The summer season is a busy time for most sport enthusiasts. But students on a tight budget, or who will be working away their summer fun, may find themselves at a loss for ideas.

Check out the following collection of affordable alternatives for sporty “staycations” around Alberta.

BEST PLACES TO GO

Northern Alberta:

Lesser Slave Lake is known for its remarkable stretches of white sandy beaches and hiking trails. The lake is located in a provincial park that features both thick, evergreen forest and ..read more

In partnership with SAIT Recreation, the ‘AKF Break the Cycle’ fundraiser and attempt to break the World Record for the most one-inch pine boards broken at the same time will be held on April 14.

The Ohtsuka Amateur Karate Foundation (AKF Karate) and the SAIT Karate club are adding the Guinness world record attempt to this years fundraiser in hopes of drawing more attention to the cause.

“We are trying to drive home the point, to stomp out domestic violence while raising ..read more

As Sarah Podorieszach slid down a German G-force tunnel, a bad turn shattered her future in Olympic luge, leading her to pursue a future through SAIT’s welding technician program.

Podorieszach was born and raised in Calgary; however, ‘like father like daughter’, she has dual-citizenship in both Italy and Canada. It was also her father’s guiding hand that pointed out an ad in the newspaper for a luge summer camp at COP.

“I loved it right away, and I tried out for the ..read more

Few surprises came at this year’s annual Trojans awards banquet held on March 30 at the Calgary Stampeders Red and White club.

Top players Rachel Caputo, Darcee Froese and Jon Malin received due acknowledgment for their contributions and performance this year.

The additional SAIT Trojans who earned Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference’s (ACAC) award for either first or second all-star team status for the 2011-12 season are as follows:

Men’s basketball guard Ajay Sihota, first-year information technology, South Division ..read more

Athletes aren’t the only ones who perspire when it comes to sports. By the time they hit the field, court or ice, a substantial amount of effort has already gone into every aspect of the game, especially the equipment used.

With more than $712,000 in funding from the federal government, SAIT’s Sports and Wellness Engineering Technology Institute (SWETI) is working on a number of projects to innovate equipment for athletes.

According to the director of applied research and innovation services (ARIS), Alex ..read more

Balancing school, work, and life is hard enough for any student, but when one adds team all-star to the list, it seems down-right impossible.

For SAIT Trojans men’s volleyball player Darcee Froese and women’s basketball player Rachel Caputo it is simply a matter of determination and time management.

Along with maintaining a stellar G.P.A., these two students have also been named Canadian Colleges Athletic Association academic all-Canadians for the 2011-12 season.

To receive the award, players must be named to an all-star team ..read more

One of the first things an athlete will talk about when becoming part of a team is their excitement to pull a jersey over their heads for the first time.

While cliché, athletes will say they are honoured to wear their team’s logo, representing teams’ past accomplishments and history.

However, jerseys, sweaters, and bibs often change, and new versions are adopted for special events. Both the Calgary Hitmen and Flames introduced new jerseys for the 2011 Heritage Classic that became popular with ..read more

With the end of the winter term fast approaching, the SAIT Trojans have wrapped up competition for the year, and are already hard at work for their next season.

The athletes have been training throughout the year to reach their maximum potential and become the best at what they do, a process that doesn’t stop in the off-season.

Other than regular team practices during the year, each athlete has access to the Peak Power gym, located in the Campus Centre basement, near ..read more

The debate over whether fighting belongs in hockey rages on

As the game of hockey has evolved, players have gotten bigger, faster and stronger, resulting in more injuries on the ice. With concussions on the rise, those involved with the NHL have called for a fighting ban across the league.

Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson and Canadian Hockey League president David Branch have both stated that they want fighting taken out of junior hockey as soon as possible.

“The official stance from Hockey ..read more

SAIT Trojans adorned colourful hair pieces to support local nonprofit organization, Wellspring Calgary, with the launch of their new fundraiser “Toupee for a Day” .

An abundance of Trojan athletes gathered together in a sea of multi-coloured hair and merriment in the SAIT athletics centre on Mar. 7 to raise awareness for a new cancer fundraising concept, collecting over $1,500, adding to the estimated $75,000 total raised that day.

“The fundraising become an internal challenge among the different athletic teams, the friendly ..read more

Battered and bruised, the SAIT Trojans men’s hockey team gave a valiant effort in the ACAC semifinals against the Augustana Vikings, but injuries eventually caught up and, for the first time since 2004, they will not be competing for a gold medal.

The Trojans’ fate was sealed in game four at home on Saturday, when Vikings captain Torrie Dyck broke a 1–1 tie in overtime with a shorthanded marker, winning the best-of-five series three games to one.

The Vikings will now face ..read more

While it has been somewhat of an off year for Trojans athletics, first year business administration student Cale Williams is starting to make a name for himself in Canadian collegiate squash.

Williams won the Rogers Insurance 2012 Alberta University/College Provincial Championship little over a month ago at the University of Calgary’s squash courts.

“I was very happy with the result, but I had high expectations for myself as I was the first seed going into the tournament,” said the 19-year-old Williams, who ..read more

The Trojans women’s hockey team failed to make playoffs this season after an impressive showing last year which saw the Women of Troy capture the ACAC Championship.

The Trojans are rivals with Mount Royal University and when battling for the championship this war of wills plays a huge part in who will be champions that year.

SAIT’s hockey team is always changing as most programs offered are two year diploma’s where as schools such as Mount Royal offer four year degree programs ..read more

The games are tighter and more demanding. The opposition is tougher and the crowd is more boisterous, a powder-keg of emotion and electricity ready to explode at any second.

Welcome to the playoffs.

For the Trojans men’s hockey team the hopes of an entire school rest on their shoulders as the team is SAIT’s lone representative left in playoff competition.

Post-season action is a completely different beast than playing regular season games. Every shift is magnified and every decision is scrutinized.

Playoffs are the ..read more

Muhammad Ali had Joe Frazier, the Calgary Flames have the Edmonton Oilers and the SAIT Trojans have the Mount Royal University Cougars.

In all fields of sport, rivalries are an organic part of the game, but the local rivalry between the Trojans and Cougars is about to end, as MRU transitions from the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) to the larger Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS)—Canada West Conference.

The rivalry between the two Calgary schools began in 1964, when both SAIT and Mount ..read more

Athletes become heroes, they sign contracts for millions, and their endorsements contribute to a multibillion-dollar industry.

Despite the negative behaviour of some athletes, many young people idolize their favourite sports personalities.

Entering a new decade, glorifying sports figures as role models has never seemed more suspect.

Statements of having, “The eye of the tiger” now generate snickers about Tiger Woods’ adultery scandal, Mark McGwire’s admission to taking steroids has shrunk the awe once held for his soaring home runs, and Michael Vick’s dogfighting ..read more

Men’s Hockey

Still riding the momentum from defeating Mount Royal in the final series of the regular season, the SAIT Trojans made quick work of the Grant MacEwan Griffins in the first round of the ACAC playoffs this past weekend.

The Trojans took the opening game at home convincingly by a score of 7-3.  The top line of Curtis Billsten, Trevor Bailey, and Clinton Pettapiece combined for nine points in the victory.

The team wrapped up the best of three series on the ..read more

Outdoor hockey is a rite of passage for Canadians across the prairie provinces, where a large number of NHL players are pumped out every year.

Before the era of indoor white ice, there was pond hockey. This iconic, Canadian pastime evokes feelings of excitement, patriotism and pride nationwide. Harsh winters transform sloughs, rivers and lakes into perfect skating surfaces. As a result, many athletes from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba first learned to skate outdoors.

“It’s the best place to play,” said 33-year-old ..read more

Long time SAIT Trojans women’s hockey player Melanie Vincent has just become the franchise’s all time leader in games played with 117. Vincent is in her fifth and final season with the SAIT Trojans, and will be graduating this spring from the Medical Laboratory Technology program.

The Trojans wrapped up a disappointing 2011/12 season with back-to-back losses to the NAIT Ooks over the weekend, dropping them out of playoff contention.

Vincent provided some much needed veteran leadership to a young Trojans squad, ..read more

With the recent revelations that Sydney Crosby’s concussion symptoms were in large part thanks to broken vertebrae in his neck, debate has switched from when the NHL superstar would return to the ice to if he should return at all.

There has to be a point when overall health takes precedence over performance.

SAIT Trojans head athletic therapist Kim Sweeney has the difficult task of assessing injuries and informing athletes as to the risks associated with continuing on in sports after sustaining ..read more

Former SAIT Trojan, Melanie McCann achieved her Olympic dreams, securing her position on the Canadian women’s modern pentathlon team for this summer’s Olympic Games in London, England.

McCann, a 2010 SAIT civil engineering technology graduate, was the first Canadian modern pentathlete during the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico last October to qualify for the prestigious Olympic Games in London. “I feel so happy, so excited and so relieved to have qualified,” said McCann, 22.

As a member of the SAIT Trojans ..read more

Another season is winding down for Trojans athletics, and players and fans alike are gearing up for long playoff runs.

With the regular season ending in mid February, there is still time to jockey for positioning in the ACAC playoff races.

Who will be the team to step up and add another ACAC title to SAIT’s already rich sporting history?

With playoffs just around the corner, it’s time to take a look at how each Trojans team stands heading into the ACAC playoffs.

Volleyball

Womens It has ..read more

Following the City of Edmonton’s approval of $125 million for a new Oilers arena, many Calgary Flames fans are calling out for an equal endowment.

“It’s like a kid’s need to have the same toy as his neighbour, we all want the newest, coolest facility for our city,” said Mark Reynolds, a community league hockey coach during a Trojans hockey game Feb. 4.

“[The Saddledome is] still functional and we should hold off spending the money until it’s really needed,” said Reynolds’ ..read more

There’s a sense of pride associated with donning the merchandise of your favourite sports team. It’s a way to pronounce to the world, “This is my team—take it or leave it.” And while sporting merchandise such as jerseys and baseball caps have always been around, love it or hate it, these items have started to become a permanent fixture in most men’s wardrobe.

Yet not all sporting gear is tailored towards the male customer, as evidenced in the rise of ladies ..read more

When it was announced earlier last year that Mount Royal University would be joining the Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS) league, the SAIT Trojans lost their biggest inner city rival.

This only adds to the limited competitive opportunities the SAIT Trojans currently have within the Alberta Colleges Athletics Conference (ACAC).

In 2001 the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA), of which the ACAC is a member, abolished their national championships for men’s and women’s hockey, which meant Trojans teams could no longer win anything ..read more

February 5, men and women will gather to celebrate the final game of the NFL season, but often it is the snacks and food available that take centre stage and force the game to the back-burner.

Everyone likes to indulge in some snacks during the Super Bowl, so whether you’re a New York Giants fan or you’re pulling for Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, here are some quick and easy recipes that should have party-goers coming back for more.

Savoury ..read more

To call Ken Babey a SAIT hero and inspiration is merely scratching the surface when describing the father of the Trojans after 25 years as athletic director and coach.

At the suggestion he might be feeling old after a quarter century with SAIT Babey laughed, “It’s been a long road but I’m only getting started.”

After winning an ACAC title in 1982, the program would wait another 15 years until its next title in 1997. Babey took over the head coaching role ..read more

Either due to injury or other factors, the men and women of Troy have bolstered their lineups over the holidays with fresh faces and potential stars.

The Trojans men’s basketball team added four new members over the break in hopes of cementing the roster to make a strong push going forward into their second half. First-year automotive service technology student Patrick Chea, first-year academic upgrading students Jared McLellan and Daniel Kabeya and second-year pipefitting technology student Tervil Brown were brought in ..read more

According to experts, a holistic approach to health has become increasingly popular among post-secondary students.

While the price tag may be daunting, industry professionals say even the starving student can incorporate holistic health practices into their lifestyle with relative ease.

SAIT’s Health and Wellness Fair held on Jan. 18 in the Heart Atrium, showed clear support for the movement toward homeopathy. Most practitioners’ booths highlighted complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices and products, while only one was reserved to promote conventional preventative ..read more

Within the world of sports, certain games mean more than others. Games played against bitter rivals often offer the best storylines and the most drama, and are generally the games that leave lasting impressions on players and fans alike.

Over the winter break, Canadian hockey fans were treated to one of the best hockey games in recent memory as the Canadian World Junior team lost another hard-fought game to their bitter rivals from Russia. This semi-final loss marked the first time ..read more

After close to a month off, the Trojans men’s hockey team was put to work early in 2012, competing in the fifth annual Challenge Cup hosted at SAIT from Jan. 2-3.

Also participating in the tournament were teams from the University of Calgary, the University of Alberta, and the University of Lethbridge. Each of these teams compete in the larger CIS, and the exhibition matches gave the Trojans a great opportunity to test their skills against tougher competition.

Head coach Ken Babey ..read more

The effect sex has on athletes before events was associated with myth and misinformation since competition began.

Plato wrote in 444 BC that, “Olympic competitors before races should avoid sexual intimacy.”

In 77 AD, Pliny the Elder wrote to the contrary that “Athletes when sluggish are revitalized by lovemaking.”

Thousands of years later, the controversy continues with athletes like boxer Muhammad Ali who would abstain for weeks before a title bout, while Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath was a supporter of sex, ..read more