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Men's Varsity, Sports

McGill Redmen Lacrosse clinches victory after three quarters of gridlock

by Patrick Beacham on

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A close, high-scoring match was to be expected on Thursday Sept. 6 as the McGill Redmen (7-1) once again took the field against the Bishop’s Gaiters (3-5). The fourth quarter of the match broke a three-quarter stalemate as the Redmen took the game 14-9 to improve their winning streak to five.

“Fortunately, we came out of a close game with Bishop’s,” Redmen Head Coach Tim Murdoch said. “Bishop’s has a great program [and…] they came out on fire. The game was a coin toss through the third quarter.”

The Gaiters established an early 2-0 lead in the first quarter, though the Redmen were quick to respond, closing the gap to a 4-3 advantage for Bishop’s. However, the Gaiters kept scoring due to a lack of defensive pressure from the Redmen.

“I would like to see a little bit more pressure out of our guys,” Redmen defenceman Bradley Hoffman said. “We’ve got a really talented [defensive] core, so I would like to see them use a bit more of that skill and press out on their attackmen a bit more, but I think we picked it up at the end and we shut them down when we needed to.”

Defensive pains were to be expected, considering that rookies comprise half of this years roster, following last season’s massive outflow of talented seniors.

“There’s definitely a shift in tempo from high school to college lacrosse, and I think we’re going through growing pains,” Redmen midfielder Emile Sassone-Lawless said. “We lost a lot of productive seniors last year and we’re [still] trying to re-establish ourselves.”

Nevertheless, the win was significant for the Redmen­—the seniors were particularly happy to defeat rivals Bishop’s one last time at Molson Stadium before graduation.

“It means a lot to beat them for the last time on home turf,” Redmen attacker Spencer Bromley said. “We haven’t lost to them in the four years I’ve been here, so it’s nice to keep a clean slate.”

The next CUFLA game for the Redmen is at home against the Carleton Ravens on Oct. 15 at 5:00 p.m. The last time the two teams played the Ravens forfeited the game.

 

Quotable: “Everyone’s going to be coming after us [….] It’s gonna be a game circled on their calendar[s].” – Head Coach Tim Murdoch on McGill’s status as a league favourite. 

 

Stat Corner: The game marked the McGill Redmen’s ninth consecutive victory over the Bishop’s Gaiters.

 

Moment of the Game: Redmen attacker Rhys Burnell broke through the Gaiters’ defence to get a shot off from just left of the crease. The goal led to the offensive push that decided the game in the fourth quarter.

Out on the Town, Student Life

A walk through the The Gardens of Light Festival at Montreal’s Botanical Gardens

by Flaminia Cooper on

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One of the best places in Montreal to be at dusk this month is the Botanical Gardens. Every evening as it gets dark, the gardens light up with hundreds of lanterns and colours, marking another year of the Gardens of Light Lantern Festival.

Upon first step in the Gardens, apart from a few posters, there is little to indicate that there is a special exhibit. However, when walking along the footpaths deeper into the Botanical Gardens, the viewer begins to catch glimpses of light through the trees, until rounding a corner and appearing suddenly in the middle of the spectacular structures glowing from the inside out. The lanterns are unexpectedly beautiful and intricate.

These lanterns are in the Chinese Garden, one of the two exhibits of the festival. Originally used to celebrate the Chinese New Year, the Botanical Gardens in Montreal uses the lanterns to celebrate the harvest period, or Moon Festival. This year’s theme depicts the life of the ‘Son of Heaven,’ the title given to each Chinese Emperor during the Han dynasty. The lights portray images from the life of an Emperor—such as his wedding or enthronement—although one doesn’t need to be familiar with this history to appreciate the magic of the multicoloured lanterns. Among the luminous lanterns are life-sized cranes, Chinese dragons, and human figures playing instruments and riding bikes. The biggest feature of the exhibit was the illuminated Forbidden City, floating on the lake in the middle of the Gardens. It looked surreal; the intricate details and sheer size of the lanterns were almost psychadelic, making passersby feel shrunken in comparison.

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Throughout the Chinese Garden are panels of information on the different lanterns, what they represent, and the process that goes into assembling them annually. The production process of the festival requires an exorbitant amount of effort and detail. The Gardens of Light takes a year to organize, and the lanterns are all handmade in Shanghai and shipped to Montreal in July. After this, the set-up in the Botanical Gardens takes almost a month to execute. 

Around the bend of the lake, the Chinese Garden ends, making way for the next exhibit: The Japanese Garden. Here, the atmosphere grew calmer as the lanterns grew fewer, and nature became more predominant thematically. Instead of lanterns passively illuminating their surroundings, the trees were lit up from below in subtle shades of green, pink, and blue, bringing out every detail in the branches and leaves. A series of bamboo poles emit circles of pale yellow light from within. Another feature was the Zen garden, a flat surface of gravel with flowing, continuous lines drawn across it, representing water ripples. True to its name, the minimalist patterns and simplicity of the Zen garden has a calming effect. Throughout the Japanese Garden, hidden speakers played ambient sounds, inducing the viewers to slow down to appreciate the mood.

The Gardens were incredibly well presented. No light bulbs or cables were visible, which made it look like the light was produced on its own. Though there were lots of people at the exhibit, it never felt crowded. When taken slowly, the gardens only took an hour and a half to walk through in its entirety. The beauty of the whole exhibit exceeds expectations, and the experience is magical from beginning to end. 

The Gardens of Light are open until Oct. 31st from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and the student entrance fee is $15 with a McGill ID card. To learn more, visit their website here.

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV, Private

T.V. Review: Creator Donald Glover expertly navigates comedy and drama in Atlanta

by Gibran Haque on

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In an era where there is more television available to us than we could ever consume, the medium of T.V. is undergoing a change—and hopefully one for the better. FX President John Landgraf stated last year that we are living in a period of “peak TV” in the West. Given the sheer volume of new shows inundating audiences each day, it is hard to argue against that. Although this great incursion of content requires more sifting and filtering by the audience, it is breeding a new generation of viewers. New genre mashups such as the drama-comedy, found in FX’s new show Atlanta, are exemplary of how the medium of television has had to catch up to cater to a smarter generation of T.V. watchers. 

Creator, writer and star Donald Glover has masterminded one of fall 2016’s freshest and most absurdly funny shows, FX’s Atlanta. Atlanta follows its protagonist Earnest “Earn” Marks (Donald Glover), a Princeton dropout-turned-manager trying to get his cousin, Paper Boi’s (Brian Tyree Henry), rap career off the ground. During first viewing, Glover’s pedantic new show may not seem packed with jokes—there aren’t many laugh out loud moments or big punchlines. Instead, the humour is typically off-centre and blurred in a cloud of marijuana smoke. This moody atmosphere, paired with the show’s ability to make its characters so unique yet perfectly realized, distinguishes it from most shows on T.V. 

Atlanta is aesthetically beautiful—full of wide shots that depict its namesake city in a unique light. It takes the setting away from the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan and toward a black suburban community. Local diners and detention centres are at the forefront, rather than tourist spectacles. 

The audiovisuals of the show represent the city spectacularly, making Atlanta a living, breathing character in its own right. The soundtrack embraces the recent rise of new-Atlanta trap music, neither positing it as the city’s greatest achievement, nor playing it down as simplistic. There is no set intro theme music to the show. Rather, each episode features music relating to the major theme of that episode. For example, in the second episode, in which the two main characters are in prison, the Tennessean rapper Yo Gotti’s “Law” plays in the background and is integrated seamlessly into the episode. 

Even in a much more diverse network environment, it’s still uncommon to see a story so unequivocally centred around the African-American experience. It is evident in the shows writing that Glover understands how much of black culture has been claimed by the rest of the world—he even pokes fun at it in episode four, when Glover chooses a black actor to play Justin Bieber. Atlanta is also not scared to delve into topics of police brutality, transphobia, mental illness, and the perils of fame, offering up tonal shifts scene-to-scene and illustrating how subtle humor can be. The show moves effortlessly between these serious, poignant topics and more absurd humour—one character ponders  a world where mice could be used as cell phones.

The rise of the drama-comedy is helping push the boundaries of television. It is no longer solely a writer’s medium, although great writing is still very much ingrained in great T.V. shows. Atlanta takes controversial subject matter and portrays it in a way where viewers aren’t scared, but rather, enthralled by what’s discussed. The message of Atlanta is not only that it is ok to talk about these issues, but that it is possible to laugh at their absurdity.

Album Reviews, Arts & Entertainment, Music

Album Review: Bon Iver – 22, A Million

by Alfie Crooks on

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Five years ago, Bon Iver released their self-titled EP to much critical acclaim. The album had stretched the boundaries of folk music, bringing an expansive tenor to a typically stripped down genre, and becoming a modern classic album in the process. Since then, Bon Iver’s career hasn’t gone as smoothly as expected: The band took a three-year hiatus and struggled with break-up rumours. Meanwhile, lead singer Justin Vernon featured on songs with Chief Keef in a slightly confusing career turn. Now, however, they are back with a new 10-song project 22, A Million, sounding as innovative and fresh as ever.

One of the first surprising elements as 22, A Million commences is Vernon’s voice. Hearing the digitally harmonized croon, “Where are you gonna look for confirmation,” about 20 seconds into the album is like having that first bite of a home-cooked meal after living on instant ramen noodles for a semester. It sounds just as it was left, almost crystallized in time from five years ago. The Prismizer that Vernon uses was the bread and butter of the last album, but the group seems to challenge themselves to go beyond the base folk/synth style that was previously used so well. For instance, the track “715 CREEKS” is completely stripped down—it is essentially an acapella song shoved through a Prismizer. The real cherry on the top of the instrumentals are Vernon’s lyrics, which ooze with poetic melancholy in its sincerest form to create a well-rounded project. 

Despite running only 10 songs long—short considering the length of other highly anticipated releases this year—22, A Million is by no means minimalist, often combining classic folk songwriting with rich layerings of electronic enhancement. The evolution of Bon Iver’s sound does everything but slap you in the face on the songs “22 (OVER S∞∞N)” and “10 d E A T h b R E a s t” as the industrial drums tracks, synth harmonies, and Blond-esque chipmunk vocals coalesce in these songs to create a sound that really deviates from their last self-titled album. Thankfully, this new style isn’t beaten to death. The album flows through a variety of different styles, tones, and instrumentation, while being connected through the thread of Vernon’s signature vocals and haunting lyrics. While these varied styles are subtle, they run throughout the album. The dominant use of a saxophone in the song “8 (circle)” and the melody of pure piano chords which carry “00000 Million,” exemplify this extremely interesting musical compilation, which results in a unique sonic experience on each track.  

It’s not exactly the flannel jacket and craft beer in rural Wisconsin sound that Bon Iver has perfected in years past, which may be a shame to some, but 22, A Million shows real growth in the group’s style and sound. It was a risk to create a folk album with Yeezus-inspired drums, saxophones, and ridiculous voice modulations, but it appears to have paid off. The end result is a rich listening experience, which provides a lot more depth in ten songs than many other albums this year have managed to do in twenty. 

 

Favourite song: 22 (OVER S∞∞N)

Favourite lyric: Hallucinating Claire / Nor the snowshoe light or the autumns / Threw the meaning out the door / (Now could you be a friend) / There ain't no meaning anymore / (Come and kiss me here again)

McGill, News

McGill Mental Health and Counselling Services streamlined into one service

by Cheyenne Cranston on

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From September onwards, McGill Mental Health Services and Counselling Services will no longer operate as two separate services. The change is intended to shorten wait times and increase the accessibility of mental health services. Students can now seek help at the Counselling Services Office on the fourth floor of the Brown Student Services Building, as well as the Mental Health Services office on the fifth floor. New patients at both points of entry will go through the same evaluation process, and will be directed to the appropriate resources based on an initial check-up.

Interim Executive Director of Student Services Robyn Wiltshire stressed the amount of feedback received in the three-year process to implement this new plan. During this period, opinions were collected in the form of student satisfaction surveys, cyclical reviews, and consultations with professionals.

“Students have expressed their concerns and their dissatisfaction with the services that we were delivering,” Wiltshire said.

Students will no longer have to decide between seeking help at counselling services, or at mental health services. A single booking process has been implemented, which allows students to see an intake clinician who will help guide them to appropriate services, including those that are peer-led.

“Basically students were confused about where they should go to get service […],” Wiltshire said. “We were requiring students basically to self-diagnose before they chose which door to go to and that was really not appropriate, and not something that a student should be expected to do.”

According to Wiltshire, diversifying the approaches to support and allowing clinicians more flexibility will enable students to access services in a more timely manner.

“We also had long wait times in between clinical appointments,” Wiltshire said. “Because all of our clinicians were operating on one hour clinical cycles […] the clinical appointment was for a full hour, the check-ins don’t need to be for a full hour [….] The idea is […] the clinicians will be able to be more proactive with the students they are following,” Wiltshire said.

The official announcement was made in a panel discussion titled, “A New Frame of Mind,” an event that was part of the Students in Mind (SiM) Conference. During the discussion, one student voiced a concern that the new model deprived students of the autonomy to choose which service to seek. over the new model’s lack of protection for student choice.

Dr. Nancy Low, clinical director at McGill Mental Health Services, responded to the student’s concern.

“Say the student already has a diagnosed mental health disorder and they're on medication, they will be put straight to a psychiatrist,” Low said.

Concern was also raised over the lack of communication between clinicians in different services during the feedback collected before the merge.

“I guess one of the major things from a student perspective is just [not] having to tell the story so many times,” Dr. Low said.

Dalya Kablawi, a U1 anatomy and cell biology student and student volunteer at the Peer Support Centre, believes the student body could be better informed about the decision.

“I feel like the student body, a good portion of them, don’t know they’ve been merged yet,” Kablawi said.

However, Kablawi believes it to be a positive change overall.

“In terms of accessibility, I think it’s been improved a lot,” Kablawi said.

Nevertheless, the evaluation of the new service model will be an ongoing process for both students and faculty.

“It sounds great on paper,” Kablawi said. “I don’t know what kind of hurdles they’ll face when they get started in terms of practicality, in terms of logistical issues.”

According to Wiltshire, the new model will revolve around a continuous feedback loop for improvement.

“I’m not saying that we’re done,” Wiltshire said. “We made a change, we flipped a switch and that’s done. This is a process and it’s a process that requires continuous improvement,” Wiltshire said.

mental health
McGill, News

Students in Mind mental health conference held for fourth year in a row

by Holly Cabrera on

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On Oct. 1 and 2, the fourth annual Students in Mind (SiM) Conference took place at the Shatner Building. The student-run event aims to destigmatize mental health issues through a series of workshops and panels. Guest speakers included McGill alumni Malek Yalaoui and Evan Berry. Comedian Christophe Davidson, who has struggled with mental illness, was also a featured speaker.

According to Quinn Ashkenazy, U4 Arts and director of SiM, the forum is designed to promote the importance of mental health on the McGill campus.

“The conference started four years ago,” Ashkenazy said. “Students in Mind started with a group of students that really had a vision to try and create a network on campus that supports mental health.”

According to Ashkenazy, students are often eager to volunteer for extracurricular activities, but tend to neglect their personal well-being.

“You could volunteer at a bunch of different organizations […] but I think something really important for students to take away is also just to take care of themselves, advocating for themselves, prioritizing their mental health, and also supporting those around them–their peers, their friends. Just checking in with each other,” Ashkenazy said.

Sarah Randall, U1 Arts, believes meeting mental health specialists at the conference makes asking for help later on less daunting.  

“If you do actually decide to seek help with mental health [after the conference], you’re not going into it blind,” Randall said. “You know who you’re going to be dealing with and it makes [seeking help] feel a little bit less overwhelming”

Throughout the seminars, attendees were also offered active breaks, where they could participate in activities ranging from improv to kickboxing. After attending a workshop called Mental Health 101, which addressed the stigmas surrounding mental health, and a panel titled Body and Mind: How are physical health and mental health combined, Chi Pham, U0 Arts and Science, opted for yoga during the active break period.

“The yoga break also helped promote a sense of community by bringing a group together for the exercise,” Pham said. “For me, it was a completely new experience exercising among other people, so […] it was worth trying. Before the [SiM] conference, I was skeptical about the impact that physical activity could have on mental health.”

Other workshops included improving active listening skills, creating strategies to improve mental health, and maintaining motivation and overall well-being. Ashkenazy commented on the importance of the content presented in the SiM panels and workshops.

“There’s a workshop on peer support focused on […] recognizing signs that things might not be okay, how to check in, how to listen to someone in a really nonjudgmental and validating way,” Ashkenazy said. “Then we also have a workshop called Maintaining Wellness and it’s a very condensed version of [the] wellness recovery action plan which is a six week psycho-education course offered through McGill Mental Health [….Maintaining] Wellness is going to be focused on giving people kind of a toolbox to take care of their well-being, to recognize their triggers, early warning signs and to develop an action-plan to deal with these things and to try and prevent getting into a mode where things are breaking down or a crisis.”

Floor Fellow Kathleen Godfrey, a Master’s student in anthropology, said the speakers’ different perspectives drew her to the initiative. For Godfrey, the conference is a reminder of the resources available at McGill.

“Sometimes, in support work, you forget about the network that is at McGill,” Godfrey said. “Even though I’m a resource for first-year students […] you forget that other people walking around on campus also really care and are trying to learn more [about mental health], and better themselves in those ways.”

Science & Technology

What are the rules in Star Wars? MILAMOS aims to clarify military law in space

by Izze Siemann on

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Outer space plays a vital role in every person’s daily life—from sending a text message, to hearing a broadcast on the radio, to swiping a credit card. However, terrestrial warfare is also dependent on space. So, if one country interferes with another country’s satellites, does this constitute an act of hostility that can be countered with further aggression?

The answer is that we don’t know.  The newly formed Manual on International Law Applicable to the Military Uses of Outer Space (MILAMOS) Project seeks to answer this question, among many others.

Its mission: “To develop […] a manual that objectively articulates and clarifies existing international law applicable to military uses of outer space, including the conduct of hostilities in outer space and military activities in periods of tension.”

The world’s most powerful countries rely on space in some form for almost everything; tampering with a country’s satellite capacity would have a large scale impact on not only civilians, but also the communication capacities of the country and its military. The MILAMOS project aims to ease tensions between countries by creating guidelines on military conduct in space; once they are created, countries will be less likely to cross them. Although the chance of war breaking out in space are uncertain, the manual is focused on the uses of space for terrestrial warfare. According to those working on the project, the MILAMOS is needed and pertinent now because the frequent and increasingly modern wars on Earth. Presently, countries have no clear guidelines and boundaries when it comes to law in space.

“We are not drafting a treaty, neither a national legislation,” Associate Professor Ram Jakhu, chairman of the project and associate director of the Centre for Research of Air and Space Law at McGill University, said. “It becomes somewhat of an authoritative statement.”

Jakhu hopes that nations will refer to either the whole manual or parts of it to make international decisions.

Before the MILAMOS project, there were few laws and regulations written about warfare and the law of conflict, notable exceptions include the Oxford Manual of the Laws of War on Land of 1880 and the Geneva Conventions, which were established after the Second World War. The Geneva Conventions produced regulations on what can be targeted in war. For example, hospitals and schools cannot be bombed lawfully because they are occupied by civilians, whereas a bridge used for military purposes could.

Throughout the Cold War, military technology continued to advance, but countries were slow to write new treaties; consequently, experts from many different fields began coming together to write manuals. In 1994, the San Remo Manual set guidelines about international law applicable to war at sea. In 2009, the Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University published the Manual of International Law Applicable to Air and Missile Warfare. It established how to apply the Geneva Conventions to new, more advanced military technologies. The 2014 Tallinn Manual outlines the laws of cyber warfare—how can an “attack” be defined if it is virtual? The Tallinn Manual produced an agreed upon series of rules accompanied by commentary from the experts’ discussion, an endeavour the MILAMOS aims to replicate.

Currently, very little has been published about international law and outer space. This inspired Duncan Blake, deputy editor-in-chief of the MILAMOS, to write his Master’s thesis on whether or not the creation of a manual like the MILAMOS is vital to modern society.  

“A manual on space warfare and the military uses of space was an obvious next step,” Blake said. “[The thesis focused on] whether or not there are dangers of warfare in outer space, and, absolutely, there are.”

Practically every week, there is news of the development of anti-satellite missiles, and other technologies that could be used in an offensive manner in outer space. This manual would be helpful for states trying to stay on the right side of these boundaries, but also for those looking to cross them directly.

Blake worked to advertise this project to a variety of institutions to get funding. McGill Professor Ram Jakhu and the Research Unit on Military Law and Ethics at the University of Adelaide ultimately supported the needed funding and pushed this manual into action. Although McGill University and the University of Adelaide are spearheading the project, this is not exclusively undertaken by Western nations.

The MILAMOS project represents a diverse body of experts. While many manuals have historically been formulated by white men, this project brings together experts from all over the world—the US, Japan, China, Nigeria, and many European countries—including 31 per cent of female participation. With an extensive array of political views and expertise—such as law, astronomy, military warfare, and technical engineering—the manual will be representative of a huge diversity of people with one goal: Developing solid international laws applicable to the military uses of outer space.

With a diverse assortment of people, comes the likely probability of disagreement in coming to an agreement about specific laws. Dr. Cassandra Steer, executive director of Women in International Security Canada and executive director of the Centre for Research on Air and Space Law, predicts that there will be a few main points of contention.

First, defining what “the use of force” signifies in terms of space will be a challenge, as there is little previous international precedent for what this means. One goal of MILAMOS is to define when it is justified to retaliate using force.

“Article 2.4 of the UN Charter states that you can’t randomly use force on a state, but you can defend yourself if attacked,” Steer explained. “So, can we conclude that satellite interference, not destruction, is something that would invoke a retaliatory attack in self-defence with force?”

Defining the three main principles of the Law of Armed Conflict—distinction, proportionality, and precaution in attack—as they relate to space will be another significant challenge. For example, it is unlawful to attack civilians, whereas it is lawful to attack a military target. In space, however, if a satellite is attacked, what would the consequences be if it were used for both military and civilian purposes? Another example involves proportionality: If GPS satellites were attacks and planes could no longer fly causing airport shutdowns, what category would it fall under?

“Coming up with these 150-200 rules will take time [,… especially to include] the rationales for each [rule] and other commentary,” Blake said.

The MILAMOS project hopes to be completed and released to the public in three years. While there are post-doctorate and masters candidates at McGill involved, Jakhu explained the number is selective and controlled.

Ultimately, the MILAMOS is being written in order to ease tensions between international superpowers and to prevent the occurrence of conflicts in space by creating boundaries. If clear lines are drawn, fewer countries are likely to cross them. The goal of this project is not to tell countries how to wage war in space, nor is it to encourage a real-life Star Wars.

“This project is not just fiction and theories in any way [….] It’s a collection of views and determination of what the law is,” Jakhu said. “It’s more than academic. It’s something real and practical.”

 

Features

Constructing Chinatown: The Lore of Representation

by Dang Weiyu on

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At first glance, Chinatown seems an innocuous space to experience and explore Chinese culture. Rather, I see Chinatown as spaces cultivated by the external discourse in which Chinatown only figures as an object. Chinatown has never projected or promoted a Chineseness that reflects me as a person from Northern China. In Chinese history, a central binary is the northerner-southerner divide, a cultural rift that has fueled various historical dreams of reunification from Han dynasty to the founding of People’s Republic of China.

Chinatowns were initiated solely by immigrants from the Pearl River Delta in the southern Guangdong province in the early 19th century. Until the mid-20th century, southerners comprised the overwhelming majority of Chinese emigrants—only recently have northern Chinese emigrated in any substantial number.

For me, Chinatown, as a distinctly Cantonese space, has always embodied the myth of a unified Chinese culture.  If Chinatown refers to Chinese people, I read ‘Chinese’ as a hollow term, perhaps better relegated as an indication of othering for both Chinese people and Westerners, than as a word signifying a mix of nuanced regional identities.

Football, Know Your Athlete, Men's Varsity, Sports

Know Your Athlete: Qadr Spooner

by Zikomo Smith on

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Larger than life offensive lineman Qadr Spooner caught the eye of CFL scouts at a McGill Football practice who were there to evaluate now-NFL lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff in 2013. It is obvious why. Qadr has a rare presence—he is gregarious, friendly, quick with a joke, and a conspiratorial wink to put you at ease. Add his six foot four inch, 310 lbs frame into the mix and you can understand why scouts were drawn to him.

“Honestly, I am a people person,” Spooner said. “I like to socialize. I like to help people out.”

Spooner puts his people skills to work off the field as a bouncer at Madame Lee and as a social worker at a community centre. On a night out, he keeps the vibe friendly, and the situation under control. During the day, he works with juvenile delinquents, people with autism spectrum disorder, and people trying to find employment.

“As a young person, I had a lot of people that guided me in the right direction,” Spooner said. “I always wanted to pass that on and [community work] really connected with me […so] I chose social work as my major.  [In fact] when I committed to McGill, I got in contact with people and they helped me get jobs in this field.”

Like many accomplished athletes, it was Spooner’s mother who kickstarted his football career.

“[Football] is something my mom forced me to be a part of,” Spooner said. “So many benefits came after that—friendships, it helped me focus on school and do better in school; if you got bad marks you got kicked off the team [in high school….] It has just helped my life out so much. It keeps you from doing bad stuff [….] You meet so many great individuals and great peers.” 

Now, CFL scouts are bullish on Spooner’s professional prospects. He moves with a speed belying his size. He has a nasty streak on the field that excites coaches and inspires fear in defensive ends. However, Spooner started off his career on the opposite side of the ball.

“[In high school], I was a defensive lineman, and one of my coaches said we needed help on the offensive line, so I got converted,” Spooner explained. “I was like ‘football is football,’ and I immediately excelled greater at that position. [Offensive line] is a great position, it is a team position. You do not always get the credit, but you know how important your role is in the team’s success.”

Spooner also enjoys the camaraderie of the O-Linemen group.

“Honestly, the offensive linemen on [the Redmen team] are the funniest kids,” Spooner said. “They may seem intense at times but they have the softest hearts. It is surprising, especially with how aggressive you have to be to play the position—they are such good guys.”

Spooner is a standout on a McGill squad that is rebuilding. Over the past two years McGill has steadily improved its win record, and Spooner can testify to the culture change that has improved the team.

“If you had seen all the transformation [over the past few years], you would not be able to understand how one coach, [Head Coach Hilaire], can turn a team around from the beginning,” Spooner said. “The staff that he brought in, the new coaches were invested in you and in helping the team get better [….] I cannot really describe [the improvement] in words, you have to see it to understand it.”

For now, Spooner is helping McGill realize their playoff dreams. Spooner  also harbours NFL ambitions­­—he is one of the top CIS prospects—something he is characteristically modest about. 

“You just have to stay positive and keep working hard,” Spooner said. “It is a dream, so I hope I can make it.”

 There is no doubt many will be rooting for him.

 

Favourite study spot?

McLennan library—I am there like 24//7. I have spent some late hours there.

 

What would be your last ever meal?

I am not suppoed to say this, but General Tao Chicken.

 

Favourite Superhero:

Bane

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