Don’t believe everything you see on social media, especially when it comes to athletes.
Social media has evolved into an array of platforms where people cannot know for sure if they are seeing the truth. Many users spin a big situation differently to make it fit their own narratives, and, like most societal problems, it finds its way into the sports world.
Athletes are always under the spotlight with so many people paying close attention to their lives. When something big happens to an athlete, hordes of people take to the keyboards to give their two cents. The biggest consequence is that a lot of unverified information and claims appear on an easily accessible public forum, and they can be misinterpreted by other users.
The most recent case of spreading misinformation is the discussion surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine and its possible effects on different athletes. A very glaring instance of this occurred in January 2023, when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suddenly collapsed on the field during an NFL game.
Before doctors confirmed that a rare cardiac condition called commotio cordis had affected Hamlin, the public was delving into conspiracy. As National Public Radio’s Lisa Hagen reported after the incident, while fans were scrambling to learn the cause, “…on the internet, anti-vaccine activists filled in the silence with unfounded theories that Hamlin’s collapse was brought on by COVID vaccines.”
The social media discussion became so loud and turbulent that the player’s health seemed to take a back seat, which is rather ironic. In fact, someone even went as far as altering the headline of a CNN article in a screenshot to make people believe that a doctor determined the cause to be a COVID-19 booster shot. Everybody and their mother had something to say about the incident.
Ten days after the false rumour circulation, USA Today felt the need to publish an article clarifying that there was no evidence that Hamlin’s condition was caused by the vaccine. “Doctors said a connection is highly unlikely given the list of cardiac issues that have long been observed as causing such incidents of cardiac arrest in athletes,” the article reads.
Hamlin was resuscitated on the field, and has now returned to playing football after recovering fully. But this incident remains a reminder of how important it is that people independently verify the information they read, especially on a public forum where anyone can say anything that’s on their mind.
More recently, Bronny James (son of NBA star LeBron James) went into cardiac arrest during a workout at the University of Southern California. When Elon Musk took to Twitter (now called X) and implied that the COVID-19 vaccine must have been partially or completely at fault for the incident, many impressionable people have believed it. Once again, it is more likely that James’ cardiac arrest wasexercise-induced, since it is not an uncommon problem in teenage and young adult men.
So, the next time you read an outlandish claim, make sure you double-check its sources.
The Stingers in action against Klagenfurt AC. Photo courtesy of EC-KAC/Florian Pessentheiner.
The Stingers face off against two professional European teams during training camp.
For the second year in a row, the Concordia Stingers Men’s hockey program took the trip across the Atlantic Ocean en route to Italy, where they faced off against two professional ice hockey teams.
Upon their arrival in Cortina, Italy, during the final week of August, the Stingers hit the ice at Stadio Olimpico del Ghiaccio for their practice sessions.
After a multi-day training camp, the Stingers traveled south to Stadio Odegar di Asiago for their matchup against Asiago HC, an Italian ice hockey club that is part of the International Central European (ICE) Hockey League.
Known as one of the higher-skilled hockey leagues in Europe, the ICE Hockey League consists of teams from Austria, Italy, Hungary, and Slovenia. Several former National Hockey League (NHL) players are currently in the league, including Asiago HC head coach Tom Barrasso, who is a two-time Stanley Cup champion.
The tough game resulted in an 8-5 loss against Asiago HC, though the Stingers continued on with their training camp. Their next and final opponent would be against Klagenfurt AC, an Austrian ICE Hockey League club.
Klagenfurt AC finished fifth out of the 13 teams in the ICE Hockey League standings in 2023, meaning it would be another tall task for the Stingers.
Some members of the Stingers taking in the view of the Alps in Italy. Photo courtesy of Stingers Men’s Hockey.
Despite losing 7-1 at Klagenfurt, the Stingers and Concordia as a whole should be proud knowing the competition they played against. For a university team, it is an amazing experience to have traveled across the ocean to go up against teams that have professional players on their rosters.
The Stingers should also come out of their Italian training camp feeling optimistic for the upcoming regular season. With many of their key players returning, combined with a trip to last season’s U Sports national championship quarterfinals, the Stingers men’s hockey program has the veteran leadership on their roster to make a run back into the national championship tournament during the 2023-2024 season.
The Stingers will come home to begin the official preseason on September 15. They will play host to three non-conference games against Saint Mary’s University and Saint Francis University. Once they wrap up the preseason at McGill, the Stingers will begin their regular season on October 5.
Stingers Forward Sara Carrière (left) dribbling through the opposing defense
Credit: Reuben Polanksy-Shapiro / Concordia Athletics
Penalty shot goal earn Stingers first point of the season
Following a loss to the Université de Montréal Carabins in the regular season finale of the 2022 Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) season, the Concordia Stingers women’s soccer team aimed for revenge in their 2023 season opener at Concordia Stadium on August 30.
In a game that saw a thunderstorm delay the match by over thirty minutes, anticipation was building on the pitch as the players got set to kick-off the new season.
The first half consisted of back-and-forth play, as both teams’ defence kept scoring opportunities to a minimum. Stingers’ head coach Greg Sutton was pleased with how his team looked coming out to begin the season.
“We did a great job being focused at the start of the game,” said Sutton. “We are still in pre-season essentially, so we are still working on a lot of things, but going up against arguably one of the better teams in the country as they always are, I thought we showed really good character.”
With the first half coming to a close, both teams took the halftime to regroup and get reset for the second half.
Despite a close call on a Carabins hit post, the Stingers found their golden opportunity eight minutes into the half. A penalty shot was rewarded when Stingers striker Sara Carrière was tackled inside the box. With a perfect kick into the lower-left corner, the Stingers struck first and took the lead 1-0.
As the momentum had seemingly shifted to the Stingers, a floating shot taken by Carabins striker Mia Tessier found the top corner from 30 yards out, tying the game 1-1.
The equalizer came just three minutes after Concordia took the lead. Coach Sutton spoke on the conconded goal: “Sure, we could do a better job on closing the ball down, but that was one of those where you have to just tip your hat and move on.”
Stingers’ goalkeeper Anastasia Fox performed superbly, stopping nine shots on goal in the match and earning her team a draw against Montréal.
Despite not leaving victorious in their first game of the season, Sutton shared his expectations for the Stingers moving forward. “Our standards have risen every year that I have coached [at Concordia]—our standards are higher than they were last year. To get a result against [the Carabins] was fine, but we want more. We have that standard of being one of those teams at the top of the league.”
The team will now head across town to face rival McGill Redbirds on their home turf, with kick-off set for 3:30 p.m. on September 3.
Captain Mahalia Robinson (Top right) coaches her teammates during a scrum
Coach Jocelyn Barrieau to be replaced during the 2024 Olympic run.
The 2023-2024 season is looking bright for the Stingers’ women’s rugby squad. Although there’s been some restlessness in the coaching staff, the team not only seems to be in great hands under new interim coach Craig Beemer, but according to long-time teammates, this is the best women’s rugby team to wear the Concordia colorway in years.
It was announced in early April that head coach Jocelyn Barrieau had been selected to train the women’s Canadian senior rugby seven-a-side team for the NextGen Rugby Americas North Sevens. Pulling through with a final 53-0 win over Mexico in Langford, B.C. on August 20, the team qualified to move on to play in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
When coach Barrieau started her career with the Stingers in 2018 in the RSEQ women’s rugby league, four of the eight teams’ training staff were led by women. Today, she is the only female head coach.
Since coach Barrieau will be absent for a majority of the season, Beemer was introduced as a replacement. A friend and associate of Barrieau, Beemer has an extensive rugby coaching resume. He became the head coach of McGill’s rugby team in 2007 after assisting for two years. In 2014, the Ontario native was offered an opportunity to coach for the men’s rugby team at Concordia, and led the Stingers to a championship. Beemer remained with the Stingers ever since.
“Big sigh of relief for me to have someone here who I know cares about the Stingers, that I know cares about the student athletes and also cares about the game of Rugby,” Barrieau said. “I’m super happy that Craig decided to be involved.”
Captain Mahalia Robinson is satisfied with the interim’s efforts to not stray too far away from the old plan. To her, coach Beemer is keeping Barrieau’s core values from over the past four-five years. “He’s doing a good job of keeping that and also adding his own. So it’s a mix of the two,” says the leader. “Even after she’s gone, I hope that we can still draw on her energy, because she drives this team and is the core of this team even if she’s gone.”
Beemer strongly believes that the team’s progress won’t stagger long thanks to their symbiosis and the reigning HC staying close to her team. “I can walk in, punch in and bring my strengths into the program, ” coach Beemer remarked. “When I punch back out and [Barrieau] slots back in I don’t think the program will miss a beat.”
Jocelyn Barrieau (left) and Craig Beemer (right)
Last year, the team finished the season with a 3-3 record. Since the start of training camp on August 17, it seems new training methods were brought to the table. “I think Beemer is bringing a lot of experience in terms of winning, which we haven’t had, so it’s nice to have different perspectives of what it takes as a team to win,” Robinson added.
Robinson scored 55 points last season, which is more than half of what 6th place Université de Sherbrooke managed to break as a team at 90 points. She is a product of the strong leadership values that Barrieau has cultivated over her tenure with the Stingers.
Coach Beemer appreciates that his predecessor set high standards within the oraganization. “It’s really important to [Barrieau] that players take ownership of certain aspects in our program, which builds leaders, whether it’s on or off the field,” he adds. To him, its about putting in work on the field every week, and less about winning or losing. So far, the new coach is impressed with the team’s attitude and effort over the past two weeks.
Maxine O’Leary, a third-year number eight majoring in Communications, adds that the senior players, including herself, look forward to passing on some of their own insight to the rookie players. “We want to grow the game and leave it better than we found it,” she said. “It’s about building for next year, when we leave, whenever that is. We want the program to stay the same and for the newcomers to take on those leadership roles.”
To the team, the most important game of the season is the Kelly-Anne Drummond Cup, held in honor of the titular Stingers alumnus, who sadly passed away in 2004 in a domestic confrontation. Her mother, Doreen Haddad, is beloved in the Quebec rugby community for charitably starting the Kelly-Anne Drummond scholarship in 2019, whichis given to outstanding full-time Concordia student players.
“It’s our biggest game of the year,” emphasizes Robinson. “It’s the only one that we really have to win, it’s unacceptable to lose and this is the game where we show the most love on the field because we know what it means to be more than a team and be friends and be family. That’s how we play at the Kelly-Anne.
This year’s legendary cup game will be played on Wednesday, September 6 at 8 p.m. The Stingers aim to surpass last year’s achievement of out-scoring McGill 55-3. As for the rest of the season, expectations are high, and there’s a visible hunger around the squad to go 6-0.
“This is the best training camp that I’ve been at for the past three years so overall the energy’s super high from day one,” Maxine O’Leary said. “Everyone’s fighting for a jersey. And I think that’s a big difference, everyone’s fighting for a spot for the team.”
Stingers Midfielder John Cevik (front right) clearing the ball
Credit: Reuben Polanksy-Shapiro / Concordia Athletics
Both the Stingers and Carabins failed to find back of the net in season opener
The Concordia Stingers Men’s Soccer team kicked off against local rival Montreal Carabins at Concordia Stadium on August 30.
Following the Stingers women’s team’s lead, the men would be in for a tough test as the Carabins finished atop the Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) standings in 2022. This match would also serve as an opportunity for revenge, as the Carabins shot down the Stingers’ hopes of a play-off berth last season.
Several new players made their Stingers debut, as injuries and the loss of ten graduates from 2022 were absent from the roster. Stingers’ head coach Greg Sutton says the biggest challenge was the loss of their graduates last year. “We have to understand that not everything is going to happen overnight,” he said. “There will be some time and progression for this team, but we will get there and we will be better in those big moments of the game.”
The first half of the match saw the Carabins come close to scoring on several occasions. A shot glanced off the crossbar which bounced in the Stingers’ favour and stayed out. Twenty minutes later, a Montréal corner kick led to another close call, this time ringing a shot off the post. That being said, the Stingers persevered.
The second half offered much more even playing surface. While the Stingers’ offensive opportunities were hard to come by, their defence was the story of the second half. Stingers’ goalkeeper David Desbarets stopped all eight Carabins shots on goal throughout the match, earning the fourth-year goalkeeper player of the game honours.
Yellow cards and free kicks were all that filled the game sheet in this match, as the game concluded with a score of 0-0.
Coach Sutton reflected on the tightly-contested affair postgame. “This first game was more about the resilience we showed, in the sense that the character we showed was strong,” he said. “We were able to do what we were able to do and get the result against a good team.”
The Stingers will head across town to face their next opponent, the McGill Redbirds, at 1:00 pm on September 3.
Stingers Running back Franck Tchembe (maroon) takes on a hit
Credit: Reuben Polanksy-Shapiro / Concordia Athletics
Spoils go to Carabins in a 43-12 victory as they look to build on last year’s winning record
The Stingers kicked off the season at home with a significant loss to Université de Montréal, although our team’s talent shone through over the game’s first hour.
The team performed better in the first half. Both offense and defense were in good shape. Their performance included an electric heat-seeking-missile sack for a nine-yard loss by last year’s walk-on linebacker Nicolas Roy. The team picked up a total of 50 tackles, led by safety Dawson Pierre who totaled six tackles and two tackle assists.
When third-year running back Dwante Morgan retaliated four minutes after an early second-quarter quarterback sneak touchdown by Rakim Canal-Charles. The Carabins scored six points after a 33-yard sideline catch at the 2-yard line by Carl Chabot, who ended the game with 78 receiving yards and a touchdown. “This year I have a more universal role, and I have to make sure that everyone’s happy and that everyone does their job,” the number 13 receiver said. “I think that if everyone does what they have to do, everyone will play well.”
Morgan hooked into the endzone from four yards out to the right pylon all while showboating with a nasty celebration in LeSean McCoy fashion. The team’s starting running back finished with 47 yards by halftime, averaging 9.4 yards per carry by the fourth quarter.
Stingers Running Back Dwante Morgan (maroon) celebrates as he scores a touchdown Credit: Reuben Polanksy-Shapiro / Concordia Athletics
Morgan also had support from fellow running back Franck Tchembe, who ended up surpassing him in rushing yards with 64. Tchembe is speedy and certainly athletic enough to evade and break multiple tackle attempts at a time, as demonstrated in the last minute of the first half.
The running back started off the Stingers’ drive by breaking two tackles after a spin move by the 40-yard sideline following a six-yard reception, picking up a first down in the next play. The drive ended in a field goal, although it was exciting to see the home team go 68 yards in a minute. Stingers’ quarterback Olivier Roy seemed grateful for the duo’s good start to the season. “If you want to beat the great teams this year you are going to have to be balanced between passing and running,” number 12 said. “It wasn’t something we were doing in the past, so that was encouraging.”
Roy impressed the crowd with his own new found elusiveness, which had been trained over the summer. Not only did he pick up more rushing yards than his counterpart Jonathan Sénécal with 20 to the Montréal quarterback’s 17, but he seemed more mobile in the backfield and in the pocket. “We do a lot of work in the offseason to be as explosive as possible, honestly I dont think it’s one of my strengths, but once in a while I escape the pocket,” Roy said. “I think I did that a couple of times tonight. I want to keep that in my game so I can bring more to the table.”
That being said, the team was viciously outplayed. Roy was sacked twice in the first quarter due to a short lapse in O-line coordination—keep an eye out for Nicky Farinaccio this season, he had nine tackles including two for loss and one of the sacks for a 12-yard loss. The Carabins managed two picks in the fourth quarter, as fatigue started hitting the Stingers.
The Carabins’ offense was simply better. Quarterback Jonathan Sénécal managed to pick up 376 passing yards going 23-32, compared to Olivier Roy’s 225 yards going 18-34. For example, Sénécal threw a 48 yard pass which receiver Alexandre Jones Dudley caught over the shoulder on a lockdown one-on-one in the late second quarter. As for the team’s run game, well, Glodi Halafu and Lucas Dembele claimed 119 rushing yards alone.
Roy doesn’t seem phased by the season closer against the Carabins on the Stingers’ home field on Oct 28. “The place where we play the game doesn’t change too much,” the playmaker emphasized. “Obviously it’s a loud environment, but we still have a long way to go before we get there. Right now, we’re focusing on Sherbrooke, and we’ll see how it goes.”
Alice Philbert lifting the Dr. Ed Enos Trophy. Photo courtesy of Arianne Bergeron/ @arianneprendesfotos
After six years playing hockey at Concordia, the goaltender looks ahead to a future in professional hockey
It was a rainy evening in March 2022 when Alice Philbert walked into the MacLauchlan Arena in P.E.I. with a championship game ahead of her. The goaltender and her teammates played their hearts out, and the Concordia Stingers exited the building that night as national champions.
In her 18 years playing hockey, six of which she’s spent with Concordia, this will be a moment that Philbert will remember for the rest of her life.
“It’s the nationals, it’s not something you live every day, or every year,” she said.
In her career at Concordia, the 26-year-old has won three RSEQ championships, as well as bronze, silver and gold medals at the national championship.
“She’s a winner,” said Olivier Gervais, her goaltender coach of the past two years. “There are a lot of good athletes, but not everyone is a winner. Alice learned to win [and] she showed it.”
Alice Philbert and Olivier Gervais hugging. Photo courtesy of Arianne Bergeron/ @arianneprendesfotos
But the 2022 national championship win means more to her than a trophy and a medal.
With a full year without hockey in 2020-21 because of COVID-19, and more shutdowns in the winter of the 2021-22 season, overcoming these challenges meant an even sweeter victory.
But in addition to COVID hardships, Philbert had lost her grandmother a few weeks before the playoffs last year. Alice and her sister Léonie — a defender for the Stingers — wanted to win it for their grandmother.
“The fact that she told us ‘go beat Montreal,’ and then after that ‘I know you can win the nationals,’ was extra motivation for us to do it for her.”
Philbert also remembers feeling her grandmother’s presence during the tournament.
“My grandmother was there to save us,” she said. “My three shutouts, I know my grandmother was with me. At some point, the puck hit the post and then I put my glove right on time to stop it, I think my grandmother was there to help me with that.”
Having their parents with them in P.E.I. during the championship was also unbelievable, Philbert said.
“It was a big moment for our family, I think it brought us closer together,” she added. “It reunited us with our cousins too, they were all watching us. We’re about thirty in our family, so it reunited the family, and it’s a moment I’ll never forget.”
Playing with her sister was nothing new. Alice grew up playing with her sisters Léonie and Zoé at the midget level, and kept playing with Léonie at Dawson College and then at Concordia.
“For sure I’d rather have her on my team than playing against me,” Philbert joked. “I wouldn’t have liked having her scoring against me. It’s like, do our parents clap or not?”
She added, on a serious note, that she likes playing with her sister and knowing she has her back.
“It’s fun to know your sister is here for you, to support you, no matter if you get scored against or if you make a nice save,” Philbert said. “In all situations, I know Léonie is here for me and it’s fun to have someone to rely on.”
Philbert first started playing hockey as a forward at eight years old. She switched to defence in her second year when her team needed defenders. It wasn’t until another three years, when one of the goaltenders couldn’t make it to a playoff game, that she took it as an opportunity to try it out. She kept playing defence but would practice as a goaltender.
She had to compromise with her father to play goaltender, as long as she would pay for her own equipment.
“We were four kids, and at that age you grow quickly so it’s expensive, and at that age you don’t work,” she laughed. “So all my gifts for my birthday, for Christmas, even from my aunts, uncles, grandparents, it went to my parents to pay for the equipment.”
Philbert in her net pre-game. Maria Bouabdo/ The Concordian
It was ultimately at 13 years old that she really started goaltending, after wanting to do it for a little while.
“Every shot is a different challenge, you never know what can happen,” she said. “It was a challenge for me. We were four kids, four skaters, I was like ‘no, I want to have my own thing, be in my own world.’”
Gervais, who had first met her that year, still remembers what stood out about her at such a young age.
“It was her determination, she wanted to stop the puck and it was her will to get better, that was remarkable,” he said. “And when I started coaching her again [in the summer of 2021], that’s exactly what I saw again, her determination and will to be the best and stop everything. It’s one of her biggest qualities.”
This determination helped her overcome one of the greatest obstacles she faced growing up: being a girl in a boys’ team.
The Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville native had always played in boys’ teams since there weren’t many girls’ teams at the time and the closest was in Sainte-Hyacinthe.
After playing her first two years as a goaltender with a boys’ team at the bantam level, it was the following year that things started getting rocky.
“I get there on the first day of training camp and the guys knew me, we had played together the previous year, and they were like ‘oh it’s fun we’re going to play together this year too,’” Philbert said. “But then the coach comes to get me from the locker room and tells me not to get dressed there. He says ‘you’re not making the team, I don’t want girls on the team.’”
Philbert acknowledged sexist behaviour from that coach, but also pointed out that’s unfortunately how it was back then. It was that year that she started playing with an all-girls team.
Now, looking ahead, the plan for Philbert is to play professional hockey, either in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) in North America, or in the Swedish Women’s Hockey League.
As well, Philbert will be walking on the Concordia stage this summer after having earned a graduate diploma in business administration. She also has a bachelor’s degree in therapeutic recreation, which she could put to use eventually, perhaps working with elderly people and helping them stay healthy and active.
Alice Philbert playing at the CEPSUM arena. Maria Bouabdo/ The Concordian
But her top priority for the moment remains hockey.
“I’m not ready to stop playing hockey,” Philbert said. “And I’ll never know [what can come out of it] if I don’t try. I don’t want to regret anything.”
Navigating the world of professional women’s hockey is new for her, and for a lot of people, with the PHF’s $1.5 million USD salary cap and $30,000 USD minimum salary having been introduced recently.
For this reason, Philbert decided to get an agent to help her navigate this new business aspect of hockey and help her find the perfect fit.
As a Montrealer, there was no doubt Philbert was interested in playing for the Force, Montreal’s new PHF team that just finished playing its inaugural season.
“I’m Québécoise, I would love to represent my city,” she stated.
However, things didn’t go how she thought they would.
Gervais is confident that Philbert will find a team in no time though, whether in North America or Europe — and that her accomplishments and winner mindset will help her.
“She has all the capacity, not only to play, but mostly to perform, so I wouldn’t be surprised that she finds a number one spot,” he said. “I think the pros need to see [that she’s a winner]. You want to add someone on your team that can win you championships and get you far, and Alice is the right person for that.”
With everything Philbert has accomplished at the university level, the future doesn’t have limits for her. If there’s one thing she won’t stop doing it’s fighting and winning, no matter what she’s pursuing in life.
Despite challenges, Kisser has created a fulfilling swimming career for herself
Danielle Kisser had always been very athletic as a kid. Before she reached the age of 11, she had played basketball, soccer, softball, and even did horseback riding. However, around that age, she realized that she soon wouldn’t be able to keep up with her teammates and competitors because they were all getting taller, and she wasn’t.
Kisser has achondroplasia dwarfism — a bone growth disorder. The 26-year-old’s condition was diagnosed ever since she was eight months old.
Although she stopped practicing a lot of the sports she used to participate in at 11, she found a new passion: swimming.
In 2008, Kisser attended one of her brother’s swimming practices. After the team’s practice, her brother’s coach — who was involved with paralympic swimming — brought up the sport to her and suggested she attend practice. Although she initially disregarded the offer because “it wasn’t [her] thing,” she ended up attending and quickly started liking it.
“I was good at it,” Kisser said. “It gave me something else to do, a new challenge. Swimming was also something where I wasn’t getting left behind as I was on the soccer field or the basketball court, it was something that I could excel at.”
She also felt like she could be competitive and she liked racing against other people “just like [her].”
Anyone who has a disability can participate in para-swimming, but there is a classification system with 14 levels to ensure athletes are competing against people who have similar abilities. Levels one through 10 are assigned to athletes with physical disabilities. Levels 11-13 are for those with visual impairments and level 14 is made up of people with intellectual disabilities. Kisser competes in the sixth level.
It took her two years to make her first national team. In her 15-year-long swimming career, she also got to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
“It was like a dream that I’d had for 13 years at the time,” she said. “It was my third time trying to make it and then finally it worked out. I made a final there with a relay.”
Nonetheless, competing without a cheering crowd due to COVID-19 restrictions was a strange experience for Kisser.
“The whole experience was crazy and racing in an empty stadium was a challenge,” she said. “But getting to fulfill [my dream] was all I could ask for.”
Swimming has been one of the most consistent things in Kisser’s life. Being this active and training up to 10 times a week has been beneficial for her.
“My health and well-being is just so much better now because of being fit and being able to walk for long periods of time,” she said. “A lot of people with dwarfism, they have back problems, knee problems, just like different body issues. But for me, being able to be so physically fit and active has been very helpful.”
For Kisser, being in the water also contributes to her mental well-being.
“It’s a place where it doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve done, what you look like, or what people have said about you,” she said. “It’s just there and you get to decide what you do with it. For me, the water is there to support me if I just want to swim. It’s there to propel me forward.”
And forward she went. She was able to represent Canada in multiple international competitions.
“I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to pursue it for as long as I have,” Kisser said. “This led to so many cool opportunities. I’ve met some of my best friends swimming.”
But it also led to some of her biggest challenges. Kisser went through several injuries, concussions, and other hardships. Nonetheless, she said that it shaped her and that this experience remains her “greatest gift.”
Four years ago, Kisser also started her own YouTube channel, called This Little Light. As she was comfortable in front of cameras, she wanted to document her life and share her experiences. Recently, she has been documenting her swimming endeavours.
Mainly, she wants people to know that they all have a light to shine and an opportunity to make the world brighter.
“The way that I shine my light is by showing people what it is like to live with a disability, letting the young kids who have dwarfism know that life is going to be OK. This is what you can do,” she said.
After 15 fulfilling years of swimming, Kisser is now contemplating retirement, as she will also be graduating from Concordia University with a double major in linguistics and theology. She said she’s excited about life after swimming and taking the lessons she learned from her career elsewhere.
“I kind of checked all the things that I want to do,” she explained. “I’ve been to every major competition that you can go to and I’m satisfied. The biggest thing for me was realizing I didn’t need another Paralympics or another medal to feel like a better person.”
According to her former coach Mike Thompson, who is also the head coach of the national team, Kisser will have left a long-lasting mark on the team.
“She’s had such an influence and an impact on the national team, this centre, and the way we do things right now,” Thompson said. “I’m really impressed with where she’s at and happy with what I’ve been able to be a part of.”
Kisser is looking forward to revisiting all the sports she once loved as a kid, but one thing she will never stop doing is shining her light.
CRARR is helping families in the fight against anti-Black racism in hockey
The fight against racism in junior hockey in Quebec advances this year, as more families are bringing civil rights complaints to the Quebec Human Rights Commission with the help of the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR), including a complaint against Hockey Quebec.
CRARR’s executive director Fo Niemi pointed out that although he gets many phone calls from parents, especially Black parents, not many go through the complaint process with the Human Rights Commission.
“I think there’s either reluctance, or a fear of retaliation, or there’s a concern that the process can take a long time,” he said.
But two complaints are being filed so far this year. The first was by Nadine Hart against the Lester B. Pearson School Board after her 13-year-old son, JC, was allegedly the victim of anti-Black racism through taunting, slurs, and assault while playing in the Pro Action Hockey program at John Rennie High School last fall.
Seeing a family file a complaint encouraged Laurie Philipps to do the same with a complaint against Hockey Quebec, stating that “the more people are doing it, it’s more likely they can’t ignore us all.”
Philipps and her 16-year-old son Aiden, who plays for the Île-Perrot Riverains, went through a similar situation after he was allegedly called a racist slur by another player during a game in December 2022 against the Valleyfield Braves. He also had to hear the word again twice during the other player’s hearing, who was appealing the length of the suspension he had received as a consequence. The suspension was downgraded from eight to five games following the hearing.
Philipps added that as a mother, seeing her son going through that from the sidelines was “heartbreaking” and that she felt helpless in the moment.
“But then even afterwards, […] I’m entrusting that the league and the association that is responsible for these kids and these games is there to protect all of the kids, all of their rights to be there and to play, and to play in a safe environment both physically and emotionally, and that they will take care of this, and they’re not,” she explained.
However, it was how the situation was handled by Hockey Quebec that pushed Philipps to follow through with the complaint.
“It was just the response that we were getting,” she said. “They just kept reiterating the point to us that they don’t get it. They’re not getting it and it doesn’t seem like they want to.”
According to Philipps, Hockey Quebec thinks that “it happened, it’s done, get over it, move on,” which doesn’t send the proper message and also doesn’t help anyone feel like the same issue won’t happen again.
In the complaint, CRARR and Philipps brought forward systemic remedies that they hope Hockey Quebec will implement. They include mandatory training for Hockey Quebec directors on racism and human rights, as well as having more diverse Discipline Committees.
“It’s about having a diverse panel who understands really what racism is and can acknowledge, not just these overt acts, but the little subtle things that happen and the microaggressions,” Philipps said. “And I’m speaking as a white person, we do not and we will never understand what those racist comments mean to somebody of colour.”
Racism can happen in many ways, and sometimes it can be less noticeable remarks, or microaggressions.
Jérémie Ndeffo, a hockey player who now attends the Ontario Hockey Academy in Cornwall, was a victim of daily racist microaggressions when he was in high school in Châteauguay.
“It was small things but very daily, affecting me,” Ndeffo said. “Every time I came into the locker room, there was going to be a remark. Or for example, we were doing a race and then I would lose, they would be like ‘why did you lose? You’re Black, you should run fast’ or some stuff like that.”
Something the 18-year-old would like to see is for more hockey organizations to raise awareness about racism, perhaps by holding conferences. An idea he suggested is having professional athletes who have experienced racism talk and share their stories with young hockey players.
Philipps had a similar point of view about how important raising awareness can be, in particular to teach people the meaning behind what they are saying if they don’t realize it.
“If they still choose to continue to use those words, then that goes to the next step: are we responding to that and are we giving out the punishments that are not only severe enough but impactful and in the right way to make the people understand that this is not accepted?” she added.
Aiden is still playing hockey and has no interest in stopping, but Philipps said that he did question if he wanted to continue after what happened in the hearing.
“But I think his drive, how much he loves the game, and I think all the support that he has from his teammates really helped to encourage him and kept him wanting to still play,” she said.
Philipps added that no one should have to lose out on the game because of other people’s ignorance and racism. But there are still many steps to take to eliminate racism from hockey.
Ezechiel Tieide catching a football in the Stinger Dome, 2023. Maria Bouabdo/ The Concordian
After playing in the United States since 2016, the football player has come back home
Ezechiel Tieide and his family moved from the Ivory Coast to Montreal when he was five years old. It was in 2009 when his family moved from Cartierville to Lachine, that Tieide’s love for football blossomed into a lifelong passion. Now, after playing in the NCAA, the receiver will be playing with the Concordia Stingers this upcoming season.
Although he was only in grade four when his family moved in 2009, he already knew he wanted to play football. He was only able to start the following year, at 10 years old.
“I saw some kids play football [at the Dalbé-Viau High School],” he said. “I went and asked them if I could play.”
Growing up, Tieide also played soccer, basketball, and track. Despite soccer being his initial pastime, Tieide didn’t see himself pursuing that sport professionally. Keeping busy in multiple sports was integral to Tieide, making him adapt to an active lifestyle early on.
“Every season I was doing something, it was keeping me busy and away from trouble,” he added.
Stingers receiver Ezechiel Tieide in the Dome. Maria Bouabdo/ The Concordian
After completing his high school education in Montreal, Tieide decided to go to the United States, where he attended St. Paul’s School, a college-preparatory boarding school in New Hampshire.
Tieide then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in business management at Boston College, in Massachusetts. After that, he transferred to the University of Toledo in Ohio to study communications, but ultimately he decided to come back to Montreal after a year there.
Tieide is now taking independent studies at Concordia University, where he will be playing as a wide receiver for the Stingers.
The football player started as a receiver, and then moved to quarterback from grade eight up until university, where he moved to the other side of the ball and played as a cornerback for two years. He went back to playing as a receiver in his junior year at Boston College.
Tieide felt like there were more opportunities in Montreal, which is why he decided to come back home for his final year of eligibility playing university sports.
“I felt like I had more opportunities to showcase, or get on the football field, back at home,” he said. “Football is really [about] opportunities. Sometimes you can be really good and then it doesn’t go like you want.”
Stingers head coach Brad Collinson had coached Tieide when he played for Team Quebec in the 2015 Football Canada Cup.
“I feel like Coach Brad will give me the opportunities that I need for me to go play at the next level,” Tieide explained. “I’m not saying that in the U.S. it wasn’t possible, but I feel like here I could show it more.”
Collinson is also looking forward to having Tieide join the team, stating it’s fun to reunite with a player he’s previously coached.
“We know each other already,” he said. “There’s a relationship that’s been built over the years so it’s always fun to get guys like that on your team.”
Although Tieide was playing as a quarterback for Collinson’s Team Quebec, the coach still remembers what stood out about his young player.
“He was a good athlete, somebody that really liked the game of football and wanted to get better,” Collinson said. “He always had a good attitude. He’s a competitor, that’s something that stood out at a young age.”
Collinson is looking forward to seeing his new recruit in action.
“We have a very good receiver group so hopefully he can help us [and] make us better. […] He’s a very athletic kid who has a lot to offer,” he added.
Tieide is going to be seeing even more familiar faces on the team, including safety Dawson Pierre whom he played against in high school, and quarterback Xavier Tremblay, a transfer from the University of Laval.
Tieide practicing with quarterback Xavier Tremblay. Maria Bouabdo/ The Concordian
Tieide and Tremblay have known each other for about six years now, after participating in quarterback camps together. They both look forward to playing on the same team.
“I want to feed him up [pass to him], I’d like to throw him the ball as much as possible because I know he can be a playmaker on the team,” said Tremblay. “I know he wants to play professionally and it’s his last season [at this level]. And I think he can achieve it if we take advantage of him, his size, and he’s athletic, so he’s a nice asset for the team as a receiver.”
Indeed, with the plan to play professional football, Tieide’s expectation for his last year of university football is “to score a lot of touchdowns.”
“I’m going to earn everything that is given to me. I work, I work a lot, so I want to show people what I can do,” he said.
However, Tieide’s also had to overcome a lot in his football career. He said that his biggest challenge so far was remaining patient.
“When something doesn’t go like you want, you got to stick by the book, stick with the program until the season is done,” Tieide said. “But during the season, when something doesn’t go like you want, it’s hard.”
Dedicating a lot of time to something while not getting the results he wanted was difficult, especially when he was working on it every day from 6 a.m. to noon.
“Sometimes it’s stuff that you can’t control, it’s a higher power than you, so it’s like ‘alright, just one day at a time,’” he continued. “But I’m glad, I got better every day. There’s the good, and there’s the bad, but I got better every day.”
On top of being a student and an athlete, the 23-year-old also coaches basketball at his old high school, where his brother Elom now plays football as well.
“I’m just trying to get involved, I’m trying to help the kids because they’re the future,” Tieide said. “Dalbé-Viau high school is a hotbed for talent. There’s a lot of kids over there, a lot of immigrants, they’re not really from here, but they have insane athletic abilities. […] All they need is to see someone that did it. You don’t have to be a bum, you don’t have to be a gangster, you don’t have to do nothing crazy. Just stick to the books, play sports, you’re going to have a good life.”
If he could give any advice to children or teenagers who are trying to make it in football, here’s what Tieide would tell them:
“Don’t overthink too much, don’t put too much on your shoulders,” he said. “Just play football, and the coach is going to like you for that. They’re going to like you for being yourself and the type of player that you are. You don’t have to put up a front, just be yourself. And then if things don’t happen like you want, there’s a better plan. Nothing happens for no reason. I feel like God has a plan for all of us.”
No matter what level you play at, Tieide said to just play the best season of your life, whether it’s in high school, CEGEP, or U Sports.
“If you’re good they’re going to find you. It doesn’t matter against who you do it. It’s the fact that you can do it. So just ball out.”
It’s the final sprint, the home stretch, the end of the third period: it’s exam season, and it comes with an overwhelming amount of stress and an extremely compact schedule.
However, to navigate this stress, your greatest ally could very well be physical activity. Erin Goldstein, course instructor in the department of applied human sciences and education at Concordia, emphasized how exercise complements studying.
“When you exercise, your body releases endorphins,” Goldstein said. “We know that exercise helps you concentrate, helps with your memory, helps with your sleep.”
Starting an exercise routine in the middle of a time crunch can seem daunting, but you need less physical activity than you think to get the stress release. Dr. Simon Bacon, professor in the department of applied health, kinesiology and physiology, said that going from nothing to something brings the biggest benefits.
“Just the action of doing something, doing some physical activity is where you get the most benefit,” Bacon said. “Then, the more you can layer on top of that, the better off you’re going to be.”
“If you’re someone that’s currently doing nothing, even just doing a little bit to start is so beneficial for you,” added Goldstein.
Both Goldstein and Bacon are aware of the lack of time that the end of the semester brings. They proposed ways to fit physical activity into your current routine.
Bacon strongly suggests breaking up your next study session with light physical activity.
“If you’ve been sitting at the computer for an hour, getting up and walking two minutes can actually impact a whole bunch of things physiologically that indirectly we’ve seen is related to stress,” he said. “Small things count.”
Along the same lines, he encouraged students who have classes on upper floors to climb a few flights of stairs on the way.
“Oftentimes, having small little tweaks is manageable and doesn’t create additional strain,” he said. “You don’t want to be adding to the stress in certain circumstances.”
Goldstein spoke on the upcoming spring weather, which will be ideal for short walks in-between study sessions. Otherwise, she mentioned the panoply of guided exercise routines that exist on YouTube. Most importantly, she emphasized the importance of remaining realistic.
“Starting smaller is always better because you’re more realistic and you’re more able to crush that goal,” she said. “You feel really good about it and motivated to go for more.”
Bacon added that students who are already fit and have a set exercise routine, when put under a stressful situation, have a lesser reaction.
“Regular physical activity ahead of time is going to give you some degree of protection in an acute stressful situation,” he explained.
Nonetheless, he said that you shouldn’t add to your current amounts of stress by worrying about keeping a strict exercise schedule.
“In a short-term situation [of stress], doing the thing that’s going to give you the greatest peace of mind is going to be predominant,” he said. “If it’s going to stress you out more to go to the gym than it is to sit down to do that studying, do the study.”
Goldstein also noted that, on top of physical activity, having a good sleep schedule and good nutrition is crucial. She recommends seven to nine hours of sleep and meal-prepping for the following week.
“Trying to stay away from processed foods, trying to eat whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, plant proteins, those are going to be really beneficial to help with mood,” she explained.
Now, once you’ve aced your exams and reduced your stress using these tips, don’t forget to congratulate yourself and allow yourself to relax. Then, consider implementing physical activity into your regular routine. But remember, the key is to be realistic and progressive.
Connor Church at the Concordia Gymnasium, 2023. Catherine Reynolds/ The Concordian
The Concordia wrestler and marketing student talks about his recent success at the university and national levels
Concordia student and wrestler Connor Church dominated at the 2023 Canadian Wrestling Championships, and his performance was telling of the wrestler he is.
The nineteen-year-old participated with his club, the Montreal National Training Centre (NTC), and began the championships wrestling in the junior division, which encompasses ages 18 to 20. The entirety of the championships was held from March 9-12.
Church had four matches in the men’s 79 kg junior division that all ended in technical falls, which automatically ends a match once a 10-point difference occurs.
Not wanting to leave any chances for his opponents, he won all his matches within the first round.
Church also wrestled in the senior division to see how he would measure next year and to gain experience.
“I wanted to see what I would need to work on, but it ended up going really well,” he said.
Indeed, the senior competition went no different than the junior. He once again ended all his matches in a single round due to technical falls. However, he still noticed a “huge difference” in the level of competition between both divisions.
“The senior guys are a lot stronger, a lot more experienced,” he said. “There are a lot of smarter wrestlers, they were tougher matches, but I was still able to get the job done.”
His coach at both Concordia and the Montreal NTC, David Zilberman, was very glad with Church’s performance.
“I thought he dominated everybody,” Zilberman said. “He wrestled really well. There’s still a lot to work on, but in the long term he shows a lot of promise to be an elite competitor on the international scene.”
His junior division win was his second in a row. In both years, it earned him a spot on Team Canada for the U20 Pan-American Championships.
He won bronze at the Pan-American Championships last year, but his eyes are set on gold this year for when they will be held in Chile.
Church attributes a lot of his success at the Canadian championships to his club. Because he practiced with older and more experienced teammates, he was prepared for the age difference in the senior competition.
“I wrestle against some of the best wrestlers in Canada every day at our club,” he said. “It gives me confidence going into every match.”
Church started wrestling six years ago in Winnipeg, his hometown. Then, in August 2021, he reached out to the coaches at Concordia.
“I knew that, if I wanted to excel at wrestling, this is the place where I wanted to be in Canada,” he said.
He was invited by Zilberman to try out and shortly thereafter, he moved to Montreal and started training with Concordia, as well as competing with the Montreal NTC. Zilberman remembers him displaying a lot of physical talent.
“He was strong and explosive, but a little raw,” Zilberman said. “He’s definitely evolved into a more technical wrestler, but he’s still very strong and gifted and that helps him a lot.”
“He puts in a lot of hours of training and he’s learning the game really quickly,” Zilberman added. “He has a strong character and will to win and it’s really important.”
This year was Church’s first time competing with the Concordia team and, in his first U Sports Championships, Church won the gold medal in the men’s 76 kg.
“That win, going into nationals, really boosted my confidence,” Church said. “It helped my success in the national championships and built my momentum.”
Church has indeed been on a roll ever since his move to Montreal. His innate motivation has undeniably been central in his achievements.
“I’m always willing to wake up and go to practice,” he said, adding that he trains two to three times a day, six days a week. “It’s a pursuit of excellence [for me].”
Church’s love for wrestling is palpable and a big part of his success.
“Nothing is more important to me,” he said. “It’s all I think about all day. It’s an obsession, really.”
Church’s next big tournament will be the 2023 Canadian U23 Wrestling Championships held in Laval on May 27-28. On top of the U20 Pan-American Championships in July, he will also be headed to Poland in August for the U20 World Championships.
“I’ve been eyeing that down for a full year now and that’s been my goal to get that win,” he said.
