Bobcats Basketball End Of Season Wrap Up

What a year it’s been for the Bobcat basketball teams as they’ve gone through hardships and had a few shares of good fortunes along the journey. Both men and women struggled in parts of the season and neither would end up with a positive record against their opponents. The men would finish the season with a record of 4-16 and the women’s team would end slightly better with a 5-15 record. Neither team would make it onto playoffs and both concluded this past weekend with games here at home.

Compared to the rest of the teams in the USports arena, the men’s Bobcats team would land on the rankings at 15 of 17 in the Canada West division. It would not be enough to make it into playoffs and the men’s dreams will be stifled for another year. It is the top 12 teams which enter the playoffs and the team which clung onto the final position was the team the Bobcats most recently played, the Mount Royal Cougars. The Mount Royal Cougars placed 12 with a record of 8-12 and the top team, the Calgary Dino’s, would clean sweep the league with a record of 20-0. 

The women’s overall ranking in the Canada West league would place them at 14 of 17. Again not high enough ranking to make playoffs but still onto a solid path for the future of the program. The final team to just make it into the ranking was the Winnipeg Wesmen who had a record of 8-12 and the team which placed first was the Regina Cougar’s who finished with a record of 17-3.

The men’s team would finish the season with a PCT (winning percentage) of .200 and the women’s team would finish with a PCT of .238. The men’s team longest losing streak would be for about 8 games in the middle of the season and the total amount of games they won, both in and out of the conference, was 6 games. The women’s team longest losing streak was 7 games and their total amount of wins in games that were both in and out of the regular season was a total of 8.

Compared to last year the women won an extra two games. The 2017-2018 year they would have a record of 3-17, 2016-2017 would end with a record of 8-12 and 2015-2016 record would be 7-13.

Compared to last year the men won 5 more games with their 2017-2018 year ending with a 9-11 record. During 2016-2017 the men’s record was 9-11 and in 2015-2016 their record was 1-19.

A congratulation goes out to the teams for the entertaining games they provided for us and hopes that they will be able to make it into the playoffs next year! 


Men’s Basketball

4-16

3-8 home

1-8 away

PCT .200


Womens Basketball

5-15

2-9 home

3-6 away

PCT .238




Looking For A Sports Reporter

Since the beginning of time The Quill has looked for its own sports reporter. We have searched high and low for someone who is interested in both sports and the art of writing. However every time I seem to find one person who considers themselves interested in one subject or the other it seems to be mutually exclusive, as if to say people can’t be interested in both subjects simultaneously. It’s as if as soon as I bring up one subject some people seem to get super excited and interested in talking with me. “Oh you like sports, you must have an opinion on how the local hockey teams are doing this year.” “Oh you’re a writer, you must be great with grammar and proper punctuation.” (Both statements are not true about myself, just for the record.) 

But as soon as I try to bring up the idea of both subjects and the possibility of being a sports reporter it seems as if people skulk away. Like as if to say “Pfft I would not be caught dead with that group of individuals who like that subject.” People will often say they either dislike or don’t understand sports or claim they are not strong writers. I cannot possibly comprehend either of those points of view. Why can’t I understand them? First of all, sports are entertaining. They have a goal, a purpose and are based on real life/real time events. Second, writing is amazing. You can express yourself, share your ideas and opinions and it is a crucial piece of life.

There are entire companies dedicated to reporting on sports news. Thousands of people who both like journalism and sports and realize they are not mutually exclusive. And yet here I am begging someone, anyone who considers themselves a writer and a fan of sports to report on stories that surround the sports community. 

Why you should join The Quill team? Well there are several reasons and I will lay them out for you. The Quill is focused on reporting news all across campus and in the Brandon community. If you ever wanted a chance to be involved in a community The Quill is a great option and connection to finding out what is going on locally. The Quill also offers payment through tuition rebates. Your wages would be based on the total word count you write. For example writing 2000 words (roughly 5-6 articles) might be as much as 2% of the total content The Quill posts, then that 2% is worth a portion of the tuition rebate which might total $100. It’s not a lot but the experiences that are offered are worth far more than the wages themselves. Experiences such as meeting celebrities who come to Brandon, going to certain events and outings and getting to interview some truly incredible people.

The Quill can offer you a place to study in our office, a place to meet people and a resume booster. The skills you would learn include some time management and communication skills. Even then if you’re worried about either of those I would gladly sit down to help out and mentor you through this process. 

I started out my career at The Quill by taking on the sports reporter position. I covered games and events hosted by the Bobcats and even interviewed former NHL players like Theon Fleury. I also went to all sorts of HLC classes and clubs like yoga and floor hockey. It got me out of my comfort zone and put me in the thick of being social and expanding my writing skills. My first boss taught me a lot about writing and helped me really come into my own as a reporter. To date I’ve made well over $2000 since working here and making this a vital piece of my life. To think it all started with reporting on sports. It really is a great opportunity and I would feel awful if no one ever held out the hand and invited me to join. 

Bobcats Sports

In the world of sports the Bobcats have been busy on all fronts this past weekend. The Bobcats teams of the volleyball, basketball and soccer each had their own battles across western Canada. The men’s volleyball team was the only team with no game this past weekend but they will be back on the court in the coming week. 

Starting out in Regina with the results of the women’s volleyball games, the outcomes were not good for the Bobcats. The women lost both games against the Cougar’s, taking two losses, L 0-3 and L 1-3. Both Friday and Saturday were tough games for the Bobcats. The worst game they lost was 25-15 and their victory was 22-25.

In futsal both men and women were able to walk away with at least one win. The women’s team was able to beat Red River 5-1 and lost to CMU in a close game 2-3. The men’s team won both their games 10-6 against Red River and 7-5 against CMU.

In basketball both the men and women went out to BC to play games against the UBC Thunderbirds. Sadly each game was lost by the Bobcats as they could not keep up with the T-birds. The women lost their matches 50-77 and 56-85. The men lost their matches 81-98 and 74-94.

Next week the sports teams will have games throughout the weekend. The futsal and volleyball teams will have games here and in Winnipeg and the basketball teams will be out in Edmonton. Best of luck in your next games Bobcats!


Volleyball

Women L 0-3, 25-23, 25-17, 25-15   L 1-3 25-20, 25-23, 22-25, 25-18

Regina


Soccer

Women W 5-1 Red river L 2-3 CMU

Men W 10-6 RRC W 7-5 CMU

Basketball

Women L 50-77 L 56-85

Men L 81-98 L 74- 94

UBC

Football: NFL And CFL Update

After an exciting finish to week 11 which saw the dynamic Monday Night battle between young quarterbacks Jared Goff and Patrick Mahomes, this week’s NFL games started with a bang on Turkey day as longtime rivals Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys faced off in an intense NFC East divisional battle. The game quickly turned into a battle of the defenses as both offenses continued their struggle getting points on the board. It was not till midway through the third quarter that the Cowboys began pressing their advantage with a pair of touchdowns from quarterback Dak Prescott to newly acquired speed demon, wide receiver Amari Cooper. Unfortunately for the Redskins, things never looked up offensively. Playing behind a beat-up O-line, backup quarterback Colt McCoy could only do so much. Throwing a blatant interception late in the third quarter as the Cowboys led by 11, the Redskins sealed their own fate as the Cowboys took the W leading to a wide-open division where both teams now sit at a 6-5 record. Turkey day football continued as the Detroit lions faced the Chicago bears in a low scoring yet action-packed game that ended in a 23-16 Bears victory. The night was capped off as the blazing hot New Orleans Saints, led by veteran quarterback Drew Brees dominated the Atlanta Falcons in a 31-17 blowout. Nonetheless, this week’s action is far from over as many exciting games are still to come on Sunday. These games include more action from the NFC East as the New York Giants with rookie sensation running back Saquan Barkley host the defending super bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles. The New York Jets are also set to clash against the New England Patriots in a bitter rival match that is guaranteed to be worthwhile in addition to the battle of Ohio between the Cleveland brown and Cincinnati Bengals. Not into the NFL? No problem! This Sunday will also be the 106th Grey Cup between the Calgary Stampeders and the Ottawa Redblacks. So, there you have it! Something for everyone! Don’t you just love football! Gee Wilikers!


Bobcats Female Athlete Of October

Lauren Anderson is a forward for the Bobcats basketball team and is a strong and consistent player on and off the court. She has started a streak of 5 straight double double performances and is sitting with some of the best players in the league in the multiple stat categories. This is just the information that comes from statistics, in reality she is an even larger asset to her team. 

In the conference Lauren has a reputation to do it all out on the court, score, rebound, pass etc. She is constantly at the forefront with her teams top scorers and shows the crowd every night why she deserves to be recognized as an athlete of the month.

Volleyball: Bobcats VS Dinos

Your Bobcats volleyball teams were at home this weekend, facing off with with the University of Calgary Dinos. The games ended with some mixed results for the Bobcats, some matches ending with clean sweeps in favour of BU and others ending in being swept away. All in all, it was a good weekend for sports and the Bobcats put on a tough battle for each match up.

The women’s team would lose both games on the weekend, being swept away in some extremely tight matches on Friday losing 0-3, and losing 1-3 on Saturday with some equally intense games. The first night at home the Bobcats got off to a rough start with the Dinos losing the first set 16-25. This is understandable as the Dinos are the #1 nationally ranked team, however this did not falter the women’s spirits. The Bobcats pushed hard in the next two sets and pushed the matches to 27-29 and 25-27. Coach Lee Carter was impressed with the Bobcats defence and was happy with the blocks and digs that came out of the game, he thought with some minor improvements his team would take the next day by storm. Although the women did play better than Friday, the Bobcats were still unable to come away with the win. The leaders on Friday include Nikala Majewski with 18 kills and Shayne Nichols with 18 digs. Saturday’s game once again showed why the #1 ranked team in the league would go on to an 8-0 record after the weekend. The Dinos had done extremely well with their serving against the Bobcats and it showed again on Saturday as they scored 13 aces alone. Although the Bobcats did take the first set of the evening 25-23, the Dinos quickly found their rhythm and their hitting percentage went from a .067 in that first set to a .252 by the end of the evening. The Bobcats fought hard each set but lost 1-3 with their record slipping to 2-6. Bobcats players who stood out include Nikala Majewski again with the match high kills at 16,  Michelle Egger who had a double-double contributing 10 kills and 11 digs and Caitlin Le who finished with 19 digs.

The men’s volleyball team had a far different encounter with the Dinos compared to the women. The men won each set they played against the Dinos, with the scores ranging from 25-20 to 25-7. The Bobcats truly dominated this series with the Dinos and made quick work of their defence. The men are undefeated on home court this season! Friday night the men followed solid planning through with great execution. They served and passed well, helping the offence flow smoothly as the Bobcats cruised to victory. Brandon’s hitting percentage was .568 compared to Calgary’s .192. The Bobcats were lead on Friday by Elliot Viles who would score 16 kills, Robin Baghdady with 11 kills and Seth Friesen with 10 kills. Although the scoring was a bit better for the Dinos on Saturday, their men could not keep up with the Bobcats intensity. Elliot Viles had another amazing night, scoring again the highest number of kills with zero errors, something which is super impressive and rare when the rallies are moving at this speed. The Bobcats made half the errors as the Dinos and had double the blocks. The Bobcats often surged forward in their sets against the Dinos and after establishing a lead would maintain it for the rest of the match. Bobcats who played some big roles in the match up include Seth Friesen who had 9 kills and 3 blocks, Mason Metcalfe who had 6 kills and 6 blocks and Reece Dixon who delivered 29 assists.

The Bobcats will be heading out on the road for their nest few games before heading into the Holiday break. Next weekend BU will be playing out to Kelowna BC where they will be taking on the UBC-Okanagan Heat. The games are scheduled for the women at 6:00p.m. on Friday and 8:00p.m. for the men. If you want to catch up on the latest statistics and information of the Bobcats you can check out their website at gobobcats.ca. Good luck against the Heat next weekend Bobcats!

Bobcats Male Athlete Of October

Dan Harrison is the keeper for the Bobcats soccer team and in valiant fashion led his team to the Bobcats best record in the regular season along with their first finals appearance. Harrison earned his fourth consecutive MCAC all-conference award in two years as a Bobcat. 

With some big saves and crucial game determining decisions, Dan was able to lead his team to victory on several occasions and was often found uplifting his team with his leadership. It is through his vocal leadership and work ethic that this elite athlete is recognized as an athlete of the month.

Bobcats Volleyball

The volleyball teams were out in Calgary this past weekend to play against the Mount Royal University Cougars. Both men’s and women’s teams worked hard but were unable to sweep away their competition, only one game of the weekend was won.

In the women’s games they would lose 1-3 sets on Friday and win 3-1 on Saturday. Friday night saw the women on intense battle that would last throughout the weekend. Coming from behind in the first set the Cougars struck with a vengeance as the 3 point lead at 16-13 for the Bobcats quickly turned into a game of cat and mouse with the Cougars winning the set 25-20. Each set would be close during the night but the Bobcats would not be able to push the game to the fifth set, losing in the fourth 25-18. The leaders for the Bobcats would include Nikola Majewski with 13 kills and Michelle Egger with 11 kills. Saturday night was the bounce back for the Bobcats as they would win 3-1.  After an unsuccessful Friday the women were forced to fight hard for their win in order to earn the split of the weekend. The teams were well matched and a lot of the statistics show it was close game but the Bobcats certainly did come out on top with their consistent serving and kills. The games sets are 25-20, 25-16 and 22-25 and 27-25 in favour for the Bobcats and putting them at a record of 2-4.

The men’s volleyball team did not see any wins this weekend except for one set, which contributes to very little in the grand scheme of things. Although most games were within the 20’s and were quite close the Bobcats could not stop the Cougars advance. On Friday night the men were swept 25-23, 25-22 and 25-20, giving the men their first loss of the season. The Bobcats would have fewer kills, aces and assists compared to their opponents, and although the men clearly pushed each game tight with every rally, they were unable to snag a victory. The men were led by Seth Friesen with 10 kills and James Weir and Elliot Viles with 6 kills each. Saturday night the men would start strong and take the first set mixing up their offensive plays with different attack strategies. It would help push them to an early 25-23 victory in the first set but would not help them through the next three. The Bobcats almost doubled the number of errors made by their opponents and struggled with losing 25-23, 25-21 and 25-19. Seth Friesen once again led in kills with a total of 15 followed by Brady Nault and Elliot Viles who each had 13.

The Bobcats next games will be taking place here at the HLC against the University of Calgary Dino’s. The games are scheduled for the women at 11:30a.m. on Friday and 1:15p.m. for the men. If you want to catch up on the latest statistics and information of the Bobcats you can check out their website at gobobcats.ca. Best of luck in your next games!

Bobcats Basketball

It was a tough weekend for the Bobcats this past weekend as both the men and women took losses to their records while facing the University of Regina Cougars. Both men and women could not keep up to the Cougars as they lost each game by between 15 to 48 points.

In women’s basketball the Bobcats were outscored in each quarter in their battle against the University of Regina Cougars. The Friday night game lead to the most agonizing defeat for the Bobcats, with a final score of 55-103. Right from the get go the Cougars jumped to take the lead by 15-0 points within the first four in half minutes. Five members of the Cougars team ended in the double digits with the most points in game being scored by Kyanna Giles with 21 points. The Bobcats were led by Adrianna Proulx who also met the most points at 21 and Kylie Wicked who scored 10 points. On Saturday it wasn’t much of a different game for the Bobcats as they lost 50-90. The highest scorers from the Bobcats were Lauren Anderson with 21 points and the next highest was Josie Degagne with 8 points. Once again, five members of the Cougars team scored double digits, with the teams average field goal percentage being almost double that of Brandon’s. The women’s record slips to 2-4.

Men’s basketball did result in closer scoring games, but the outcomes were the same as the women’s games. Regina outscored the Bobcats in almost each quarter and got up to 100 points on Friday night, taking the game 82-100. Friday saw the men start slow in the first half and surge in the third quarter, but not enough to tie the game and they were finally finished off in the final quarter when the Cougars scored 34 points. The men were led by Troy Grant and Jaleel Webb for scorers with 17 and 15 points respectively. Saturday night saw the men take another loss, this time 82-97. There was some pushing back and forth throughout each quarter with who would take the lead but Regina would maintain the gap of 11 points from the first half till the end of the game. The Bobcats top scorer was Tyvon Cooper who had 32 points. The men’s record slips to 1-5.

The Bobcats have a bye next week and their next games will be taking place in Saskatchewan on the 23rd of November. The games are scheduled for Friday with the women at 6:00p.m. and the men at 8:00p.m. If you want to catch up on the latest statistics and information of the Bobcats you can check out their website at gobobcats.ca. Best of luck in your next games athletes!

Bobcats Games : Soccer And Volleyball Triumphs

This past weekend was a busy one for the sports teams at Brandon University. The Brandon University women's soccer team was in action on Saturday, September 29th. The Bobcats played against the Canadian Mennonite University Blazers. The game was hosted in Brandon at the Healthy Living Centre field and saw an attendance of 155 people. Kickoff time was at 1:00 p.m. and the final score was 1-0 for the Bobcats! The sole goal was scored by Sarah Suchan in the first half.

The Brandon University men's soccer team was also in action against the Blazers. Their game started at 3:15 p.m. at the Healthy Living Centre field following the women's soccer game. The attendance was up slightly at 160 total attendees. The Bobcats ultimately took home the win with a final score of 3-2. The Blazer's two goals were scored by Parker Davis and Robbie Friesen, respectively. Going over to the Bobcats, goal scorers include Nolan Melanson, Osian Edwards and Taylor Blue.

The soccer teams weren't the only the Bobcats out and about this past weekend. The Brandon University men's volleyball team participated in a home tournament at the Healthy Living Centre. The Bobcats first saw action on Friday, September 28th where they went up against the University of Manitoba Bison's. The game started at 6:00 p.m. and ended when the set count was 3-0 for Brandon University. The next game was on September 29th at 11:00 a.m. This game saw the Bobcats beat the University of Saskatchewan Huskies 3-2. The Bobcats also played later in the day against the McMaster University Marauders and handed them a 3-0 score for Brandon University. The Marauders were back on Sunday, but the Bobcats continued the winning streak finishing strong throughout the weekend beating their opponents 3-1.

The women's volleyball team was away at the University of Winnipeg this past weekend. On Friday, September 28th the Bobcats fell to the University of Regina Cougars with a score of 2-3 but sought redemption in defeating the Universite de Moncton with a win of 3-0. On Saturday the Bobcats were up against the University of Winnipeg and managed to pull off another win taking the score of 3-1. Later in the day they faced the Universite de Moncton once again and, once again, defeated them 3-1. The final game for the Bobcats took place on Sunday, September 30th and saw BU lose to the University of Regina Cougars 1-3.

Overall all the Bobcat teams had a busy and well rounded, successful weekend on the court and on the pitch. Brandon University's basketball teams are also getting set to kick off their season. On October 4th at 7:00 p.m. the men's basketball team takes on the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns at the Healthy Living Centre and the women's team heads to the University of Winnipeg on October 5th to take on the U of M Bison's at 2:00 p.m. As always, the entire University community is behind all of BU's teams. Go Bobcats!

Bobcats Intrasquad Games

The Bobcats season is ramping up and starting to get underway here at BU and throughout the surrounding communities. The soccer teams have started playing their first couple of games in the MCAC league, with the men currently sitting at a 4-0 record and the women sitting at a 1-1-2. The soccer season is short, with playoffs for outdoor soccer coming up by the end of October, where it will then switch to Futsal. Although the soccer teams have been playing for the past 4 weeks at this point the other Bobcat teams are just starting to kick off with some rural games against their selves.

The Bobcats of all the volleyball and basketball teams are putting on games in local communities across southern Manitoba. These games are friendly competition for the athletes as they take on each other and try honing in their skills for the coming season. What is also a benefit to the Bobcats, is the opportunity they are giving to local communities and high-school students to see fast paced university games. A little different pace for some people out in Shoal Lake or Killarney, who may be used to just seeing the local rec team.

It is definitely an exciting time to be close to one of these communities. The men’s volleyball team and women’s basketball team just recently played games in Shoal Lake and Killarney, respectively. Coming up the women’s volleyball team and men’s basketball team will be playing in Neepawa on Sep 26th and MacGregor on Oct 3rd.

In recent years the Bobcats have played these intrasquad games in Boissevain, Carberry, Carman, CFB Shilo, Dauphin, Deloraine, Gladstone, Glenboro, Hamiota, Melita, Souris and Virden.

Principals across the province have nothing but fond things to say about the program. With the Bobcats reaching out to rural communities and encouraging more students to try the sports or embrace the idea of being an athlete, each community glows a little brighter beaming for the day it produces its own BU Bobcat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Try It For Free Week At The HLC

 Last week gave citizens of Brandon an extra advantage if they were looking to get active. From September 9th through to September 16th the Healthy Living Centre hosted its Try It For Free week. The Healthy Living Centre is Brandon University's Physical Education and athletics building. It also happens to be one of the newest and largest buildings on the campus. The Healthy Living Centre has over 79,000 square feet of space committed to healthy living and an active lifestyle. The centre includes an indoor walking track that spans 1 kilometer as well as a fully equipped fitness centre. A large open green space is, of course, also part of the facility as well as a mezzanine and two classrooms used in the physical education programs. Finally, the Healthy Living Centre also includes three gymnasiums. The HLC north gym and the HLC south gym are separated from each other by a full screen curtain. The Henry Champ Gymnasium is largest gym and plays host to a variety of events throughout the year. 

For a whole week BU staff and alumni as well as members of the general public had the opportunity to experience everything the Healthy Living Centre had to offer, for absolutely nothing. This means that the indoor walking track, the fitness centre and all gymnasiums were open to public use. However, it wasn't just the facilities that were open to the public for free last week. The Healthy Living Centre also offered their recreational programs to attendees, free of charge. Brandon University has a wide and diverse variety of recreational programs. Some of the programs offered last week included Yoga flow, Zumba and Floorball Leagues. 

If you are a student at Brandon University a fitness fee is included in your tuition therefore the Healthy Living Centre and its facilities are open to you year round. However, it should be noted that, like all individuals who use the facilities at the Healthy Living Centre, indoor running shoes are required at all times.  If you happen to have spare time or feel like getting into an active lifestyle, head down to the Healthy Living Centre and experience all they have to offer.

Bobcats Soccer

Yesterday audience members and players met in light rain for the Brandon Bobcat women’s soccer game against the Providence Pilots at home at the Healthy Living Centre . The bobcats played well, the game coming to a close with a draw at 0-0. The women’s next games will be next weekend, one on Saturday the 15th against the Saint Boniface and again of Sunday the 16th against Assiniboine Community College. Both games will be held a 1:00pm at the Healthy Living Centre. 

Following the women’s soccer game, the men’s bobcats took the field to take on the men’s Providence team. Playing hard they brought home a win with a final score of 5-0. Their next matches take place next weekend at the Healthy Living Centre, Saturday the 15th at 3:15pm they’ll be facing Saint Boniface followed on the 16th at 3:15pm they go up against Assiniboine Community College. 

Best of luck to the Bobcat’s for the rest of their season!

HLC Schedule

The Healthy Living Centre has open to BU students and the community for another year of activities, intramurals and clubs. Brandon University delivers a wide variety of experiences for people of all skill levels. These activities make it easy to get out and meet new people with similar interests. Whether you sign up online or go into and talk with the staff at the front desk, it is as efficient as possible to get right into a new activity or sport.

The clubs include:

Badminton: Sundays at 5:00pm and Tuesdays at 8:00pm

Table Tennis: Wednesdays at 8:30pm, Fridays & Sundays at 5:00pm

Pickleball: Mondays and Wednesdays 12:30 - 3:30pm

Dance Club: Mondays and Wednesdays 7:00pm

Fitness and Wellness classes are also available:

Shred and Shine Bootcamp: Tuesdays and Thursdays 6:00pm

Kickboxing: Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:30 - 6:30pm

Fundamentals of Yoga: Mondays 6:00pm

Yoga Flow: Mondays and Wednesdays 7:00am

Sit to be Fit: Wednesdays 9:15 - 10:00am

Zumba: Wednesdays 5:00pm

Rising Stars: Sundays 10:00am

Future Stars: Mondays 6:00pm

JOGA: Mondays 7:00pm

The following intramural’s that are being offered include:

Co-ed Soccer: Tuesdays 7:00pm

Co-ed Basketball: Mondays 8:00pm Wednesdays 9:00pm

Co-ed Volleyball: Wednesdays 8:00pm

The Healthy Living Centre is also hosting an open house from September 9th to the 16th for any people interested in tours and information on their services available. For any more information on any of the following clubs please ask the staff working at the HLC, or go check out the website at www.Gobobcats.com.

Brandon University: History of Bobcats

Originally known as the Caps and Cappettes, Brandon University Athletics department has changed greatly over the years. Being active for over one hundred years and adapting to each of the challenges which came along, Brandon has a rich sports history in a variety of sports. BU once fielded teams in curling, football, field hockey, tennis, badminton, judo, swimming and ice hockey. Of course now we also have our basketball, volleyball and soccer teams! Brandon University Athletics would adopt the name as we know it today in 1969 going from Caps and Cappettes to Bobcats. 

Brandon University’s centre piece of its athletic program was focused around Ice Hockey. There are documents suggesting there were men’s and women’s team as early as 1910. The Brandon College Caps played in junior and intermediate hockey leagues around the time of 1923, 1925. The Caps would play in the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association, around the 1950’s would play against teams like Dauphin and Portage La Prairie. The Ice Hockey program would cut in and out between the middle of the century and stopped completely between the years 1958-1969. When Brandon got involved with hockey again they would be the Bobcats and play in several different leagues against teams from Lakehead University to the University of Regina. It is widely stated that the 1980-81 season would be the highlight of the Bobcats hockey program when they would go 23-1 and won the championships in playoffs. The Ice Hockey program would cease after the season of 2001-02 when they won 8 of their 36 games.

Football was another staple at Brandon College, starting in 1950 and going till 1973. 1950 marked the first time in 15 years that organized football was played in the city of Brandon. One of BU’s rivals were the Notre Dame Hounds of Wilcox, Saskatchewan and when the teams battled it out there were sellout crowds at Kinsmen Stadium during Homecoming weekend. The Caps/Bobcats would play against teams from Valley City to Minot State.

The curling program at Brandon has been quite successful, still going strong with the support of the community. The most successful team from BU was led by Mike McEwen. 

The Bobcats men’s basketball team is a 4-time Canadian University national championship winners, taking the title three consecutive years in a row from 1987-1989 and again in 1996. They would win the Canada West Championships in 2002 and would win 15 GPAC Championships. The members of the women’s basketball team have earned Academic All-Canadian syaus 45 times since 1989. 

The Bobcats  men’s volleyball team was formed in 2005 and since then has been a nationally ranked team in the CIS and has played in the playoffs every year since 2007. There are several members of the women’s team who have made the Canada West record books. From career kills with Teagan Hunter to Erin Visch-Krahn with career blocks.

Bobcats Futsal

The Bobcats Futsal team’s played in this past weekend’s Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference (MCAC) tournament Copa De La Paz Championship. This article will cover the Bobcats male and female team’s record and their road to the finals.

The Bobcats women had a tough year in the futsal department. The Bobcats play in a league with five other teams and played each team twice. The women would take two wins throughout their indoor season, winning those games against the Assiniboine Community College Cougars (3-0) and Universite de St. Boniface Les Rouges (2-0). They had tied ACC earlier in the year and lost to St. Boniface in a separate match. The women had a total of four ties throughout their season, scoring twos for two separate draws against the Red River College Rebels. The final category of losses included four defeats with their greatest adversary, the Canadian Mennonite University Blazers winning both games. They would enter into the playoffs with 10 points, beating out the ACC Cougars who took fifth position (unable to make it into playoffs) and Red River Rebels, who took fourth.

The Bobcats men had a great futsal year in comparison, and would tie for second in the league with 19 points. The men lost three games and tied one. The Universite de St. Boniface Les Rouges and Canadian Mennonite University Blazers would each share a victory and loss with the Bobcats. The Providence University College Pilots would win and tie in their battles against BU. Against ACC and Red River, the Bobcats would take two sure victories. The men’s greatest victory was against the Cougars, where the Bobcats took a win of 12-3. In total, the men finished with a record of 6-1-3 and would enter the championship tournament while Red River and ACC would be unable to make it to any finals.

During the finals, the road itself was short for the women. Their first and final game was played against CMU and the Blazers wore the Bobcats down. The CMU would win 1-3 and would go onto win the overall tournament. The men’s road was intense as their semifinal game against CMU ended with them winning 9-8. Finishing the game with a very close save by Brandon goalkeeper Dan Harrison. In the final match the men lost 3-6 against the top rated USB Les Rouges.

Overall, it was a great season for the Bobcats Soccer/Futsal teams. Where the men would get to play in the finals for Futsal, the women had won the Soccer final four tournament. Both teams offered strong stats in the MCAC league and provided stars and MVP’s for the Bobcats throughout their seasons. To check out any of the Bobcats stats please go to the Bobcats official website at www.gobobcats.com. The BU athletes will pick up their seasons next fall! Great work Bobcats, enjoy your summer break.

HLC For The Average Bear

Do you find yourself with a little bit of free time? Do you have some athletic energy just bursting to get out? Why not take a trip to the Healthy Living Centre?

At the HLC, a student can participate in a number of recreational classes for free (as long as you have your valid student ID)! Make sure you’re wearing attire appropriate for doing some sweating and shoes that are suited for hard work.

Want a class that will give you a work out every time, and also potentially kill you? Try Shred and Shine Boot Camp.  Burn fat not time and discover a stronger version of yourself with this one hour mix of strength & endurance training! Experience high-intensity, full-body workouts that target the major muscle groups of the upper & lower body, specifically designed to “make it rain” sweat! From circuit-style routines that jump-start cardio fitness, to creative muscle-toning exercises using dumbbells, exercise bands, or even the participant’s body weight, each class brings its own unique challenges. No two classes are the same! Students will work the quarter to improve cardiovascular stamina, core strength, & flexibility.  Classes will also be held outside when possible. Classes run 6:45-7:45PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Boot Camp seem too intense for you, but you still want to get a good sweat on? Try the fun, energetic Zumba,  described as combining Latin and International music with the fun, effective movements at your own pace. Ditch the workout and join the PARTY!!! Inspired by Latin dance and music Zumba draws from varying styles in its routines, including meringue, salsa, hi-hop, flamenco and more. Music selections include both fast and slow rhythms to help tone and sculpt the body with easy to follow dance moves. Zumba runs on Wednesdays from 5:30-6:30PM. If that doesn’t do it for you but you still have some energy to vent, try kickboxing! This class runs 5:30-6:30PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Want something a little more chill? The HLC offers two different yoga classes. Fundamentals of Yoga includes pranayama (breathing practices), basic asana (postures), vinyasa (flow), tensegrity (gentle anatomical sequences), restorative yoga and meditation. What is practiced each week changes to provide ongoing learning and fun. Classes will be held outside if possible. Classes are 6:00PM to 7:00PM on Mondays. Yoga Flow is a more advanced class, and runs from 7:00AM to 8:00AM on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Cougars Futsal

Futsal is the talk of the town at ACC as their indoor soccer teams completed their regular season in the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference (MCAC). The men and women went out to Winnipeg and then Otterburne to take on the Canadian Mennonite University Blazers and the Providence University College Pilots, respectively.

The men started their weekend playing off with the CMU Blazers. They had a strong match with Mario Urias scoring a hat-trick for the Cougars. Despite their hard work to extinguish the Blazers, ACC would end up losing by 5 points finishing the match 8-3. The women’s game came on shortly after the men’s. The women were able to keep the game to 0-2 before the first half but afterwards the game did not get any better. The Cougars were able to score one goal during the match but in the second half the Blazers scored 9. The match for the women ended 1-11 and their games didn’t get much better.

The women’s next game against Providence would once again have only one goal scored for the Cougars. The final score was 1-8 for the Pilots. For the women’s team Erin Doherty and Tatiana Beltran were the scorers for the weekend. In the men’s match up Mario Urias scored another goal for the Cougars. It would not be near enough though as the Pilots took the victory 4-1.

ACC will be hosting the MCAC Futsal championships this next weekend. Semi-finals will take place on Saturday and the finals will be on Sunday.

The Cougars hockey team also had a game this past Saturday in their preparation for nationals. The puck dropped at 1:45pm on Saturday and it was three periods of intense back and forth action. The Cougars would be unable to find the back of the net and would lose 0-1 against the Polar Ice. Both Brooklyn Elek and Miranda Cook were goaltenders for the Cougars but it would be Cook who was given the loss.

The Cougars team are ranked third in the West of the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II. They are qualified for nationals in Columbus Ohio and will be playing on March 14 against North Dakota State University. Nationals for ACHA will take place March 14-18.

Bobcats Futsal

The Bobcats played a total of 4 Futsal games this past weekend. Their games were held in Otterburne and Winnipeg against PCU and CMU. These were the final matches in the MCAC league before the championships. Both the men and the women had some difficult matches and were largely unable to step up to the challenges.

The women’s first game against Providence was the best match of the weekend for the Bobcats. The women were able to keep the game tied through till the end, finishing 3-3 against the Pilots. The women’s next game finished 3-6 against the CMU. The Blazers fought hard and outscored the Bobcats, this was a bit better then their first game against CMU when they lost 1-5.

The men’s first game of the weekend against the Pilots ended 4-10. It was a tough loss for the Bobcats who had previously tied Providence 5-5 a month earlier. Later on Saturday during the Bobcats last game of the regular season the Blazers won in a close match. Brandon lost 2-5 against CMU, adding a third loss to their futsal record.

The Bobcats men would finish their last matches with a total of 19 points and in second place of the MCAC league. The women would finish their last matches of the regular season with 10 points and in fourth place. Both men and women will compete in the championship tournament semi-finals and then with some luck make it into the finals! Best of luck in your next games Bobcats!