Co-presidents Emma Robertson and Olivia Beausoleil reflect on the growth the Indigenous Student Athlete Council has experienced along with its potential future
A group of McMaster student-athletes are making strides in their sports while also working to foster inclusivity and representation for Indigenous student-athletes. The Indigenous Student Athlete Council has created a place for Indigenous student athletes to build community and increase visibility within the McMaster community.
Co-presidents Emma Robertson and Olivia Beausoleil both created ISAC and built it into what it is today. Both are student athletes themselves; Robertson is a part of McMaster’s cheer team, while Beausoleil is on the women’s football team.
“Athletics and Recreation had the idea [for an Indigenous student athlete council] and Emma and I had both reached out with interest in getting involved in it. So collectively Emma and I sort of got it off the ground,” said Beausoleil.
ISAC’s core goals are to provide a space to advocate for Indigenous student athletes at McMaster, provide Indigenous student athletes a safe community and increase representation and visibility of Indigenous student athletes.
“With ISAC, we’re looking to really increase the inclusivity of Indigenous student-athletes within athletics and recreation at McMaster and advocate for the interests of Indigenous student-athletes,” said Robertson.
With ISAC, we’re looking to really increase the inclusivity of Indigenous student athletes within athletics and recreation at McMaster and advocate for the interests of Indigenous student athletes.
Emma Robertson, Co-president
McMaster Indigenous Student Athlete Council
One aspect of the council that has been especially meaningful is that it has acted as a space to share personal experiences and stories through their meetings. This provides a platform for Indigenous student-athletes to connect and build community with one another
“Even just hearing each other’s stories, sometimes our meetings even get a little off topic, but hearing personal stories as an Indigenous athlete is interesting and being able to share them myself is interesting,” said Beausoleil.
The council began just two years ago. Since then it has been able to grow and improve in meeting its goals. They have been able to increase their outreach and have achieved a greater overall presence throughout the beginning of the fall semester.
“One thing we’re looking to do is really grow the council and get more members or visibility on campus. So even at the start of this year, having a presence at welcome week or student orientations has been great. We’ve met some first year Indigenous student athletes so we’re hoping to have a new meeting soon to invite and welcome some potential new members,” said Robertson.
Along with growing in visibility, the council has grown its connections with other groups in McMaster’s student-athlete landscape. Groups like McMaster’s Black Student- Athlete Council, the Women’s Athletic Leadership Committee and the LGBTQ2SIA+ Athletic Advocacy Group along with the Indigenous Student Athlete Council all aim to provide support for marginalized student-athletes at McMaster. These groups have also served as a model for the Indigenous Student Athlete council as they have worked to build themselves up.
“This year we’ve been connecting more with the leaders of other student groups. This has been helpful to see what challenges they’ve had and things they’ve succeeded in and how we can work together,” said Robertson.
One of the ISAC’s biggest events is its Orange Shirt Day event. Orange Shirt Day aims to recognize the tragedies of the residential school system and the Indigenous children who were taken from their families.
This year the council is holding its Orange Shirt Day event on Sept. 28. This event will be hosted during the men’s and women’s soccer and rugby games at Ron Joyce Stadium. It will take place from 12:00 p.m. when women’s soccer kicks off against Algoma University, until 8:00 p.m. when men’s rugby kicks off against Western University.
“So right now our event is on Sept. 28. With the women’s and men’s soccer and rugby games. We have a couple different things going on there. We’re going to be selling orange shirts there, we have different Indigenous vendors who are going to be present on the concourse selling things. We may or may not have a singing group coming as well,” said Robertson.
This will be the council’s second year in a row running an Orange Shirt Day event during a McMaster sports event. With a year under their belt, the council has been able to grow this event and get more people involved.
“Last year when we started, the council didn’t really start until the beginning of September, so it was a lot more last minute and a bit crazier. But this year, we started meeting and planning things out earlier in the summer, so it’s been nice to have more time to do that. We’ve also been able to reach out to other Indigenous student services and the Indigenous studies department and have been working with some of the staff there to coordinate with other things going on with truth and reconciliation on campus, as well as getting help and support from them has been great,” said Robertson.
As Orange Shirt Day approaches, the council’s co-presidents also hope to create a long lasting space for the coming years. Gaining new members has been a challenge for the council, but Robertson and Beausoleil have worked tirelessly to keep the council running.
“Just building the council is important. There are currently only four of us on the council, but a lot of us are in our final year here. So, being able to make sure we have some members to carry forth the council in the coming years so it doesn’t die off just as we’ve gotten it going,” said Olivia Beausoleil.
Just building the council is important. There are currently only four of us on the council, but a lot of us are in our final year here. So, being able to make sure we have some members to carry forth the council in the coming years so it doesn’t die off just as we’ve gotten it going.
Olivia Beausoleil, Co-president
McMaster Indigenous Student Athlete Council
With its continued growth and refinement, the council hopes to be a strong and supportive space for Indigenous student-athletes at McMaster.
Take a look at how winter sports teams handle exams and the holiday break amidst a long competitive season
For most students, the weeks leading up to winter break can create a slew of changes to their routines and schedules. Final exams and assignments, the dramatic change in weather or even evenings getting darker earlier in the day can all cause a frenzy.
Almost all students can relate to a sense of change and stress during the weeks leading up to winter break. Though student athletes whose seasons take place during this time may have a different experience to others during exam season, as they often have to meet practice and competition expectations along with keeping up with school.
There are about seven winter sports at McMaster University, including basketball, curling and volleyball. Oftentimes, these sports begin their preseason in September, with competition running up until early April.
“We’ll start in September but we don’t have official league games until the end of October,” said fifth-year women’s basketball player Jenna Button.
The length of this season is much different than sports during the fall term, usually beginning in August with the preseason and concluding around early November. Winter sports also run for a much longer duration, contributing to the added exam and winter break stresses.
“It's obviously challenging to have a season that runs for so long and has so many games. Your body kind of gets tired by the end of it. But there are obviously upsides to it, so having that break during the exam schedule is nice to kind of reset and helps to be focused on academics,” said Button.
It's obviously challenging to have a season that runs for so long and has so many games. Your body kind of gets tired by the end of it. But there are obviously upsides to it, so having that break during the exam schedule is nice to kind of reset and helps to be focused on academics.
Jenna Button, women's basketball player
While the exam season can be daunting and difficult for some athletes, others use the break to adjust their game. Some platers also use their sport as a way to relax and destress during a busy academic season.
“Basketball is a really nice way for me to get away from school and [its stress] and be able to not think about that for a while. But it definitely can be overwhelming especially for first years, who may be in challenging programs,” said Button.
Along with time off for winter break, it seems as though it's advantageous for winter sports to use the break to participate in exhibition games and practices to keep in form. For instance, the women’s basketball team traveled to California during the month of Decemeber to participate in a winter training camp along with the nationally top-ranking University of Saskatchewan.
“We were [in California] for five days and we practiced and scrimmaged with [the University of Saskatchewan]... Previously we’ve gone to Halifax to scrimmage against Dalhousie. It’s like having a vacation, but also having that basketball side to play another game during that break,” said Button.
Having these sorts of activities seem to help in the transition back to competitive games in early January. For the women's basketball team, the smooth transition came in the form of a big win against York University in their first game back from the break.
“This past December we were able to get scrimmages in, so it was only a week before we played York. I don’t think we felt it was a big jump being back. I think if we had that month off with no games that first game back would be challenging,” said Button.
This past December we were able to get scrimmages in, so it was only a week before we played York. I don’t think we felt it was a big jump being back. I think if we had that month off with no games that first game back would be challenging.
Jenna Button, women's basketball player
The balance of academic responsibility and athletic commitment for winter sports athletes presents some unique challenges. As these student athletes navigate this demanding period, it seems as though exhibition games and the much-needed mental break away from their sport help to prepare them to return to competition focused and rejuvenated.
Students donated their hair at halftime during the Shoot for the Cure women's basketball game
On Jan. 17, McMaster Athletes Care hosted their Shoot for the Cure initiative aimed towards awareness and fundraising for breast cancer research.
The event comes as the 17th annual edition run by the national U Sports organization to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society and additional related charities. Last year, collective efforts by U Sports and Canadian university sports teams and communities helped to bring in a total of $115,000.
The event comes as the 17th annual edition run by the national U Sports organization to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society and additional related charities.
This season, the McMaster University women’s basketball team set up a fundraising page on the CCS website to donate pledges towards research for improving cancer treatments, prevention and support services.
On Jan. 17, the Marauders hosted the University of Guelph Gryphons in a match at Burrduge Gymnasium in Hamilton. During halftime of the women’s basketball game, volunteers received haircuts to help support the initiative.
During halftime of the women’s basketball game, volunteers received haircuts to help support the initiative.
Along with the haircuts, t-shirts were also sold for $15 by McMaster Athletes Care, with proceeds going towards the CCS.
The Shoot for the Cure event will run from Jan. 17 to 31. Donations can be made generally to the CCS or towards registered Shoot for the Cure participants and teams through their website. So far, the Nipissing University Lakers have raised the most money across participating universities, collecting $3,541.06 out of their $5,000 goal.
Per the CCS’ Impact page, donations will go towards funding cancer research, government and policy advocacy and developing a country-wide cancer support system.
McMaster Performance and Women’s Athletic Leadership Committee’s new program supports female athletes by offering educational resources and events
On Oct. 11, McMaster Performance and the McMaster Women’s Athletic Leadership Committee announced the launch of the McMaster Female Athlete Health Program on their Instagram.
In their post, the groups explained that the initiative is focused on informing female athletes on how to better their health and athletic performance. Part of MFAHP includes providing educational events on these topics, such as nutrition, breast health and the hormone cycle.
The MFAHP plans to support female athletes’ health and performance by providing resources for them and connecting them with others in the community.
In line with the initiative, the MFAHP will be hosting two educational nights on Oct. 26 and Nov. 30.
The first of the events was held from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Ivor Wynne Centre in room E201. There was discussion on strength training and the hormone cycle, featuring guest speakers Alena Luciani, founder of the performance coaching service Training2XL, and Alysha D’Souza, a McMaster University PhD candidate in the Department of Kinesiology.
While guest speakers have yet to be announced for the Nov. 30 event, the topic will be related to nutrition, performance and self-image.
Students can register for the session free of charge on the MFAHP page.
The MFAHP program represents an excellent opportunity for McMaster female athletes to connect over shared experiences and grow their knowledge about their personal health, wellbeing and performance.
