8 Rizzardo v. UBC Langara’s men’s soccer coach files human rights complaint of gender dis- crimination against UBC By GRAHAM MCFIE his sex discrimination claim against UBC through to a second hearing. Rizzardo says in his BC Human Rights Tribunal complaint that UBC passed him over as women’s soccer coach in favour of a female applicant. “Tt is a clear case of gender discrimi- nation,” Rizzardo, a UBC alumnus, said in an email. Rizzardo was offered and accepted the position of head coach of the UBC Thunderbirds women’s soccer team on Dec. 4, 2012. 0OThree days later, UBC no- tified Rizzardo that the hiring process had been deemed unfair and rescinded the job offer. A second interview pro- cess was scheduled for January and Rizzardo was guaranteed an interview. Andrea Neil was then hired for the job. Rizzardo noted that he had seen let- ters on blogs complaining of his ap- pointment as head coach of the wom- en’s team, saying it was a missed opportunity to hire a female coach. “In one of the letters, the writer ex- plicitly named Andrea Neil as the per- son that should have been given the job,” Rizzardo said. UBC added that there was contro- versy around how they offered the job to Rizzardo, on Dec. 4, 2012, before the job posting was closed to applicants. UBC received complaints that this de- prived some candidates of the opportu- nity to apply. “T was disappointed to see how un- professional they were in dealing with it,” Rizzardo said. In the first hearing, UBC moved to dismiss Rizzardo’s complaint but was denied. A second hearing is scheduled for October 2014. Randy Schmidt, a spokesman from UBC, said the university would not pro- vide further comment on the matter, aside from a press release issued Feb. 28, because the case will be going be- fore the tribunal in October. “UBC denies that sex was a factor in the hiring process for the women’s soc- cer head coach position,” the UBC statement said. Tribunal member Enid Marion said the tribunal needs more information on the case. Cc: Mark Rizzardo is pushing srepreeenneccrert WANE 11 Th = = = = = = Be a ( KARLY BLATS photo (LEFT z Photo courtesy of DEEPCOVERAGE.COM (RIGHT) Third year nursing student Caitlin Sanford is focusing solely on her studies now after two years on the BC Lions Felions Dance Team. Nursing student and Felion BC Lions dancer gives advice on how to balance hobbies with school By KARLY BLATS or the last two years, nursing stu- dent Caitlin Sanford balanced a full-time class schedule with be- ing a Felion for the BC Lions. Sanford, 24, is in her third year of nursing at Langara and said being on the Felions Dance Team kept her sane and gave her a hobby away from the classroom. “T honestly have no idea how I man- aged to schedule everything in but I did it,” she said. “The Felions was sort of a distrac- tion, just having that time to socialize too was almost helpful in a way.” The Felions Dance Team consists of 35 women who practice every Sunday during the football season. Alexandra Severyn, Felions coordinator, said in an email she advises Felions on how to juggle an academic timetable while be- ing on the team. “Every young women is different and priorities differ,” she said. Before trying out for the Felions, Sanford said she never thought seri- ously about being on the team and was “baffled” when a co-worker of hers sug- gested she audition. Sanford let the idea of being a Felion linger for a year while she worked out and practiced her dance moves. The death of her father in the winter of 2011 got Sanford serious about becoming a Felion. “T just needed a distraction and to have something positive in my life,” she said. Severyn said Sanford was a dedicat- ed Felion with an easygoing attitude who always seemed to enjoy herself. Unfortunately this year’s tryouts didn’t go in Sanford’s favour but she said not making the team is a relief in a way. “It’s nice to be able to focus on my future more, on nursing and family,” she said. Sanford’s guidance to anyone bal- ancing a packed schedule is not to let stress manage their life and try to re- main positive. “The biggest thing is not to be too hard on yourself. You can’t impress ev- eryone and it’s just important to do what you love.” 66 I just needed a distrac- tion and to have something positive in my life CAITLIN SANFORD Wheelchair curlers head to Nationals Provincial champions Team Neighbour practice at the Marpole and Richmond curling clubs in preparation for the Canadian championships coming next month in Quebec By BEN ZUTTER fter bringing home their fourth ys Va championship title in anuary, a local curling team is looking to add to their national medal count at the 2014 Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship in Quebec next month. Vancouver- and Richmond-based Team Neighbour, including skip Dar- ryl Neighbour, second Vince Miele, third Frank LaBounty, alternate Gary Cormack and lead Alison Duddy, have been playing together for nearly a de- cade. Their chemistry has earned them championships at both the provincial and national levels. Neighbour, the founder of the team, has a 2010 Paralympic gold to his name, as well as a number of World Wheel- chair Curling Championship titles. After suffering a blood infection in 2012, he said he is ready to get back to competing on the Canadian and world stages. “It’s hard to describe,” he said about competing in the 2010 Paralympics. “Tt’s a once in a lifetime thing, especial- ly playing at home.” Vince Miele said he is excited about the nationals in Quebec, where they will be facing off against nine other teams competing for Canadian domi- nance. “We're looking forward to it,” Miele said. “We ended up with a silver medal last year and the team is just a little bit different this year.” LaBounty and Duddy live outside of Metro Vancouver. According to Miele, that can make getting together for practices both time-consuming and costly. It’s alleviated in part by sponsor- ships and the generosity of local busi- nesses. “We've been very lucky because one of the local hotel managers has given us some room nights,” Miele said. “So that’s helped a lot.” Cormack also has Paralympic expe- rience, having won gold with Team Canada in 2006. Cormack, Neighbour and Miele all play in local Vancouver and Richmond leagues, quite often against able-bod- ied opponents or on mixed teams. The 2014 Canadian Wheelchair Curl- ing Championship takes place in Que- bec from April 28 to May 4 and will be available to stream online. BEN ZUTTER photo Skip Darryl Neighbour practices for upcoming Nationals.