Violence in Sports

We, as humans, have been enamoured by sporting events for thousands of years. Prehistoric art painted on cave walls in France portrays evidence of ritual archery as being a leisurely activity. Captain James Cook, upon being the first Western visitor to the Hawaiian Islands in 1778, saw the native people surfing. When I visited the Mayan ruins of Tikal, in Guatemala, I heard of the Mesoamerican ballgame in which two teams (with a varying number of players) would hit a rubber ball back and forth, attempting to cause the other team to be unable to return. In some cases, war captives would play the game with the loser being decapitated for blood sacrifice.

In modern society we continue to be entertained by sports. Many times we too, much like the Mayans, take it quite seriously.

In Kelowna last month a young referee, Brandon Wright, was confronted by two players following an issuing of a red card (automatic ejection). The player then grabbed his collar and wrestled him to the ground. Wright managed to free himself from this attack before being crushed by a larger set man named Mark. Eventually, Wright was able to call for help and everything was cleared up. He left having cleat marks on his arm and various bruises across his body.

While not everybody gets this angry over sports, this kind of ridiculous behaviour seems to be happening more frequently. In the last five years we have seen everything from NBA players, who are making millions of dollars a year, getting in brawls with the opposing team’s fans to hockey mom’s screaming at junior league referees to the point of legitimate fear being evident. We have seen the Chilean U-20 soccer team fighting with police in Toronto and the always infamous Todd Bertuzzi sucker punch of Steve Moore. The list could go on, and on, and on.

If we continue to accept these kinds of actions without punishment, the frequency will continue to increase much like unpunished ignorance of the speed limit would cause an increase in the amount of people speeding on our roads.

Actions must be taken on each level. Not just legal action, but social action. It’s our job as much as anybody else’s to put an end to these unacceptable occurrences.

There’s a reason nobody is playing the Mesoamerican ball game anymore – and there’s no reason we need to be taking our sporting activities that seriously either.

CUC Men’s Aurora – Soccer Update

If you haven’t been to a CUC Men’s Soccer game lately, now is the time to do so.

While other sports teams at our school are struggling for victories, the men’s soccer team is leading their league in wins while also providing highlight reel goals. With ten wins and only five losses, the Aurora have been lighting up the scoreboard on a regular basis with 51 goals to count, including a team-leading eight coming from Stefan Sremac.

“There’s been a lot of improvement from the beginning of the year,” Stefan said following a 5-0 win over the Urban Knights earlier this month, “all the lines are scoring quite a bit and the defensemen are really stepping up.”

The team has had key contributions made from each member of the roster. Kyle Kay has scored six goals; Ricardo Mena, Lindsey Nycholat, Brad Lalonde, Daniel Zepick, and Fred Onsoti each have five; Matt Giguerre has tallied three; Tyler Ferguson, Tim Werner, and Landon Blize each have a pair; and Anthony Eisses and Anthony DaRocha have each registered one.

This team, however, isn’t just about scoring goals.

Kirk Baker, the goaltender for the CUC Aurora, has let in a league low 30 goals. With acrobatic saves and steady focus, Kirk has also been able to accumulate three shutouts along the way.

While the goal scoring is a definite bonus for the Aurora; Kirk has been the backbone of the team. He tends to go unnoticed, but that is usually what you want from a goalie, a position that typically gets more blame than praise. “He makes tons of saves,” Fred said of his goalie, “he keeps his head in the game; even if he gets roughed up he stays focussed.”

“Focus” is a word that can be used to describe any one of these players.

While not everyone on the team has scored a goal; everyone has been a part of the march towards a larger goal: winning the Red Deer Men’s Indoor Tier 2 championship. A goal that, with this group of guys, is very achievable.

Note: A video clip has been put together by Danny McCreery from a 5-3 victory over the Urban Knights. The clip can be found here.

—This article is to be published in the March 2007 edition of The Aurora Chronicles—

Representing CUC

When push comes to shove, these guys get the job done.

The men’s CUC soccer team has started the season with four wins and only one loss, something that many would not have expected a year ago. It’s not that people thought that there wasn’t any soccer talent at this school, it’s the simple fact that CUC hasn’t had a soccer team since 2003 – and even then they weren’t in an official league.

However, soccer is back – thanks in part to huge efforts made by Stefan Sremac and Tyler Ferguson. Tyler continually pleaded with Mr. Schafer to make it happen. “I told him that I’d find the players if there weren’t enough.”

Putting together extramural sports teams has always been a difficult thing for this school. Not only is it hard to guarantee that there will be enough athletes on such a small campus, but it is also difficult to find athletes that are willing to commit to the program and all the time it requires. This group of guys, however, made it clear that they were willing to do what it takes to have a team.

Mr. Schafer heard their cries and put in the final effort to make it happen, something that Alastair Atherton, coach of the Aurora, feels will really benefit the school. “It’s another opportunity to provide something positive for the students outside of classes and the usual college life. More than that, it’s an opportunity to represent CUC in our community.”

Every Wednesday morning at 6:00am, the guys are not only up – but participating in a two hour long full-fledged practice. Coach Alastair is really proud of how well the team has come together. “We have a lot of top notch players that have really jelled.”

With such a hot start, hopes are high – and everything indicates that this group is willing to meet the expectations that have been put on their shoulders. Stefan, the leading scorer through five games, plans on nothing but success. “Honestly, our expectations are to win – to be the top of tier two.” And what exactly does this success mean to the school? “Well,” Stefan added, “it brings school pride.”

The men’s soccer team has been an outstanding program for the college life and a great representation of what we want our school to stand for: commitment, sportsmanship, and success.

With the sports teams leading the way, there are signs of excellence coming out from all areas of our hilltop campus. “And, since most of us are returning,” comments Ferguson, “the following years will only get better.” Let’s hope that the school’s future can parallel that of our soccer team and raise our college to new heights – heights that are only possible when everybody is willing to do their part.

—–This article was originally published December 2006 in The Aurora Chronicles—–