C/O Dr. Natalie Lazarowych

Marauder Nordic skiing team makes an OUA splash, backed by community support and team effort 

Over the Feb. 26 weekend, Nordic skiing entered the Ontario University Athletics for the second time in McMaster history. The results of the OUA Championships had the women’s team placing sixth overall and the men’s team placing ninth.   

The Marauder Nordic skiing team is new and many of its athletes are in their beginning years of eligibility. For the team, this competition was largely about establishing itself and gaining experience in competitive racing.  

The team finds much support in the community beyond just financially. Parents stepped in to help with timing races. Additionally, given that the meet was in Collingwood, many families there opened their homes to house team members. 

Training is planned and supervised by a group of four individuals: head coach Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky, women’s captain Milla Tarnopolsky, men’s captain Errol Bowman and assistant coach Cara Pekos.  

While some on the women’s Nordic skiing team have prior experience, many on the men’s team joined the race as athletes from other sports. Bowman came from rowing, Lucas Wiens from triathlon and Nick Sammon from biking.  

“Our name might not have gotten out there in terms of results a lot, but I think . . . We were one of the harder working teams. I think we fought with a lot of grit in those races,” said Sammon.  

“Our name might not have gotten out there in terms of results a lot, but I think . . . We were one of the harder working teams. I think we fought with a lot of grit in those races."

Nick Sammon, Nordic Skiing Team

With the lack of snow on the ground, Nordic skiing training includes a variety of exercises that accentuate technique and endurance. These include slow cardio training, high-intensity workouts and fun ski-specific training such as roller skiing and ski striding.  

“The great thing about a lot of the people on the team is that their fitness is already amazing so we just have to channel their energy into getting them forward and moving forward and [as] fast [and] efficiently as possible . . . I will plan on doing more technique sessions and potentially bringing in some club coaches [to] help give an external opinion on things,” explained Pekos.  

Due to the difficulties of balancing a student-athlete life, many training sessions occur in the early mornings or late nights. For Sammon, training is a way to stay motivated and clear his head for his schoolwork.  

“I find training when school gets hard is actually more beneficial. I'm more driven to stay dedicated just because I love to train and I love to exercise. So, if I have a really busy school week, the best way to get through it isn't by just grinding my [schoolwork] because it's those daily workouts and exercises that actually keep me going,” said Sammon. 

The team also finds a lot of support with each other, committing themselves to making the training sessions and seeing each other there. 

“It was mainly going and training with a group of people that helps keep you motivated, so if someone's counting on me to show for a strength workout, I'm not going to bail on them because they're going to show up at 8:00 a.m.,” explained Pekos.  

“It was mainly going and training with a group of people that helps keep you motivated, so if someone's counting on me to show for a strength workout, I'm not going to bail on them because they're going to show up at 8:00 a.m."

Cara Pekos, Assistant Coach

As the Nordic skiing team is new, they have plenty of room to grow and improve their skiing technique. With the community and team support behind them, the team’s second OUA meet this year season is shaping towards a hard-fought and well-earned victory.  

Photo by Matty Flader / Photo Reporter

By: Alannah DeAngelis, Contributor

Dates can be a fun way to get to know your partner better and try new things together. Between school, catching up on all your Netflix shows and hanging out with your friends, it can be tough to make time for date nights. Try out these five date ideas where you can stay on campus and avoid breaking the bank! 

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Planetarium Show

The W. J. McCallion Planetarium, in the basement of BSB, is an out-of-this world date idea! Shows run Wednesday nights and there is a new theme each week. Learn about outer space, stars, planets, comets and more. For more information, check out the McMaster Planetarium website.                                                                         

Cost: $7 per person.

 

Video Game Room in Lyons New Media Centre 

Get your game on in the Video Games room on the 4th floor of Mills to find out which of you is the “Mario Kart” champion! There are five game consoles that you can choose from: Wii, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3 and PS4. They offer many games to play, all of which are available to rent for free. Bookings for this space can be made for up to 2 hours per day for all McMaster students.

Cost: Free! Just bring your student card to rent the controllers and games.

 

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McMaster Museum of Art

Check out some cool art with your partner at the McMaster Museum of Art right on campus. The museum is recognized internationally for its European paintings, drawings and prints. It is also known for its specialist collection of early 20th century German prints. This highly notable museum is just steps away from the Student Centre.

Cost: Pay what you can (suggested donation is $2).

 

 

Trivia Night at the Phoenix

Test your knowledge at the Phoenix Bar and Grill’s Trivia Night, which happens every Tuesday at 7 p.m.. The theme changes each week, so you are sure to never be bored. Top teams will win gift cards to the Phoenix; perfect to use for another date night! 

Cost: Free when you purchase food or drinks.

 

Hike at Cootes

McMaster is surrounded by beautiful hiking trails with breathtaking views. Go for a hike at Cootes (start at the trail behind the Alpine tower) and explore what nature has to offer in McMaster’s backyard. Notably, the Sassafrass trail includes a lookout platform onto Lake Ontario. Who knows, maybe you will even see some deer along the way! 

Cost: Free! 

 

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On March 20, Hamilton Bike Share hosted a group event called "Three years on two wheels" to celebrate their birthday.

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They braved headwinds, traffic, and last-minute Thanksgiving grocery shoppers.

The 51 participants of Cranksgiving Hamilton crossed from west to east and cycled up and down the escarpment in a cross city scavenger hunt, with items gathered donated to the Welcome Inn Community Centre.

Rather than paying to enter, participants used their purchased items on a list, spending more than $1,500 and carrying over 839 pounds of food and hygiene items. This was the second year the event was run in Hamilton by Heidi and Reuben Vanderkwaak.

They started it out of a love of cycling after seeing a story about the event in New York City.

“I saw then that Cranksgiving had been happening in many cities and there was a ‘how-to’ guide on their website, so we just looked at each other and said yes, we have to do this!” said Heidi.

The event combines two values: cycling and community.

“What we like about this ride is that not only is it a chance for us to give back and to be thankful for what we have and provide food to others but also it’s using our bikes for something that is a lot of fun,” said Reuben.

The ride is also a way to get more people to see bicycling as a mode of transport, and even as an option for grocery shopping.

“A lot of people last year that came out said ‘I didn’t realize I could run around and gather all these groceries by bike, so now I’m going to try doing it on my own too,’” said Reuben.

Participants had a chance to win prizes like a NYNE portable bike speakers, a Wike Bicycle Trailer made in Guelph, and trophies made from upcycled bike parts from New Hope Bikes. Prizes were given to the fastest male and female participants in the 25km and 10km distances, but also to the heaviest haul (Matt Grande, 76 pounds) and Most Generous (Emma Cubitt, $136.22).

Several McMaster students participated, and one Mac student, Jackson Waite, was the winner of the male 25 km distance. He said the sense of community amongst cyclists also extended from non-cycling residents.

“It was really nice to take in the kindness of Hamiltonians during the race. At the stores when I asked if I could jump the line, everyone was more than willing to let me through, the same when I was asking for directions in the east end where I was getting pretty turned around,” said Waite.

Cranksgiving events have been a fixture in New York City for 15 years, and are starting to take off across North America with 35 locations hosting an event this year.

Cranksgiving is only held in two locations in Canada: Hamilton and Vancouver. But some participants that came to Hamilton from Toronto have expressed interest in hosting a Cranksgiving in Toronto next year.

The event showed how viable and fun biking in Hamilton can be.

“It’s the best way to get around,” said Waite. “You can cover way more ground on a bike, you get some solid exercise in and the endorphins flowing, and for me, most importantly, you’re not stuck waiting forever for the HSR.”

Riding a bicycle in Hamilton is often a question of morality.

You can choose to ride on the road where you may potentially be run over by a bus, or, you can choose to ride on the sidewalk where you may potentially run over a puppy. Do you risk your own safety, or sacrifice the joy of a small furry animal?

“People want to do what’s right. They recognize that walking or biking is better for their health, better for the environment, but it’s not easy. And if it’s not safe, they aren’t going to do it,” explained Justin Jones, an organizer of Yes We Cannon.

Yes We Cannon started up two months ago as a local grassroots organization petitioning for a two-way bike lane along Cannon Street, one of the most frequently used routes in the lower city.

“There’s no bike lane, no route for people to safely ride their bikes on. It’s an area used by 50,000 people,” further added Jones, an avid cyclist.

Cannon Street runs four lanes of one-way traffic from Queen Street North to Sherman North, where it then switches to two-way traffic up until Kenilworth North. The street currently caters solely to vehicular traffic, but with six elementary and secondary schools in the area, along with numerous businesses lining the road, it is still heavily used by pedestrians and cyclists.

Acknowledging that a change needed to be made, in 2009 the city of Hamilton developed the City Cycling Master Plan or “Shifting Gears” which attempts to improve cycling infrastructure and develop complete streets. Although the plan received unanimous support from city council, the bike lanes on Cannon have yet to be discussed. The cycling plan identifies Cannon as an area receiving a “road diet,” which refers to the addition of a single bicycle lane on the one-way side of the street, and a bike lane on each side of the street where traffic runs two-ways.

“What we are asking for is a separated bi-directional bike lane - similar to the ones that run on King Street - where there is a contra-flow lane that is walled and protected. That’s what we want to see [across] Cannon,” explained Jones.

To showcase their plans for sharing the road and its feasibility, Yes We Cannon has hosted two rides along Cannon: Bike to Work Day on May 27, and an Open Streets ride on June 23.

“The ride was done during the morning rush and to absolutely nobody’s shock there was no gridlock,” adds Justin when discussing Bike to Work.

With four lanes devoted to traffic, Cannon is in a prime position for bike lanes. According to traffic counts from late 2012, each lane averages about 2,500 vehicles per day. The lanes are carrying less than half of their capacity, encouraging drivers to speed, and making the area dangerous for its users.

“It’s a freeway out there and it’s very intimidating to be there as a bike when you don’t have airbags or seatbelts,” adds Justin.

The petition currently has just over 1,600 supporters, and the organizers plan to go to city council with their proposition come September. So far the city has been supportive of the campaign and understands that the city needs more active transportation infrastructure, especially along its major roads.

“We’re going in the right direction. We’re doing things to keep cyclists safe. But we still have a network that has some very significant gaps in it. If we really want to take our cycling infrastructure from good to great, we should be installing something to connect and close those gaps,” explained Jones.

The ultimate plan for Yes We Cannon would be to have the bi-directional lanes up and running prior to the start of the Pan Am games in 2015.

“We know there is going to be resurfacing going on around the Pan Am precinct in the lead up to the games... Why pay crews to come in and do resurfacing and repainting twice? Why not do it once, do it right, leave the city with a legacy of active transportation that everyone can be proud of and can use decades after the Pan Am games have come and gone?”

The reasons to add bike lanes to Cannon outweigh the reasons not to.

“We aren’t talking about taking anything away from anyone, we’re talking about giving choice back to the community. Leaving a legacy we can all be proud of.”

If you’re a cyclist, you know how frustrating it can be trying to ride along a major road, and how terrifying it can be weaving in and out of pedestrians and the aforementioned puppies on the sidewalk.   If you would like to sign the petition in show of your support, you can visit Yes We Cannon’s website at www.yeswecannon.com. Sign it for yourself, sign it for your city, and sign it for the puppies.

The Hamilton Police Services has announced that, as of this week, there will be targeted driving and cycling enforcement leading to campus on Sterling Street. Police will specifically be targeting cycling infractions.

"The police have a number of partnerships in the Westdale community, including at McMaster. There’s been ongoing concern about cyclists obeying the rules of the road, particularly in the Westdale area," said Sgt. Scott Moreton of Hamilton Police Services.

Moreton explained that the Ainslie Wood/Westdale Community Association has been expressing concerns about road infractions by cyclists in the area, in addition to the problems observed by police. In particular, Hamilton police will be looking out for stop sign violations and cyclists riding on sidewalks.

He added the the crackdown on cycling infractions is part of a four-week "problem-oriented policing" project that began on March 3.

The Office of Sustainability notes that 37 per cent of students and 18 per cent of employees choose to walk or cycle to campus.