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Montreal Drop Zone
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FEATURE: Everyday heroes take the leap for a good cause

by Sara Espinal Henao on

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Click to see the full feature!
Click to see the full feature!

On Sept. 22, 60 ‘superheroes’ rappelled down a 22-storey Montreal skyscraper in support of a worthy cause: to promote the development and community engagement of the nation’s children with disabilities.

This impressive display of courage and commitment, organized by Montreal’s Drop Zone 2012, took place at the BNP Tower, a building best known for the memorable monument, “The Illuminated Crowd,” which stands at the its entrance.

The money raised was used to support Easter Seal Quebec, an organization that helps children with special needs gain confidence and become active members of society. This is done through community engagement opportunities, such as summer camps. It also provides equipment, normally too expensive for most families, that allows their children to make the most of their capabilities.

Since 2005, more than 2,300 ‘superheroes’ have joined the Superhero Club for Easter Seals, raising more than $3.76 million to help people with disabilities across the country. This year, the Drop Zone event has taken place in 15 different Canadian cities. By scaling down prominent skyscrapers, many remarkable individuals have worked to raise more than $2 million dollars for the foundation.

Montreal Drop Zone
Montreal Drop Zone

Among these superheroes was McGill’s Associate Vice-Principal (University Services) James Nicell. Trying to match the feats that thousands of disabled children and their families accomplish every day, Nicell rose to the occasion and raised more than $4,000 for the cause.

Rather than looking for the opportunity to undertake such a challenge, it was the opportunity that came knocking on Nicell’s door—or in his particular case, his window.

“I was sitting in my office [located on the 11th floor of the CIBC building], and suddenly somebody goes by my window… and I thought ‘wow that’s pretty neat.’” Impressed by the undertaking of that courageous climber, Nicell and the University  Services group decided to contribute to the Drop Zone’s endeavor.

[pullquote]Unlike going down one side of a building, which is over in 10 minutes, families with children with disabilities know that they’re in it for life.[/pullquote]

“I think we’re a pretty tight community of people, and so I pitched this idea to a bunch of people who work with me [at University Services].”

Nicell never planned on scaling down the building himself.

“The idea  … was that people [would] nominate those who [they thought] would [do it]. Those people would then choose whether to accept the nomination. Then, we would all vote. Whoever would get the most votes [would get] this opportunity, and we would raise the funds to make it happen,” recalls Nicell.

“I went on vacation and while I was away … someone decided it should be me that goes on the side of the building.  When I arrived back on Monday morning after being away for two weeks, my assistant Clara had a big smile on her face. I think my heart just fell off my chest at that point.”

While overwhelmed and surprised, Nicell found the strength to rise to the challenge. “I had never seen myself doing this…but I kept thinking to myself: ‘if I don’t do it, I’m gonna regret it. It’s a good cause and it’s the adventure of a lifetime.’”

Those who know Nicell would agree that he is not the type of person that one would expect to see casually dropping down a 22-story building. “I had never done anything like this before. I’m not comfortable with amusement parks, and I’m afraid of heights,” he said.

montrealinpictures.wordpress.com
montrealinpictures.wordpress.com

In addition, Nicell had no previous climbing experience whatsoever. He had no option but to learn all that there is to know about rappelling with only a few days left until the event.

“There was a practice day down to a rock climbing place, and they gave me about 10 minutes of training [on] how the gear worked,” he said.

Nicell practiced by dropping off a 40-foot high rock; nothing comparable to the 300-feet-tall Tower from which he would later have to descend.

“I went down those 40 feet, and then they just told me ‘alright, you’re done. See you on Thursday.’ It was a little over 20 minutes total that I spent.”

What, then, gave Jim Nicell the courage to undertake such a challenge? Easter Seals Quebec is a cause that is dear to his heart. “My wife and I have always said that we’d like to give back … as a family, we have all the resources of the world, but there are families around me struggling without any resources,” said Nicell.

“Unlike going down one side of a building, which is over in 10 minutes, families with children with disabilities know that they’re in it for life. It’s not something that you can just cure or take a certain bit of therapy and the problem goes away. It’s not like that at all. They need all our support in any way.”

Adam Scotti (McGill Reporter)
Adam Scotti (McGill Reporter)

It was this motivation that drove Nicell to take his first steps down the 300-foot high building, entrusting his life to a two-inch thick rope. Standing at the roof’s edge with a McGill flag fluttering on his back, Nicell recalls experiencing one of the most intense moments of his life.

“The hardest part was when they call you over … I could hear the noise of the crowd at the bottom as I was standing on the edge. Putting your feet on the edge and then just [letting your body] go, just holding on to your life with a rope, that was really something,” Nicell said.

After taking this first step down, Nicell began his descent. The building mirrored a scenic view of the city as he hesitantly pulled himself down. “Some people had told me when I said I was afraid of heights, ‘don’t worry, just look at the surface in front of you [as you go down].’ But what they didn’t account for was the fact that this [was] a mirror-glass building. When you’re looking at the surface, you see your face and you see the wide horizon.”

At mid-point, he was told to wave at the crowd below, an action that left him almost breathless.

Montreal Drop Zone
Montreal Drop Zone

“Just the act of taking your hands off the rope and turn around and wave, to let go and turn around … looking straight down on the floor, while looking at the mirror surface on the building gave the impression, almost like I was floating.”

After 10 minutes of great tension, Nicell’s feet finally reached the ground, followed by applause from his family and friends. Looking back, this warm support, as well as the satisfaction of having contributed to such a worthy cause, made Nicell feel fortunate to have had this experience. “It was a phenomenal experience. I don’t regret doing it.”

James stresses, however, that this was in no way a one-man initiative. “This was a team event that was put together by some wonderful considerate people in University Services. They made it all happen … I’m incredibly proud of the support of the group here. Having all of them standing below … was really nice. It feels good to be part of a supportive community,” Nicell said.

He also praised the courage and achievement of Montreal’s heroes and heroines, who collectively raised over $125,000 for Easter Seals Quebec.

The Moa bird of New Zealand. (cfzaustralia.com)
a, Science & Technology

This week in research

by Leigh Miller on

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Flightless Birds

Flightless birds are an evolutionary puzzle. The most befuddling aspect of these seemingly-related animals is their dispersion across far corners of the earth, because, well, they’re flightless.

Two opposing ideas seek to explain the far-reaching origins of these birds. In one, Charles Darwin suggested that a common ancestor flew to new locations, where it then lost the ability to fly. The second theory proposes that flightless birds split away from each other on diverging continents. The discovery of three separate flightless ancestors, dating before Gondwana—a super continent that comprised most of the current the Southern Hemisphere—supports the second theory.

However, several years after this discovery, DNA evidence demonstrated that Moa—extinct flightless birds from New Zealand, which stood up to 3.6 metres high—were closely related to a flying bird in South America, suggesting that they had a flying ancestor.

Last week, Royal Ontario Museum researchers released new information showing that both theories may be right. By analyzing Moa DNA, researchers discovered that the bird started to evolve along several different paths after Gondwana split apart, but at least two ancestral lines were founded later by birds that flew to new locations. This new discovery highlights the nuance of evolutionary biology.

Volcanic Eruptions

Volcanic eruptions start small: gas bubbles form in magma, heat and expand, then finally shatter the surrounding rock with explosive force. Whether these explosions are small and mild, or large and catastrophic, depends largely on the first ten seconds of bubble formation.

This month, McGill Earth and Planetary Science Professor Ron R. Baker, in collaboration with an international team of scientists, examined this phenomenon in the lab, modelling the volcanic bubble formation process in basaltic rocks. After using a laser to super-heat the rock, the team was able to observe the bubbles growing with a specialized X-ray microscope—essentially, an ultra-precise CT scanner. By using the images to measure bubble size and wall thickness between bubbles, they were able to determine the explosive potential of different formations.

Extremely explosive basaltic volcanoes are rare—Hawaiian basaltic volcanoes are considered mild, despite the fact that they can shoot lava up to nine kilometres into the air—but understanding more about bubble formation will allow scientists to start chipping away at the problem of determining what conditions cause these catastrophic events to occur. This should lead to more accurate predictions of volcanic eruptions. Their findings are outlined in a recent paper in Nature Communications.

(rmcguirephoto.com)
(rmcguirephoto.com)

Global Food Security

Is it possible for the earth to produce enough food to feed its massive, multiplying population, or should we begin our move to Mars? A joint study by researchers at McGill and the University of Minnesota published in the interdisciplinary magazine Nature last month provides hope that humans can stick around if we manage our resources wisely.

Using a broad analysis of global farm production, the researchers compared overall crop yields from both high and low-performing farms in certain regions. Their analysis suggests that using existing farms to their full capacity could bolster global food production by anywhere from 45 to 70 per cent for most crops. This means increased agricultural output doesn’t have to come at the expense of pristine forests and ecosystems.

In addition, the study revealed that increasing productivity will not require an increased use of fertilizer, which is associated with pollution and drinking water contamination. Nitrogen and phosphorous usage, two of the biggest culprits in agricultural pollution, could in fact be reduced by 28 and 38 per cent respectively worldwide, without negatively impacting yields for major crops such as wheat, corn, and rice.

While the study seeks to present a general picture, rather than delving into the details of implementing such sweeping changes, the dramatic findings allow for optimism on this serious and timely (seven billion people and counting) problem.

As leaves stop producing chlorophyll, they begin to change colour. (www.mooseyscountrygarden.com)
a, Science & Technology

Why leaves change colour during the fall

by Sam Reynolds on

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There is always a sense of child-like wonder that is evoked by staring at that vibrant, multi-coloured silver maple en route to work. Indeed, why trees change their colour during the fall is the kind of question a father might have to answer for his curious five-year-old daughter. Yet changing leaves is such a basic part of our year that many may be quick to overlook it.

All plants rely on photosynthesis to convert sunlight into chemical energy. This process occurs in the cells of each leaf, where chloroplasts turn carbon dioxide and light into sugar for food.

Chlorophyll, a chemical present in chloroplasts, is responsible for the leaf’s green colour, as well as for capturing sunlight and triggering the photosynthetic process. When there is more sunlight, plants produce more chlorophyll to absorb it. This explains why trees are green during the summer.

This green pigment in chlorophyll masks two other pigments in the leaf: carotenes and xanthophylls. Xanthophylls contain oxygen and produce a yellow colour as they absorb sunlight and stabilize chlorophyll. Carotenes contain no oxygen and produce an orange colour. Unlike chlorophyll, the carotenes and xanthophylls are present in the leaf year-round, whereas leaves’ levels of chlorophyll depend on the amount of sunlight it receives.

As the weather worsens and daylight decreases, so do chlorophyll levels in plants. When the seasons change and sunlight becomes scarcer, leaves begin to store their food rather than photosynthesize it. The green from the chlorophyll fades at the end of summer, revealing the yellow-orange hue of carotenes and xanthophylls during the fall.

Interestingly, the redder tones of fall are less easily explained. Biologists know that the red colour comes from anthocyanins—a chemical which, like chlorophyll, is not present in the leaf year-round. Rather, anthocyanins are produced only during the fall, as chlorophyll is broken down.

Its function is less clear. Some hold that anthocyanins act as a kind of sunscreen, protecting nutrients in the leaf from sunlight and keeping it on the branch longer. William Hoch, a professor at Montana State University, conducted an experiment in 2001 using mutant trees that could not produce anthocyanins. He placed them in bright sunlight and cold temperatures, and found that leaves from these trees fell while they were still green.

According to Hoch, leaves are redder when external conditions are harsher. When temperatures are colder and the sun is stronger, a leaf requires more anthocyanins to provide it with the nutrients that keep it on the branch. With less sunlight and more rain clouds, trees need less anthocyanins and are therefore less red.

Leaves’ hues depend on the amount of external stressors; nutrient levels in the soil, pollution, and exposure to sunlight are just some of the elements that determine anthocyanin production. The main debate surrounding anthocyanin is how it responds to these different environmental stimuli. Experts are still at odds over which conditions produce the reddest leaves.

In any case, the spectrum of colours that emerges during the fall does so as green chlorophyll fades, revealing yellow xanthophylls and orange carotenes. Red anthocyanins are produced to protect nutrients and keep the leaf on the tree. Once the leaf runs out of moisture and nutrients, it falls to the ground.

a, Science & Technology

Global epigenetics project granted millions in funding

by Kieran Steer on

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Last week, scientists came one step closer to understanding the human body on a new level—down to each type of body tissue and its specific stages of phenotypic development. Through Genome Canada and the Government of Quebec, the Government of Canada finalized an agreement to supply $41 million towards epigenetic research—the study of changes in cellular and genetic phenotypes that are not caused by a direct change in the sequence of DNA nucleotides.

This funding will strengthen Canada’s leading role in epigenetic sequencing research. It has also sparked new ideas for projects amongst researchers at McGill—one of the two main centres in Canada for epigenetics, alongside the University of British Columbia.

Countries across the globe are involved in the huge task of mapping the epigenome of normal human tissues, or creating models of the changes of the normally functioning human tissue. They use these maps and models in epigenetic development as a reference for comparison with diseased or malfunctioning tissues.

“The goal of the global project is to map thousands of these epigenomes,” Tomi Pastinen, Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in human genetics, said. “The role of Canada is to take care of about 200 of those epigenomes.”

The largest portion of the new funding will be allocated towards creating models of cell change, also known as reference epigenomes. With these, the potential for further research and discovery of diseases and malfunctions of various tissues should skyrocket.

“Let’s say we have generated at McGill reference epigenomes for a [healthy] human,” Pastinen said. “[If] there is a group who is interested in studying a common autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, they can extract t-cells from patients with rheumatoid arthritis and carry out epigenome analysis on those t-cells and then compare the results to the reference epigenome. If they see a difference there… it gives you clues about the disease.”

Epigenome mapping will reveal information about diseases as well as provide a deluge of information on normal cell development. The research will not only further epigenetic discovery, but also provide insight into all fields of biology. All information on the reference epigenomes will be made public. In an effort to integrate the investigations on epigenome maps with a pervasive understanding of normal cells and tissues, all of the maps will be fully accessible to hospitals, labs, and other researchers around the world who need them.

The rest of the funding will further direct research in the field. McGill professors Tomi Pastinen, Mark Lathrop—also Scientific Director at the McGill University and Génome Québec Innovation Centre—and Michael Meaney, James McGill Professor and Associate Director of the Douglas Institute Research Centre, have already begun to delve into promising epigenetic research.

In early research, the group of McGill professors discovered that events early in life can alter the way rats behave in later years. The phenomenon suggests that stressful early experiences can alter the rat’s epigenome and tissue development, and progressively lead to anxiety and depression.

The team hopes to delve into building human models, possibly pinpointing  specific stages of development of these disorders occurring later in rats’ lives. Using the reference epigenomes of the human brain tissue, the researchers will be able to compare the stages of change in brain development between normal and depressed subjects. They could possibly find a way to prevent these detrimental changes from happening.

“This [research] is one of the great promises we have,” Pastinen said. “[But the projects] will only be launched early next year, because the funding has not yet been decided and is currently being reviewed by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).”

The new funding initializes an important step in biology research, marking the beginning of a new stage in epigenetic study.

“If the human genome sequencing took 15 years to realize, understanding how the sequence works will take 50 years to realize, so there will be lots of work to do,” Pastinen said. “We can use sequencing technologies [to acquire an epigenetic map], but understanding what it means in going to be the challenge for years to come.”

Was Count Dracula just a man with porphyria? (www.thescifiworld.com)
a, Science & Technology

Researchers find vampires not so undead after all

by Caity Hui on

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On Halloween, the streets will be filled with children dressed up as witches, vampires and other frightening creatures. For the past fifty years, research has speculated that the myth of one of these monsters can actually be traced back to a medical  disorder.

Vampires are typically characterized by sensitivity to sunlight, pale complexion, and a diet of human blood. Some scientists have speculated that there is a link between these traits and the symptoms of porphyria. It appears that the age-old vampire could have been no more than a victim suffering from this disease.

Porphyria is a collection of related diseases that involve pigments known as porphyrins, which accumulate in the skin, bones and teeth. One of the best-known porphyrins, and the agent of this disease, is heme—the pigment in red blood cells and a component of the oxygen transporter hemoglobin.

Essentially, all versions of porphyria result from faults in the body’s production of this pigment. Heme is made in a sequence of eight steps, each equally important and catalyzed by a separate enzyme, as in a factory assembly line. If any of these steps is disrupted due to a mutation or an environmental toxin, the entire assembly line is halted. As a result, products of earlier steps, including some porphyrin intermediates, can build up to toxic levels.

The problem occurs when these porphyrins accumulate in the skin and other organs. While porphyrins are benign in the dark, they are transformed into corrosive, flesh-eating toxins when exposed to sunlight.

Porphyrins readily absorb both visible and ultraviolet light in order to transfer energy to oxygen molecules. Through this process they form singlet oxygen. Due to its reactivity and interactions with the skin, this derivative of oxygen can cause the symptoms suffered by victims of porphyria.

Along with an acute sensitivity to sunlight, the disruption of heme production means that the body cannot produce enough heme to form normal red blood cells, eventually leading to hemolytic anemia.

The type of porphyria that some researchers believe to have inspired vampire tales is known as congenital erythropoitic porphyria. It’s one of the worst forms of the disease, and causes symptoms such as gum and skin disfigurement.

Dr. Joe Schwarcz, the director of McGill’s Office for Science and Society, examined this connection between vampires and porphyria. In his article, “The Myth of Vampires and Porphyria,” he noted that Dr. David Dolphin, one of Canada’s top chemists, suggested the porphyria victims’ sensitivity to sunlight, and the possibility that receding gum can give the appearance of fangs. He believes this could have led to the creation of the myth of vampires.

However, while there are some links between porphyria victims and the mythological vampire, many aspects of the vampire-porphyria hypothesis do not hold up to scientific scrutiny.

For instance, Dr. Schwarcz mentioned that some researchers have suggested that “[as] porphyria now is treated by injection of blood products such as hematin that will interfere with porphyrin synthesis, at one time victims may have attempted self-treatment by drinking blood.”

Unfortunately, the ingestion of blood on its own, as opposed to the infusion of the pigment and blood product of hematin, would not provide any treatment for the disease.

Nonetheless, while science has yet to come to a consensus as to whether or not the porphyria-vampire hypothesis holds true, it is not uncommon for mythology to be derived from medical causes or natural disasters of the past. People crave explanations for unknown phenomena, and most often these explanations take the form of story and myth. Whether or not porphyria is the link to the creation of vampire stories, it is not unlikely that there were some medical or other natural phenomena that caused the ancient Chaldeans in Mesopotamia—the people to whom the first vampire myth can be traced—to tell tales of such a creature.

a, Sports

Around the Water Cooler

on

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In case you were too busy dressing up as a Dollarama pirate, a deranged Santa, or Pauline Marois (maybe that one’s a stretch…), here’s what you missed this past week in the world of sports…

BASEBALL — Another long season of Major League Baseball ended on Sunday night as the San Francisco Giants won their second World Series crown in three years. Touted as an elite offensive team, the American League Champion Detroit Tigers mustered just six runs in the four game sweep. The Giants were led by World Series MVP Pablo Sandoval—affectionately known as “the panda”—who tied a World Series record with three home runs in the first game of the series. Only Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson, and Albert Pujols had accomplished the feat before Sandoval’s virtuoso performance. The Giants were led by the dominant starting pitching of Barry Zito, Madison Bumgarner, Ryan Vogelsong, and Matt Cain, and a bullpen anchored by Sergio Romo. The title is the Giants’ seventh overall and second since moving to California in 1957.

FOOTBALL — The NFL reached its halfway point this week and the contenders are starting to separate themselves from the pretenders. The Atlanta Falcons are the kings of the league so far, boasting a perfect 7-0 record, while the Texans are the cream of the AFC crop at 6-1. It should be no surprise to anyone that the New England Patriots have scored more than any other team in football, but sit at a “disappointing” 5-3 after some close losses caused by a porous defence. The Chicago Bears have surpassed expectations, leading the NFC North at 6-1 and allowing the fewest points in the NFL. The resurrection of the Indianapolis Colts and Minnesota Vikings—2011’s also-rans—has fans in those cities excited, while Detroit Lions fans wonder how their team is back in the NFC North basement.

SOCCER — Montreal’s first season in Major League Soccer came to an end. The Impact played their final home game against the New England Revolution on Saturday, losing 1-0 on a late goal. The loss, coupled with a Vancouver Whitecaps win, means that Montreal fell short of the all-time record for points by a Canadian MLS club and the top seed in next year’s Amway Canadian Championship. Vancouver will head on the road this week to face the Los Angeles Galaxy in the first ever MLS playoff game involving a Canadian team. The Caps can provide a glimmer of hope to a nation of soccer fans that has gotten all too accustomed to bad news of late.

HOCKEY — Thursday came and went without a deal, as the NHL and NHLPA remain deadlocked in negotiations over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The stalemate has caused the league to cancel all regular season games through Nov. 30. Hockey is still being played in other places, however, as the American Hockey League is benefitting from an influx of NHL-calibre talent. The Charlotte Checkers, affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes, are leading the way with a 6-1-0-1 record, and are led by forward Zach Boychuk, who has nine points. Edmonton Oilers rookie Justin Schultz has the early advantage in the AHL scoring race, with six goals and six assists for the Oklahoma City Barons. The Toronto Marlies sit ninth-place, just out of a playoff spot, which should be good practice for when the NHL returns and they bring their mediocre play to the Air Canada Centre.

Kristina Pearkes scored a goal and added two assists during the Martlet victory. (Luke Orlando / McGill Tribune)
a, Sports

Riding high into playoffs, McGill routs Bishop’s

by Rebecca Babcock on

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Fired up after a 3-0 win over UQTR earlier in the week, the McGill Martlet soccer team came ready to play Bishop’s on Friday night. The Martlets defeated the Gaiters in their last home game of the regular season by an 8-1 margin.

Despite the large goal differential, Head Coach Marc Mounicot was slightly disappointed with his team’s effort.

“Our goal was to score as many goals as we could,” Mounicot said. “Yes, we scored eight goals today, but we should have beaten that team by more.”

McGill started the first half quickly, moving the ball well and creating many scoring opportunities. Just 15 minutes in, forward Kristina Pearkes launched the first goal of the game, opening the floodgates for other Martlets. Minutes later, Margaux Sleckman scored the second goal from 25 yards out. Selena Colarossi and Stephanie Avery eached chipped Bishop’s goalkeeper Marie Pierre Harvey to pad McGill’s lead. Second-year defender Jenna Holdham tallied yet another, heading it past Harvey in the 36th minute.

Entering halftime, McGill found itself ahead 5-0. The Martlets’ large lead allowed complacency to set in. They stopped moving their feet, which gave Bishop’s free shots on net. The Gaiters scored in the 62nd minute, denying McGill a shutout.

After some substitutions for McGill, the Martlets picked up the tempo. Meghan Bourque came off the bench and scored two quick goals within six minutes of each other. Another substitute, Melissa St-Onge, scored the final goal of the game in the 90th minute, sealing the Martlet victory.

Sitting in third place in the RSEQ, the Martlets have secured a playoff position. However, Mounicot believes the Martlets must improve in a few areas if the team wants to contend for a conference title.

“I was not happy that we gave up a goal,” Mounicot said, as it was just the Gaiters’ fourth goal of the season. “We have to keep working on our set plays, [our] finishing, and controlling the tempo of the game. When we are in control, we [create] better shots, and when we don’t have control, we need to concentrate and get that control back.”

The players, however, were more enthusiastic about the outcome. Bourque explained that it was important to give all the Martlets some playing time.

“It was great. Once we warmed up, we got into a groove and everyone got a chance to play. It was important to come out and score lots of goals, both for stats, but also for confidence,” Bourque said. “I don’t get a lot of opportunities to score, so getting these two goals puts me in a great confident position for our upcoming games.”

One of McGill’s strengths is the ability to get offensive output from many players of all positions. Even Holdham, a defender rarely in a position to score, managed to add one in the game.

After the match, she reiterated the importance of momentum.

“Scoring lots of goals and proving ourselves out on the field will be important for playoffs,” Holdham said. “We’re going to come up against Sherbrooke, who beat us in the semi-finals last year. We’re going to have to carry this type of play over, and take it to them.”

The Martlets tied Sherbrooke on Sunday afternoon, and will get another crack at the Vert-et-Or in the RSEQ semifinal on Nov. 2.

a, Behind the Bench, Sports

Football too violent? Try rugby

by Rebecca Babcock on

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When I first started playing rugby, my parents were worried I was at risk of serious injury. I argued that sports like hockey—which both my brother and sister played—or football were more dangerous, despite the padding used. After a lot of pleading, my parents reluctantly agreed to let me play.

As I grew older and past my rugby prime, I began to wonder whether rugby is, in fact, safer than football. However, based on my experience and some investigative research, I can conclude that rugby is safer.

The first thing rugby players are taught is how to hit properly without equipment. Players are supposed to aim their shoulders for the opponent’s hip, wrap their arms around the knees, and keep their heads to either side of the torso in order to prevent the opposing players from falling on their heads. Theoretically, this tactful approach to tackling reduces the likelihood of serious injury.

While proper tackling is also taught in football, it is not emphasized to the same extent, and does not require the same amount of precision. This is because football players have padding for protection in the case of a poorly executed tackle by an opposing player.

Conversely, rugby players are constrained by their lack of padding. A rugby tackler will not run full tilt at the opposition, as he or she, too, wants to avoid injury upon impact. Football players seem to believe that their padding is a magical layer thatprotects them from the force of the hit. While it is true that padding absorbs some of the impact, these chronic forces still take a toll on players’ bodies. It is almost as if the padding solicits more vicious hitting.

Protective headgear also presents another issue in football. Helmets are sometimes supported behind the neck with a neck-roll, which, in principal, makes it “safer” for football players to use their heads as a weapon in a tackle. While concussions are a hot topic in football, particularly in the NFL, efforts to reduce head injuries haven’t panned out in practice—players are still just as vulnerable to head injuries.

Finally, it is statistically proven that football players sustain more injuries. A study published in 2008 by The British Journal of Sports Medicine found 847 injuries occurred in 73,834 Collegiate Rugby Union practices and games. These numbers were lower than rates reported by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Injury Surveillance System for American football.

The lack of padding not only makes rugby a more controlled and safe sport. In fact, it has other rules that enforce a safer game overall. For instance, any semblance of a high tackle results in a penalty. In stark contrast, changes in football rules often create a dangerous environment. For example, the NCAA implemented a rule that if a player’s helmet comes off during a play, then the play is immediately stopped. While this seems to promote a safer environment, teams have begun to use this rule strategically. Helmets are now being intentionally ripped off of players’ heads to stop the play, leading to some perilous head and neck injuries, and sullying the rule’s original purpose.

Put simply, football can be an uncontrolled game. Players are more likely to throw their bodies around with the safety of padding, and the rules are failing at making it safer for the players. In the future, if my children ask me to play rugby, I’ll give them the blessing. Football on the other hand, is just too physical. My parents made the right call.

 

Fourth-year forward Chelsey Saunders fights for position in front of the net. (Michael Paolucci / McGill Tribune)
a, Sports

Martlets making magic early on, win home opener

by Steven Lampert on

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The season may be young but the McGill Martlets look like they’re in mid-season form. On Saturday afternoon, the Martlets defeated the Carleton Ravens 6-0 thanks to a  complete team effort. McGill didn’t give the Ravens a glimmer of hope, and outmatched Carleton in every aspect of the game from the opening face-off.

Martlet Head Coach Peter Smith has a ton of confidence in his roster, and the results justify his faith.

“We’ve got four real good lines [and] six strong defencemen. When everyone is skating and using each other, we’re a pretty dangerous team to play against. That was showcased against Carleton,” Smith said.

After a sluggish start, the Martlets picked up the pace midway through the first period, as first-year forward Gabrielle Davidson opened the scoring with eight minutes to go in the frame. Davidson has been a useful addition to the Martlet lineup, as her speed and ability to create scoring chances present matchup problems for the opposition.

McGill has no shortage of offensive weapons up front, led by a first line of second-year centre Melodie Daoust, and third-years Katia Clement-Heydra and Leslie Oles. The line generated scoring chances almost every time it was on the ice, and finally capitalized, as Clement-Heydra buried a goal past sprawling Carleton goaltender Eri Kiribuchi with just eight seconds remaining in the frame.

Smith praised his first line and their dominant offensive performance.

“That line of Daoust, Clement-Heydra, and Oles is just a great line. They have a real sense of where each other are,” Smith said. “They’re just so dynamic. They’re great skaters with good puck skills, and see the ice well. They’re exciting to watch.”

The line connected again in the second period, as Daoust scored her first of two goals on the night. She finished with three points in the game. They carried their momentum into the third, as Daoust struck again, followed by a powerplay goal by Oles, who finished with four points in the contest.

The Martlets fired 42 shots at Kiribuchi in comparison with Carleton’s 19 shots at McGill goalie Taylor Salisbury. Salisbury has taken over this year for long-time Martlet goaltender Charline Labonte, and the results speak volumes about her talent—she has allowed just two goals in three starts this season. Despite the void left by Labonte, Smith is pleased with his team’s current goaltending situation.

“We’re a different team without Labonte in net. There’s no getting around it [but] we know that,” Smith said. “I think our goaltending now matches up with anybody in the league.”

Oles netted the Martlets’ final tally late in the third, thanks to a superb set up by Clement-Heydra and Daoust. Carleton was clearly gassed and created few scoring chances, as McGill preserved the shut-out victory.

Though the Martlets have had little competition thus far this year, it is important that they do not become complacent. However, Smith isn’t too worried about his group—they know how to focus and take one game at a time despite the long season.

“The beauty of our team is that [the players] want to hear about it. They want to know what they do well [and] what they need to do better,” he said. “We know that this season is a process … they’re very focused on that process of getting better.”

The Martlets followed up their dominant effort against Carleton with another victory on Sunday afternoon against Concordia. Oles added a hat trick to her hot start to the season, while fourth-year backup goaltender Andrea Weckman was credited with the win after stopping 14 of the 17 shots she faced. McGill has a pair of away games next weekend before returning to McConnell Arena on Nov. 10 for a rematch against Concordia.

 

The Redmen earned a berth at Nationals. (Luke Orlando / McGill Tribune)
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Sports Briefs

by Steven Lampert and Jeff Downey on

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Rugby — Redmen 45, Bishop’s 14, McGill Ends Regular Season with Win

The Redmen continued to roll on Friday night, concluding their regular season schedule by defeating the Bishop’s Gaiters handily, 45-14. Third-year forward Ian Carvalho-Campos, who converted two tries in the victory, led the Redmen with a total of 10 points. Fellow third-year fullback Cameron Perrin matched Carvalho-Campos with 10 points, scoring five conversions. Five other Redmen tallied tries in the match, including Zechary Miller and Quentin Pradere. The Redmen sit third in the RSEQ at 4-4, and will meet the winner of the Concordia-Bishop’s game in the conference semifinal on the road, on Nov. 11. The RSEQ final takes place a week later.

Lacrosse — CUFLA Wildcard Playoff, Redmen Qualify for Nationals

The McGill Redmen lacrosse team earned a trip to Nationals on Saturday, following a playoff win against Carleton in the CUFLA wildcard playoff game. The Redmen defeated Carleton twice this season in resounding 17-3 and 15-9 victories. This match, with much higher stakes, was a little more tense. On the heels of a pair of hat-tricks from Ryan Besse and Alex Rohrbach, and a two goal game by captain Jishan Sharples, the Redmen left Molson Stadium with a 10-8 victory. It was the 100th career win for Head Coach Timothy Murdoch. With it, McGill heads to Peterborough, Ontario next weekend looking to win its first CUFLA East Finals.

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