Martlet Volleyball

                The average McGill student is probably skeptical about going to see a Martlet volleyball game. For most of us, the word “volleyball” brings back memories of high school gym class where 50% of serves went into the net, no one ever moved and the longest rallies lasted about 5 seconds. Volleyball, for many, spells boredom. If you are one of these non-believers, I would highly recommend going to check out a varsity game. Two points in and you will quickly realize that there is much more to the sport than planted feet and uselessly flailing arms.

After witnessing the events of the recent Martlet Invitational Volleyball Tournament, it’s safe to say that McGill has a very strong team this year. They have a good mix of veterans and rookies who have a ton of chemistry on the court. The team has height, great serves, excellent setters and an experienced, successful, kind and knowledgeable coach. Their digs are often spectacular, superhuman dive-rolls that defy the laws of physics. And, most importantly, they all appear to be genuinely enjoying themselves on the court.

The Martlets managed to play their way to a third place finish in the tournament despite injuries to some of their top players, including their starting setter. They beat their division rivals from Universite de Montreal in three straight sets to win the bronze medal game, while St Mary’s University edged out Dalhousie in the finals. McGill played both St Mary’s and Dalhousie earlier in the tournament, managing to beat Dal 3-1 and coming very close to upsetting St Mary’s in a 3-2 loss. They showed poise, confidence and depth in their roster, with rookies stepping up to fill in for injured vets. It was an inspiring effort from all players and truly a pleasure to watch.

The Martlets will kick off the regular season with a home game against Universite de Montreal at 7pm on October 28^th. These teams have a lot of history and Montreal will be looking to redeem themselves after their semi-final loss. The game promises to be action-packed and most likely very close. If you think volleyball is a lazy person’s sport and that girls can’t spike the ball, you need to come to this game and witness the high level of skill and athleticism that is sure to be on display.

See you there!

- Martlet Girl 

McGill Squash

                There are several reasons why I play squash. Mainly, I find running around and crashing into walls to be highly amusing. Also, there aren’t many sports where you can hit the ball as hard as you can in basically any direction (I mean tennis? I would be 100% better at that sport if the courts were as big as football fields). Also my usual squash partner is a friend who I don't get to see very often, so a quick game is always a good chance to catch up on each others lives. Finally, squash is a great excuse to swear as loudly as possible when you mess up (which in my case is often).

                In case it wasn’t made obvious enough in the previous paragraph, I definitely do not play squash because I am good at it. I can run, I have hand eye coordination and I can hit the ball well enough to have a good time, but that’s about it. Do I know strategy, tactics or proper technique? Not so much. That’s why I was completely shocked when, as I was playing with my friend the other day, we were approached by the coach of the McGill squash team and asked to come out to their next practice.

                “But I don’t really play squash…” was my first response. “That’s ok!” said the coach, “You can run, you have hand eye coordination and you can hit the ball! Practice is this Tuesday at 8:30. It would be great if you both came out.” We managed to wait until she was out of earshot before the giggling started. However, even though the idea of being on a squash team was completely ridiculous to my friend and I, we decided we would give it a try. Why not, right? It could be a lot of fun, and maybe we weren’t as terrible as we thought.

                Tuesday rolled around and I started to have second thoughts. These thoughts intensified when we arrived at the courts and all of the other girls were dressed in these professional looking sport-skirt things. I felt like a total newbie in my soccer shorts and science goggles (couldn’t find my squash goggles), holding a crappy racquet. I became even more uneasy after talking to one of the players who had been practicing squash since the age of 2. I glanced over at my friend and I realized we were both thinking exactly the same thing: what the heck are we doing here???

                Fortunately we split into two groups: the more experienced players (ie: the ones in skirts) and the less experienced players (ie: the ones looking lost and terrified). The coach worked with us lost and terrified players and was very encouraging throughout the process. I learned how to hold my racquet, hit the ball properly and where to aim the serve on the court. The coach’s instruction was very helpful and I feel as though I improved more over the course of that practice than I have during the all of my previous squash experiences combined.

                Although it was a good practice, I respectfully declined the offer to be on the squash team. Personally, I would rather just run around like an idiot and hit the ball wherever than spending hours each week trying to refine my technique. Squash for me will remain a recreational pursuit.

                However, if you are a dedicated player who owns real squash goggles, I highly recommend checking out the McGill Athletics website and getting involved with the team. If you're a beginner, don’t be shy to rent a court with a friend and enjoy a low-key game. It’s a guaranteed good time, good workout, and the kind of stress relief you can only get from smacking an object as hard as possible.

See you on the court! 

The Beautiful Game

                When I woke up yesterday I was in a pretty bad mood. Whether it was the sudden shift to winter, the unfortunate outcome of the fill the stadium game (except for this: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150321113124876&set=a.166319314875.114443.157991499875&type=1&theater) or simply a bad day for the hormones, I was not a happy camper. When my room mates found me clattering dishes around in our disastrous mess of a kitchen with a scowl on my face they probably should have quickly run in the other direction. Luckily, they did something much better: suggested that we all go play soccer.

                My hometown is an interesting place.  There are 6000 people, no high school, a handful of restaurants, one grocery store and 7 soccer fields. Needless to say, a lot of soccer is played by the residents. I think that we boast the highest per-capita number of registered soccer players in Quebec, mainly because there is not much else to do! The summer when I was 17 and didn’t have a driver’s license yet I was so bored that I tried every day to juggle the ball 1000 times with only my feet (a summer well spent as I eventually succeeded and can now brag about it whenever possible for the rest of my life). I started playing soccer on a team when I was 5 years old and played competitively up until CEGEP. At that point, I decided that all of the drama with parents, screaming coaches and catty team mates was not worth it. Since then I have continued to play at a more recreational level and have rediscovered just how much fun the game came be when you strip away the politics.

                While away at McGill, I was happy to discover that there are lots of opportunities to play soccer without having to commit to the varsity team. Aside from intramurals, which only give you about five games per semester, there is recreational soccer in the field house several times per week. Rec soccer basically means that you show up hoping that other people do as well (but not too many!). You never really know how it’s going to turn out. Sometimes there will be 40-50 people there waiting to get a turn to play. Sometimes everyone will be so skilled that you will rarely manage to touch the ball. But other times, there will be 10-12 appropriately skilled players to create the perfect pick-up game.

                Luckily, yesterday was that kind of day for the rec soccer world. I had a blast playing for the first time since August. Nothing on earth is more fun than a good pick up soccer game, where the atmosphere is competitive yet relaxed, where you don’t hesitate to carry the ball if you feel like it and where no one is screaming at you for doing the “wrong” thing. Two hours later I was a sweaty-but-happy mess, having scored some goals, made some plays and laughed a lot with my roomies.

                If you are a soccer player at McGill who is looking for a quick scrimmage now and then, I would definitely recommend stopping by the field house during a recreational soccer time period. Although the players are 90% male, most of them are respectful and have matured past the sixth-grade mentality of never passing to a girl. I will definitely be going back whenever I can this semester, to enjoy the best game in the world.

                See you on the pitch!