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Gimme gimme mo

The Royals take
on Movember

¢

t’s that time of year again,
when moustaches get to

have their moment in the bleak
winter sun. It seems that every
guy and his dog is sporting an
attempt at the under-utilized
form of facial hair. But there’s
a reason to the madness; it’s
not just a passing fad. Ladies
and gentlemen, it’s Movember.

“Movember is about
raising awareness for men’s
health initiatives,” explains
Erich Meyer, the leader of this
year’s Royals Movember team.

Movember is often
recognized as starting in 2004
when a group of Australians
kept their upper lips stiff and
untrimmed to draw attention
to men’s prostate cancer and
depression. That group of
Aussies would later grow into
the Movember Foundation
which has raised over
$174-million worldwide.

And here at Douglas
College, the leadership duo
of Meyer and co-captain
Samantha Stackhouse are
looking to add to that figure by
reaching their own fundraising

Eric
Wilkins
Sports Editor

| spor's@)theotherpress.ca

goal of $5,000. The pair has
both finished their respective
Royals careers—Meyer in
volleyball and Stackhouse

in soccer—but that hasn’t
stopped either of them from
taking on Movember.

“Last year I tried to get
something going with the
athletics program but really
it was just the volleyball

team that kind of took part,”
comments Meyer. “When I was
playing, you’re pretty busy
with all the training and games
and stuff and trying to balance
school as well... so now that
I didn’t have that this year I
thought I should probably try
to take on a bigger role in the
school community. “

But the Royals’ Movember

 

Photo courtesy of Sean Velasco

campaign is serving a dual
purpose for Dougie teams.
“We're using this as an
opportunity to work together
as an athletics program as
well. Right now we stick to our
own teams. We don’t really
know each other so that’s what
we're trying to do with this—
all the teams together and
working towards a common

goal. Hopefully we can get
closer and become a more

tight-knit group,” says the
BPEC major, Meyer.

And since it’s a decidedly
more difficult task for females
to grow such a marvellous
collection of follicles in
that area, Meyer notes how
women can still help out:
“That’s something we’ve been
working on with our group
[of female contributors]. But
they can support guys they
know that are doing it and get
donations too. You see a lot
of girls with their moustache
tattoos on their fingers...
there’s ways to do it.”

While there are no major
fundraising events so far other
than collecting donations
throughout, Meyer did hint at
a possible pub night if all goes
well. “We wanted planned
events for Movember but right
now we're just trying to get
off the ground here and get
people involved.”

As to whether Meyer has
a personal connection to the
cause, the PE teacher-hopeful
laughed, “Not really. I really
enjoy growing a moustache...
my dad has one and I always
wanted to get into it. This is a
good reason to do so!”

For additional information
on the cause or to donate to
the team, go to ca.movember.
com/team/ 1058573

 

Not so Meriweather

Redskins safety
speaks out

Eric
> Wilkins
7 Sports Editor
| sports@theotherpress.ca

he NFL has been very

clear recently how they
feel about shots to the head
and dangerous tackles made
by leading with the helmet;
and with all the information
available on concussions, it
should come as no surprise that
the league has made player
safety such a public priority.
The gist of it has become:
hit a head, get suspended.
Few know this better than
Washington Redskins safety
Brandon Meriweather, who
served a suspension just a

few weeks ago. His reaction
to the suspension, however,
was undoubtedly not what the
league was hoping for.

“T guess I just got to
take people’s knees out,”
Meriweather said. “That’s the
only way. I would hate to end
a guy’s career over a rule, but
I guess it’s better other people

for an infraction that they
definitely should have done
something about. The fact that
Meriweather has apologized
for his comments (a move
very obviously forced by

the players’ union), even

if it were sincere, means
nothing. Talk is cheap and
this guy is a multimillionaire.

the season and see how he
responds. A five-figure fine isn’t
going to do anything; neither is
a one-game suspension. But a
half-season suspension and all
the paycheques associated with
that? Even Meriweather might
start rethinking his position.

In the meantime though,
he wasn’t shy about sharing his

Talk is cheap and this guy is a multi-millionaire.

than me getting suspended for
longer. You just have to go low
now, man. You've got to end
people’s careers. You got to tear
people’s ACLs and mess up
people’s knees. You can’t hit
them high anymore.”

It’s a belligerent response
to the league doling out
well-deserved punishment,

If Meriweather’s comments
were made outside of a football
context he might have even

been liable to be arrested. If

it’s a crime outside of football
to say such things, shouldn’t
words within football result
in at least a suspension? Take
the outspoken Redskins safety
off the field for the rest of

feelings on Brandon Marshall’s
comments either after the
wide receiver suggested
Meriweather be taken out

of the game. The former
Patriot was quick to attack
Marshall’s own checkered
past—specifically several
incidents starting in 2006 with
his girlfriend.

“He feel (sic) like I need to
be kicked out of the league? I
feel like people who beat their
girlfriends should be kicked
out the league, too. So, you tell
me who you'd rather have:
somebody who play aggressive
on the field, or somebody who
beat up their girlfriend?”

Marshall is a tough man to
bring down right now though,
both on the field and off it. He
wore green cleats in October,
knowing he would receive a
fine, to promote awareness
about mental health. He
promptly matched the fine and
donated to the cause himself.

Regardless of how the NFL
deals (or doesn’t deal) with
Meriweather, the league has to
realize that if they continue to
condone such behaviour, more
will follow.

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