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Posted on Dec 3, 2013 in Sports & Recreation

Carleton pledges $4.3M to renovate aging recreation facilities

Carleton pledges $4.3M to renovate aging recreation facilities

By Philippe de Montigny and Kiran Rana The swimming pool, indoor field house and outdoor lower field turfs are next on the list of renovation projects at Carleton University, the director of recreation and athletics Jennifer Brenning said Tuesday morning. More than 200 university administrators, department heads and student leaders gathered in the Fenn Lounge conference hall to hear Duncan Watt, vice-president of finance and administration, paint a picture of the university’s finances. When asked about major projects for Carleton’s athletics and recreation, Watt responded with quick wit. “We are looking at putting artificial turf on the lower playing field,” he said, prompting some laughter in the audience. “It might not sound like a big deal but it’s like $1.5 million.” As for replacing the indoor field house turf, that project is in the works for next year. Following both turf projects, the 40-year-old pool will receive a much-needed $2-million facelift. As an ancillary service, Carleton University’s recreation and athletics department has its own budget separate from the university’s...

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Posted on Dec 3, 2013 in Featured, Sports & Recreation

Rink of Dreams gives Ottawa skaters another refuge

Rink of Dreams gives Ottawa skaters another refuge

By Ariana Armstrong and Fangliang Xu While the Rideau Canal slowly succumbs to the winter freeze, local Ottawa skaters can already zip around the ice at City Hall’s Rink of Dreams. “I love skating,” said Annalise Mathers, a third-year science student at the University of Ottawa who took advantage of the fresh ice last week. “I’ve been waiting for the canal to open all year, so the fact that the Rink of Dreams is open already just gets me right out here.” The Rink of Dreams officially opened its third operating season last week. For Mathers, who jumped at the opportunity for a good skate after its official opening, the return of an operating Rink of Dreams couldn’t come at a better time. “I skate almost every day in the winter, either on the Rink of Dreams or on the canal, whichever is open,” she said. “When it’s all lit up at night it’s really pretty and it’s just a great way to get exercise without actually feeling like...

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Posted on Dec 3, 2013 in Featured, Sports & Recreation

Ravens pressured to stay on top

Ravens pressured to stay on top

By Philippe de Montigny and Kiran Rana The Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team is going into the holidays undefeated, but the break from classes doesn’t mean a break from practice. Dave Smart, the coach of Carleton’s team, will hold his team to a strict training schedule throughout the holiday season. “We’ll practice pretty hard through December,” said Smart, who will run practices until Dec. 21st. “Then we go to Florida and have a 10-day training camp.” Players will get a six-day break, regrouping on the 27th for two days of practices and then leaving with their coaches and therapist to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Being first in the Canadian weekly standings and with a decade-long reputation that includes nine national championship titles, the Ravens are constantly reminded of the stakes. “Our coaches make sure we don’t get complacent,” said Philip Scrubb, Carleton’s star player and fourth-year commerce student from Richmond, B.C. “They remind us every day that other teams are coming for us and they try to make our practices...

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Posted on Nov 26, 2013 in Sports & Recreation

Three Ottawa teams to compete at Quidditch World Cup

Three Ottawa teams to compete at Quidditch World Cup

By Kiran Rana and Ariana Armstrong Find an audio slideshow on the Carleton and Ottawa U Quidditch teams here.  Quidditch: imaginary no more It started with a few Harry Potter fans running around on brooms at Middlebury College in Vermont in 2005. Now, nearly nine years later, Quidditch has evolved into an increasingly recognized sport across North America, with competitive teams and even a championship tournament. Quidditch is the competitive sport that wizards play on flying brooms in J.K. Rowling’s popular series. In real life, Quidditch is a co-ed contact sport, which draws on elements from rugby, basketball and dodgeball: players tackle, dunk through hoops, and pelt each other with sports balls. And like the beloved game in Harry Potter, students play with broomsticks between their legs. Seven players are on the field at any given time. Three players are “Chasers”, who run around the field and try to score points by throwing or dunking a ball called the “Quaffle” through any one of the three hoops on the opposite...

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Posted on Nov 26, 2013 in Sports & Recreation

Participation in Ottawa recreation programs booming

Participation in Ottawa recreation programs booming

By Roberta Bell, Sarah Turnbull and Emanuela Campanella The culture around city-run recreation programs is the reason the programs are so successful, participants say. “The interaction with other people is part of the fitness,” said Nelda Nicoletti, who was instructing a low-impact tai chi class at Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre Tuesday morning. “For as little as one might do, the passion is there and they’re out of the house. It’s very important.” According to the city’s recently released 2014 budget briefing notes, more Ottawa residents participate in city-run recreation programs than residents of any other Ontario municipality participating in the Ontario Municipal Benchmarking Initiative (OMBI). The OMBI collects data for 37 municipalities—including large urban centres in the province, like the City of Toronto and York and Durham regions—to measure and compare performance and operational practice. More than 15 per cent of residents partook in registered recreation programs, according to the OMBI’s most recent Performance Measurement Report from 2012. June Wells, 72, said she appreciates the affordability of the...

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Posted on Nov 26, 2013 in Sports & Recreation

Ringette Ravens climb the ranks in Ottawa league and university standings

Ringette Ravens climb the ranks in Ottawa league and university standings

By Paige Parsons and Fangliang Xu The penalty box got a little crowded during the dying moments of a 1-1 tie game between the Carleton University Ravens ringette team and the Carlsbad ladies ‘A’ team on Monday night. The Ravens dominated in the first period, spending most of the half in the Carlsbad end. Nevertheless, the 1-1 score stuck and both teams had shutouts in the second half. “We definitely could have played a little better,” said Leah Morrell, veteran Ravens goalie and third-year mechanical engineering student. The tie game is almost a metaphor for the Ravens’ results so far this season: they’re not quite at the top of the Gloucester and Area Adult Ringette Association standings, but their ranking is definitely rising, even though it is only their second season playing in the ‘A’ division. The Ravens are also preparing for their second year competing in the Tier 1 division at the University Challenge Cup, a winner-takes-all tournament that is usually scheduled for the weekend before winter semesters...

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