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The Cole Mine
by Cole Atkinson
No ACL, No Problem
DeJuan Blair was a highly scouted big man in the 2009 NCAA season.The undersized big man averaged 15 points and 12 rebounds per game at just 6 foot 7 inches. He had been affected by injuries during his high school career, but it did not show on the court. DeJuan was predicted to be a top 20 pick in the 2009 NBA draft, but on the day of the draft combine, everything changed. The combine doctors performed an MRI on DeJuan, and it turned out that DeJuan had no ACL in either knee. Turns out that in high school, DeJuan had had surgery to repair both his ACLs and at the time, they thought it repaired the ligament, but apparently they did not repair the ACLs. This was a huge concern for NBA teams. A tear in the ACL is one of the most dangerous injuries for any athlete, and DeJuan didn't even have an ACL. This fear of a first round pick not being able to play due to injury dropped DeJuan down to the 37th pick by the San Antonio Spurs. Despite his missing ligaments, he played 7 years in the NBA, averaging 7 points and 5 rebounds a game. The moral of the story is that no matter what disadvantages you have, there is always still a chance.
The Cole Mine
by Cole Atkinson
On March 3rd, a close overtime game between the Utah Jazz and the Philadelphia 76ers took place.he 76ers had a 3 point lead with 57 seconds left, and when 76ers center, Joel Embiid, went up for a dunk, the Jazz center, Rudy Gobert, hit Embiid in the back, causing him to miss the shot and draw a foul. Utah’s Donovan Mitchell disliked this call very much. So much so, in fact, that he got ejected from the game for complaining to the referees. In the post-game press conference, Mitchell said that he believed the Jazz had won the game and that unfair calls have been going towards Utah all season. Controversy with the NBA referees has been a hot topic this year as two players have been ejected this year for passing the ball to the referees. From the referees point of view, players talk back over almost every call made, and while they are not supposed to make calls based on emotions, it is only human nature for emotions to take the better of refs from time to time. Some players, fans, and the media want to change the rules of the NBA to switch what is considered a foul now back to how it was in the 1990’s, as it was a more violent league at the time. This has created a divide in the NBA viewership, creating a group of people who prefer more calls that help clean up the basketball game and make it more safe, while the other side is fine with more injuries and fights in exchange for more enjoyable and high-action basketball. Both sides have valid points and flaws, but as in politics, a bigger divide benefits no one.
Healthy and Active Living during the Pandemic
by Avery Craig and Sequoia Laybourne
This school year has been unlike any other in history. Between cohorting, learning at home and wearing masks at school, we've all had to make significant adjustments to how we do school. One class in particular has been drastically affected throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and that is Healthy and Active Living, or Phys Ed as it's more commonly known. They’ve adapted to new rules of social distancing, wearing masks and keeping the overall health of both the students and staff maintained. The teachers have done an amazing job making the class feel normal and fun! Two members of the department, Ms. Deroiun and Mr. Martin, talk to the Paw Print about their experiences so far this year.
Outdoor Education is all about team building, bonding with new people, taking once in a lifetime field trips and getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. Ever since COVID-19 took away the field trips Mr. Martin had planned, took away some team building activities and took away class sizes, Martin had to get creative with his class. “We’ve had to work within the guidelines while still trying to develop some group dynamics.” The grade 11 Outdoor Ed. class is still able to enjoy most things that would normally happen in this class.
“Since we have 4 hours together and only 9 people, our class is normally always outside. “We cross-country ski and snowshoe all day, leaving all the theory learning for at home.”
While still allowed to be in school, Mr. Martin wants to make the most of it. He ensures all students can take their time learning new skills (such as cross country skiing, building quinzees, snowshoeing, etc) and really reinforcing them to make sure they are prepared to go outdoors in the future. Mr. Martin has created an Outdoor Classroom in the nearby forest. His students are allowed to help make it into their own, by building couches out of snow, making nearby quinzees or shelters out of sticks. Martin says, “I have been able to learn outdoors more with COVID, it helps that we’re on a more micro scale with our class size. I like watching our small group blossom and see the group dynamics flourish"
Mr. Martin has also incorporated something new this year, due to the fact that COVID has removed some parts of his curriculum. He has started teaching more about Mental Fitness, and he says it’s here to stay. “These are the skills that should be taught at school and it took a global pandemic to bring that to the surface. Kids should have the knowledge of mental skills. Meditation and outdoor walks go hand in hand.” He started it last fall with his grade 10 outdoor ed class. It was a way to strengthen mental fitness while also being outdoors, interacting with classmates and working on individual skills. He stated that it is a relatable topic between all healthy living courses at JMSS.
In the grade 9 girls Phys. Ed Class, Ms. Derouin is happy that “we are focusing on mental health, grounding practices, healthy lifestyle practices, and current issues through a sport lens more than we have in previous years”. These subject areas are super important for students, especially with a global pandemic going on. With the large blocks of time, it allows for students to engage in light physical activity like going for walks/runs outdoors. Also, with being at home for half the course, teachers are really glad that students are finding new resources to stay physically active at home. Although COVID has brought some positives in the classroom, planning the lessons and classes can be quite difficult for teachers, given the 4 hours of class a day, and doing larger group activities and team sports can be difficult when only having small groups of students.
In previous years, students usually just had to put papers in a binder to keep track of their work. Now students are now logging their work in “digital binders” through Google Sites. Using Google Sites has been keeping students well organized and engaged with the work, and this “digital binder” is something that they will continue to use in future years. This site is what they log all their written work and log outdoor time and workouts too.
Ms. Derouin is grateful for “being able to adapt and still be able to work” during COVID. She stated that at the beginning of the year they didn’t have much access to equipment, but now we are able to use more in class, students and the staff are much happier with the outcome of Phys. Ed. The class always starts with mental health activities, which have helped students get their day going. After that, they will do some sort of light physical activity, like going for a walk. Doing these walks, students get their day started and is a good way to stay active and to socialize with your peers, while still following COVID protocols. After coming in from the walk, a health lesson and work will be done, before heading to the gym to do a sort of sport. With COVID, there haven't been any opportunities to do team sports, so this year most of the focus has been on technique and the mechanics of sports.
Even though the staff of the Phys. Ed classes got hit hard with COVID-19 they found a way to make Phys. Ed still feel normal and fun for the students. Some of them found it hard to adapt to the new rules at first but they got through it. They’ve got students outside more than ever and are still maintaining a safe COVID free environment.
The Nepean Sportsplex: Our Community Saviour
By Avery Craig
You probably remember going to the local community center for swimming lessons, summer camps and dance recitals when you were younger. You’d get on your floaties, your newly created tie-dye t-shirt or your dance shoes and you would be so excited. We have an emotional connection with that building because it was a key piece in our childhood. Whether we actually remember those dance moves or practicing floating on our backs, it was a part of being a kid. For Kathryn Grant, that building is the Nepean Sportsplex.
Kathryn is a 17 year old national diver for the Ottawa National Diving Club and Team Ontario. She has been diving for 12 years now ever since she saw her brother diving, she wanted to copy him. Since Kathryn was 9, she has been diving at the Sportsplex.
“I love training at the Sportsplex because of how many resources they have. They have the towers, so we train that, they’ve got more boards, a trampoline and the pools are deep enough. But when I got the news that I was allowed to train I was so happy! The staff here has always been good to us, they ask us when we need help and they clean everything so thoroughly. Everywhere I turn I see sanitizing spray it’s so great!”
“I love training at the Sportsplex because of how many resources they have. They have the towers, so we train that, they’ve got more boards, a trampoline and the pools are deep enough. But when I got the news that I was allowed to train I was so happy! The staff here has always been good to us, they ask us when we need help and they clean everything so thoroughly. Everywhere I turn I see sanitizing spray it’s so great!”
Kathryn isn’t the only exciting thing happening at the Nepean Sportsplex right now. Dale Johnson, Portfolio Manager of the Sportsplex, has taken advantage of the facility closure and initiated some much needed projects.
Kathryn Grant in action
If you’ve ever been to the Sportsplex you would know how destroyed the parking lot is. Holes and cracks everywhere made it a very unenjoyable car ride. So in March of 2020, they replaced the whole parking lot, finishing in October 2020 and the public couldn’t be happier. The next project was the replacement of the gym floor as it was 20 years old and national level athletes have been giving him great feedback on it! He has many more projects along the way to “modernize” the building and, “ to bring the building up to its full potential.”
Now, if you’re not a national level athlete like Kathryn or a construction worker, you technically can’t go into the building at this time. But, there is one thing the Nepean Sportsplex offers year round for the general public. That is the Pinhey’s Forest Trail right behind the Sportsplex. I can honestly say from experience that these trails are great. During quarantine as you are stuck inside, losing your mind, the best solution is to go and get outdoors. Be one with nature as they say. It is great for your mood and health and it also beats being stuck inside.! So go get outside! Build a snowman, bring your dogs on these trails, go for a walk! The Nepean Sportsplex has so much to offer now and hopefully later in the future.
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