on Tuesday, is currently the biggest initiative of its kind in the GTA and the largest known system at a Canadian university.
 
The panels will supply nearly 25 per cent of the heat for the building’s showers and laundry facilities during peak sunshine months, substantially reducing natural gas use – and consequently greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – throughout the year.  The annual GHG reductions are roughly equivalent to taking 11 cars permanently off the road, while the yearly energy savings would be enough to heat 11 average-sized detached homes in Canada.

The initiative first took shape as a student project in 2006, when Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering undergraduate Ashley Taylor evaluated the feasibility of installing solar collector panels at the location.  Now employed full-time by the University’s sustainability office, Taylor worked with the facilities and services division on campus to see the project through to completion.  “It has been very fulfilling to see a simple research question become a reality,” says Taylor.  “It’s a great example of how U of T can use the campus as a living lab, bridging research and operations.”

U of T contributed two-thirds of the cost of the project, sourcing the remaining third from the Ontario Solar Thermal Heating Incentive and the federal government’s ecoENERGY for Renewable Heat Incentive.  The project reflects the University’s decades-long commitment to energy efficiency and sustainability, which has avoided an estimated 22 per cent increase in greenhouse gas emissions over the last 35 years.

 
“This initiative is part of a much larger sustainability strategy under the terrific leadership of U of T’s facilities and services division,” says Bruce Kidd, dean of the Faculty of Physical Education and Health, which houses the Athletic Centre.  “The cost and energy savings from the solar panels are just the first step; ultimately we aim to increase awareness so that our users are more mindful of their impact on the environment.”

Solar Panel Project Quick Facts (PDF)
What else has the Faculty done?

A highly respected exercise physiologist has been chosen as the new dean of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Physical Education and Health.

Professor Ira Jacobs, chair of York University’s School of Kinesiology and Health Science, will join U of T July 1. Academic Board approved his five year decanal term this week.

The new dean succeeds Professor Bruce Kidd, a Canadian Olympian and expert on Olympic history who will step down June 30 after the longest record of service among University of Toronto deans. The torch Kidd passes to Jacobs will include responsibility for continuing the efforts to strengthen undergraduate and graduate degree programs and to create synergies between co-curricular programs and high performance sport in ways that benefit all parties.

“Professor Jacobs joins the Faculty of Physical Education and Health during an exciting time of growth and change,” said Professor Cheryl Misak, vice-president and provost. “I am confident that he will provide excellent leadership and I am delighted to welcome him to U of T.”

Jacobs earned his doctorate in clinical physiology from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute where he specialized in skeletal muscle metabolism. For the next 25 years, he did extensive exercise physiology research while working for the government’s human performance laboratory, operated by the Department of National Defence. He attained the position of chief scientist there and received recognition for initiating and leading a unique international research group that helped enhance the performance of military special operations units through their research and  advice about nutritional and pharmacological strategies.

In 2007, Jacobs became chair of York’s School of Kinesiology and Health Science, the largest kinesiology program in North America. He is currently president of the Canadian Council of University Physical Education and Kinesiology Administrators and a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, as well as a past president of the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology.

Jacobs’ research has led to the publication of more than 200 scientific articles, reports and book chapters about his research interests that include the physiological responses to physical exertion in environmental extremes, performance enhancement through pharmacological and nutritional manipulation of metabolism, and energy metabolism.

“As both a scientist and academic administrator, I am thrilled to join the University of Toronto, an institution renowned for the quality of its faculty and its research,” said Jacobs. “It is particularly exciting to do so at a time when both public awareness and researchers from a  broad spectrum of disciplines acknowledge  the tremendously important  biological, behavioural, and socio-cultural impacts of physical activity, physical inactivity, sports and athletics.  I look forward to making a contribution to the tradition of excellence here.”

-Elaine Smith

Michael Braithwaite of the University of Toronto Varsity Blues was recognized by rowing’s national governing body at the 29th annual Rowing Canada awards program on December 5, 2009 in Vancouver, B.C.

The fifth-year cognitive science major was presented with the Hanlan Keller award for his achievements as a promising, developing rower. The award was established in memory of Thomas Keller, president of Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d’Aviron (FISA) for many years.

Rowing Canada also awarded Braithwaite with the international achievement award for his bronze-medal performance at the 2009 FISA world championship regatta in the Czach Republic last summer.

In addition, the Duncan, B.C. native was recognized among 2009 national champions for his first-place finish in the men’s heavyweight single at the 2009 Canadian under-23 championships.

Among his many accomplishments this season, Braithwaite was the 2009 OUA men’s single champion and was also named the oarsman of the year at the 2009 Canadian University Rowing Championships (CURC) for his dominant gold-medal performance in the men’s open single.

As students and members return to routine, refreshed and looking to get active in 2010, the Athletic Centre has some special offers to inspire a new year full of physical activity and fun.

Fitness-lovers looking to spice up their routines can try Latin dance-inspired Zumba®. This new class is sure to raise heart rates and spirits while teaching participants a few new moves along the way. Zumba ® is one of many classes offered on a drop-in basis(free to members, no registration required).

Varsity Centre dome is up and the driving range is open. U of T students can practice their golf swing for free. Athletic Centre members (who are automatically Varsity Centre members) can take advantage of a discounted rate (35¢ per minute or $21.00 per hour).

Fitness enthusiasts can celebrate that Cycle Fit has returned to the Pedal Zone (in the Field House) by dropping in for free classes that will be held for a limited time during the week of January 11th.

The Athletic Centre in 2010 – A Fit for Everybody.

Concussion experts from around the world convened at the University of Toronto December 10th and 11th to share the latest ideas and research on assessing traumatic brain injury in several key populations.

Organized by U of T’s concussion research team in the Faculty of Physical Education and Health, the conference drew researchers and practitioners from the across Canada, the United States and Australia to discuss the challenges of assessing specific groups, including athletes, children and members of the military.

Topics discussed at the conference included return-to-play guidelines, the use of computerized tests, and clinical management of athletes who have experienced a concussion. Speakers included: NHL neuropsychology program director Dr. Ruben Echemendia; Drs. Andrea Vincent and Kirby Gilliland from the University of Oklahoma, who outlined the challenges associated with baseline testing 400,000 soldiers before deployment to embattled areas; Dr. Gerry Gioia of Maryland, who spoke of the difficulty in reliably assessing children; and U of T’s MacIntosh Sport Medicine Clinic director Dr. Doug Richards, who highlighted the factors other than concussion that often get in the way of understanding athletes’ conditions after brain injury.

The University’s concussion research team includes Toronto Rehabilitation Institute neuropsychologist Paul Comper, Professor Lynda Mainwaring, Richards, and graduate student and assistant Varsity Blues men’s hockey coach Michael Hutchison.  The team’s research, educational and clinical care program includes a mandate to baseline test all at-risk Varsity Blues athletes. 

For more information on U of T’s concussion research program, visit concussion.utoronto.ca.

Over 200 student-athletes, family, friends, donors and faculty gathered at the Isabel Bader Theatre on November 30th to celebrate Blues athletes who have excelled, not only while sporting the blue and white , but while working in the classroom.

Blues alumna and current women’s soccer coach Laura Arduini shared with the crowd her perspective of what it was like on her journey from when she first joined the soccer team, practicing on makeshift home turf, to when, in her senior year, she represented U of T at the world-class Varsity Centre.

Former top Blues athletes and recent graduates Cory Kennedy (football) and Mila Miguel (volleyball) served as emcees for the night.

Two awards were handed out for the first time on Monday. The M. R. Wright Family Award was given to Paul Dupont (hockey) and Michelle Wood (volleyball). Award founder Mert Wright attended the ceremony to congratulate the recipients in person. It was also the inaugural presentation of the Eli Drakich Memorial Award. Blues women’s volleyball head coach Kristine Drakich created the award in her father’s honour. Rebecca Crosier was this year’s recipient.

“These students are remarkable in their commitment to excellence both inside and outside the classroom,” director of athletics Liz Hoffman told the crowd. “They truly represent excellence at the University of Toronto. We are very proud.”

The 2009 Academic Excellence program, including a list of all the award winners, is now online.

The Angus Glen Winter Golf Academy is hosting an open house and holiday sale at the Varsity Centre dome on Tuesday, December 8th from 4:00 – 8:00 pm and Wednesday, December 9th 11:00 – 3:00 pm. 

Visitors will enjoy complimentary use of the driving range, video swing analysis, tips from CPGA professionals, and the chance to try out the latest in golf club technology.  Visitors who purchase a green fee gift card will receive a 30-minute private lesson at the winter academy, and merchandise is featured at up to 60% off.

The Winter Golf Academy is a partnership between the University of Toronto and Angus Glen Golf Club, featuring a driving range open six days a week and on-site golf pros.  The academy runs from December to March (Monday-Friday 7:30am-1:00pm, Saturday 8:00-11:00am).  U of T students have free access (with student ID).

For more information, visit www.angusglen.com or www.varsitycentre.ca/golf.

When students and members walk into the Athletic Centre, they should find themselves in a welcoming environment that inspires physical activity for all, including those of different physical abilities. On December 1st Athletic Centre visitors will have the chance to see “Envisioning New Meanings of Disability and Difference,” a multimedia exhibit profiling female artists’ perspectives on living with impairments and physical difference.“We’re proud to host this innovative exhibit,” says Susan Lee, the Athletic Centre’s program coordinator of accessibility, equity and diversity. “The collection is a perfect example of what our faculty aims to achieve in terms of diversity and inclusion.”

The artists use photos, film and other interactive platforms to present themselves in their own words and images, which the Faculty hopes will help to bring a face to its message of inclusion and further promote physical activity for all.

The Athletic Centre lobby will be the exhibit’s third stop on campus. It had its U of T launch at Hart House and later showed at the Medical Sciences Building. The show will be available for viewing from 9:30am-5pm on December 1st.

Videos created by artists Jes Sachse,Taryn Green and Anne Harland are online.