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WolfPack teams busy over the breakBasketball and volleyball were in session over the break – here’s how they fared • Page 7

TRU international students share how they celebrate the new year • Page 4

New year celebrations abroad

NEW YEAR KNOW HOWHARD COURT FOR CHRISTMASNEW HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Second Samantha Fisher and third Erin Pincott sweep a rock down the ice. (Cameron Doherty/The Omega) • Page 7

Tough loss for TRU student junior curlersUNCHARACTERISTIC

First Syrian family arrived in Kamloops over the holidays • Page 2

Refugee resettlement program begins

OUT OF TROUBLE

Keeping your cool while partying in the sun is possible • Page 5

How to party smart in Thailand

TURNING UP IN THAILAND

How does the latest installment in the Star Wars saga measure up to its predecessors? • Page 5

HAN SHOOTS FIRST

Film review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

ISSUE NO. 15

JANUARY 6, 2016

For some youth, getting a uni-versity education seems im-possible and simply securing

a job can turn into a lifelong strug-gle. That is where the BladeRunners come in.

Though it has since rapidly ex-panded, the BladeRunners program was created by Jim Green (a well-known disadvantaged youth advo-cate) in 1994 as a way to get high risk youth off the streets of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and into stable jobs.

“At the time, we tried to put to-gether a program that would take advantage of the construction boom,” said Tom Galway, current director of the BladeRunners in Van-couver. “After training them, Rogers Arena was able to secure 25 of our kids for work through contracting.”

Devin Gambler, director of BladeRunners Kamloops. (Wade Tomko/The Omega)

CONTINUES, page 2

Keeping Kamloops youth on track

NEWS JANUARY 6, 20162

Kamloops’ first refugee family fleeing the conflict in Syria arrived on Dec. 31. The family of five is privately sponsored and receiving support in adjusting to life in Canada by Refugees and Friends Together (RAFT) Kamloops.

According to RAFT representa-tive Martha Ashbaugh, along with the Syrian family who arrived on Dec. 31, RAFT is committed to re-ceiving at least two more families.

“The biggest ongoing issue is finding suitable affordable housing,” Ashbaugh said.

Ashbaugh said that this is diffi-cult because the refugees are only provided with a monthly housing allowance of $750 per family of five.

RAFT has plenty of experience to draw on in helping the incoming Syrians settle in the Kamloops area, having aided people fleeing conflicts or persecution in Vietnam, Central America, Bosnia and Kosovo, Ashbaugh said.

All of the refugees currently expected in Kamloops are privately sponsored. All of the govern-ment-assisted refugees in B.C. are

currently residing in the lower mainland or Kelowna, but RAFT would be happy to welcome them if any wanted to come to Kamloops.

In preparation for the arrival of the refugees, Kamloops Immigrant Services hosted a well-attended information session on Dec. 18. Approximately 100 people watched a presentation by repre-sentatives of the Syrian Canadian Council of B.C., followed by a panel discussion.

The presentation from the Syrian Canadian Council was deliv-ered by Nader Abdullah and Rahim Ottman and provided information about Syria’s history and the causes of the ongoing conflict. In partic-ular, the presentation dealt with the corruption of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the historical sites within Syria destroyed by ISIS.

Abdullah and Ottman also provided information on refugees coming from Syria.

“They are moderate. They are not ISIS,” Abdullah said, adding that refugees arriving in Canada will be a mixture of skilled trades-people with useful skills who can’t speak English and educated people able to speak English.

“Find them a job and they will in-tegrate right away,” Abdullah said.

Abdullah said that language was the most important factor in en-suring that the refugees integrated into the community. Both the availability of English classes and help from the local Arabic speak-ing community will be important.

According to Abdullah there are no Syrians currently living in Kamloops, so it is up to other local Arabic speakers, including TRU international students, to provide the newcomers with a community.

The event at Kamloops Immi-grant Services featured a panel including local Imam Mazhar

Mahmood, Kamloops Islamic As-sociation President Faisal Siddiqui, human rights lawyer Bill Sundhu, Martha Ashbaugh of RAFT Kam-loops and Paul Lagace of Kamloops Immigrant Services.

Questions fielded by the panel covered everything from security concerns to the state of fundraising efforts.

“The refugees that are coming have been in refugee camps for the past one, two or three years, sometimes even as long as four years. These are not the refugees that you see crossing into Greece

and into Europe. They have been vetted by the UN High Commis-sioner for Refugees,” Sundhu said when asked if the refugees posed a security threat to Canada. Sundhu went on to say that once they are cleared by the UN, refugees are screened by the Canadian govern-ment in Jordan and Lebanon before being admitted into Canada.

According to Kamloops Immi-grant Services representative Paul Lagace, The United Way, RAFT and Kamloops Immigrant Services are all fundraising to help the incom-ing Syrians.

Jim ElliotNEWS EDITOR Ω

Syrian refugee family resettles in KamloopsCharitable groups prepare, educate the public and receive first Syrian family over the holidays

Graham Specht, Imam Mazhar Maqmood, Bill Sundhu, Faisal Siddiqui, Martha Ashbaugh and Paul Lagace take questions from the audience. (Jim Elliot/The Omega)

CONTINUED (COVER)

Nine years after its creation, the program’s operations were taken over by ACCESS, the Aboriginal Community Career Employment Services Society. With both pro-vincial and community funding, the BladeRunners initiative was able to expand to a collection of eight agencies in eight distinct geographical regions by 2009.

Each of these agencies was, and still is, slightly unique. “The basics get dictated to our agency directors, but directors have the freedom to build their own pro-grams too,” Galway said.

Part of the program’s success, Galway says, is not just career networking or getting in close with the most economically profitable industries, but making sure the

focus is more on getting the job than acquiring the training.

“Kids may come in with low skill, but we give them the opportunity to do so much more,” Galway said.

Four years ago, the province started a BladeRunners program right here in Kamloops under the direction of the John Howard Society of British Columbia, a non-profit charity.

Though similar to other pro-grams in its overall goal and the certifications awarded (which range from WHMIS to first aid), the Kamloops BladeRunners chapter focuses more on tourism and hospitality than trades or construction.

“We focus on tourism because it’s an entry-level industry in which these kids can compete,” explained Devin Gambler, director of the Kamloops BladeRunners.

Though Gambler built his program off of the templates of

previous BladeRunners programs, he gives the Kamloops Bladerun-ners a unique flare.

“I call my method the velvet glove, because you get punched, but it’s softened and there is a lesson at the end of it. It’s tough love,” Gambler said. “Though the bulk of the program is certification, I like to focus on the ‘why’, not on the ‘what.’ The ‘what’ is certificates, the ‘why’ is why they are here.”

Though the program is aimed at youth, individuals as old as 30 may apply. Many of those that do apply come from rough backgrounds, often struggling with drug addiction or problems at home. Though the makeup of a BladeRunner’s intake may comprise of people as diverse as single mothers or former gang members, approximately 3/4 of the program’s users are Aboriginal.

“Though lots of BladeRunners are from the reserve, this is in no way solely an Aboriginal program. It’s just that Aboriginal kids are at the most risk as far as employment goes,” Gambler said.

Through maintaining his tough love attitude, networking through-out the Kamloops community and focusing on personal development, Gambler has helped the Kamloops BladeRunners achieve an 82 per cent success rate.

However, something Gambler is even more proud of is the program’s success in having its graduates secure jobs soon after completion. Nearly 95 per cent of BladeRunners who complete the program through

the John Howard Society find jobs shortly after.

“Our whole purpose is to create value,” Gambler said. “I help these kids find strength in their vulner-ability. I tell them, ‘If you want to succeed and grow, risk more, fail more, learn more.’ ”

Though not every BladeRunner comes to TRU after completion of the program, the university’s partnership with the John Howard Society has given many BladeRun-ners the opportunity to experience what university is like through tours. “We want to show these kids that education is for everyone, not just the rich,” Gambler said.

TRU Vice-President of Ad-vancement Christopher Seguin is the university’s liaison for the BladeRunners program.

“Part of what I do for the program is teach them that they can be here,” Seguin said. “I give the BladeRun-ners a two- to three-hour talk, then my staff gives them tours around

campus and introduces them to people who can help them out.”

Though there have been BladeRunner intakes where nearly half of the program’s graduates have come to TRU after, there have also been intakes where none have as well.

“I don’t just tell these kids that their goals are possible, I dare them to complete them. I tell them ‘Prove me wrong, don’t be what everyone else expects you to be,’” Seguin said.

Though getting kids to come to TRU isn’t his main goal, Seguin’s mo-tivation has definitely helped some youth in their decision to study at TRU.

“Devin and Chris, they encourage you to go further,” said Linden Smale, a recently graduated BladeRunner. “They are creat-ing leaders for the future. Their mentorship helped me think about my future and career in a positive light. Now, next semester, I’m going to TRU.”

Wade TomkoNEWS EDITOR Ω

Empowering troubled youth in KamloopsBladeRunners outreach program helps high-risk youth get back on track and find success

406 Georgian Court, site of the BladeRunners program. (Wade Tomko/The Omega)

Devin Gambler, Director of Bladerunners Kamloops. (Wade Tomko/The Omega)

WWW.TRUOMEGA.CA 3OPINION & EDITORIAL

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The hangovers have worn off, the noisemakers have been silenced, the sky is free of fireworks and we’re all back to school. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t still time to reflect on the year that has passed. So I’ve decided to use this space this week to share with you some of the top stories of 2015 that appeared in The Omega.

One of the biggest stories of the year was the federal election. Already in full-swing by the start of the fall semester, the election brought two of the four major party leaders to Kamloops. Both Stephen Harper and Thomas Mulcair visited the city in a bid to win voters over to their party. In the end, Justin Trudeau and his Liberals were victorious while all three parties battled in the Kamloops riding, with the Conservatives coming out on top after the Liberals and NDP split the progressive vote. Voter turnout was a big story following the election. With a turnout of 68.5 per cent, it was the best showing in 22 years.

In March, we put forth one of our best features to date. “This is my body” was a collection of stories about insecurity, confidence and

empowerment related to body image. TRU women stripped down and bared it all on the page as they told their stories and posed for photos. Our current arts editor also wrote a piece on the contradictions of body image in Thailand in October, following her travels there earlier in the year. Wellness was a theme that showed up a number of times in the year, includ-ing in stories about a campaign for men’s health and one TRU student’s role in the creation of a mental health app called BoosterBuddy that saw some success.

The year 2015 was also the year TRU began its efforts to implement a sexual assault policy. Following our summer report of Jean Strong’s story about how her 2012 report of sexual assault was mishandled by TRU, the university launched its efforts to implement a sexual assault policy. The taskforce created to craft the policy held its inaugural meeting on Sep. 21, but Strong wasn’t happy with how things had been progressing last time we checked in with her. It’s a story we’ll continue to report on as the policy develops.

Other summer news included a full-scale test of TRU’s emergency alerts system, which included response teams from fire, police and ambulance and simulated an “active

shooter” on campus. This system was put to a real-world test later in November, when a bomb threat was received at the Tournament Capital Centre and parts of campus were evacuated and cordoned off. Also over the summer, the univer-sity’s digital art and design program became the victim of low enrollment and was effectively ended for the time being.

In sports, we’ve seen a big turn-around by the WolfPack women’s volleyball team, along with plenty of action from the men, too. We looked at WolfPack players past and did some catching up, we looked at the possible return of TRU’s defunct hockey program (that never returned), and at the number of female coaches in B.C. intercollegiate sports. But it’s not just the WolfPack that caught our eye this year. Our very own Quidditch match was played on the Old Main campus commons in March and we looked at a TRU student wrestler of some notoriety in October. We even looked at the creation of some sports law courses here at TRU back in February.

Overall, 2015 has been a very interesting year, and it’s full of stories we’ll continue to watch in the second half of the semester and the first half of the year. To everyone, happy new year!

Sean BradyEDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ω

The year that was: 2015 in reviewStories in The Omega from the calendar year past

JANUARY 6, 20164 NEWS

Pia Pennekamp is a first-year Journalism student from Germany.

The new year celebrations that Pennekamp described share both similarities and differences to Canadian traditions. According to Pennekamp, a German New Year’s Eve celebration begins with a family dinner and classic TV shows, like Dinner for One. Pennekamp also mentioned a traditional New Year’s punch called glühwein which is similar to mulled wine.

“After dinner, younger people go to the big cities or downtown to party. We go clubbing until 7 a.m. Next day you have to go for a walk with your family called New Year’s Day walk,” Pennekamp said.

Drinking until dawn and spend-ing time with family are similar to Canadian traditions, but some

other German celebrations are not. “We do ‘iron pouring,’ which

is basically that you pour melted metal in water and whatever you can see in the hard iron is what you’ll get in the new year. For example, a heart means love,” Pennekamp said.

When asked how important new year celebrations were to Germans compared to Canadians, Penneka-mp said, “In Canada it seems like it’s way less important. I’ve never really seen everybody out on the street and bars still close fairly early.”

Raj Kumar is a fourth-year Business Student from India.

According to Kumar, New Year’s Eve is celebrated the same way similar to all Western countries, but with a religious component. Christians go to late night mass and Hindus go to temple on Jan. 1. They usually wear new clothes. Kumar also said that most young

Indian people party on Dec. 31 like people do Canada.

Kumar said that along with the similar Dec. 31 celebrations, his family celebrates the traditional Tamil New Year in April.

“The state which I come from celebrate new year on April 16. This is the day when it’s very traditional and family gatherings happen and they celebrate it similar to your Easter family gathering,” Kumar said.

Kumar said that Singapore, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Malaysia also celebrate the Tamil New Year.

Michelle Hsu is a third-year Bachelor of Arts communication major from China.

Hsu said that New Year’s Eve is a time to celebrate with friends like it is in Canada. “Generally speaking, I would set my watch on New Year’s Eve, and do count down with my friends. Normally we treat ourselves some fancy meal at

night,” Hsu said. Hsu also said that it is too cold in Canada for many of the outdoor New Year’s Eve events common in China.

Hsu also spoke of the tradi-tions that her family observes for Chinese New Year, which takes place on different days of the year, falling between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20 depending on the year.

“In the past, this is a day for kids to get all-you-can-eat candies. In China, every family would have a box of different candy for the children,” Hsu said. Hsu went on to talk about the giving of “Red Packets” from older to younger members of families.

“This is a must, since people put cash in it, and more importantly, this is a symbol of luck,” Hsu said. Hsu said that her family sometimes rang in the new year by gambling on Mahjong or other games.

“I think everyone deserves a good start of a year. And some nice food and some cash should be a good start,“ Hsu said.

Canadian TRU student Martin McFarlane spent his new year learning about British new year celebrations while studying abroad in Manchester.

Thanks to the shared history of the two countries, celebration of the new year across the pond in England is quite similar to how it is in Canada. It is a time to be among your friends, family and signifi-cant others and reflect on the past

year. England has a milder climate and minimal snow, which makes going out for New Year’s Eve much more appealing to people. Many of Manchester’s most popular clubs had New Year’s Eve parties which, combined with British drinking culture, spilled out onto the streets and turned the city centre into drunken celebratory chaos after fireworks shot off at town hall.

A British tradition around the holiday season is to go for a walk with your friends and family. We drove to a trail that led to a wonderful waterfall and made it to the base of the falls just before dusk. New Year’s Eve celebrations spilled over into New Year’s Day and left many English pubs just as full as the night before around time for dinner.

England as a nation seems to be much more outspoken than Canada when celebrating holi-days and the new year is the best example of this. From sundown until everyone passes out in the early morning, drunken chants and cheering, fireworks, music and sirens engulf all of the already rowdy major centres throughout the UK. Canada, maybe because of its colder climate or social expecta-tions of politeness, takes a bit more of a reserved stance. While drink-ing and being out with friends are important aspects of Canadian New Year’s, we keep it (mostly) under control, whereas the British take it to a whole new level.

THE NEW YEAR AROUND THE TRU WORLD

The beginning of a new year is observed differently around the world with a variety of celebrations and even on different dates. TRU’s community of international students offers a window into these celebrations and the ways they differ from Canadian traditions.

Jim ElliotNEWS EDITOR Ω

A church in Marthandam on New Year’s Eve. (Wiki Commons)

A red envelope, traditional gift giving between family members for Chinese New Year. (Poa Mosyuen/CC)

New year fireworks over Frankfurt. (Thomas Wolf/Wikimedia Commons)

WWW.TRUOMEGA.CA 5ARTS

As we jump into the winter se-mester, there are several upcom-ing events to get excited about before schoolwork completely reclaims your life.

From Jan. 14 to Jan. 24 Sun Peaks will host their Winter Okanagan Wine Festival. With 20 different events and several ticket packages available on the Sun Peaks website, there’s something for everyone, whether you’re an amateur connoisseur who wants to sample dessert wines paired with various cheeses, or you just want to get your drink on at the Wine Crawl through the village. Several events are already sold out, so don’t wait on this one.

The Kamloops Art Gallery is hosting a curator’s tour for free on Jan. 16 at 5:30 p.m. Charo Neville, the curator, and Donald Lawrence, the artist, will walk you through exhibits Out of Sight and Mid-night Sun Camera Obscura, giving more insight into the art and the

process of selection. If you’re an artist yourself, reg-

ister for the Harsh Crit on Jan. 28, a night at the Art Gallery’s studios where you can have your art critiqued, perhaps harshly. If you feel your work could benefit from some unbiased honest criticism, this is the place to go. There are only 15 spaces open, so call the gallery at 250-377-2400 to claim your spot. The critique runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and costs $5 for Kamloops Art Gallery members, and $10 for non-members. The event is also 19+.

The first Western Canada Theatre production of the new year will be I’ll Be Back Before Midnight, a spooky play about a couple who rents a secluded farm house for an idyllic getaway until something starts going bump in the night. The show runs from Jan. 28 to Feb. 6, and tickets can be bought through the Kamloops Live! Box Office.

The Kamloops Luxury Bridal Fair will be held once again in the Campus Activity Centre on Jan. 31. The fair opens at 10 a.m. with

a fashion show at 2 p.m. If you register before Jan. 15, you will also get a gift bag that includes deals from some of the vendors at the fair. Along with being a great place to get some inspiration for anyone planning their own wedding, it is also an opportunity for people in the wedding busi-ness to network. Even if you aren’t planning on getting married anytime soon, you can still enjoy walking through a real life Pinter-est board.

On Jan. 15 and 16, the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra will perform The Magic of Vienna at the Sage-brush Theatre, an exploration of the history and evolution of the Viennese waltz. Tickets can be purchased through the Kamloops Live! Box Office.

If classical music isn’t your style, bands The Saloonatics, The Lion The Bear The Fox, Haggatha and The Matinee will also be performing at various venues throughout the last half of the month. For details, see the city events calendar at kamloops.ca/events.

FILM REVIEW: STAR WARS

Marlys KlossnerARTS EDITOR Ω

New year, new activitiesBeat the back to school blues with some local entertainment

The most notorious of all the party spots in Thailand is, of course, the full moon party, which takes place on every full moon on Koh Phangan. The full moon party is an all-night beach rager with the bars along Haad Rin beach providing the music and alcohol.

The most economical way to get sloshed in Thailand is by purchas-ing a literal bucket of alcohol. There are several combinations available, and no consistent measurements. A little friendly chatter also goes a long way in convincing the pourer to give you some extra. Buckets can be bought for as little as 200 baht, around $7 (the price of a single shot

in many Canadian bars).In a place where people drink

a mickey’s worth of vodka out of a child’s pink toy bucket, it is imperative that you take what measures you can to stay safe. The party culture in Thailand goes hand in hand with neo-hippie culture, which can mean lots of drugs. Apart from being a risk to your health, doing drugs in Thailand could also get you some serious jail time.

Thailand’s drug laws are very strict. If you are caught trying to take drugs with you over the Thai border, you could even face the death penalty, so it really isn’t worth it. Bribing police is a practice in Thailand, but as a tourist this could mean that they take your money, then arrest you anyway. In Novem-ber, a Dutch man was sentenced to

103 years in prison for laundering drug money, though he will only serve 20.

Drinking also makes you an easy target for scammers, and the best parties are also the best opportu-nities for thieves. In Ao Nang, in southeast Thailand, a scammer took the form of a young student particularly adept at card tricks and Connect Four. My companions willingly took bets against him knowing that they would lose, but most scammers aren’t so innocent and fun. My friend Napas and I had our phones stolen in the same night while at a bar on Khao San Road, and a few months later, yet another of my Thai friends had her phone stolen, also on Khao San.

Some of the news stories out of Thailand’s party scene seem so

crazy that they couldn’t possibly be made up. In November, a pair of women in Pattaya were caught on video putting Xanax on their nipples and in the drinks of their foreign paramours, who they then robbed.

If anything happens to you while partying, immediately go to the police, but they can’t always be counted on. The best plan of action is to party in groups, leave valuables at home, and try to keep your wits about you.

A selection of bucket combinations at a typical bar on Koh Phanan. (Roslyn Rosalia/Flickr Commons)

It’s been 10 years since the release of the last Star Wars film, and con-sidering the quality of the prequels, The Force Awakens was poised to either reinvigorate the franchise or be another blow to what integrity the saga has left. Luckily, The Force Awakens is a success.

With the benefit of modern CGI, the Star Wars universe feels more real than ever and The Force Awakens is a visually stunning film. The Star Wars universe is full of dramatic landscapes and interesting looking characters, and the technological advances only improve their impact.

For those who aren’t Star Wars superfans, The Force Awakens is still very entertaining, and a great sci-fi action film by itself. Most non-fans still know the main plot points and characters of the original films, so while they might not cash in as much on the nostalgia and Easter eggs, they shouldn’t feel too lost.

The new leads, played by John Boyega and Daisy Ridley, are given a fair amount of development and genuine personality. Boyega as Finn feels like a character we haven’t seen before and Ridley as Rey follows in Leia’s footsteps as the strong, smart female.

Adam Driver as Kylo Ren is easy to dislike as a whiny wannabe Darth Vader. His performance draws direct comparison to Hayden Chris-tensen as young Anakin Skywalker, except Driver does it on purpose,

and does it well.With a project that has so many

characters it’s nearly an ensemble piece. The amount of screen time given to the new characters and the returning champs could have easily swung off balance in either direc-tion. Instead, we get just enough of the old favourites while still making it clear that the story is more about the new cast’s journey.

The joy all the actors take in being a part of this project is clearly visible. Knowing that major players were lining up just to be a faceless Stormtrooper (I’m looking at you, Daniel Craig) makes the excitement contagious.

The movie suffers from a bit of a pacing problem. It moves at a breakneck speed throughout, and could have benefitted from letting the audience take a breather. Several times the plot feels predict-able, but there is enough mystery about the new cast of characters to keep you discussing the possible answers long after viewing.

Being a space opera, the entire film is kind of gratuitous, but the final scene is the worst offender. The movie ends on a very dramatic note which I will not spoil. The camera cuts between the two characters involved several times, followed by a crane shot of both people. There is no dialogue, and neither of the characters even move from their initial positions. The scene does deserve a level of gravi-tas, but it goes on a little too long.

Overall, The Force Awakens is the burst of energy and modernity that Star Wars needed.

Marlys KlossnerARTS EDITOR Ω

Marlys KlossnerARTS EDITOR Ω

How to be smart while partying in ThailandThailand is a partier’s dream, but it can come with a price if you don’t know the dangers

Sun Peaks will host its 18th annual Okanagan Wine Festival from Jan. 14-24. (Oriol Salvador/Flickr CC)

JANUARY 6, 20166 COMICS & PUZZLES

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So often in sports it’s more about when you win, rather than how many you win. That was the case this past weekend for a Kamloops team that was perfect through round robin and playoff portions of the junior women’s curling provincials, only to fall in the championship.

Skip Corryn Brown, third Erin Pincott, second Samantha Fisher and lead Sydney Fraser, all four of whom attend TRU, had it all in their favour heading into the champion-ship game early Sunday morning.

Home ice advantage? Check. The game was played in front of a raucous Kamloops crowd, and on ice that the team has grown up playing on.

Experience? Check. This is a team that has already claimed two junior provincial titles, along with a bronze and a gold at nationals.

Confidence? Check. Brown’s rink had taken on all challengers throughout the event; they were a perfect 8 and 0 going into the final and had already beaten their competition, the Daniels rink, twice in the tournament.

Motivation? Check. For a team that has already accomplished so much throughout their time as curlers, this was their last chance to take another trip to junior nationals together. The team’s third Erin

Pincott will be too old to compete as a junior next year.

Throughout the first three ends it appeared as though the cham-pionship game was going to go as perfectly to script as the rest of the tournament had for Brown’s rink. The team was up 1–0 and appeared to be able to block out all of the excitement of the fans and the pro-vincial gold medals displayed right next to the ice as well as the bright

lights from the many cameras that surrounded them, broadcasting their every move to a nationwide audience.

All it took was one bad end, and all of the amazing shots that they had taken throughout the tourna-ment were rendered irrelevant.

The Daniels rink looked as shocked as everybody else in the arena when some rare misses from the Kamloops team left skip Sarah

Daniels with a wide open draw to score five in the fourth end.

It was an uphill battle from then on out for the Brown rink. Trailing by four points they were forced to take risks, throw rocks into spots that they normally wouldn’t and hope that the Daniels rink would make some mistakes.

It wasn’t meant to be however, as the Daniels rink kept their compo-sure and continued to capitalize on

any mistake that the Brown rink made on the way to a dominating 11–3 victory.

Despite the loss and the end of their junior career as a team, head coach Allison McInnes was staying focused on the positives after the match. “Todays result doesn’t define us. We know who we are and I am so proud of the team for how strong they are and the people that they are becoming.”

While most students at TRU took advantage of the winter break to relax and indulge in all of the good things associated with the holidays, members of the TRU basketball and volleyball teams took to the court hoping to gather momentum as they head into the second half of their respective seasons.

The men’s basketball team took to the road with turkey dinner still in their stomachs, as they headed across the border to Billings, Mont. for a pair of exhibition games on Dec. 29 and 30.

The Rocky Mountain College Battlin’ Bears proved to be too much for the WolfPack to handle as the school that plays in the NAIA, the second division of American university basketball, won both games that the teams played, by scores of 79–55 and 95–60.

Forwards Gerard Gore and Luke Morris were impressive for the ‘Pack, leading the way offensively while the team was south of the border.

Despite the exhibition setbacks, TRU goes into the second half of the season in good shape, leading the Explorer Division, while being ranked tenth in the entire country.

The women’s basketball team was also in action, although they had the benefit of staying in Kam-loops for the holidays.

The ‘Pack was up against the visiting SAIT Trojans, a team that plays in the ACAC, the Albertan division of the second tier of Canadian university basketball. TRU had very little difficulty in dispatching the lower ranked team, winning the game 68–44. It was the usual suspects setting the pace offensively for the WolfPack: Michelle Bos scored 17 and Emma Piggin added 16.

Heading into the second half of the season the women are current-ly in second place in the Explorer Division, just one game behind the first place Grant MacEwan Griffins.

The men’s volleyball team also took advantage of getting to stick around Kamloops for some holiday home cooking, and they won an exhibition tournament that they hosted on Dec. 29 and 30.

The ‘Pack got the tournament underway with a straight set win against the Royal Military College of Canada. Brad Gunter, Daniel Eikland Rød and Brandon Hewwing all recorded nine kills in the match. The second day of the tournament saw the WolfPack splitting the two games that they played, losing in straight sets to

the University of British Columbia Okanagan Heat before rebounding nicely to defeat the University of Calgary Dinos 3 sets to 1. Graham Stoliker was key for the ‘Pack in the victory, distributing the ball extremely well to end the match with 50 assists.

TRU, UBCO and the University of Calgary all ended the tournament

with a record of 2 wins and 1 loss, and the ‘Pack won the round robin tournament on a tie-breaker.

The WolfPack team heads into the second half of the season needing to turn things around if they hope to make the playoffs. They are currently tied for ninth in the Canada West conference with a record of 4 wins and 8 losses.

Cameron DohertySPORTS EDITOR Ω

Cameron DohertySPORTS EDITOR Ω

Kamloops rink falls in junior curling finalsTRU student foursome makes uncharacteristic mistakes in final game

WolfPack teams busy over holiday breakTrying to build momentum for upcoming games, WolfPack teams hit the courts in December

Team Brown on the podium after receiving their provincial chamionship silver medals. (Cameron Doherty/The Omega)

TRU’s Michelle Bos sunk 17 points worth in the team’s 68-44 victory over the SAIT Trojans. (TRU Athletics)

JANUARY 6, 20168 THE OMEGA

MEMBERSHIP ADVISORY

Advocacy | Serv ices | Enter ta inment

Agenda1.0) Call to Order

1.1) Approval of the Agenda

1.2) Presentation of the Annual Report

1.3) Presentation of the 2014-2015 Audited Financial Statements

1.4) Appointment of the Auditor

1.5) Presentation of the 2015-2016 Budget

1.6) Special Resolutions*

1.7) Adjournment

*Full details available online at trusu.ca

Annual General Meeting

7:00 PMWednesday January 28, 2015

Students’ Union Building

Open to all members of the TRU Students’ Union