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February 16, 2009

CAMPUS

PANTHER POST

Red Bull Crashed Ice getting UPEI students involved

A few UPEI students found |

themselves in Quebec re- cently to watch what could be declared as easily the fastest game on ice.

Michelle Ward is the Red- bull UPEI campus rep. She dedicated some of her time to getting UPEI students more involved with the ubig- uitous energy drink and its media-friendly event, Red- bull Crashed Ice.

“T wanted to get UPEI stu- dent involved with the Red Bull community! Red Bull is still new to the island so what we wanted to do was make students (our target custom- ers) aware of the brand and create a buzz within the uni- versity environment,” she told the Post.

The game appears obscene- ly dangerous: a handful of contestants strap on some hockey gear and race down icy terrain towards the fin- ish line, that can be barely viewed in the distance.

And this isn’t a solo affair. All the contestants jet down at one time, smashing into _ each other in the fight to the finish, in an apparently dan- gerous game that seems to beg for at least a few broken bones.

But these concerns do not hinder the game, and upon witnessing the event it’s clear there are many means of safety.

Spectators remain safe from any potential problems via the high boards separat- ing the men and women par- ticipating and the men and women enjoying from the stands.

The equipment being em-

ployed by the players appear fully safe and one can only assume there is more than a few emergency staff around, just in case.

Despite being renown for its icy games and _ affinity for contact sports, Ward says Canada is far from the only country to participate in the event.

Thousands of fans flock to the event, as well as nine universities attended as or- ganized groups from Quebec and the Maritimes and an- other 54 students found their way to Quebec City as well, she said.

“Its a global event, an es- timated 130,000 people at- tended this years event in Quebec City from all over North America and a few in- ternationals.”

Not just anyone can jump into this, she pointed out. Novemeber and Decem- ber laid home to qualifying events across the country. The search for participants, this year, went via the World Wide Web as those inter- ested logged onto www.red- bullcrashedice.ca, where 200 participants were selected for each qualifying location. But not everyone is a pro, she said.

“The participants are not professionals but most have strong skating backgrounds. There are men and woman separate competitions.”

And to date, injuries has been few, as the course makes it essentially safe.

“This is the sixth year that the competition has been go- ing and there has been no se- rious injuries yet,”

Red Bull Crashed Ice has heesaie a media ducl

phenomenon. Photo: redbullcrashedice.ca

ing, and an international

Childcare programs at schools prove beneficial for student parents

By Jennifer Michels

If there is an Early Child- hood program at a school it is more likely to have child care, says Health and Com- munity Studies instructor Kim Gillis.

Holland College is among the schools that harbours a daycare program, Gillis said, and it is not just for use of students and staff. The day- care is open to the public as well and with no designated spaces.

The daycare is a great asset to Holland College. Having to deal with continuing edu- cation and finding a place for your child to stay is not easy, Gillis said.

“It can become quite stress- ful.”

Holland College’s daycare takes children ages two and up. There is no infant care offered, Gillis noted, adding there must be one caregiver for three infants and the in- fants must also be separated from the other children.

Gillis pointed out that cur- rrently there’s not enough people licensed to watch in- fants, causing people to look for home care or unlicenced care.

But having daycares avail- able to students can be very important.

Lisa Morris knows the im- portance of a daycare pro- gram all too well.

The Nova Scotia Commu- nity College student said if childcare was not offered at school she would not be able to attend.

The daycare at NSCC is the only one in Springhill, N.S.

“Babysitters are hard to come by.”

At NSCC you can apply for portable seating if the student is on low income, Morris said. The government pays for a portion of the daycare services.

“For an example, I pay four dollars a day compared to $20 to $25 a day.”

Michels is a journalism student

at Holland College