Players of the Falcons men's basketball team practice inside the gymnasium at Langara College 0 on Oct. 3, 2018. nick LABA PHOTO Falcons soar to nationals Langara will host and play the best in Canadian college ball By NICK LABA ithout playing a sin- gle game, the Lan- gara Falcons have secured a spot in the 2019 Men’s Basketball National Championship. The Falcons were guaranteed one of the eight available berths when the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association awarded them the right to host earlier this year. The last time basketball fans in Greater Vancouver had the chance to see the men’s CCAA championship was in 1997. But a tough season looms for the organization both on and off the court. “It’s a challenge financially, we're not money makers. You need to find ways to mitigate costs. Time is a challenge,” said Jake McCallum, director of athletics and intramurals at Langara. Due to a lack of space and fa- cilities on campus, the Falcons will make a temporary nest at the Lang- ley Events Centre for the tourna- ment next March. McCallum expressed his gratitude for the hos- pitality from the 322,312-square- foot home of the Vancouver Giants. Last year’s season ended for the Falcons in a 63-68 upset where they lost to the fifth-seated Douglas Royals in the PacWest conference finals. The Royals went on to win silver in the national championship. Four-year veteran centre Grant Galbraith knows how close the Fal- con’s came to advancing last year. “You just have to look back to it. Just a little bit of extra work or that one play, that’s the difference between going all the way,” said Galbraith. Considering more than half the team are rookies, the Falcons will have to make a considerable effort this year to shape a winning team. Galbraith said the progress made in the first month of practice is tre- mendous. While determined to bring home another conference banner to Lan- gara, the guaranteed championship berth opens opportunities to build depth. “Because we know we have our spot, we can be a little more patient during the regular season ... to try out a few different lineups along the way just to see if there’s a dia- mond in the rough,” said assistant coach Joey Dhillon. Coach Rachael Pelat is league's only fe- male head coach By MANDY MOON ead coach of the women’s soccer team at Langara College, Rachael Pelat said it can be tough getting her voice heard by referees during games. Pelat is one of just two female coaches in the athletics and intra- murals department. She believes that having more women in differ- ent roles would ushing through barriers Allison Sandmeyer-Graves, the CEO of CAAWS, believes that women who participate in sports develop _leadershipskills, _self- confidence but also attain higher academic achievements and career success. “We believe that the more wom- en play sports, the more equal so- ciety will become by challenging the gender norm, and the barriers that hold women back. Sport is a reflection of society, but it also has the power to change society,” said Sandmeyer-Graves Nicole Bell, a third-year student on Langara’s women’s soccer team said she liked having a female coach to relate to. pe mee “We believe the more ‘breagh or a PWet | Women play sports, the | syiting i dhe. pi’ | More equal society will through.” eer become.” Hata ate climb and keep — ALLISON SANDMEYER-GRAVES, CEO OF CAAWS leyb all in pushing through,” said Pelat. According to the Canadian As- sociation for the Advancement of Women in Sport and Physi- cal Activity (CAAWS), only 25 per cent of coaches in Canada are women. The gap is even more prominent in high-performance settings, such as university and na- tional team coaching. high school, Pelat is Bell’s first fe- male coach. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, they played against Douglas Col- lege at Musqueam field which end- ed in a tie game. The Falcon’s play their next game on Oct. 13 where they will face Capilano University at Burnaby Lake Sports Complex West. Head coach Rachael Pelat at the Falcons women's soccer match against the Douglas College Royals at Musqueam field on Oct. 6, 2018 Mandy Moon PHOTO Students call for variety Sports and health club wants expansion of varsity sports played at Langara By NATHAN DUREC S tudents at Langara College say it's time to expand the number of varsity sports on campus to include volleyball and badminton. Langara Sports and Health Club member Danielle Lee said there are not enough choices for varsity sports and emphasized the impor- tance of sport as something that brings people together. “You connect with people that have a passion for sports,” said Lee. Currently, there are three varsity sports at Langara: basketball, soccer and golf. The basketball and soccer programs have men’s and women's teams. There is only a men’s team for golf. Many of the other schools Langa- ra competes against in the PacWest, the governing body for collegiate and institutional sports in B.C., ii offer a wider va- | — riety of varsity sports. A quick look at the pic- tures in the halls of Building G and the banners in the gymna- sium reveal a past history in both volleyball and badminton at Langara. While Langara athletics recog- nizes students want more, they say that the cost of operating a varsity program and a lack of facilities hin- ders varsity growth. Jake McCallum, director of ath- letics and intramurals at Langara said that it mainly comes down to funding. “It’s not just having players. You have to then have money to travel. You have to have scholarship mon- ey. You have to find a coach and an assistant coach. You have to have equipment,” said McCallum. First-year Langara student, Laiba Khan said international stu- dents feel left out of varsity sports because the ones offered are not as appealing as others. “Many students come from In- dia, and India is where badminton is very popular,” said Khan. “If Langara had a badminton team, they would have potential people that would want to join.” Jake McCallum DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS Oct. 13, 2018 Oct. 12, 2018 vs. Capilano vs. Alumni University 7:30 p.m. 12 p.m. At Langara At Musqueam College Soccer Field Oct. 14, 2018 Nov. 02, 108 vs. Vancouver vs. Douglas Island University | College 12 p.m. 8 p.m. At Musqueam At Langara Soccer Field