Scandinavia Caps Off Unforgettable Hockey Season

MillerHaving just won the GMAA Championship and finishing with a 34-2-1 record, the Juvenile Boys hockey team left for Scandinavia on a high note.  Equipped with awesome gear and youthful zeal we arrived at the airport on March 2nd ready for the trip of a lifetime.  As per usual, Mr. LLano (Coach) did not disappoint.

Our trip began in Denmark where we walked the cobbled streets of Copenhagen.  For many this was their first time in Europe, and all were in awe by the immense heritage of this ancient city.  Highlights included, visiting the Frederiksborg Castle and meeting Lars Ellers’ mother.  Over the course of the several days we spent in Denmark, we played one game against a strong Rødovre Mighty Bulls club team (Lars Ellers’ team growing up).

Our journey continued as we travelled to Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city. Situated in the heart of downtown, we often made the short walk from the hotel to the beautiful Gotenberg port that was home to a host of restaurants, cafés and boutiques. Several boys from the team decided to immerse themselves in Scandinavian culture by dying their hair blond at what can only be described as a very colourful salon in the Town Square. After a few laughs, awkward stares and a photo with a random bystander who seemed to have a liking for the new “do’s”, the team was on their way to a tasty team dinner at the Hard Rock Café.  While in Gothenburg we played against a very skilled team, the Hovås Hockey Club. Unfortunately the result was not as we had hoped, but nonetheless all enjoyed some healthy competition and revelled in the opportunity to make some new friends post-game.

Next on our itinerary was the Norwegian capital of Oslo, home to some of the steepest slopes north of the Alps and to some of the finest food in Scandinavia. I as well as my teammates will always treasure the time we spent in the beautiful Nordic city.  Over the course of several days we had the opportunity to walk every square inch of Oslo as well as visit many of the city’s attractions.  We were fortunate enough to spend a day skiing on the slopes of Norefjell. While our group consisted of both beginners and advanced skiers, the mountain had something to offer for everyone.  It was also during our time in Norway that we were finally victorious in matches against Hasle Løren and the Ski Icehawks.

The final stop in our journey through Scandinavia was Stockholm, the Swedish capital.  Made up of 14 small islands, Stockholm has a distinct beauty that my teammates and I will certainly remember. It truthfully was one of the most amazing cities I’ve ever been to.  We took guided walking tours around the old and new parts of the city, and got to use the famous Hop-on Hop-off bus. Many of us had the tremendous opportunity to visit the famous Vasa museum. During our time there, we played two great hockey games against the local teams, the IFK Österåker Vikings and Sollentuna, winning 4-1 and losing 3-2. Our final days in Stockholm were action packed and exciting, an incredible way to end such a memorable trip. — Julien Miller ’13

Hockey de Rue

On the Victoria Day weekend, a group of LCC students put a team together for a ball hockey tournament called Hockey de Rue. The Montreal Canadiens sponsored it and the money raised went to the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation.

We competed against Loyola, Selwyn House, Kuper Academy and many more schools. Our team got off to a slow start by tying our first two games. We won our last and final round-robin game and we placed 8th in the playoff rankings, which meant we had to play the 1st place team.

We pulled off the upset and moved on to the semi-finals. We won a tight game against MNP and met Kuper in the final. We went down by two goals early in the game but with the competitive drive of our team, we managed to tie up the game. At the end of the 3rd period the game was tied 4-4. We went into overtime thanks to the outstanding goaltending of Jordan Itzkovitz ’13.  Five minutes into overtime, Nathanael Niedermann ’12 scored to win the game for us!

After a beautiful day of ball hockey, we were awarded the trophy for winning the tournament and another trophy for raising the most money. Our team raised a total of $11, 219!—Giordano Saputo ’13

Watch video coverage and read more in Le Journal de Montréal

LCC’s Girls Hockey & Basketball Teams Journey to Boston

Lower Canada College’s girls hockey and girls basketball teams recently travelled to Boston on a trip that included four days of touring, bonding and some games against local area teams hosted at 2011_12_Boston_GirlsHockeyBasket_002Pingree School. While both teams had an opportunity to share some time together, their differing tournament schedules also necessitated the pursuit of distinct itineraries. (See photos)

Following an afternoon check-in at their hotel on Thursday afternoon, both teams headed to downtown Boston where players had an opportunity to browse the various shops and boutiques of Newbury Street, followed by dinner at the original ‘Cheers’ near Boston Common. The next morning, both teams headed out early for a full day of activities and games. The girls hockey team visited the New England Aquarium, where they pet sharks and kissed sea lions–developed a flash mob dance routine, had clam chowder in a bread bowl for lunch at Joe’s followed by cannoli for desert from Mike’s Pastries in Little Italy. Their afternoon also included a tour of the Holocaust Memorial and an afternoon reprieve at Quincy Market. After a full day of touring, they headed out to their first tournament match against Marblehead High School, where they played a closely fought match against a tough opponent.

Meanwhile, the basketball girls had started their day out at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, followed by an extensive tour of Boston College, with the day culminating in a basketball game against Pingree School.

On Saturday, both teams spent the bulk of their days playing exciting, competitive hockey and basketball against local teams. Once again, the hockey team broke out into their dance routine, much to the entertainment of the local crowd, while Desiray Desousa impressed us all during the skills competition with her 100-km/hour slap shot! The day ended with both teams having dinner together at the Cheesecake Factory in Danvers.

On Sunday, the hockey team started its day with a march up to Bunker Hill, followed by an extensive tour, on all decks, of the still active 1797 battleship, the USS Constitution. The hockey team then headed back to Little Italy for lunch at ‘Lucia’s’, and ended their Boston Expedition with a final ‘flash mob’ dance routine at Boston’s Quincy Market, which was full of holiday shoppers. (See video) Meanwhile, the girl’s Basketball team toured the New England Aquarium and ended their day with some shopping at Quincy Market.

Players and coaches had an outstanding time. There was a lot of laughter and many lifetime memories were forged. Both teams represented LCC exceptionally well. A very special thanks goes out to our bus driver at Coach Canada, Franco, who was always accommodating, pleasant and professional. –  Christian Auclair, Girls Hockey Team Coach

Olympien Yannick Lupien inspire les élèves de secondaire I

Voici des extraits de commentaires d’élèves de 7e année après la visite de Yanick Lupien.

YannickLupienL’olympien Yannick Lupien est venu rendre visite à Lower Canada College le mardi 13 avril 2010. C’était une superbe idée car il m’a inspiré à travailler plus fort pour avoir ce que je veux dans la vie. J’ai aussi aimé sa détermination pour devenir un nageur olympique et un pompier. Il m’a montré que si tu veux réaliser tes rêves dans la vie, il faut que tu travailles fort. Je ne le croyais presque pas quand il nous a dit que toute sa carrière a commencé parce que sa mère a acheté une maison avec une piscine creusée et elle voulait qu’il apprenne à nager. Yannick Lupien est, et va toujours être une grande inspiration pour moi. —Adrien Perlinger ’14

Yannick Lupien m’a impressionné. Quand je l’ai vu rentrer dans le Chamandy, il était tout content de nous parler. J’étais impressionné par ses histoires; il se levait tous les matins à 5 h pour nager, ensuite aller à l’école, et finalement nager après l’école. Je pense qu’il est cool et il est devenu mon idole. Je vais prendre ses conseils et suivre mon rêve : jouer dans la LNH. —Zack Bélanger ’14

Je trouve que la présentation était très cool parce qu’il nous a expliqué des choses importantes, en même temps, il est drôle et amusant. Il est allé aux Jeux Olympiques deux fois et a nagé avec l’excellent Michael Phelps. Yannick est très costaud, il mesure 6 pieds 5 et il vient d’une ville appelée Elmer. Je vais toujours me souvenir de cette présentation. —Alex Desgagnes ’14

Yannick m’a appris de ne jamais abandonner nos rêves. —Kevin Ly ’14

Avec son enthousiasme et son charisme il nous a encouragé à toujours faire de notre mieux. Il nous a dit de continuer et de ne jamais arrêter une activité même si tu n’es pas le meilleur. Avec ces mots inspirants, plusieurs enfants vont continuer de poursuivre leurs rêves. Qui sait, peut-être quelqu’un en septième année ira aux olympiques! —Victoria Van Ryswyk ’14

J’ai vraiment adoré l’écouter parler. J’ai beaucoup appris de lui, ça m’a permis d’apprécier tout ce que j’ai. Quand il a parlé de ses difficultés pour nager tous les jours avant l’école, j’étais tellement surprise. Normalement, pour moi, quand je nage une longueur, je suis si fatiguée que je m’arrête tout de suite. Il m’a appris de ne jamais abandonner. Bien sûr, je ne vais pas nager 10 kilomètres, mais faire du mieux que je peux! —Kaitlin Markus ’14

J’ai vraiment aimé son discours. Il a vraiment ouvert mes yeux sur mon futur. Il nous a expliqué comment bien réussir à l’école et de ne pas abandonner nos rêves. Je serais content s’il revenait nous parler. —Eric Tellier ’14

Yannick Lupien est un homme très gentil et inspirant. Il a dit, « Quand vous travaillez pour quelque chose, vous êtes récompensé ». Même quand on se moquait de lui, il a continué à travailler très fort. Il était très chanceux d’avoir une famille qui le supportait. Il racontait toujours des blagues qui nous faisaient rire. Yannick est vraiment un champion. — Sonia Toy ’14

Il m’a tellement inspiré que je suis encore sous le choc. Il nage environ 10 km par jour, tous les jours! Après avoir célébré la nouvelle année avec notre famille et nos amis, il nage! En plus d’être un nageur professionnel, il est également pompier. Il sauve des vies, nage, il persévère (même avec une infection aux oreilles) et gagne sa course, c’est une source d’inspiration. —Claudia Melka ’14

M. Lupien nous a expliqué que rien n’est facile, il faut travailler pour obtenir ce que tu veux. Il a aussi mentionné que même si des gens se moquent de toi à cause de ton sport, il ne faut pas arrêter de faire ce que tu aimes. Il faut toujours croire en toi, même si les autres doutent. J’ai beaucoup appris de sa présentation. C’est une personne qui motive beaucoup les jeunes. —Luca Saputo ’14

J’ai pensé que la présentation était extraordinaire. Yannick m’a fait beaucoup rire, il m’a également montré qu’il ne faut jamais abandonner. Il donne son 100% chaque fois, il ne lâche jamais. —Nathan Reid ’14

Une personne très sage a dit : « Dans la vie, les trois choses dont vous avez besoin pour réussir sont; la persévérance, la persévérance et la persévérance. ». Cette personne fantastique, a réussi à motiver les adolescents, ce qui est une chose de très difficile à accomplir! Je m’appelle Lola Flomen ’14, et mon héros est Yannick Lupien.

Olympic Addiction

van_2010_logoI am suffering from a strong addiction. I can’t help myself from watching Olympic events late into the night. It’s easy to forget how interesting and dynamic the Olympics games can be until they are on home soil.

Although focused on sport and athleticism, the games are really much more than that: I believe they embody interesting human tales that go well beyond sport.

Think of the stories which have emerged only a few days into the games: the tragic death of a courageous 22-year-old Georgian luge competitor during a practice run, the spectacular opening ceremonies which weaved innovative technical effects with one of Canada’s greatest cultural attributes, which I think is our capacity to produce divas (i.e., outstanding female singers). The performances of K.D. Lang, Joni Mitchell, Sarah McLachlan, Nelly Furtado and Montreal’s own teen sensation, Nikki Yanovsky, impressed a massive audience worldwide.

At the pivotal moment of the lighting of the Olympic flame, rather than choose one person, we came up with a classic Canadian solution and shared the honours with five outstanding athletes who symbolize the best of Canadian achievement and Canadian values: Nancy Greene, Katrina Lemay-Doan, Steve Nash, Rick Hansen and Wayne Gretzky.

On the slopes, organizers struggled all of the first weekend with rain and mother nature, and during the first ski competition—freestyle moguls—we were dazzled by the talent of all competitors, especially our athletes, netting Canada a silver in the women’s category by Jen Heil and a gold by Quebecer, Alexandre Bilodeau. I was even more impressed by what both of them said and how they expressed themselves when dealing with the media after medaling in their respective competitions. Both thanked the many people instrumental in getting them to the pinnacle of athletic success; their coaches, parents, friends, and in Bilodeau’s case, his handicapped brother who Bilodeau described as teaching him so many important life lessons and helping him keep things in perspective.

We have seen skaters and skiers both soar and fall, unknown athletes have experienced success and flown into the media limelight, and our women’s hockey team started the games with an 18-0 and 10-1 drubbings of their opponents. Our beloved men’s hockey team also began its quest for gold with a solid victory, but that very talented team is in a pool of many talented teams filled with professionals from all over the world. Their work is cut out for them.

Over at the long-track skating oval, organizers have faced major headaches. Despite good planning and preparations, the zamboni broke down and they had to airlift a new one in from Calgary, and maintaining the ice has proved difficult. Clearly there are many visible and behind-the-scene challenges in the day-to-day mechanics of organizing and hosting something as massive as the Olympic Games.

In the Vancouver games there are still stories to be written, surprises, upsets, profiles and special profiles and insights into the remarkable beauty of the city of Vancouver. Lots of spectators are keenly following sports they rarely pay attention to. It’s fantastic to watch the best of the best, including some who are still pure amateurs in the modern sense…..thrilled and ecstatic when they achieve for the sake of achievement, not purely for some enormous financial payoff.

Try to get enough sleep in the coming days. As Canadians, be sure to watch lots of events, celebrate the achievements and the challenges and revel in the honour of not just Vancouver, but all of Canada hosting the world. —Chris Shannon, Headmaster