Sports

 

 

 

Editor

Losing

By Garth McLennan, S

Dx College has recently
made the unfortunate decision to
discontinue all in school intramural
programs this year. Due to a lack of
gym space, intramural sports programs
were the first on the firing line.

Dropping the intramural programs
is a terrible loss for Douglas College
and all of its students. There are many
terrific benefits to intramurals, and
regrettably, Douglas students won’t be
privy to any of them, for at least this
year.

Earlier this year, I went to try and
find a floor hockey intramural I could
play in. I was shocked to discover that
because classes cover almost all day
times during the week, and school
sports, such as basketball, wrap up all of
the additional time periods, there would
be no more intramurals. What a shame.

Intramurals are a great place to meet
new people in college, and obviously, to
play popular sports if you aren’t quite
good enough to make the school teams,
or just want to get out for some fun.
Also, in a time of MSN and World of

Warcraft, a little exercise can only be a
good thing.

Now, it’s perfectly understandable
that the college gyms are busy places,
but Douglas has always been able to
accommodate intramural sports before,
what’s changed now?

Not only are intramurals a good
place to meet your peers, but they are
also a great way to get involved at the
school, and have a great time playing
sports without having to make a big
time commitment.

People are always saying that college
is the time of your life to make new
friends, to forge lasting relationships.
One of the great ways to accomplish
that is through sports teams. Now, for
people who don’t have the time or
ability to compete on an official school
squad, they are deprived of that chance.

I don’t think that the school’s
organizational staff realizes just how
important and worthwhile intramural
sports can be. So lets hope that for next
year at least, intramurals can be brought
back to Douglas for everyone to enjoy
them.

 

Our Intramurals Is a Travesty

 

Canucks’ Rypien Making an Impact

By Garth McLennan, Sports Editor

 

Fs Rypien is a perfect example
of why you should never give up
chasing your dreams. The Vancouver
Canucks’ resident sparkplug was never
drafted, and had to work hard for
everything he’s got today.

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Due to a lacklustre effort in a
humiliating 8-2 loss to the Philadelphia
Flyers, the Canucks demoted Ryan
Shannon and brought up the feisty
Rypien, who was one of the last cuts
in training camp this year. Rypien
was brought in to provide spark and

 

re-establish Vancouver’s trademark
hardworking attitude and style of play.

Head coach Alain Vigneault knew
that Rypien could supply this. Earlier
in the preseason, Rypien had knocked
out Edmonton Oiler’s defenseman
Mathieu Roy with an overly aggressive
bodycheck. Rypien was assessed a five
minute major for charging and a game
misconduct for the hit. He suffered
no supplementary discipline from the
NHL’s head office, however.

Rypien has always played with one
toe over the line. The former Regina Pat
has never backed down from a fight,
even against many players much bigger
than his 5’11, 170 pound frame.

During his first call up game against
the Edmonton Oilers this season,
Rypien turned in a superb effort. He was
an effective penalty killer, and he scored
Vancouver’s first goal of the game,
adding an assist as well. Rypien had
played the day before for Vancouver’s
farm team, the Manitoba Moose, and he
also competed the next night as well,
once more providing impact in a 4-1
Vancouver win over Edmonton again.

“T’ve got to play my game and
stick to what I do out there and that’s
bringing energy and bringing the team a
spark.” Rypien said.

The only reason Rypien hasn’t been
a Canuck’s mainstay over the last two
seasons is because he has been the

victim of a seemingly endless stream
of injuries over the last two seasons. It
all started during a 2005 game against
Minnesota when Rypien broke his leg.
The next season, he broke a thumb in a
preseason tilt against Anaheim Duck’s
heavyweight Geoff Peters. Once he
recovered from that setback, he ripped
his groin in a game against the Oilers
on December 4. It was just his second
game back. He tried valiantly to battle
through his groin tear as well as a large
abdominal tear during his rehab period,
but eventually bowed to the inevitable
and went in for surgery in April. During
the preseason this year, Rypien again
suffered a nagging groin injury, but
recovered in time for the conclusion of
training camp.

For now, Rypien is healthy and
fit to play. He’s giving the Canucks
a much-needed boost of energy with
his ferocious play and never say die
attitude. With just a few NHL games
under his belt, Rypien is looking to
stick with the big club in the only way
he knows how, by going full-throttle all
the time. Despite his numerous injury
setbacks, Rypien has said he refuses to
alter his style of play.

Hopefully he can stay healthy and
give the Canucks exactly what they
need. If all goes well, Rick Rypien will
be with the Vancouver Canucks for a
very long time.