Off the Field

Keeping Up With the Martlets

Team Journal

Monday, October 12th, 2015

“By keeping up with the Martlets you’re keeping up with more than just their athletics… you’re keeping up with their lifestyle!” 

The leaves in Montreal have begun to change.  McGill’s campus is aglow in hues of red and orange, and as colder temperatures usher in the season to come, we find the McGill Martlets working as hard as ever.

We have now officially passed the halfway point of the season: two weekends behind us, only two more to go.  And although the girls have had the past two weekends off from games, time has not stopped for a moment.

McGill is currently in the midst of midterm season; a time of year that starts somewhere in mid-September, and never seems to end.  This hectic exam period is a stressful time of year for any University student, but it does pose a particular problem to athletes.

It’s truly a delicate balancing act to manage field hockey on top of a full course load—let alone any other responsibilities and commitments that we may hold outside of athletics and academics.  With practices at 6:15 every morning and many of our weekends spent travelling in Ontario, efficient time management becomes key.

This is one of the many areas where having the support system of a team behind you means the world.  Many of the returners have it down to a science; from prepping meals ahead of time to spending any free time in the library, the McGill Martlets are as studious as they are dedicated. 

In fact, four of our Martlets-- Alice Podmore, Kylie Nabata, Alison Ross, and Katie Friedman-- were recipients of the 2014-2015 Principal’s Student-Athlete Honor Roll.  Gathered in Tomlinson Hall last Monday were a handful of McGill’s “best and brightest,” those athletes that had acquired a full year of eligibility and maintained a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the 2014-2015 school year. University Principal Suzanne Fortier gave a small speech on the notion of resilience, congratulating the students on their hard work and endurance in both academics and athletics. Senior players Alice and Kylie received an additional award, a small Martlet pin, in recognition of their achievements as honor-roll recipients for the past three years.  Kylie and Alison were also recognized as CIS All-Canadian Scholars, an honor awarded to athletes with a GPA of 3.7 or higher.

In addition to excelling in the classroom, many members of the team are also actively involved in other clubs and causes around campus.  One such cause is McGill’s Students for Right to Play, a global organization that works to promote peace and development around the world through sport and play.  

“Right To Play is a global organization that uses the transformative power of play to educate and empower children facing adversity. Active in more than 20 countries worldwide, including Canada, Right To Play reaches more than one million children through weekly sport- and play-based educational programs that teach critical lessons to develop life skills, improve health and promote peace. Led by a dedicated team of more than 16,400 local volunteers trained as Right To Play Coaches, play programs are enhancing children’s education and positively impacting communities to create meaningful, sustainable change.”

The McGill Martlet Field Hockey, Redman Ice Hockey, and Martlet Ice Hockey teams joined forces to spin up a storm at RTP’s Annual Spin-a-thon event last Wednesday.  Spin-a-thon is one of RTP’s biggest and most exciting fundraising events of the year.  This year was no exception— taking up the Y-intersection of campus from 9:30am to 3:30pm, the event featured 12 stationary bikes, 12 teams, 200 riders, live music, baked goods, special guests from Spin Énergie and Red Bull, as well as a guest appearance from Olympian and Right to Play Athlete Ambassador Joannie Rochette! Students could donate to the cause by paying $20 for 15 minutes of spinning, or teams could participate by paying $450 for a team bike for the whole day. 

The Martlets were so excited to take part in this event, helping to make it the biggest it's ever been.  A total tally of the funds raised will be released later today.

To learn more about this awesome organization, click here!  In the meantime, check out photos from the RTP Spin-a-thon!