While you were out…

Cheerleaders win gold

Team Canada took home the gold
at late April’s World Cheerleading
Championship and Laurier cheerleading
was strongly represented.
Erin Dobson, Jon Cameron, Sarah
Dybka and Lauren Ball, all former
Golden Hawk cheerleaders, played a
vital role in Canada’s win at the inaugural
tournament.

Over 40 nations competed in the
championship and Team Canada
came out on top in both the co-ed elite
and all-girl elite divisions.
– Reported by Justin Fauteux

Hawks drafted to CFL

This year the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
selected a pair of Laurier alumni in the
CFL draft. Offensive lineman Adam
Bestard and fullback Peter Quinney
were drafted 27th and 35th overall respectively,
joining fellow former Hawk
Ian Logan in Winnipeg.

The pair signed contracts in late
May, and took part in the Blue Bombers’
training camp throughout June.

However, neither player was able to
crack the final roster and they are currently
listed as free-agents.
– Reported by Tieja MacLaughlin

Pool finally “saved”

Proponents of the “save the pool” initiative
at Laurier received some good
news over the summer as the university
received the funding that was
required to keep the beleaguered Athletic
Complex pool in operation.

Through investments from the cities
of Kitchener and Waterloo, the Region
of Waterloo (ROW) swim club
and the students of Wilfrid Laurier
University, $2 million was raised to allow
for the pool to undergo extensive
renovations over the summer.

These developments came about
two months after the pool closed for
the construction, as it was announced
that the university would receive an
additional $1 million from both the
federal and provincial governments,
allowing for the pool to remain open
for another 15-20 years.
– Reported by Justin Fauteux

Former Hawk recognized

In mid-July, Ian Logan, who was a
member of Laurier’s 2005 Vanier Cup
winning football team, was named the
runner up for the CFL Canadian player
of the week. The Waterloo native, currently
a member of the Winnipeg Blue
Bombers, made three tackles and added
a key interception in a 42-30 win
over the Calgary Stampeders.

Logan is currently tied for second
in the league with three interceptions
and has 21 tackles.
– Reported by Lauren Millet

Two Hawks go pro

Luke Girard and Mark Voakes, both of
whom had excellent careers as Golden
Hawks, will be playing hockey for a
living in 2009-10.

Girard will be heading across the
Atlantic to Belgium to play for Herentalse
HYC of the Royal Belgian Ice
Hockey Federation. He played four
seasons at Laurier, tallying 41 goals
and 41 assists in 97 games.

After closing his university career
by winning the President’s Award
as Laurier’s male athlete of the year,
Voakes was signed by the Cincinnati
Cyclones, the East Coast Hockey
League (ECHL) affiliate of the
Montreal Canadiens and Nashville
Predators.

Voakes recorded 154 points in 102
career games, at Laurier, and was
named the OUA MVP in 2008-09, as
well as the team MVP in both 2006-07
and 2008-09.
– Reported by Lauren Millet

Swimming coach retires

A long-time member of the Wilfrid
Laurier Golden Hawks community,
Dean Boles, will be leaving the purple
and gold in September to pursue a position
with Swim Ontario.

Boles become head coach of the
men’s and women’s varsity teams in
1987.

During his time as coach, Boles was
named Ontario University Athletics
(OUA) coach of the year three times
as well as CIAU – now known as Canadian
Interuniversity Sport (CIS) –
coach of the year in 2000.
– Reported by Lauren Millet

Football recruit recognized

Alex Anthony, who will join the men’s
football team this season, got the opportunity
to compete on the international
level this summer.

The young wide receiver was part
of Canada’s entry at the inaugural International
Federation of American
Football (IFAF) Junior World Championship,
which took place in late June.

Anthony, who is one of the top recruits
in the Ontario University Athletics
(OUA) this season, finished the
tournament as Team Canada’s top
receiver, and played a key role in the
team’s dramatic semi-final victory
over Japan, catching five passes for 98
yards.
– Reported by Justin Fauteux.

New curling coach

The Golden Hawks curling teams,
which have enjoyed incredible success
over the past few years, will have a
new head coach this coming season.

After former head coach Ken Mc-
Cormack left the program following
the 2008-09 season – a season
which saw the women’s team claim
the national title – Gary Crossley was
named his successor on July 17.

Crossley, a graduate of the University
of Waterloo, has coached numerous
successful young curlers, and is a
former president of the Elmira Curling
Club.
– Reported by Justin Fauteux