8 Women shoot to redeem After two upsets last week- end, Langara’s women’s soccer team heads to UIV this weekend for the Pac- West championship By GLEN TRUAX back to the training pitch to prac- tise for the upcoming Pac West con- ference final this weekend after major defeats over the weekend. The team lost 0-3 to both Thompson Rivers University and UBC Okanagan. While these losses do not eliminate them from the upcoming tournament, it does add a sense of urgency. “Our biggest obstacle is getting healthy,” said coach Ryan Birt. The team is currently ranked fourth in the division. The Langara Falcons have a legacy to live up to —- they are regular partici- pants in provincial tournaments, and so far they’ve pulled off a good record this season. Falcons’ goalkeeper Brittany Bligh is ranked first in the conference. She shrugged off the pressure. “I don’t re- ally think about the competition,” Bligh said. Although Bligh has been playing soccer since she was five, this will mark the first time she has ever made it to the conference championships. Bligh credits her current success to her goalie coach, Loren Lidin. While individual forward players haven’t earned as much notoriety, Birt feels that this is a good thing. “Nobody’s really elevated them- selves, but that makes it difficult for the other team to target specific peo- ple,” he said. The high-scoring Olivia Kappeli has elevated herself from back in the de- fence line, although she says a higher profile has its downsides. “There’s a lot more pressure be- cause people know you're out there,” Kappeli said. This stress has not slowed her down, however. “You just have to play smart, and test their defenses,” said Kappeli. Kappeli was recently awarded Rook- ie of the Year for women’s soccer by Pac West. The PacWest soccer championship tournament is being hosted by Vancou- ver Island University, located in Nanai- mo. The tournament starts this Friday and ends Sunday. I angara’s women’s soccer team is Wa at Daal Te a Se mich ine: Adah oe Kinesiology student C.J. Roydhouse balances a hockey ball on his stick outside of Langara College. C.J. Roydhouse plays for Canada Langara’s own field hockey star began playing at age five, and he’s headed to New Delhi, India to represent Canada this December By JESSE LAM Ihe future of men’s field hockey in Canada lies in part with Lan- gara’s C.J. Roydhouse, who is set to represent Canada in the 2013 Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup in New Delhi, India. Currently ranked 14th in the world, Canada will look to win at least one game at the tournament this December to increase their rankings. “We're in a rebuilding stage, so we've got a lot of young guys playing up,” says Roydhouse, a Langara stu- dent studying kinesiology. “So I think that nine to 12 range [in standings], we’ll be very happy with. This team is like a build-up to play with the seniors,” he says. Roydhouse started playing field and ice hockey when he was five. “My par- ents got me into it,” says Roydhouse. “My parents actually met on a field hockey trip, so my sister and I both play.” So why field hockey over ice hockey? “Tactually tried out with the Vancou- ver Giants back when I was 15,” says Roydhouse. “But it all comes down to, what are the chances of you playing in the NHL for ice hockey versus what are the chances of you playing for Team Canada for field hockey?” Roydhouse explains that only 100 men in Canada play field hockey com- petitively, compared to the 5,000 kids who compete to try out for minor league teams in ice hockey. “The chances of making a [field hockey] team to represent Canada were very easy if you’re a skilled play- er.” Roydhouse believes representing Canada in New Delhi will be an experi- ence of a lifetime. “When we go to India it’s going to be in a stadium, home crowd, everyone is going to go crazy,” Roydhouse says with excitement. “It’s [India’s] No. 1 sport besides cricket. A lot of people will be in atten- dance, so that’s going to be super excit- ing.” But with all the exciting news for Roydhouse and Canada’s junior team there is reason to feel discouraged about the future of field hockey in Can- ada. Own the Podium is a program meant to prepare Canadian athletes to medal in the Olympics. However, as of this summer, the men’s field hockey team lost their funding from Own the Podi- um, as the program shifted all of its fo- cus to winter sports for the upcoming Olympic games in Sochi, Russia. “The team lost its funding from Own the Podium, so we have to pay for ev- erything now,” says Roydhouse. Annual funding for men’s field hock- ey has dropped from $900,000 to zero. JESSE LAM photo a eld ; oc ey in jeoparay THOSE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE OR DONATING TO FIELD HOCKEY CANADA CAN VISIT: www. fieldhockey.ca/en/ donate Falcon's furry talons hold the spirit of Langara College Langara’s Welcome Day. DARA RYKISS photo Annie Mullins, left, with Jade Arignon as Falcon on Langara’s mascot Falcon has become a staple at campus events, but who’s behind the beak? By TRICIA LO and cool demeanour fool you—it’s got multiple personalities and it’s sweating bullets on the inside. Langara’s mascot Falcon has made approximately 20 appearances since first landing at Langara in January yet “there’s no designated mascot-wearer,” according to Jake McCallum, acting di- rector of athletics and intramurals. Instead, various athletes and staff in D:: let Falcon’s $4,900 exterior the athletics department have worn the Falcon suit. One special feature of the fuzzy three-piece suit is the battery-operated fan in the helmet. “Tf you don’t have the fan [on]... it’s awful,” says McCallum. McCallum wouldn’t know firsthand how effective the fan is because he’s too tall for the suit, which is meant for someone between five foot four inches and five foot 10 inches. Rhea Silvestri, however, fits the bill. “Within 15 minutes of walking with those extra large feet I realized [it] was going to be a very warm experience,” said the fourth-year member of the women’s basketball team. Despite the heat, Silvestri says she never turns down an opportunity to be the Falcon. “Tt’s extremely hot inside that Faleon but it’s worth every second. It’s incred- ibly fun to [represent] my school in a way that brings a smile to everyone’s face,” says Silvestri. Silvestri, an arts and science stu- dent, has earned the nickname “The Falcon” within her circle of friends. “T volunteered to be the Falcon once to try it out. Then it became my alter ego,” she said. Silvestri often moonlights as the Fal- con, but she wasn’t the original mascot. That title belongs to business student Jade Arigno. Not one to turn down the perks that come with the territory, Arignon still wears it on occasion. “You get lots of hugs and high fives.”