Game on, Stingers!
Another exciting sports season is about to begin at Concordia, and many new recruits are getting ready to don their Stinger’s jerseys for the first time.
Among those worth keeping an eye out for are: rugby player Bianca Farella, wrestler Jordan Steen, football player Roman Grozman, and basketball players Marilyse Roy-Viau and Youssef Ouahrig.
All five of these athletes received recruitment bursaries from the Fondation de l’athlète d’excellence du Québec (FAEQ), which provides financial support to elite student athletes.
Here’s a quick look at what to expect from the Stingers sports teams taking to the field this fall.
Football
The Concordia Stingers football team made it to the semi-finals of the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) last season, but lost to the powerhouse Rouge et Or team from the Université Laval. This year, with the help of returning star linebacker Max Caron, veteran quarterback Reid Quest, and newcomer Grozman, the team will look to give the six-time Vanier Cup champions from Quebec City and the other teams in their conference a run for their money.
What: Exhibition game against the University of Toronto
When: Friday, August 24 at 1 p.m.
Where: Concordia Stadium (7200 Sherbrooke St. W.), Loyola Campus
What: Home opener against Bishop’s University
When: Saturday, September 1 at 1 p.m.
Where: Concordia Stadium (7200 Sherbrooke St. W.), Loyola Campus
Rugby
Concordia’s women’s rugby team ended their playoff run last year with a disappointing 43-27 loss against Laval in the conference finals. This year, with the help of new recruit Farella, a star on Canada’s under-20 team (she scored three tries in a victory against South Africa), the women’s squad will look to battle their way out of the conference and into the national championships.
In men’s rugby last season, Concordia made it to the RSEQ finals, which they lost 28-7 to McGill. This year, with quite a few veterans leaving the team, the Concordia coaching staff will be looking to a talented crop of new recruits to step up.
What: Men’s rugby home opener against the Université de Sherbrooke
When: Friday, September 7 at 7 p.m.
Where: Concordia Stadium (7200 Sherbrooke St. W.), Loyola Campus
What: Women’s rugby home opener against Université de Sherbrooke
When: Friday, September 7 at 7 p.m.
Where: Concordia Stadium (7200 Sherbrooke St. W.), Loyola Campus
Enjoy the 10 best plays caught on video during the Concordia Stingers 2011 rugby season:
Soccer
Concordia’s soccer teams will look to improve upon last year’s rather dismal showing. The men managed to scratch out only two ties and a win during their 12-game regular season, while the women’s squad earned only two wins and three ties over their 14-game season. Neither team made it into the RSEQ playoffs.
What: Men’s soccer against the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR)
When: Sunday, September 9 at 1 p.m.
Where: Concordia Stadium (7200 Sherbrooke St. W.), Loyola Campus
What: Women’s soccer against the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR)
When: Sunday, September 9 at 3 p.m.
Where: Concordia Stadium (7200 Sherbrooke St. W.), Loyola Campus
Baseball
Concordia’s baseball team will face Carleton University on September 2 during their home opener. For inspiration, they can look to the performance of last year’s team, which finished second in the Northern Conference of the Canadian Intercollegiate Baseball Association (CIBA), and made it to the semi-finals of the national championship tournament in Moncton, New Brunswick.
Stingers fans take note
Last year, Concordia students Emran Ghasemi and José (Pepe) Garcia formed a group known as SWARM (Students With Athletes Representing Maroon 'n’ gold) aimed at increasing fan support for Stingers sports teams and promoting Concordia’s school spirit.
Ghasemi, a former Stingers rugby player, decided to form the group after attending a football and lamenting the lack of support from the fans. “If you’re cheered on during a game, you tend to perform better,” he says simply.
Ghasemi’s group has achieved a lot over the past year, bringing busloads of fans to cheer on the Stingers at games, and promoting a sense of pride in Concordia among the student members. The group managed to bring out over 400 students to the football team’s homecoming game against St. Francis Xavier University.
Ghasemi and his executive have big plans for this year, including the formation of a varsity council with athlete representatives from all of the different sports teams who would meet with the SWARM executive to plan events. Also, the SWARM executive plans to launch a website that will include regular video segments showing the lighter side of being a student athlete at Concordia.
Related links:
• Concordia Stingers
• SWARM Facebook page
• Student blogger with SWARM at the Corey Cup (Video)