Congratulations to Darren Warburton, Rosalin Miles, Shannon Bredin, and Jan Hare for successfully receiving CIHR Funding for their project, “Enhancing culturally-safe ways for community wholistic health and wellness aspirations during COVID-19.”
This novel Indigenous-led initiative aims to address and mitigate potential impacts on Indigenous community health and wellbeing.
The Dean’s Awards for Staff Excellence recognize Faculty of Education staff who have made significant contributions to the Faculty in two categories: Outstanding Service and Emerging Leadership. Kai is a Research Coordinator in Indigenous Studies in Kinesiology, within Indigenous Health and Physical Activity programming, and the Physical Activity and Chronic Disease Prevention Unit. Kai completed her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology, followed by her Master’s in 2017. She has since worked alongside Drs. Bredin, Warburton, and Miles providing leadership and coordination of research, support to students, and engagement with communities. Kai has a strong work ethic, is professional, dedicated and gracious. She is a highly valued member and integral part of the ISK team.
Emma McCrudden is a faculty member in the School of Kinesiology and is the sports dietician for the Whitecaps soccer team. Emma was recently featured on CBC regarding her work with Whitecaps rookie, Kamron Habibullah, who is currently fasting for Ramadan during team practice. In the interview, McCrudden speaks of her job keeping tabs on what Kamron can eat when he is permitted to break his fast, to ensure he is eating optimal foods for his calorie expenditure. To read the full CBC interview, Click Here.
UBC KIN’s Maria Gallo is a Professor of Teaching and the Director of the High-Performance Coaching & Technical Leadership program. She is highly regarded both in the academic and the National Women’s Rugby coaching world. Maria was recently appointed the Assistant Coach for the National Women’s Rugby 7s team to help train the squad for the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. In fact, the team actually requested that Maria Gallo come onboard to coach them, as many had worked with her on the National Women’s 15s and highly respected her as one of the few female rugby coaches in Canada.
As a member of the Rugby Canada Hall of Fame 2018, she is very familiar with this level of competitive rugby. She played in 2002, 2006, and 2010 Rugby World Championships (RWC), and was captain of the Canadian team at the 2009 RWC Sevens. Since the conclusion of her playing career, she has served as an assistant coach with the National Women’s 15s team and the head coach of the UBC Women’s rugby team. Having served as a female player at this elite level of competition, she says, “it’s all about the trust in your coaches. The girls know I am here solely for their growth and development and to ensure they have a safe environment.”
Maria believes deeply in the team saying that in the World Series, the Canadian Women’s Rugby 7s team is always in the top 3. Since her appointment last December, she has been traveling from her home in Vancouver to Vancouver Island every Wednesday night since January – juggling her academic career, young family, and coaching responsibilities – and will be joining the team later in May through to the Olympics. “It’s been a bit stressful,” says Maria. “But I feel good being there for the team. They know I’m there for them and not using this as a stepping stone.” She’s sacrificed a lot, but Maria is convinced “the team has a real chance at winning an Olympic medal, and I want help get them there!”
“So, are we going to the 2021 Summer Olympics? It sounds like we’re going! The team has been training every day since January as though they’re going! And the Games start July 23rd! So, we aim to travel to Japan in the first week of July to spend two-and-a-half weeks in practice in Morioka, and the competition takes place in Tokyo Stadium on July 29-30th, with the finals taking place on July 31st.”
The team placed second in back-to-back competitions in Dubai where they recently played against Japan, Kenya, USA, France, and Brazil. At the time of writing this article, a few members of the team were sadly diagnosed with COVID. Despite having been tested prior to leaving Dubai, and upon arrival in Canada, the team members contracted COVID. While the entire team is currently in quarantine, most are asymptomatic, and all athletes and staff are in good health and receiving the support they need. COVID has contributed an extra obstacle and another layer of anxiety. However, they are determined to overcome this unprecedented challenge and proceed to compete at the Summer Olympics. “The team is taking care of their health and the coaching staff continues to plan for the best preparation for the Olympics. We will resume training as soon as we can. I’m calling it forced resilience,” comments Maria.
The Canadian team qualified for the Olympics along with teams from Australia, Brazil, China, Fiji, Great Britain, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, USA. The Canadian women placed 3rd in the HSBC World Rugby 7s Series standings when the season shut down after five events last year. Maria believes “the Canadian women are a definite medal threat.” The team placed third in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series standings when the season shut down after five events last year and finished runner-up at three events and third at a fourth. “However, the Olympic games will require a slightly different approach this year”, states Maria. “The team is made up of 12 athletes, playing over a 3-day tournament instead of a typical 2-day event, so we’ll have to use our substitutions wisely. Canadian rugby typically has a more aggressive style of play, but in the Olympics, we’ll need to play a faster, up-tempo game, so fitness is of the utmost importance. Consequently, the team is looking at the best combinations of athletes possible.”
The coaching team is completely new this year for the women’s national senior team, with Mick Byrne (a specialist coach for Australia) coming on board as the head coach, along with the two new assistant coaches, Sandro Fiorino and Maria Gallo. Sandro Fiorino (head coach of the Canadian women’s 15s team has temporarily moved from Ontario to Langford, BC, and will also aid with the data analytics. Maria Gallo has been excited to work with Mick on the team’s technical and tactical development, stating, “We’ve been trying to get the team to play a more creative style of rugby and to build their confidence. We haven’t developed our kicking game as much as we should have here in Canada. I’m trying to get them more confident about kicking the ball; to play within a structure, but also to have the confidence to use their strengths when the opportunities arise.” Maria adds, “I focus on doing everything we can do today to set ourselves up for success tomorrow. COVID has taught us all to be more adaptable. Of course, there’s some anxiety with the unknowns of COVID-19. But changing your mindset slightly to think it will have a more positive outcome is what’s necessary! That’s how I’m handling it. If we do go off to Tokyo it will be fantastic, but of course, safety and health is our number one concern. There will definitely be disappointment if they are put off to France in 2024.”
We wish the Women’s Rugby 7s team members a speedy recovery and all success in achieving their goals at the Olympics.
At the first KIN Case Competition, held in January 2021, teams of students worked together to analyze a Kinesiology-related business case and devise the best solution to the problem. Each team was tasked to review the history and data provided by a partner organization. They were then required to strategically analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for the Kinesiology-related business and provide actionable solutions and recommendations based on the organization’s needs. A group of panelists then judged and determined the best solution proposed by a team.
The idea for the KIN Case Competition was the brainchild of a group of BKin students who all shared the same idea of creating such an event. Kinners, Ahmed Masood, Patricia Melgar, and Cameron Lee came together to organize the Case Competition as each one believed that such a competition would be incredibly beneficial for the School. When asked why they thought a business Case Competition would be so beneficial Cameron Lee states, “the purpose of integrating business and kinesiology is to provide students with an opportunity to learn about what healthcare businesses look like, and to allow students to apply their classroom knowledge in a real-world healthcare job setting.” Students develop important soft skills such as public speaking, team collaboration, case analysis, problem-solving, and presentation slides. Case competitions are a great way for students to learn more about a particular industry, connect with faculty and professionals, and tap into their creative-side.
This year’s competition was a great success, with 70 student registrants, a partnered local physiotherapy clinic (PhysioCollective), and lots of positive student feedback. The KIN students who stepped up as coordinators and advisors this year were Ahmed Masood, Patricia Melgar, Eunice Lui, Natascha Lam, Sharon Leung, Davin Hu (AVP Academic), Morgan Lorenz (AVP Academic) and Cameron Lee (VP Academic). Cameron comments, “we plan to run the competition in the upcoming years, with the possibility of opening it up to other academic Kinesiology programs across the country. Students should definitely consider joining this insider opportunity to practice problem-solving cases that healthcare businesses must deal with on a regular basis.”
“A common problem that students face once they’ve graduated and are looking for work, is that they don’t have applied knowledge and skills to prepare them for real world jobs, and I firmly believe that the KIN Case Competition can help fill that gap. This competition is meant to be beginner-friendly and welcomes students that have no prior case competition experience under their belt,” states Cameron.
Should a student place well in the competition, they will not only emerge with possible monetary winnings but they’ll make connections with KIN partner businesses and professionals, and be given the opportunity to pursue the implementation of their proposed solution. The competition can also help form short and long-term partnerships between the School and external organizations, facilitate connections between faculty and students, and bring a different dimension to the UBC KIN academic experience.
Brandon Lam (BKin 2020) supported the partnership between the KIN Case Competition Team and the partnered physiotherapy clinic, PhysioCollective, where he works as a kinesiologist. As an outcome of this competition, the School and PhysioCollective have formed a positive working relationship, which will be beneficial for undergraduate students who seek future work placements. In the coming year, the Canadian Kinesiology Alliance (CKA) will be looking into creating a national-wide Kinesiology Case Competition, and the University of Alberta will also be implementing a KIN Case Competition into their practicum. The undergraduate academic experience is changing, and it is exciting to see that the UBC KIN Case Competition contributed towards this important development!
May 5, 2021 – New paper out detailing the results of a web-based and in-person risk reframing intervention to influence mothers’ perceptions of risk and change parenting behaviours. Read it here!
Patrick Wu is a Master of Kinesiology student whose focus is on investigating “practical ways to drive behavioral change and to advance the world of strength and conditioning.” His passion is Olympic-style weightlifting which he practices 5-6 days a week! He loves it so much that he has started his own strength and conditioning business and hopes to grow into the private sector after he graduates. “I believe that strength training can be beneficial to almost all individuals, and I want to continue spreading this message in my work.”
Pat completed his BKin at UBC and says “the MKin program presented a great opportunity to improve my understanding of coaching.” When reflecting on his undergraduate experience, Pat states, “I want to do a shout-out to my friends in UBC Cheerleading who train next door in Osbourne. My years on the Cheer team gave me a great group of friends.” Some of Pat’s favourite classes were KIN 303 and KIN 461 (now 424). “I have to thank Barry Legh and Dr. Anne Lasinsky, who were not only great instructors, but also gave me great direction when I wanted to pursue graduate school.”
Pat currently works as a teaching assistant at UBC. “Being a TA has shown me how much I love to teach kinesiology. It has taught me how to organize a lesson plan and answer academic level questions. Perhaps there is a route for me in teaching in the future!” As a Graduate Assistant in strength and conditioning, he supervises sessions for varsity athletes. He has also served as a senior trainer with BodyWorks and mentors undergraduate students. As a mentor he coaches students to translate their academic knowledge into practical coaching skills.
When asked about the most important thing he learned at UBC, Pat says “you will never know enough in this industry. It is important to be critical of theories while being open minded! Be very wary of anyone who claims that there are always absolutes in research and practice.”
Anika is a fifth year Kinesiology student in the interdisciplinary stream, who is set to graduate in June 2021. She is an active member of the KIN community, having participated in the Co-op, Work-learn, and KIN Mentorship programs. After graduating, Anika is excited to start a Master’s in Occupational Therapy at UBC.
Anika and her teammates recently won the UBC 2021 and Canadian Semi-finals for Map the System. Map the System is a global competition that challenges students to think differently about social and environmental change. As a result of her wins, Anika will compete with her fellow team members (a group of LFS students who she met in a UBC public health nutrition course) against 7 other teams in the Canadian finals on May 7th, 2021. She says of her win, “It’s been a very stressful and exciting time for all of us preparing for the UBC and National competitions!”
Her group’s topic emphasizes the importance of food insecurity. She says, “British Columbia is often overlooked in this topic since we have one of the lowest percentages of food insecurity in the country. However, even with this low percentage, we still have over half a million food-insecure people, with the majority of this group being Indigenous Peoples. Food insecurity discourse often focuses on rural and northern areas rather than urban areas, which is why our group aims to emphasize the importance of urban Indigenous food insecurity.”
On May 7th, the top 8 Canadian MTS teams will be rewarded for their hard work, research and learning. A celebratory Showcase provides an opportunity for viewers to vote for an Audience Favourite. “If we end up placing in the top 4, we will then move on to the Global Finals held at Oxford University in June.”
We are rooting for you Anika!
On April 15, 2021, for the second consecutive year, the Big Block awards gala was moved online to allow for a safe, virtual gathering experience for Thunderbird student-athletes, coaches, staff, alumni, and fans to celebrate what has been a most unique and challenging year. Congratulations go out to the many KIN students who took home Big Block Awards!
Congratulations go to these three KIN students for representing peer recognition for outstanding qualities and achievements in individual athletes!
Women’s hockey team member, Margaret Pham, winner of the 2021 May Brown Trophy.
Student baseball trainer, Lief Olsen, winner of the 2021 Carolyn Dobie-Smith Award.
Women’s rugby team member, Kendra Roberts, winner of the 2021 Buzz Moore Leadership Award.
To read more about the Big Block event, click here.