Though dating a teammate may cause some to raise an eyebrow, it may just be the key to winning for this couple on McMaster's rowing teams
For McMaster students and rowers Brooke McCoy and Trevor Tung, their journey as a couple started in a very unconventional way. It began in 2021 while McCoy was on the men’s team. She was the team’s coxswain, the boat’s director, while Tung was one of the rowers.
McCoy, who is now a graduate student, spoke about her first season on the team.
“Well, originally I was in the men's team with Trevor because I made the team as a coxie. So I didn't actually row physically. I was the person that sat in the boat and steered and called instructions at the rowers. So I was on the men's team, so making friends, I guess, well, maybe it was different for me because I was around a lot of guys, so I made good friends with the other coxie, Jackie,” said McCoy.
As McCoy settled in, she and Tung became much closer compared to their other teammates. They would often hang out through shared interests.
“I think we started rock climbing together and then none of our other friends really got into rock climbing. I think it's because it was expensive, but me and Trevor, we were a bit older than our friend Owen, so we had jobs and he was in first year, so we would buy monthly memberships and that was our, not excuse, but that's how we would hang out just us a lot more,” said McCoy.
Eventually, the two became much closer and decided to begin dating. However, this was not without apprehension. Although McCoy was planning to switch to the women's team, if she ended up staying on the men's team as a coxie it would be a clear conflict of interest for her to lead the boat Tung would be in
“I didn't know if the coaches would be okay with that, so I didn't want to risk my spot in case I didn't make it as a rower. I wanted to still be secure. Even if that wasn't the case, we kind of were more private people. And everyone talks in these teams because everyone is in each other's business,” said McCoy.
But it eventually worked out, as McCoy made the switch to the women’s team as a rower and Tung maintained his place on the men's team. For the two, being on the same team has only improved life in sport
Tung, who is currently in his fifth-year at McMaster, shared that the sport allows them to spend more time together, even while doing mundane activities.
"Sometimes the training can get a little stale or boring. For example, I remember in the summers we'd sit on stationary bikes for hours at a time, so that could be annoying to do alone. But when you have someone who is like a built-in training partner, I feel that makes things more like enjoyable. So it makes the relationship feel more enjoyable and the training more enjoyable as well because it feels nice to accomplish things while you're spending time together,” said Tung.
. . . it makes the relationship feel more enjoyable and the training more enjoyable as well because it feels nice to accomplish things while you're spending time together.
Trevor Tung, Fifth-Year Rower
McMaster Men's Rowing Team
Even with the highs and lows that come with being involved in a sport, McCoy and Tung have also found that one another's success motivates them—they share in each other’s achievements.
“If you fail yourself or if you don't meet your goal then you still like to share in that achievement of your partner. . . All of our medals are on our shared shelf together. We know who's who for the Ontario championships, but we make jokes about how in 20 years maybe we'll have kids and then we'll be like we don't know whose medal this is,” said McCoy.
All of our medals are on our shared shelf together . . . we make jokes about how in 20 years maybe we'll have kids and then we'll be like we don't know whose medal this is.
Brooke McCoy, Graduate Student Rower
McMaster Women's Rowing Team
With both rowers nearing their final years at McMaster, they feel as though their relationship was given a great start by knowing each other from the team. The two have no fear that without rowing, their relationship will change.
“It [rowing] made us very close. I feel like it only brings us closer, but I don't think that means when rowing leaves us we'll get farther apart. I think it just gave us an irreplaceable foundation and an irreplaceable bond. Our friendship bond gave us this platform to have a really healthy and strong relationship and that friendship I guess came from rowing,” said Tung.
Though it may seem unconventional to date a teammate, McCoy and Tung seem to relish in all that the sport has brought them, with just one thing being their relationship.
If you’ve ever read Mac Confessions, you’d know that sometimes students can have a tough time balancing their full-time load, but when you add a couple of hours of practice per day, things can get particularly spicy. Not only do student athletes deal with the typical difficulties of being in university, but they also devote large amounts of time and effort to their teams in order to continue performing at high levels.
However, playing sports at a university level isn’t all work and no play; it has its benefits. Being able to access high-level physical training, connect with teammates and develop a social network early on in university are just some of the perks that come with the lifestyle. Being a part of a university sports team can also develop many life skills, such as understanding commitment, organization, time management and teamwork.
However, playing sports at a university level isn’t all work and no play; it has its benefits. Being able to access high-level physical training, connect with teammates and develop a social network early on in university are just some of the perks that come with the lifestyle. Being a part of a university sports team can also develop many life skills, such as understanding commitment, organization, time management and teamwork.
With that being said, no one can understand the student athlete experience more than, well, the athletes themselves. For that reason, we sat down with Holly Connor, a first year student on the women’s water polo team; Andrew Davies, a second year student on the men’s cross country/track team and Brandon Chong, a fourth year student on the men’s baseball team. They shared how their lives are different from regular students, how they deal with their struggles and what they’ve learned from their experiences.
As a first year student, Holly Connor just went through a major transition from high school to university-level sports.
“At the very beginning of the year when everything was so new, it was difficult, but once you get into the groove of it, it worked out better,” said Connor.
Despite the time management struggles, Connor does not regret her decision to play university-level water polo, as it has its upsides.
“Playing the sport itself helped me in so many different ways. I made so many friends through it, some of my best friends. [Waterpolo] helped me in my health because I was initially very concerned about eating habits and my exercise I’d be able to get while transitioning into university, and it really helped me stay on top of it. It was also really nice to have that outlet to go and relax and not have to think about school all the time,” said Connor.
Athletes like Connor love the opportunity to play their sport and work on their craft. They take on the mentality of getting to go to practice, rather than having to go to practice. Practices and games are a release for athletes like her. Not only do they act as breaks, but they help maintain physical health while in the company of teammates and friends. Chong has had a similar experience as Conner.
“You take your mind off school, you get to hang out with your teammates and play baseball. They always like to have fun, so it gave me a place to take my mind off school. A release for me,” said Chong.
One of the most important parts of a team is of course, its teammates. The bond between the players on the roster is so much deeper than just being on the team together. Relationships that stem from these teams can be extremely helpful for new students coming in.
“A lot of my teammates are in the same program that I’m in, and all took the same classes, so it was really nice to be able to get together and do some work together,” said Connor. “It worked really well having that unit, who I not only spent all my time in the pool, but also spent a lot of time outside, getting to know them.”
“A lot of my teammates are in the same program that I’m in, and all took the same classes, so it was really nice to be able to get together and do some work together,” said Connor. “It worked really well having that unit, who I not only spent all my time in the pool, but also spent a lot of time outside, getting to know them.”
Davies also touched on the academic benefits of having teammates, saying, “There’s definitely some people on that team that are good for advice, who have done it before and are really good role models to follow in school and an athletic sense.”
Being a second year student, Davies has picked the brains of upper year students, which made his transition much easier. Despite not being in the same program as his teammates, Davies still experienced significant benefits from the mentorship provided by his teammates. They helped him transition into university sports, assisting him with the ins and outs of time management.
Time management is critical for student athletes.
“We practice three days a week, then weekends are just double headers each day (during the season), so probably about 24 hours a week maybe. Sometimes you just fall behind because it’s a lot of hours. It’s very hard to balance, but it’s doable,” Chong said.
The support system of coaches and fellow teammates helps ease the struggle of time management.
“I would say to know your schedule and your workload and everything,” said Chong. “If you need help, talk to someone, a teammate, talk to a coach, say that you’re stressed out about something. Let him know, he’ll understand. Just make sure you have a good scheduling system for yourself.”
Chong mentioned that being a part of the team significantly improved his leadership and time management, which are critical life-long skills.
The busiest time of the year for these athletes, of course, is the regular season. Currently, all three athletes are in the midst of their off-season, but that doesn’t mean they have it easy. The off-season grind can be as strenuous as the regular season.
“Practices are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday,” said Connor. “We have to keep up with our diets, and make sure we are eating enough. The off-season is from mid-December to June, and it is the same practice schedule. However, we are less focused on skills that would apply right away, rather long-term techniques. It’s still the same amount of practicing, so it still affects me in similar ways that it did previously, but now I have better abilities to cope with that. In the summer, we have workout programs that we are supposed to do on our own, where we focus on strength and cardio training.”
According to Davis, when it comes to the off-season for cross country and track, things get a little different. Davies has to deal with longer seasons, competing during the majority of the school year, so training intensity stays up there fall and winter terms, meaning he does not get to slow down and take a break from his heavy schedule.
“We have both cross country, and track seasons, we are competing almost the whole school year. We train right from the start of the semester, up until near the last few weeks. We have competitions going throughout the year,” Davies said.
All three athletes feel that although student athlete life can be challenging, the positives outweigh the negatives. Being able to make friends through their team, receive advice from upper years and develop life skills are why they would recommend sports to future students.
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By: Graham West
Hard work, toughness and focus are the key elements that have led to Hilary Hanaka’s outstanding success at the university level. After recently achieving the milestone of 1000 career points, Hanaka is looking forward to a season filled with promise.
Hitting 1000 career points is a huge career landmark and it meant a lot to Hanaka, although she stressed the importance the team has had in contributing to her being able to achieve it.
“It’s a pretty big milestone to hit and it means a lot to hit that point,” Hanaka said. “But, of course it’s a team sport overall, so I think I’m more excited to figure out where our team will end up this season… it's obviously nice to hit that point, but I obviously wouldn’t have gotten to this point without the help of my teammates and my coach.”
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It has not always been easy on the path to greatness for Hanaka as there have been challenges with balancing academics and being a varsity athlete.
“There are positives and negatives. Coming into first year, that was when the big adjustment hit,” Hanaka said. “Obviously, it’s a much bigger time commitment being on a varsity team and having classes every single day, practices every day and you’re away on weekends and just making sure you find the right balance to do everything.”
“With that being said, you’re surrounded by an incredible group of girls, coaching staffs,” Hanaka added. “We have so much support through the athletic department, so whenever things were going downhill, you always had someone to pick you back up.”
Hanaka’s experience with the difficulties athletes can face and her expertise on the court are some of the things that make her a great leader. Being there for her teammates on and off the court is instrumental to the success of the team and something that is incredibly important to her as well.
“Off the court is just as important as on the court when it comes to varsity sports,” Hanaka said.
“Being a veteran player, I’ve been around for five years so I’ve been through most of the things that bring you down and that go on. So just being able to be there for the girls is something that I really strive to do.”
“Just knowing that I’ve been in the position of a first-year, second-year, third-year and even a fourth-year player and things aren't always fun and games there’s always going to be those lows,” Hanaka added. "Being able to make sure the girls are aware that I’m always there for them, whether it’s something basketball-related, life-related, school-related, whatever it might be, that just because I’m a leader on the court, doesn’t mean I can’t be the leader off the court. ”
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Whenever Hanaka’s career as a player ends, it will most certainly not be the end to her basketball career. When you have a particularly knowledgeable player who is a natural leader, coaching is always on the horizon. It is something Hanaka is interested in, and given her success as a player, seems very possible.
“I would love to be a coach. Growing up I’ve always been surrounded by basketball and it’s been a huge part of my life,” Hanaka said. “Being a player has been incredible, but I think I’m kinda ready to hang up the shoes and move forward. Hopefully down the road, coaching is something that I’ll be put into.”
Always one of the first people in the gym, Hanaka has had an outstanding career so far in the maroon and grey and looks to only improve. The team is one to watch as they continue to play their way to a return to nationals, with their eyes clearly set on taking home gold.
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