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Commentary, Opinion

Time to phase out daylight savings

by Leina Gabra on

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Picture this: It’s March 10, 2019. You wake up in the morning and wonder why you feel like you’ve barely gotten any rest. And, then you remember: Daylight savings time (DST) ended. Presumably, losing an hour of sleep on the last day of reading week was not the best way for students to dive back into school. It is with good reason that the debate over DST has recently been gaining increased traction, with several politicians and constituencies petitioning for the time changes to stop. While the pros and cons of DST are still hotly debated, many citizens and politicians agree that it is far past time to put an end to the annoyance of biannual DST time changes.

DST was instituted in Germany in 1915 to conserve energy and make better use of sunlight during summertime evenings. Previously, some daylight hours would be ‘wasted’ during hours when most people would be asleep. DST aimed to maximize sunlight hours, thus minimizing energy usage to power people’s homes. For example, during WWI, countries throughout Europe used DST to save coal for war machinery instead of using it to power lightbulbs. Throughout the 20th century, the U.S., Canada, and most of Europe slowly began to write DST into law. While DST had several opponents from its very conception, such as scientists who feared machinery malfunctions, politicians still considered it worthwhile enough to save energy in a world fuelled by coal.

Now, almost a century later, the very nation that started the DST craze, Germany, is working toward ending it by 2021. In one European Union (EU) poll, 84 per cent of Germans voted to end the biannual clock changes. The opposition to DST has spread across the Atlantic to the U.S. and Canada, where some legislators are proposing to do the same. California, Oregon, and Washington have passed bills calling for the permanent institution of DST time, which would extend daylight hours into the evening year-round. Arizona, however, is an example where most parts of the state ignore DST, in favour of remaining on standard time year-round. In Canada, several provinces and regions have already stopped adhering to this irritating custom: Saskatchewan stopped biannual time adjustments in 1966, and parts of northern British Columbia followed suit.

Proponents of DST have some compelling arguments in favour of the custom. During the winter months, the adjustment extends sunlight in the morning, which is especially important for regions in the far north where sunrises occur relatively late during the winter. However, the science behind the original claim that DST saves energy is inconclusive: One study by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Research found that, while DST did keep people from turning on their lights until later, it also resulted in an increased use of air conditioning, effectively cancelling out any energy savings.

On an individual human basis, studies also show that the time change, especially in the spring, when we lose an hour of sleep, has a negative effect on our health and safety. The time change in the spring can affect people’s circadian rhythms and cause sleep deprivation, which can be deeply disruptive to students’ ability to focus. According to Cary Brown, a University of Alberta sleep specialist, this can also have a negative effect on those with chronic conditions such as depression, anxiety, and cardiovascular problems. Changing the clock can also be dangerous for pedestrians, a category that includes most students in downtown Montreal. U.S. researchers found that, on the day after the clock falls back an hour, there was a consistent 10 per cent increase in fatal car accidents due to the disruption in circadian rhythms.

Much like any university, a significant portion of students at McGill suffers from mental health issues and sleep deprivation, which can be exacerbated by DST. For the health, safety, and convenience of their residents, Quebec, and the rest of Canada, should follow in the footsteps of other countries, cities, and states and end disruptive and unnecessary biannual time changes.

Hockey, Sports

The Montreal Canadiens’ role in francophone culture

by Owen Gibbs on

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Montreal has been at the epicentre of hockey since the creation of the sport. While it is disputed exactly where the game was invented, the first organized match included a number of McGill students and took place in 1875 at the Victoria Skating Rink, mere blocks from the Roddick Gates. In the following decades, several small North American leagues came and went. Most drew small crowds and folded after a few years, but all had some Montreal ties. In December 1909, a group of businessmen formed a new team in Montreal as part of the brand-new National Hockey Association (NHA). In doing so, they created an icon: The Montreal Canadiens.

When the NHA folded in 1918 and the National Hockey League (NHL) came into existence, the Canadiens became the only team to predate the creation of the new league. Since then, the NHL has grown to what will soon be 32 teams, making it the second-largest professional sports league in North America by number of teams, and fourth-largest by popularity. As the NHL grows, the Canadiens, too, show no signs of slowing down: Hockey pundits recognize their fanbase as one of the most passionate in the entire NHL.

The Canadiens have built their brand on a long history of high-quality, entertaining hockey. Montreal has won 24 Stanley Cups, the most of any team, and their closest competition, the Toronto Maple Leafs, trail far behind with 13. Two-thirds of these victories occurred during the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, which are considered the golden age of Montreal hockey. Maurice Richard, Guy Lafleur, and Jean Béliveau led talented Canadiens rosters. These teams could handle almost any opponent without breaking a sweat or losing their signature grace, shattering many league records in the process.

Christopher Lyons, head librarian for McGill’s Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, was born in Montreal and grew up cheering for the Canadiens during the 1970s. He believes that the city’s love for the Canadiens stems from the success established in past dynasties.

“The Canadiens in the seventies were beautiful players,” Lyons said. “Their playmaking, their skating, and their passing was just stunning. As a kid growing up, we were spoiled. We just assumed that Montreal would win the [Stanley] Cup every year.”

The Canadiens could build such dominant teams in the past because of a league rule that gave them a specific advantage: They had exclusive rights to sign homegrown talent. For many years, Montreal could select players from thousands of amateur leagues in Quebec without having to compete with the other NHL teams. Many of the superstars who made up the Canadiens’ Cup-winning squads, such as Lafleur, Béliveau, and Richard, were recruited through this program. The competitive advantage gave rise to another narrative that defined the love for the Canadiens: They were Quebec’s team.

“If you grew up in Montreal, you had these deep, deep feelings for this team and for its history,” Lyons said. “There was a real sense of pride and believing in something.”

The 1950s-70s were a period of tension for the province. Quebec was strongly divided by language. Because of the conservative policies of Premier Maurice Duplessis, Quebec fell behind the rest of Canada in its technological and economic development, and, according to Suzanne Morton, professor in the Department of History and Classical Studies, anglophones sometimes treated francophones as second-class citizens.

“Generally, anglophones made a lot more money than francophones,” Morton said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “Economic differences were tapped into by francophone nationalists.”

Quebec francophones may have been treated as inferior, but the Canadiens of the 1950s, led by league-leading scorer Richard, was a constant that French Canada felt they had over the anglophones. Francophones throughout the province saw homegrown stars like Richard as heroes who came from small towns or working-class neighbourhoods in Montreal, starting out the same way as hundreds of local children. They walked the same streets and skated on the same backyard rinks. The Canadiens provided many Montreal hockey fans with positive feelings that a francophone hockey player could reach the heights of the NHL when it had previously seemed impossible.

Roch Carrier of Ste. Justine, QC, was one such boy. His famous children’s book, The Hockey Sweater, tells a true story from Carrier’s childhood: A young Carrier and his friends idolize their hero Maurice Richard. They play hockey on a frozen pond, all wearing Canadiens jerseys with his number nine on their backs. One day, Carrier’s francophone mother writes a letter to the jersey manufacturer in Toronto to order her son a new Richard sweater, but, as a result of a failure of translation, the company sends a Maple Leafs jersey instead. Humiliated, Carrier wears the new jersey out only to be laughed away by the other children who see Toronto as vastly inferior to the great Canadiens. Once he receives the proper jersey, Carrier goes to play hockey with his friends once again.

While Carrier’s tale is one of love for the Canadiens rather than anger with English North America, anger once prevailed back in March 1955. Following an incident in which he accidentally hit a linesman in the face with his stick, Maurice Richard was suspended for the remainder of the 1954-55 season, including the playoffs. At the time, the Canadiens led the league and were favourites to win another Stanley Cup. Without Richard, however, they finished second, falling to Detroit in a seven-game Cup Final. Many francophone fans believed that the suspension would have been more lenient for an anglophone player, and, as a result, when League President Clarence Campbell visited for a match several days after the incident, a massive riot broke out. Hockey writer Sean McIndoe describes the 1955 Richard Riots in The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL.

“The situation was a powder keg, with protests breaking out outside the building and death threats called in to the president’s office,” McIndoe explains in his book. “When [anglophone] teammate Bernie Geoffrion passed Richard to secure the scoring title on the season’s final day, Montreal fans booed him.”

McIndoe believes that Canadiens fans felt that this drastic suspension was a slight toward the francophone Richard.

“There was a feeling among a segment of the Canadiens fanbase that they were not just unhappy because their best player had been suspended for the season,” McIndoe said in an interview with the Tribune. “There was a feeling that this would not have happened to an English player.”

The Richard Riots capture the focal point of why Quebec loves its team so much. In a country dominated by the English language, the Canadiens are a cultural icon for francophones. According to Lyons, the Québec Nordiques, the province’s other team until 1995, attempted to tap into franco-nationalist sentiment at an organizational level during their run throughout the 1970s and ‘80s.

“The Nordiques played themselves as the pure Québécois, quasi-nationalist team,” Lyons said. “As an anglophone Montrealer, their association with the politics of the time is what made the Nordiques more dislikeable.”

However, the team ultimately moved to Colorado, an area of the United States that was unconcerned with the plight of Québécois nationalists. Except for a group of fans that continues to push for the Nordiques to return to Quebec, the Nordique fanbase died then and there, and many returned to following the Canadiens.

The Montreal Canadiens inspired franco-national pride from the 1950s through the ‘70s, dominating the NHL when anglophone teams could not. While their dominance in the league has dwindled, pride in the local team is passed on through generations, which equips the Canadiens to proudly represent their city.

Creative

Please Laugh.

by Tony Wang on

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Staff Producer Tony Wang decides to take on a new challenge: stand up comedy! Tony explores the world of comedy at McGill, and takes the kind of risk that we too often avoid and should more often embrace!

By Tony Wang

Campus Spotlight, Student Life

McGill’s Downtown campus gardens

by Mary Keith on

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Spring is blooming, and, with it, so are McGill’s many gardens. McGill’s Downtown campus has over 12 gardens; however, many students will typically rush past them without stopping to enjoy the flowers and produce grown on campus. These urban gardens do not just incorporate nature into McGill’s urban campus, but they also function as learning aids for the McGill and greater Montreal communities.

Gardening has certain benefits, such as alleviating stress, improving mental health, and allowing gardeners to become part of a communal environment. According to Amelia Peres, Sustainability Strategy Administrator for the McGill Office of Sustainability, the gardens serve three main purposes for the McGill community.

“The gardens add a lot of life, greenery, and colour, but they are also a really nice way for people to get engaged with sustainability in a tangible way,” Peres said. “The gardens help [people] make good connections. [For example], staff gardens help staff to meet each other, along with integrating student volunteers to build really strong relationships that otherwise wouldn’t exist.”

Each of the gardens at McGill serves a different purpose. Some, like the Ecole Garden and Education Outdoor Eco-Learning Garden, are part of learning and teaching initiatives and others are agricultural, such as the Campus Crops plot. One of the most prominent produce gardens on campus is the Edible Campus Area, a space designed to grow fruits and vegetables with minimal environmental impact. The space surrounds the Burnside Building and was originally a collaborative project between the McGill School of Architecture’s Minimum Cost Housing Group and Santropol Roulant, a Montreal community group that runs a number of volunteer-run programs including Meals on Wheels and farmers’ markets. Two years ago, Santropol Roulant returned the garden to McGill, and it has since been shared by campus groups, including the Office for Students with Disabilities and Midnight Kitchen.

Some gardens on campus, such as the Robertson Herb and Scent Garden, are designed to facilitate the process of pollination. In the warmer months, students can observe flocks of butterflies. Others are more education-focused, in order to teach skills related to gardening and to serve as places to share tips and ideas in a communal setting.

“SSMU Daycare’s garden is educational,” Peres said. “This particular garden is about getting the kids into the garden to talk about the benefits of gardening and being outside. Gardening is a really cool way for the kids to learn skills that they can use at other times in their lives.”

While gardening has many functional purposes, it also provides an ideal setting to relax and connect with nature. According to Peres, one of the best places to decompress is the Robertson Herb and Scent Garden, a hidden gem buried between the Davis and Hosmer Houses. The garden organizes its planters into the shape of petals, so that from above, the garden looks like a plant. Nearby is the Downtown campus’ very own secret orchard where students can pick their own apples and pears off of the trees.

For students looking to do more than just smell the flowers, they can get involved by volunteering at a garden or starting their own. As some students move away from Montreal for the summer, many on-campus sites are looking for new volunteers, especially since gardens need extra care and attention in the warm months. Campus Crops is currently looking for new students to get involved to help garden the incoming produce, in addition to Midnight Kitchen.

“The two gardens that are in need of the most students right now are the Midnight Kitchen Garden and Campus Crops.  If students are interested in volunteering, they can email them directly,” said Peres. “No prior experience is needed, just excitement.”

Features

Spaced out

by Andras Nemeth on

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In 2024, Canadarm 3, an artificially-intelligent robotic arm designed and manufactured in Canada, will move autonomously over the surface of a space station orbiting the moon. Designed to operate without human supervision, the arm, and the operating system that controls it, will be trusted with the maintenance of the Lunar Gateway, a deep-space orbital outpost designed by NASA to facilitate the next wave of space exploration.

Editorial, Opinion

Addressing hate is a collective action

by The McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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On March 28, the Quebec government tabled its proposed secularism law, which would bar anyone working in the public sector in a ‘position of authority’—including bus drivers and  teachers—from wearing visible religious symbols such as the hijab and kippah. Like the failed 2013 Charte des Valeurs , Bill 21 is a thinly-veiled attempt at marginalizing religious minorities. Between the introduction of Bill 21, the rising numbers of hate crimes, and the recent white supremacist attack on a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, hate is increasing, affecting the safety and wellbeing of McGill’s students of colour. All students should do their part to ensure that the campus remains a welcoming environment.

Montreal has the fifth-highest rate of hate crimes in Canada, and Quebec City comes in fourth. Quebec is home to La Meute, a far-right, anti-immigration hate group which former members estimate has 4,000 to 5,000 constituents. In La Meute’s public Facebook group, nearly 200 members celebrated the announcement of Bill 21. McGill does not exist in a vacuum: The increase in hate crimes in Quebec leaves racialized and marginalized students vulnerable to violence and harassment, on and off campus. In September, a white-supremacist group called Generation Identity hung posters spewing racist rhetoric around campus. The Christchurch shooter, who expressed sentiments similar to Generation Identity’s about immigration, donated $2,000 to its Austrian chapter in 2018. Though these hate groups may be a minority in Quebec politics, they can have an outsized influence on citizens’ safety.

“Traditional political parties in Quebec watch what La Meute is saying,” Université de Sherbrooke Professor David Morin, who studies radicalization and violent extremism, said in an interview with Buzzfeed News. “These parties understand that there is an electorate that is sympathetic to what the group says. They know they can seize upon these themes for political gain.”

Premier Francois Legault, leader of the Coalition Avenir Quebec, made a reference to ‘Quebec values’ in a public address about Bill 21.

“We have been debating religious symbols for 10 years,” said Legault. “It’s time to establish rules. Because this is how we live in Quebec.”

Hate groups and mass violence represent the most extreme manifestations of racism, and they are often beyond individual students’ control. However, racism also manifests in more subtle, pervasive ways—and it is important to respond to these everyday instances. Allyship is more than a buzzword: A dedication to advocating for issues that might not affect oneself directly is imperative. Indigenous and non-Indigenous students came together to sign the #ChangeTheName campaign’s open letter and attended the protest, which proved the student body’s support for the cause and highlighted the need for action on the McGill administration’s behalf. Students have demonstrated their capabilities for advocacy through the great attendance of the climate justice walkout on March 15. It is imperative that students continue to put in that same effort to advocate for marginalized students: That means showing up to protests, vigils, other demonstrations. 

Supporting the continued existence of on-campus resources for marginalized students—such as the McGill Office for Religious and Spiritual Life, the Muslim Students’ Association, and the Black Students’ Network— is especially important given the rise of hate crimes. Marginalized and racialized students need these safe spaces, and continuing to support them is imperative.  McGill’s administration must consider the rise in far-right rhetoric and hate crimes as they restructure the Social Equity and Diversity Education Office (SEDE), which, in addition to providing equity and community outreach programming, is a central hub that can refer students to cultural and religious student groups.

From the provincial government’s support for Bill 21 to the rise of hate crimes, and the prevalence of hate groups in Montreal and Quebec, marginalized and racialized students are increasingly forced to face this sinister reality every day. McGill does not exist apart from the world surrounding it, nor do its students. Action against hate requires collective solidarity, and all students are responsible.

Baseball, Private, Sports

Montreal baseball fans want the Expos back

by Gabe Nisker, Miya Keilin, Gabriel Helfant on

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The Packed House

On March 25 and 26, over 47,000 fans packed into the Olympic Stadium to watch the Toronto Blue Jays and Milwaukee Brewers finish up their Spring Training schedules. This series marked the sixth straight season that the Toronto Blue Jays played a set of games in Montreal. And, now, for the sixth straight season, baseball fans who dearly miss their beloved Montreal Expos came to cheer on Canada’s sole baseball franchise in Montreal.

In a pre-game ceremony celebrating the Expos’ 50th anniversary, team legends paraded out from centre field, and, in an annual tradition, former star pitcher Steve Rogers made an appearance to express support for bringing baseball back to Montreal.

“It’s not like you have to manufacture some belief in it,” Rogers said. “It’s been demonstrated certainly. The question will be, ‘Is this sustainable for [a] 162 game season, 81 at home?’ I think it’s been demonstrated that, [for] over six years, the interest is here, and I’m excited for the possibilities.”

Charlie Montoyo

Charlie Montoyo had been to Montreal before, but in a different capacity. The Blue Jays manager earned his first big-league hit in his brief playing career at Olympic Stadium. In an interview with MLB.com’s Alexis Brudnicki, Montoyo recalled his time in the city.

“I’m never going to forget,” Montoyo said. “I had my first hit of two here in the big leagues. So, that’s a memory I’m always going to have [….] This place has been great to me. It was a fun time for me here, and, now, it’s a fun time to come back as a big league manager, so it’s great.”

Rogers threw his support behind Montoyo.

“He’s one of those good guys out there,” Rogers said. “He’s proven himself in the industry, and somebody might say ‘Well, that Charlie, he’s lucky.’ Well, no, he’s worked his rear end off, and he’s a great baseball man. And, also, he’s a great guy. Always has a good time, always got a smile on his face [….] I understand it’s a new group, the players that are going out on the field […. I hope] that everything starts to gel and that [that] smile stays on his face all year long.”

As Montoyo built familiarity with his new role and his young team, he handled one tough matter on March 26: Sending players who had not made the Opening Day roster down to the minor leagues.

“You can see it in their faces that guys are disappointed, and guys [who made it] are happy.” Montoyo said. “[This past half-hour after the game] was just like that, disappointment and happiness. But, that’s part of the game.”

Thomas Pannone

Left-handed pitcher Thomas Pannone was one such player looking to earn his spot on the roster. He started the final game and pitched two scoreless innings.

Post-game, Montoyo gave him the good news. Speaking to reporters, Pannone discussed his mindset throughout the game.

“I had a lot on my mind,” Pannone said. “I wanted to make this team so bad. I was obviously under a little bit of pressure. I just wanted to come out and continue to perform and continue to get better and show them that I’m ready to play in the big leagues.”

While Pannone is used to starting, he made the final Blue Jays roster as a reliever.

“He can give us length, and he could also come and get left-handers out,” Montoyo said. “He’ll give me more matchups, [and] it’ll be easier to manage with another left-hander in the lineup.”

Valérie Plante & the future of Montreal baseball

Part-way through the Tuesday game, Mayor Valérie Plante spoke to reporters, responding to questions about the future of baseball in Montreal. Every year the Blue Jays play Spring Training games in the city, the possibility for a franchise grows stronger. This event is not about the Blue Jays, and it is not about the Brewers. It is—and has always been—about the Expos.

“The idea of having a baseball team here in Montreal is great news,” Plante said.* “Some might ask whether it’s a good use of money, […but], seeing as the promoters have not asked us for a cent, we’re going to support them in this project using the tools already available to the city without asking Montrealers for more money. That’s why I can go into this project with a smile on my face.”  

Stephen Bronfman—the son of former Expos owner Charles Bronfman—is making strides toward securing land for a new, privately-financed stadium located at the Peel Basin. Plante, who visited the site with the mayor of Sud-Ouest, on which the land is located, explained her role in the team’s development to reporters.

“As an administration, we’ve invested a lot in developing neighbourhoods,” Plante said.* “Where we can best support a project like a stadium is at the infrastructural level. [The Peel Basin area] has minimal infrastructure […] and at the level of planning public transport [.…] It’s something in which we have expertise, and it’s something that we support enormously as an administration.”

Former Expos, like pitcher Tim Burke, value the Bronfman family’s role in Montreal baseball.

“I talked to Stephen [Bronfman] this morning, and I just told him I really appreciated what he was doing, but I also told him to tell his dad how much I appreciated him when he owned our team back in the day,” Burke said.

At the end of the day, the message came back around to the viability of baseball’s return to the city. With other teams failing to fill the stands, former Expos outfielder Larry Walker echoed the sentiment that Nos Amours should return.

“You never know,” Walker said. “I’ve been saying it the whole time here, the team was here some 35 odd years, and you don’t keep a team around that long because they were not succeeding or not performing. There [are] other teams in the major leagues right now that don’t draw fans and, in my eyes, shouldn’t have a team. Why not bring back one that was here for over three decades? It would be a nice thing.”

*This quote has been translated from its original French.

Baseball, Hockey, Martlets, Men's Varsity, Sports, Volleyball

2018-19 ‘Tribune’ end-of-year athletic awards

by Miya Keilin on

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Team of the year: Martlet Hockey

On March 17, the McGill Martlets (14-6), fifth in U Sports’ national rankings, claimed silver at the National Championships after falling 1-0 to the Guelph Gryphons (19-3-3). The loss came after an upset victory over the top ranked Alberta Pandas (23-5) in the semifinals and a 10-2 quarterfinal win against St. Thomas (22-5-1) in the quarterfinals. The team also finished second in the RSEQ playoffs behind the Université de Montréal (UdeM) Carabins (15-4-1). Four Martlets earned all-star honours for their individual performances: Third-year forward Jade Downie-Landry and third-year goalie Tricia Deguire earned first-team all-league and second-team all-Canadian status, while second-year forward Kellyane Lecours and fourth-year defenceman Emilia Cotter were named to the RSEQ second team all-league.

Coach of the year: Rachèle Béliveau (Martlet Volleyball)

Martlet volleyball dropped only three regular season games this year and finished atop the RSEQ standings. Unfortunately, in the RSEQ championship series, they fell to the number-two seed UdeM Carabins two games to one. Despite the disappointing loss, Martlet volleyball Head Coach—and RSEQ 2018-19 Coach of the Year—Rachèle Béliveau can still count this as a successful season. With over 600 victories in her 28 years of coaching the Martlets, Béliveau is the has the most wins of any coach in McGill Athletics history, and she has inspired generations of McGill volleyball players.

Female athlete of the year: Jade Downie-Landry (Martlet Hockey)

Third-year Downie-Landry had another outstanding season for the Martlets: She was named to the RSEQ first-team all-league and the Canadian second-team all-league and won the RSEQ scoring title. At the U Sports National Championship, she earned all-tournament team status and tournament MVP honours. She was also awarded Martlet hockey team MVP as well as the Most Outstanding Scorer award. Downie-Landry—who scored or assisted on nearly half of McGill’s goals this season—has the 12th-most points of any player in Martlet history, sitting on an impressive list of Martlet hockey alumnae including Ann-Sophie Bettez and Katia Clement-Heydra.

Male athlete of the year: Sasha Lagarde (Baseball)

With 31 hits and 27 RBIs, the third-year outfielder from Pierrefonds, QC led McGill baseball in those categories and also posted the second-highest slugging percentage and third-highest on-base-plus-slugging on the team. In the team’s five games at the Canadian Collegiate Baseball Association tournament in October, Lagarde went seven-for-15, scored 11 runs, and drove in nine. He earned all-tournament team status and the tournament MVP award after McGill’s fifth—and Lagarde’s third—consecutive Canadian University World Series title.  

Female rookie of the year: Maria Gheta (Artistic Swimming)

In February, Gheta earned the top overall athlete award at the National Championship artistic swimming meet. She won two gold medals and one silver medal en route to McGill’s fifth national title in the last six years. She won her gold medals in the duet event, where she competed alongside her older sister Ioana, and the team event. She placed second with her solo routine. Previously, Gheta picked up three gold medals at the McGill Invitational in November; she added two golds and a silver at the Eastern Divisionals in January.

Male rookie of the year: Clement Secchi (Men’s Swimming)

At the U Sports Swim Championships on Feb. 21-23, Secchi came away with one gold in the 50m backstroke and two bronze medals in the 100m butterfly and 4x200m freestyle relay. He set new McGill and RSEQ short course records in the 100m and 200m backstroke. He also put together a team-best 24.94 second 50m backstroke which third-year teammate Samuel Wang beat in the subsequent heat. Secchi, who earned RSEQ first-team all-star status, was just as impressive at the conference championship meet: He won three gold and three silver medals to help the McGill men’s swim team to a second-place finish.

 

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