OCAA funding not consistent across the province

The Humber Golden Hawks have won four consecutive OCAA Championships, including two National titles in a row

 BELLEVILLE – Sports is a business. Business is about making as much money as possible. For the Ontario College Athletics Association, sports are about a chance to let students participate in athletics to encourage higher enrollment and provide the school with positive publicity. Part of trying to get the top athletes to wear your school uniform is the recruiting process; coaches driving all over the province, and even out of the country, to convince players to make a life decision about their education and possible athletic career. But what if a school doesn’t have enough money to send coaches all over the province to scout the very best? The teams suffer and the school has to work with the best they have.

Is it fair for schools like Mohawk College, located in Hamilton with a population of 520,000, to have a budget three times larger than Loyalist College, located in Belleville with a population of 50,000? Loyalist College athletic director Jim Buck has just $5,000 for eight sports. The money covers the cost of team meals, traveling, hotel rooms and sending the coaches to recruit players. Buck says a big factor into getting a bigger budget is student enrollment. He believes if schools like Loyalist offered a more diverse range of programs, it would attract more athletes and bring in more tuition money.

“Some schools are offering a maximum of $2,500 (in bursaries). If we could go out west and recruit kids and guarantee kids that met the requirements $2,500, that would allow us to get more kids, better athletes and become more competitive,” said Buck, who was the assistant athletic director for 21 years before becoming the head athletic director at Loyalist in 2008.

            The simple solution is enrollment. Loyalist currently has 2,800 students, ranking them 12^th out of the 20 schools in the OCAA. The more students you have, the more programs the school offers. Therefore the more money the school generates. The top college in Ontario in terms of enrollment is Seneca College, which has just over 21,000 students attending their four campuses. Seneca has 153 programs compared to Loyalist’s 68. Sheridan College, located in Oakville, has 15,000 students and offers over 130 programs and are coming off a provincial championships last season in Men’s Basketball. Athletic director of Sheridan and Head Coach of the Men’s basketball team Jim Flak says while they don’t necessarily have a recruiting budget, they have a different method that doesn’t break the bank.

            “The majority of recruiting is done by phone and on-line through email. I think that provincially and nationally, it would be a better idea for us (and the Canadian Interuniversity Sport) to divide ourselves into conferences that have like-minded educational philosophies, as well as similar budgets,” said Flak, who won his first OCAA basketball championship last season, in an e-mail conversation.

            While Loyalist has a set budget, schools like Algonquin College’s athletic department provide the student bursaries that Buck does not have at Loyalist due to the low number of enrolled students. Algonquin Women’s basketball Head Coach John MacInnis says the bursaries are a huge advantage when recruiting players.

            “The athletic department has money that they make available for student bursaries for people that maintain a certain average. The $2,500 is mandated by the league, so that’s the most you can offer for the year,” says MacInnis, who has been the Head Coach since 2008 and was named the OCAA Coach of the Year in 2012.

            While schools’ athletic directors may delegate money for bursaries, Mohawk College in Hamilton has their athletes pay a student fee. Head Coach of the Mohawk Men’s basketball team Brian Jonker says they have no money delegated to recruiting.

            “We have limited meal money. Players pay an athletic fee of about $125 and they don't pay for rooms, transportation, or uniforms. It would be nice if there was a level playing field but you will never see that for a long list of reasons,” Jonker explains, whose Men’s basketball team won the National Championship in 2012, in an e-mail conversation.

            For the colleges that are not located in high-population areas, growing enrollment will always be a problem. Schools like Humber College reap the benefits of being located just 20 minutes north of Toronto, and have won 45 OCAA Championships, including two national titles since 2004. So it seems that the key to victory isn’t necessarily which school has the most money, but the location of their campuses.

            While Sheridan, Algonquin and Mohawk do not necessarily have a budget, cash-strapped little schools like Loyalist will have to find other ways to play with the big dogs, so to speak. Athletic directors in the smaller towns will have to take the Moneyball approach and do their best with the resources that are provided.

The Purple Butterfly That Couldn’t: Why the WWE Divas Division Is A Disaster

Current Divas Champ AJ Lee, one of the few true performers on TV currently. Courtesy:wwe.com

They’re strong and they’re sexy, but their wrestling skills are about as flawless as Tim Tebow’s passing game. Today’s Divas division in the WWE is easily the most lackluster the company has ever seen. Long gone are the days of having 100% Stratus-faction in each Diva’s match or the jaw-dropping ring entrance by Melina. Sex may sell, but real fans want more.

Since the inception of the “Divas Championship” in 2008, the WWE had already begun phasing out former Divas in an effort to shake things up. Some of the pushed talent came from some unexpected faces, like Michelle McCool and Kelly Kelly. The new wave sparked more competition, with the now-defunct Women’s Championship still making its rounds. The problem is, you can’t have TWO singles titles for a division that has maybe six actual wrestlers, and 15 bottom-feeders.

The Women’s Championship prestige was being compromised by a marketing ploy to exploit the new and improved “Divas” brand. For die-hard fans, the integrity for the championship remained, with the Mickie James’, Melina’s and Beth Phoenix’s duking it out for the gold, while the Layla’s, Kelly Kelly’s and Bella’s were fighting for a purple butterfly they had the audacity to call a championship.

Don’t get me wrong, there are true performers in the division today. AJ Lee is a great champion and her personality through vignettes is something to be encouraged. Kaitlyn, Alicia Fox and Natalya are all phenomenal wrestlers, and I think these four women are all championship material. This is what drives me nuts: when you have a log-jam at the top, and everything after that is a significant drop. The Bella Twins have looks that would give any guy whiplash if they walked by. Their 8-move arsenal however is almost laughable. A bulldog, a face buster, a drop-kick. Lather, rinse, repeat. The same can be said for 80% of the Divas that walk through that locker room. We can’t keep accepting mediocrity so long as there are a few good wrestlers in the bunch. A division should not be carried by a handful wrestlers, men or female. The Cruiserweight Division was on life-support before WWE finally realized they couldn’t deliver anymore.

I think anyone who watched WWE from 1999-2009 would say the Divas division has been in good hands. In fact, I would say almost an embarrassment of riches stepped through that curtain in that 10-year span. Isn’t that what a business wants, promotion from within? More incentives for the wrestler, save money, and you know what you’re getting. I think Triple H would agree that is good for business.

My best suggestion would be quality not quantity. Take Alicia Fox, for example. She has the look, the skill and the tenacity to be a consistent champion.

This match is from September, 2012. The overall fight was not bad, but both Natalya and Alicia Fox showed off their athleticism and actually were able to have a match longer than 90 seconds.

WATCH: Natalya vs Alicia Fox, September, 2012

The key to being a good wrestler is not being good yourself, but making your opponent look better than you. I think Alicia made Natalya look superb by selling her flips and not being choppy in the ring. Of course, Natalya is already a great performer, but Alicia was able to make herself look a little less dominant than she is. Her legs are her strength, and Natalya was able to return the favour by allowing Alicia to take control. If they put a match half as good as this every week, then they’re on their way. The whole 6-person tag just to have face time is a real snore-fest when the pin fall happens within the opening minute. If they need more work, save it for Smackdown before coming over to Raw.

The talent is there, but the supporting cast remains in the water without a paddle. Sex will always be the selling point in women’s wrestling, just remember the wresting part.

**This article is also featured on That's my Quarterback.com**

Double the Fun!

I have been asked to be a wrestling/sports writer on another website, so I will be contributing to both my blog here, and on the site. If you enjoy sports, as well as pop culture, this site has great feature stories as well as many great articles and Q & A's.

Check it out at www.thatsmyquarterback.com.

And no, unfortunately Terrell Owens does not write for them.

POST-GAME: OHL Hockey Belleville Bulls vs Kingston Frontenacs October 2nd, 2013

BELLEVILLE- Ryan Kujawinski scored with 20 seconds left in overtime to lift the Kingston Frontenacs over the Belleville Bulls 4-3 last night in Belleville.

Both goaltenders stole the show. Frontenacs goalie Matt Mahalak earned the games first star honours making 44 saves. Bulls goalie Charlie Graham was tested early and often. The 18-year old gave Belleville the opportunity to steal a point while making 38 saves.

Mahalak says the atmosphere was dialed up right from the opening faceoff.

“The intensity for this game is definitely much higher knowing you’re playing Belleville. They’re our rivals and to beat them in dramatic fashion like that definitely felt great.” says the Monroe, Michigan native.

The scales tipped in Kingston’s favour just over a minute in. Forward Sam Bennet threw the puck in front of the net and banked it off Bulls defenseman Justin Lemcke’s skates for the early 1-0 lead. The Bulls defense was able to keep Kingston off the board for the rest of the period despite allowing 17 shots in the frame.

A high-sticking double-minor put Kingston short-handed just before the end of the first. Early in the second, Belleville capitalized on the man advantage. Bulls captain Brendan Gaunce sent a pass through the hash marks to a wide open Luke Cairns who made no mistake going over Mahalak’s glove to tie the game at one.

The Frontenacs offense retaliated with over 12 minutes left in the frame. Defenseman Michael Moffat grabbed the puck behind the Belleville net and sent it in front where Spencer Watson picked the top-right corner on Graham to restore the Frontenacs early lead.

Shortly after Watson put Kingston in front, the Bulls broke out on a 2-on-1. Gaunce split two Kingston defenseman before sending the one-time pass to Garret Hooey who was stopped by the quick glove of Mahalak. The breakout sparked the Bulls offense. With 9:08 left in the second, Aaron Berisha took a hard wrist shot from the left faceoff circle to beat Mahalak and knot the game back at two.

The seesaw battle continued and 10 seconds later Kingston caught Belleville napping. Frontenacs forward Corey Pawley stripped Bulls defenseman Adam Bignell of the puck at the blue line. The initial point shot was stopped by Graham but Frontenacs forward Darcy Greenaway collected the rebound, scoring his 7^th goal of the season and giving Kingston the 3-2 lead.

Just like the beginning of the second period, Belleville came flying out of the gates early for the third. Less than two minutes in, Berisha wired a shot and the rebound ended up on Bulls forward Nikki Petti’s stick. The 17-year old centre put it in the open cage to tie the game 3-3.

After 60 minutes of back-and-forth play, the game went to overtime. With 20 seconds left in the overtime frame, Sam Watson dug the puck out of the Belleville corner and threw it in front where Ryan Kujawinski sealed the deal for the Frontenacs.

Despite coming away with one point, Berisha thought Belleville deserved to come out on top.

“They’re a really fast-paced team. They (have) a lot of young talent. We should have buried them tonight, but they got the best of us.” said Berisha, who had two points in the contest.

Belleville (1-2-2) will try to climb to .500 when they travel to Oshawa to take on the Generals Friday night. Kingston (4-0-1) is looking to stay undefeated in regulation when they travel back home to take on the Ottawa 67’s.

*Photo courtesy of www.thewhig.com 

Book Review: "Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball"

Rating: 4.5/5

I'll be honest, my only memory of RA Dickey before 2010 was when I used to play EA Sports' MVP Baseball 2005 on my PlayStation 2. I would scroll through the rosters and see this mediocre reliever on the Texas Rangers with a funny last name. A few years later, his name resurfaced after he published a book. I just loved reading biographies of athletes, so I decided to go to the library to check it out. The hold list was over 4 months, the librarian told me. Luckily, I just shrugged it off and thought "It's RA Dickey, whatever".

A friend of mine is a huge Mets fan, and would always tweet #DICKEYTHEBEST, or have something to say about this knuckleballer. As far as I knew, he had a decent knuckleball, but Tim Wakefield was still the front runner when it came to making batters feel silly. RA must have heard me, as he went on to win the Cy Young at the end of the 2012 season and eventually traded to Toronto in the winter. 

Fast forward to April, 2013. I've seen all the short articles about his amazing career through the minors, and the hurdles in his life. I was on the train home from work when the same friend texted me about going downtown Toronto to meet Dickey and get a signed copy of his book. I thought to myself, why not, we can talk baseball all day and watch the Jays game. It wasn't until the next day when I realized I wish I had read the book before I met him.

Dickey's quest for a stronger meaning towards life should be an inspiration to not only athletes, but anyone who questions the hand in life they were dealt. As a baseball prodigy who could hit 95 miles-per-hour, baseball was his only escape. Dickey explains that he comes from a family of alcoholism, and how it ruined relationships and hampered his ability to trust other people. Dickey tried to reach out to anyone who may have driven down a similar path to his own. 

Past the athletics and alcoholism was a much darker demon. Dickey doesn't fail to go in-depth about his sexual assault experiences as a child. The trauma he experienced sounds like he desperately needed someone to come out to about,

“If you aren't willing to face your demons-if you can't find the courage to take on your fear and hurt and anger-you might as well wrap them up with a bow and give them to your children. Because they will be carrying the same thing...unless you are willing to do the work”. 

In a way, this book was his "out pitch", pardon the bad joke. This wasn't written by some ego-headed juice head like Jose Conseco's Juiced, which by the way is a TERRIBLE read. His emotions take over his writing and Dickey instantly draws you into his fantasy world of breaking into houses and swimming up rivers. 

Something I really enjoyed about his book was his in-depth recollection of his past experiences. Listening to him try and explain his thoughts from years past is a real treat because he ignores hindsight for the time being and doesn't try and filter his thought process.

Despite his 2013 season with Toronto being seen as a disappointment, his work ethic is exemplified throughout the book and interviews with teammates. After hearing him speak in public and how well he presents himself, I've become obsessed with the guy. I went from being a casual fan, at best, to a die-hard. His story and success is unmatched in baseball today. As humans, we're programmed to go with the underdog, and this is the Chihuahua of underdogs. Overall, this book is for more than just baseball fans. It will make you rethink your life and almost guilt you into becoming a better person. It did for me, at least.  

Myself meeting RA Dickey, and yes I asked him to write #DICKEYTHEBEST in my book, but he forgot to write "the"

Top 5 WWE Wrestler's since 2000

With the Attitude Era a thing of the past, the newly branded WWE (thanks to copyright issues) sought after a new identity, and were now saying "Get the F out!". The 2000's had an incredible amount of talent after their acquisition of WCW, and it created endless possibilities for creative to use these new faces against the already dominant ones the WWE had produced, like The Rock, Triple H and Kurt Angle. It's so tough to pick one performer. Where do you start? How do you choose? My method has a few different variables that I will be considering. Titles held, main events, crowd engagement (heels get some love too, don't worry) and overall presence. 

5. Kurt Angle
WWE Debut: 1998
 
4x WWE Champion
1x WCW United States Champion
1x WCW Champion
1x World Heavyweight Champion
1x European Champion
1x Hardcore Champion
1x Intercontinental Champion
1x WWE Tag Team Champion (w/ Chris Benoit)
2000 King of the Ring

When Angle joined the WWE in 1998, he instantly became one of the most dominant performers. His technicality in the ring was second to none, and he has the the gold to prove it. Defeating The Rock and Stone Cold for his first two WWE Championships set the tone for the rest of the locker room. Through the early part of the decade, he captured the King of the Ring and lost his hair. Who needs hair when you break ankles like him? One thing I always loved about Angle was no matter how serious and angry he seemed, he had such a comic side. Doing his spots with Edge and Christian really showed displayed those two sides. Although Angle left for TNA in 2007, he was so good he didn't need those two extra years. Definitely the best pure wrestler professional wrestling has ever seen. Oh he's good, he's damn good.

4. Randy Orton 
WWE Debut: 2002 

6x WWE Champion
3x World Heavyweight Champion
1x World Tag Team Champion (with Edge)
1x Intercontinental Champion
2009 Royal Rumble Winner

The Viper is truly magic to watch in the ring. Orton's wrestling made large strides when he joined Evolution, alongside Batista, Triple H and The Nature Boy. When Orton defeated Benoit at Summerslam '04 to become the youngest world champion, you could tell he was special. His raging desire and dominance was unmatched by anyone. He branded himself as the Legend Killer and defeated numerous Hall of Famers. Yes, they are old and can't do much now, but you wouldn't try and show up Michael Jordan in a basketball game when he's 60 or 70.His feud with John Cena propelled him to unimaginable heights, both demanding the best performance out of each other. Orton was always able to strike out of nowhere and turn any match around. It's scary to think how good he was then, and not even in his prime. His devastating RKO could be hit from anywhere at anytime, making him able to turn the momentum faster than 2 Cold Scorpio's 450 splash (I mean his rotations). When The Viper strikes, it's game over.

3. John Cena
WWE Debut: 2002


10x WWE Champion
2x World Heavyweight Champion
2x World Tag Team Champion (w/ Batista and Shawn Michaels)
2x WWE Tag Team Champion (w/ David Otunga and The Miz)
3x United States Champion
2008, 2013 Royal Rumble Winner
2012 Mr. Money in the Bank

This one is going to get a lot of heat. If you love Cena, then you're wondering why he isn't number one. If you hate him, you're wondering why he's even here. Cena is the face of the WWE now, despite not getting over with the "educated" demographic of wrestling. I'm aware only little kids and the ladies love John, but come on, cut the guy some slack. He works harder than any other superstar, and has the accolades to prove it. Back when he was rapping and the Chain Gang Soldier, he was a hit. He was also an underdog. People don't like when underdogs become favourites clearly, and John has great in-ring technique. He works with any style or size of wrestler and his mic skills are phenomenal. He's main evented the big dance numerous times and has put on great matches. I don't understand why people hate him so much. I think it is the Nickleback effect: people hate him just for the sake of hating him. Cena easily could have been in the top two, but these next two superstars are too good to be anywhere but the top.

2. Edge
WWE Debut: 1998

4x WWE Champion
7x World Heavyweight Champion 
12x World Tag Team Champion (seven w/ Christian, two w/ Chris Benoit, one w/ Randy Orton, Chris Jericho and Hulk Hogan)
2x WWE Tag Team Champion (one w/ Rey Mysterio and Chris Jericho)
5x Intercontinental Champion
1x WCW United States Champion
2001 King of the Ring
2x Money In The Bank Winner (2005, 2007)
2010 Royal Rumble Winner
WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2012)

The ultimate opportunist was just that: always cashing in when the stakes were high. Edge is easily without any contention the most decorated superstar in WWE history. He has held every title under the sun, and was a record 14-time tag team champion. FOURTEEN. After his tag team career, he showed no signs of slowing down in the singles division and easily sky rocketed to main event level. One of the smartest moves by any wrestler of all-time was cashing in his MITB at New Years Revolution 2006, after champion John Cena spent almost an hour in the Elimination Chamber. Genius struck again after he cashed his second MITB against Undertaker on Smackdown. This guy wasn't the biggest, strongest or fastest, but he was certainly the smartest. It was tough for me not to put him as number one because of my Canadian roots, but his injuries slowed him down too often and cost him lengthy title reigns. Besides, this next guy has a little red and white in him too.


1. Chris Jericho
WWE Debut: 1999

3x World Heavyweight Champion
9x Intercontinental Champion
First-ever Unpisputed Champion
2x WCW Champion
5x World Tag Team Champion (once w/ Benoit, The Rock, Christian, Edge and Big Show)
2x WWE Tag Team Champion (w/ Edge and Big Show)
1x European Champion
1x Hardcore Champion

THE AYATOLLAH OF ROCK AND ROLLA! There is no disputing the first ever Undisputed Champion of WWE in the number one spot. Chris Jericho physically drew people into the seats with just his attitude. He could go from being a complete jack-ass to the funniest guy on TV. His wrestling? That was okay I guess, (Sarcasm, just breathe). Y2J was a technician in the ring. He would work down his opponents before breaking the walls down or Lionsaulting before he nailed the 3-count. Jericho made his run from the Cruiserweight division of WCW to the Heavyweight of the WWE. He defeated The Rock and Stone Cold in the SAME NIGHT to earn his undisputed title. He is the man of 1004 holds. He is our saviour. He is one of the best wrestlers of all-time. I feel like I'm just rambling on about him, but it's hard not to. He transformed the WWE and molded the beginning of the 21st century in professional wrestling. No doubt he will be a Hall of Famer the second he hangs up those boots for the last time. With the heart of a lion, I don't think that will be for a very long time.

Honourable mentions and brief explanations, in case you were wondering:

Triple H - Obviously one of the best wrestlers of all-time, his injuries and side stories kept him not involved enough in the major storylines going on, not to mention his numerous surgeries that kept him out of action for extended periods of time.

Undertaker - His legacy is a big as it gets. Unfortunately, that doesn't really cut it. His Wrestlemania streak is the most impressive streak in all of sports and sports entertainment, but what else does he really have going for him?

Shawn Michaels - You would think Mr. Wrestlemania would be rocking a little more gold. Don't get me wrong, HBK is one of the most exciting superstars to watch. He can put on a 5-star match with Val Venis. Those years with DX and not chasing the gold really hurt him on this one.