Winter
      Sports
      Lacking
      at
      UPEI
      —
     
     
      By
      John
      Sutton
      3
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      combined
      performanc-
     
     
      es
      of
      our
      winter
      sports
      teams
      here
      at
     
     
      UPEI
      can
      be
      politely
      described
      as
     
     
      being
      far
      less
      than
      impressive.
      In
     
     
      total,
      these
      four
      teams
      (Mens
      and
     
     
      Women’s
      Basketball,
      Women’s
     
     
      Volleyball,
      Men’s
      Hockey)
      com-
     
     
      piled
      an
      astounding
      record
      of
      18
     
     
      wins
      and
      63
      losses:
      hardly
      cause
     
     
      for
      celebration.
     
    

    
     
      Three
      of
      the
      four
      teams
     
     
      (hockey
      and
      both
      basketball
      teams)
     
     
      ended
      their
      respective
      seasons
      in
     
     
      last
      place
      in
      their
      divisions.
      The
     
     
      volleyball
      team
      barely
      managed
      to
     
     
      avoid
      being
      mired
      in
      the
      basement.
     
     
      It
      must
      be
      noted
      that
      the
      Men’s
     
     
      Basketball
      team
      narrowly
      missed
     
     
      the
      Atlantic
      University
      Sport
     
     
      (AUS)
      play-offs
      after
      suffering
      a
     
     
      heartbreaking
      loss
      to
      UNB
      in
      the
     
     
      team’s
      second
      last
      game
      of
      the
      sea-
     
     
      son.
      Apart
      from
      their
      minuscule
     
     
      degree
      of
      success
      the
      winter
      sports
     
     
      season
      amounted
      to
      nothing
      short
     
     
      of
      disastrous.
     
    

    
     
      Before
      I
      get
      too
      far
      into
      the
     
     
      various
      possible
      causes
      of
      this
     
     
      debacle
      let
      me
      take
      a
      moment
      to
     
     
      acknowledge
      the
      efforts
      of
      a
      small
     
    
   
   
    
     
      group
      of
      student/athletes
      who
      man-
     
     
      aged
      to
      enjoy
      successful
      individual
     
     
      seasons.
     
    

    
     
      Chad
      Spurr,
      in
      his
      first
      sea-
     
     
      son
      with
      the
      men’s
      hockey
      team,
     
     
      absolutely
      tore
      the
      AUS
      apart,
      lead-
     
     
      ing
      the
      conference
      in
      scoring
      (41
     
     
      points)
      and
      basically
      making
      a
      fool
     
     
      of
      every
      defenceman
      in
      the
      league.
     
     
      Spurr
      oozes
      talent.
      His
      innate
      pass-
     
     
      ing
      ability,
      coupled
      with
      a
      sniper’s
     
     
      eye
      for
      the
      net
      and
      overall
      feel
      for
     
     
      the
      game,
      make
      him
      a
      devastating
     
     
      offensive
      threat.
     
    

    
     
      Immediately
      following
      his
     
     
      season
      with
      the
      Panthers,
      Spurr
      was
     
     
      chosen
      to
      represent
      Canada
      at
      the
     
     
      World
      University
      Games
      where
      he
     
     
      narrowly
      missed
      leading
      his
      squad
     
     
      to
      a
      gold
      medal.
      As
      reward
      for
      his
     
     
      fine
      season
      he
      was
      selected
      to
      the
     
     
      AUS
      all-star
      team
      and
      was
      also
     
     
      named
      conference
      rookie
      of
      the
     
     
      year.
      Upon
      returning
      to
      UPEI
      fol-
     
     
      lowing
      his
      stint
      with
      Team
      Canada
     
     
      Spurr,
      along
      with
      teammate
      Dan
     
     
      Passero,
      signed
      with
      the
     
     
      Indianapolis
      Ice
      of
      the
      semi-pro
     
     
      Central
      Hockey
      League.
     
    

    
     
      Other
      athletic
      stand-outs
     
    
   
   
    
     
      included
      Kate
      Ellis
      of
      the
      women’s
     
     
      basketball
      team.
     
    

    
     
      Ellis
      represents
      the
      epitome
     
     
      of
      hard
      work
      and
      consistency
      and
     
     
      was
      rewarded
      for
      her
      fine
      season,
     
     
      probably
      her
      last
      in
      a
      Panther
      uni-
     
     
      form,
      by
      being
      named
      to
      the
      AUS
     
     
      conference
      all-star
      team.
      Perhaps
     
     
      even
      more
      impressive
      is
      the
      fact
     
     
      that
      Ellis
      is
      also
      one
      of
      the
      finest
     
     
      student/athletes
      in
      the
      entire
      coun-
     
     
      try.
      |
      |
     
     
      As
      well,
      Jim
      Morris
      of
      the
     
     
      men’s
      hoops
      squad
      was
      named
      a
     
     
      conference
      all-star
      after
      finishing
     
     
      second
      in
      conference
      scoring.
     
     
      Combined,
      these
      three
      athletes
      con-
     
     
      stitute
      the
      sum
      total
      of
      our
      school’s
     
     
      success
      during
      the
      winter
      sports
     
     
      season.
     
    

    
     
      Perhaps
      most
      puzzling
      with
     
     
      regards
      to
      this
      lack
      of
      athletic
      suc-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      cess
      is
      the
      fact
      that
      nobody
      seems.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      too
      concerned
      with
      what’s
      going
     
     
      on.
      UPEI’s
      overall
      athletic
      per-
     
     
      formance
      has
      been
      in_
      steady
     
     
      decline
      over
      the
      past
      five
      to
      seven
     
     
      years,
      yet
      nothing
      is
      ever
      said
      about
     
     
      it.
      This
      embarrassing
      fact
      is
      swept
     
     
      under
      the
      rug
      and
      our
      university,
      as
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      whole,
      instead
      concentrates
      on
     
     
      celebrating
      the
      accolades
      of
      indi-
     
     
      viduals.
      Let
      me
      clarify
      one
      simple
     
     
      fact:
      individual
      success
      doesn’t
     
     
      constitute
      a
      successful
      athletic
      pro-
     
     
      gram.
      Unlike
      the
      formidable
      UPEI
     
     
      teams
      of
      the
      late
      80’s
      and
      early
     
     
      90’s,
      our
      athletic
      program
      has
      col-
     
     
      lectively
      become
      the
      doormat
      of
     
     
      the
      AUS.
      How
      did
      this
      happen?
     
     
      Let’s
      start
      at
      the
      top.
      The
     
     
      main
      focus
      of
      our
      athletic
      program
     
     
      has
      been
      geared
      towards
      develop-
     
     
      ing
      closer
      ties
      with,
      and
      assuming
      a
     
     
      more
      active
      role
      within
      the
      commu-
     
     
      nity.
      Fine,
      that’s
      a
      very
      noble
      aim.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      MARC,
      MACDONALD
      TRESEATS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      SPORTS
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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