When asking students on campus what their thoughts on the differences between the NCAA and the CIS, one may run into responses like “What are those?” and “Can you repeat that?” and those questions represent exactly the kind of things that need to change on Canadian campuses. The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) and the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) represent the American and Canadian governing bodies of athletics. Both were founded in the early 1900’s, but the NCAA has since left the CIS in the dust. Anyone who has been to a college sporting event in the States or watched one on TV (you’d be lucky to find a Canadian sporting event on a major network) has noticed the substantial crowds that games draw and the enthusiasm the fans have.
The culture surrounding the sport is one of the defining factors to the success and popularity of a team. After making a trip to East Lansing, Michigan a few weekends ago, my eyes were opened to how much people love their university sports in the US. On the way to a basketball game, every second car within ten minutes of the campus had a green Michigan State Spartans “S” on its license plate or on its rear bumper. A community fan base like that is not something that happens overnight; it requires generations of fans to come together at each and every event. Things like Alumni from 40 years ago coming to a game just don’t happen that often, but when it does, it is something special.
Certain events in history like the sale of University Stadium (currently the home field of Wilfred Laurier) from UW to the City of Waterloo in 1974 because the University could not afford to renovate it just would not happen if there were more of a fan base and more revenue generated from athletic teams at UW. Our school recently put in Warrior Field, which doesn’t even have a track around it. While we now have a home field, there is still a difference between a stadium and a field. Fields are facilities that belong at high schools that seat hundreds, while stadiums are monuments that seat thousands and represent the identity of a school that costs thousands of dollars to attend. Some may argue that a stadium that large would be pointless because it would never fill up, unlike schools in the States who worry about not having enough seats as opposed to having too many.
Modern university applications include sections for extra-curricular activities and hobbies/interests, supposedly in an attempt to ensure that the students they accept will be well rounded individuals. This is important because so much of what happens on campus is organized and run by students; sure it is nice to boast high entrance averages and high academic success rates, but there should be more to your four or five years here than school, school, school.
There are teams on campus that require huge time commitments, yet you will still see fellow engineers proudly representing their school at the highest level of student athletics. Varsity athletes are gleaming examples that through hard work and time management, you can represent your school and succeed as a student at the same time. Performing in front of a crowd always adds to your experience as an athlete, so as a “thank you” to them for the time and effort that they put into their respected sports, go out and show your support for one of our active teams this winter term, which includes men’s and women’s volleyball, basketball, and ice hockey.
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