ACAC Curling Mixed Champions

& Men’s Silver Medalists Basketball & Hockey

Playoff Run

Biathlon Home Race:

March 3-4

In Every Issue In This Issue

Adopt A Viking

Photo of the Week

Hockey Playoff Schedule Vikings Nordic Update: From Canada to Europe

Basketball Playoffs

ACAC Curling Championship

The Final Word: By Josh Ryan

Athlete Q&A: Ryan Cornforth

Edgeworth Fitness Centre

Hockey Semi Final Playoff Action

Biathlon Home Race This Weekend - Schedule!

Vikings Nordic Update: From Canada to Europe

Trust the Midas touch.

Over the weekend the Vikings Curling team did not have to travel far to attend the 2012 ACAC Provincial Curling Championships. Camrose played host to 4 of the best Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed teams in the ACAC. The Augustana Vikings were represented by the Men’s and Mixed teams lead by skips Kendal Warawa and An-drew Evans. After a rough start for both teams in the first draw the teams made come back in their final draws to claim a position in the gold medal game on Sunday morn-ing. The Men’s team would take on the Red Deer Kings in the gold medal match and would play a tough and exciting game right down to the final ends. The men were un-able to take the win however; securing them the silver medal for the 2012 season. The Mixed team took on the Grand Prairie Regional College in their gold medal match. The Vikings team ran away with the lead early and kept pace through-out the game. The win marks the second Championship for the Mixed team in the last two years. Coaches and fans alike remarked how the play over the weekend was some of the most competitive curling in the ACAC they have ever seen. The Viking were able to show their best play in front of family and friends over the three days and are very pleased with the result. Congratulations to both teams on a job well done!

For the first time in years the men’s basketball team had made the playoffs. Their road their may have been bumpy and a little longer then some teams but the men showed that they could bring their A game to the playoff stage. Last Wednesday night the men headed down to Calgary to play in their first wildcard game versus the SAIT Trojans. The men took to the floor with determination winning the contest decisively 80-54. The men would immediately head into another wildcard game in Calgary on Thursday night versus the Concordia Thunder. In a must win game to move onto the semi final round of play the men took to the floor with a lot of heart push-ing the game in overtime. In the end however they would be defeated by the Thunder 89-82 in overtime. “I am very proud of the efforts of our players and coach-ing staff this season. I believe our program has taken some very positive steps forward and the fruits of our labors were re-alized in the form of our first play-off appearance since 2002-2003 and our first play-off win since 2001-2002. Many thanks to the families and friends of our team that supported us so well during the season - and of course to the best fans in the ACAC!” - Coach David Drabiuk.

This past week the women headed down to Lethbridge to play in the semi final round of the women’s basketball playoffs. This will be the second year in a row that the women will have made the semi final round of playoffs. The women would lose their first game by only five points versus the Lethbridge Rattlers

and would rally on Friday night to win 82-76 forcing a game three in the series. In a must win game the women played hard and were wining at the half. Taryn Story lead the team with 27 points, and play maker Monique Jarret lead the team with 8 assists. The women were not able to come out on top losing the contest 76-82. “I thought our team fought really hard and showed character in coming back after our first loss to take it to three games. We had contributions from everyone. Although the year ended sooner than we thought, I am excited about our young team's potential

next year. We already have individuals talking about training and skills they are looking to improve on for next year. I’m really proud of this group and excited about the our potential for next year. “ - Head Coach Leanne Shenton

Balancing the books… Sleep, eat, classes, group projects, studying, team practice, strength training, travel, com-petition, eat, sleep, repeat… Not all days are like this, but our student-athletes, on average, dedicate 21 hours a week to training and performing in their chosen sport. Add in weekend travel to competitions, athletic therapy, and involvement in community initiatives and there is little to no time re-maining to take on part-time jobs to offset the costs of attending university. Financial assistance is crucial to the continuation of the proud tradition of sporting and academic excellence at Augustana. Invest in our athletes and their dreams will become reality. To Adopt an Athlete click on the link below and pick the sport your athlete participates in and honour them with a gift in their name. Adopt a Viking Online Giving Page Thank You Vikings Athletics

This past weekend (February 25-26), the Vikings Biathlon Team travelled to Hinton, Alberta to compete in the Western Canadian Championships. Although shooting conditions were windy and tricky, many of the athletes had great races. In the Men’s category, Kai Skinstad placed first in both the 20 km individual, and the 10 km sprint, while Alex Frost placed second both days. In the Women’s category, Jenny Patterson placed first in the 15 km individual, and second in the 7.5 km sprint. After suffering sickness and missing the individual, Carly Shiell placed first in the sprint. Betsy Mawdsley rounded out the women’s podium placing third both days. In the Junior Men’s category, Ryan Burlin-game placed first in both the 15 km individual and the 10 km sprint while Devin Berquist placed sec-ond both days.

Over the past few weeks Andy Pohl of the Vikings Cross Country Skiing Team has been in

Europe training and racing. Over the period of February 20-26, Andy competed in three races at the

World Under 23 Cross Country Skiing Championships held in Erzurum, Turkey. Andy placed 59th in

the sprint, 50th in the 15 km classic race and 41st in the 30 km Skiathlon. Congratulations Andy on

competing at a world class level against the world’s best.

Keely MacCulloch has been competing at the U23 and Youth World Championships in Kontilahti Finland. She showed what STUFF she is made of by placing 38 in the 10km Pursuit race, second best Canadian and shooting 18/20. “Keely has really improved her shooting in the months prior to trials. For her to put it all together internationally is amaz-ing” said Coach Hand Skinstad. Congratulations Keely!

Sunday, March 3, 2012

Sprint 9:00 –9:45 Zero 10:00 Race Start

Contact Alicia Hurley

ahurley@augustana.ca

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Mass Start 10:00 –10:45 Zero 11:00 Race Start

Afternoon Fun Relay Race

Sunday, March 3, 2012

Sprint 9:00 –9:45 Zero 10:00 Race Start

Contact Alicia Hurley

ahurley@augustana.ca

Vikings Photo Gallery

After finishing out the regular season on February 18 the Vikings achieved two of their goals for this season; to have 20 regular season wins and to secure the second place spot in the ACAC and a bi into the semi finals. This past week the men have been taking to the ice and the gym in preparation for the coming semi finals series which starts this Thursday March 2 versus one of their biggest rivals the SAIT Trojans. In what will be a best of 5 series the Vikings get home ice advantage and are hoping for a loud and exciting crowd of fans. Also this week Goaltender Joel Danyluk has awarded ACAC Athlete of the Week by the league as well as Athlete of the Week by the ACAC Hockey Online website. In his rookie year Joel has stood at the top of the leader board for ACAC Goaltenders. In his last weekend of regular season play Joel was called upon in two crucial games versus Concordia Thunder where he stopped 27-28 shots during the Friday night game and stopped all 27 shots he faced on Saturday night. Danyluk leads all ACAC Men's Hockey goaltenders with a 1.85 GAA and a 0.937 Save%. Congratulations Joel! Come check out the Vikings Playoff Action starting Thursday, March 1 vs. the SAIT Tro-jans @ 7:30 at the Encana Arena.

SEMI FINALS

Thursday, March 1 vs. SAIT @ Encana Arena 7:30PM

Game 2 TBD

Friday March 9 vs. SAIT @ Encana Arena 7:30PM

Saturday, March 10, vs. SAIT @ SAIT Arena

Sunday, March 11 vs. SAIT @ Encana Arena

(Game 5 If Needed)

February 23-26 Quarter Finals

March 1-11 Semi Finals

March 15-25 Finals

SEMI FINALS

Thursday, March 1 vs. SAIT @ Encana Arena 7:30PM

Game 2 TBD

Friday March 9 vs. SAIT @ Encana Arena 7:30PM

Saturday, March 10, vs. SAIT @ SAIT Arena

Sunday, March 11 vs. SAIT @ Encana Arena

(Game 5 If Needed)

February 23-26 Quarter Finals

March 1-11 Semi Finals

March 15-25 Finals

Why did you choose to attend Augustana?

What has been your best moment playing for the Vikings?

Do you have any rituals or superstitions?

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

What are you looking to accomplish in your time at Augustana? Who has been your biggest influence in your life thus far?

What has been the biggest accomplishment in sport?

What is the best advice you were ever given?

What is your favourite type of music/band?

What is your favourite food to eat before a game?

It was a very last minute decision, I had been planning to go back and play one more year of Junior hockey,

but wasn’t very happy with the way things were going so I decided to give school a try instead.

Right now the goal is to win a championship. I’m sure in a few years I’ll be pretty happy

with the degree, but for now it’s a distant second.

I always tape my stick after warm-up.

I usually just eat some tortellini, sometimes with chicken.

Kid Rock, for sure. Me, Ritzy, and Dupre listen to him all the time. He’s the man. Oh, and

Nickleback.

I’d say right now it’s a tie between the torch relay game that we played against Briercrest 2 years ago and

the game we played against Mount Royal in the Max Mclean just 2 weeks ago. Both games had a ton of at-

mosphere and were just genuinely fun to play in and be a part of. Hopefully we can have a few more of

those in playoffs this year.

Depends what I need to get inspired for, but generally when it comes to hockey I like try-

ing to win for the guys who aren’t going to get another chance at it. This year it’s Dupre. I

think all of the guys really want to see him win a championship before he leaves, he’s

done a lot for the program and we all know what it would mean to him.

In midget my team won a provincial championship which was pretty special, but I would have to say that this

year has so far been one of the best of my hockey career. Finishing in second place with 20 wins is pretty

special.

My mom’s has always told me that everything happens for a reason, and it’s something that has really stuck

with me.

My parents have definitely been my biggest influence. They have been incredibly supportive through every-

thing I have ever done and have always been there for me.

Do you have any rituals or superstitions?

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

What are you looking to accomplish in your time at Augustana?

What is your favourite type of music/band?

What is your favourite food to eat before a game?

Right now the goal is to win a championship. I’m sure in a few years I’ll be pretty happy

with the degree, but for now it’s a distant second.

I always tape my stick after warm-up.

I usually just eat some tortellini, sometimes with chicken.

Kid Rock, for sure. Me, Ritzy, and Dupre listen to him all the time. He’s the man. Oh, and

Nickleback.

Depends what I need to get inspired for, but generally when it comes to hockey I like try-

ing to win for the guys who aren’t going to get another chance at it. This year it’s Dupre. I

think all of the guys really want to see him win a championship before he leaves, he’s

done a lot for the program and we all know what it would mean to him.

fitnesscentre@augustana.ca

http://www.augustana.ualberta.ca/athletics/recreation/fitness

http://www.augustana.ualberta.ca/athletics/recreation/fitness/rates.html

Hi all hope the break was good to you. While most of us enjoyed the time kick back, relax, and get caught up on homework, our basketball teams battled it out in Calgary and Lethbridge. While they were eliminated, they went down swinging, losing by narrow margins. Nice work guys and girls. The Curlers also had a great weekend with the Mixed team repeating as ACAC Conference Champions and the Men’s team taking home the silver medal.

In keeping with last week’s theme of dedication, I would like to put to rest some misconceptions about funding for athletics. One of the most frustrating elements of being a post secondary athlete is the widely held belief that athletics is a drain on the coffers of the campus. I cannot

speak for all teams but I know the lengths the men’s volleyball team goes to create revenue. In general I understand that ath letics raises revenues of more than $125,000 per year. This is up from approximately $25,000 in 2008. The teams raise half of this amount directly. The other hal f is raised via ticketing and sponsorship. The men’s volleyball team raises a large portion of its budget through Adopt-a-Viking’s and working the annual high school volleyball tournament in the September. The dollar amount from the University simply covers the absolute necessities, such as travel to and from conference games, hotel rooms when we are on the road and a small amount of meal money. The peripherals like team warm ups, some exhibition travel and extra training equipment are all covered through fundraising. So when you see an athlete with a nice jacket on please note that this comes from hard work at fundraising.

What does a non-student athlete get from this relationship? First, you get brand recognition. As the teams travel throughout the conference, they are very visible

and bring attention and new students to this campus. As I noted last week, the coaches spend an incredible number of hours recruiting. This is a good thing at a school such as Augustana that is trying to increase its enrolment. Secondly, you get free entertainment on the weekends. The games are increasingly exciting as the teams continue to improve. In 2008 there were no team sports in the ACAC playoffs, now there are six. Finally, there is an opportunity to work at the events as part of the Vikings Crew. The Vikings Crew pays you for your efforts as well as offers the opportunity for some hands on sport marketing and event management experi-ence.

Anyway you examine this athletics like other non-academic pursuits on campus are good for the campus, great for the students and the student-athletes. Next week I’ll give you some background as to how the athletes have embraced community service in the last three years. The impact is huge.

By: Josh Ryan

Hi all hope the break was good to you. While most of us enjoyed the time kick back, relax, and get caught up on homework, our basketball teams battled it out in Calgary and Lethbridge. While they were eliminated, they went down swinging, losing by narrow margins. Nice work guys and girls. The Curlers also had a great weekend with the Mixed team repeating as ACAC Conference Champions and the Men’s team taking home the silver medal.

In keeping with last week’s theme of dedication, I would like to put to rest some misconceptions about funding for athletics. One of the most frustrating elements of being a post secondary athlete is the widely held belief that athletics is a drain on the coffers of the campus. I cannot

speak for all teams but I know the lengths the men’s volleyball team goes to create revenue. In general I understand that athletics raises revenues of more than $125,000 per year. This is up from approximately $25,000 in 2008. The teams raise half of this amount directly. The other half is raised via ticketing and sponsorship. The men’s volleyball team raises a large portion of its budget through Adopt-a-Viking’s and working the annual high school volleyball tournament in the September. The dollar amount from the University simply covers the absolute necessities, such as travel to and from conference games, hotel rooms when we are on the road and a small amount of meal money. The peripherals like team warm ups, some exhibition travel and extra training equipment are all covered through fundraising. So when you see an athlete with a nice jacket on please note that this comes from hard work at fundraising.

What does a non-student athlete get from this relationship? First, you get brand recognition. As the teams travel throughout the conference, they are very visible

and bring attention and new students to this campus. As I noted last week, the coaches spend an incredible number of hours recruiting. This is a good thing at a school such as Augustana that is trying to increase its enrolment. Secondly, you get free entertainment on the weekends. The games are increasingly exciting as the teams continue to improve. In 2008 there were no team sports in the ACAC playoffs, now there are six. Finally, there is an opportunity to work at the events as part of the Vikings Crew. The Vikings Crew pays you for your efforts as well as offers the opportunity for some hands on sport marketing and event management experi-ence.

Anyway you examine this athletics like other non-academic pursuits on campus are good for the campus, great for the students and the student-athletes. Next week I’ll give you some background as to how the athletes have embraced community service in the last three years. The impact is huge.