Gryph Nation Radio

🎙️ Episode 35 of our #GryphNationRadiopodcast is here!⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀
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For our latest episode, we hear from ⁠the President & CEO of @ouasportGord Grace, as we chat about the return to play for Canadian university athletics in 2021-22! 🎧 ⁠⠀⁠⠀⁠⠀
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#GryphonPride #GryphNationRadio #Podcast #UofG #GoGryphs #OUA #USPORTS⁠⠀

Joining us for Episode 34 is one of the most recognizable and respected hockey broadcasters in our country, as Sportsnet's Jeff Marek swings by the Gryph Nation Radio podcast!

A proud U of G alum, Jeff Marek officially joined the Sportsnet family in 2011 and has since established himself as one of the lead hosts for Sportsnet's coverage of the National Hockey League. Outside of his hosting roles on the television side of things, Jeff also serves as the co-host of the wildly popular podcast, "31 Thoughts, The Podcast" alongside Elliotte Friedman. Prior to joining Sportsnet, Jeff made a name for himself on the radio, serving as the outstanding host of “Leafs Lunch.”
 
Jeff Marek attended the University of Guelph from 1989 to 1995, majoring in English. In our chat with Jeff, it is clear that his time as a Gryphon is still something that he holds close to his heart, as we reminisce about his memorable time at U of G. Episode 34 also marks a special milestone for our Gryph Nation Podcast, as it marks the 1-year anniversary of our podcast!

For Episode 32 of Gryph Nation Radio, we are thrilled to be joined by Mark Harrison, one of Canada's most successful and inspiring entrepreneurs in the world of sponsorship and marketing. After graduating from the University of Guelph in 1988 (BA, political science), Mark went on to become the Founder, President & CEO of one of Canada’s most successful marketing and event firms, The T1 Agency.

In nearly 30 years of running his own company, Mark has gone to work with countless major international brands, sports properties and causes – including the NFL & Nike, to develop game-changing marketing and sponsorship strategies and award-winning experiences. Since 2005, Mark has also been behind SponsorshipX, one of the most revered global conferences for sponsorship practitioners.

A keynote speaker and published author ("What Sponsors Want"), Mark has made time to take on multiple volunteer roles, sitting on the Board for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto and serving as a volunteer fundraiser for CAMH (Cetre for Addiction and Mental Health). Mark's passion for football has fueled his desire to give back to his local community, where he has served as a volunteer football coach at the high school level in Toronto, coaching the Lawrence Park Panthers since 1994. Mark also serves as a Board member for Football Canada. In the past year, Mark has shifted his attention to the combating systemic racism, serving as Chair of the OUA's Black, Biracial, Indigenous Task Force, and founding the "Black Talent Initiative" - a not-for-profit, volunteer-led initiative of 130 volunteers across the country, with the goal of creating fully-funded internships for black Canadians looking to get into marketing. In June of 2020, Mark co-founded an online school, "Park Street Education." A proud Gryphon alum, and former editor of The Ontarion during his undergrad years, Mark remains involved with his alma mater, serving as an Advisory Board Member with the University of Guelph's International Institute for Sport Business and Leadership at the Lang School of Business and Economics.

Dr. Ann Pegoraro (Chair in Sport Management, U of G's Lang School of Business and Economics)
Sara Orrell (General Manager, Guelph Soccer)
A.C. Lang (Marketing Specialist, Guelph Soccer)
Amanda Scott (Creative Manager, U of G Communications and Public Affairs)
Sophia Cremasco (Jr. Gryphons Girls Hockey Player)

To celebrate International Women's Day on March 8, 2021, the "Gryph Nation Radio" podcast is proud to present a three-part episode featuring a cast of talented female role models from all across our Gryphon family!

For Part 1, we connect with Dr. Ann Pegoraro, the Chair in Sport Management at U of G's Lang School of Business and Economics and the co-director of the National Network for Research on Gender Equity in Canadian Sport! (3:16)

Part 2 features a conversation with a pair of talented women from our Guelph Soccer family, as Gryphon alum Sara Orrell (General Manager, Guelph Soccer) and former varsity women's soccer standout A.C. Lang (Marketing Specialist, Guelph Soccer) stop by for a great chat about getting girls and women involved (and remaining involved!) in soccer. (42:28)

And we round out our podcast episode with an outstanding mother-daughter duo with ties to our Guelph Girls Hockey Association family, as Amanda Scott and her 9-year-old daughter, Sophia, swing by to chat all things Jr. Gryphon girls hockey! (1:12:00)

For Episode 30 of Gryph Nation Radio, we are thrilled to be joined by author Jael Richardson.

Jael is a proud U of G alum and a former Gryphon student-athlete who played four seasons with our Gryphons women's soccer team (1999-2002). While pursuing her undergraduate degree from the University of Guelph in theatre studies, Jael discovered her love for writing, leading her to the University of Guelph-Humber where she completed her Masters of Fine Arts in creative writing. Since obtaining her undergrad and Masters from U of G, Jael has gone on to establish herself as one of the most important figures in Canadian literature. In 2012, Jael authored, The Stone Thrower: A Daughter’s Lesson, a Father’s Life, a memoir about her father, Chuck Ealey, and his coming of age in small-town Ohio during the U.S. civil rights era. The memoir also dives into Chuck Ealey's impressive tenure as a quarterback in the CFL, where he would go on to become the first black quarterback to win the Grey Cup (1972 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats). Jael's memoir was published to critical acclaim and later adapted into a picture book.

Next up for Jael was the creation of a one-of-a-kind literary festival in her hometown of Brampton. She is the founder and executive director of F.O.L.D. (the festival of literary diversity) with the first festival taking place in May of 2016. It is the first literary festival devoted to celebrating underrepresented authors and storytellers. Jael has been at the forefront of actively promoting authors from marginalized communities, while advocating for greater inclusion within the publishing industry.

And last, but certainly not least, is the arrival of Jael's debut novel, Gutter Child, which released in late January of 2021. Published by HarperCollins Canada, Gutter Child has been met with rave reviews from national media outlets across the country, including the Globe & Mail and the Toronto Star.

Our conversation with Jael explores her days as a Gryphon student-athlete, while also diving into her literary career and of course her debut novel, Gutter Child. 

For Episode 29 of our Gryph Nation Radio podcast, we catch up with a pair of proud Gryphon alumni who, following their days as student-athletes at the University of Guelph, have gone on to earn the coveted titles of Canadian Olympians. With Thursday, February 4 marking exactly one year away from the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, we thought it would be the perfect time to catch up with Mirela Rahneva (Canadian Olympian in the women's skeleton in PyeongChang, 2018) and Cody Sorensen (Canadian Olympian in the men's 4-man bobsleigh, Sochi 2014).

Mirela "Mimi" Rahneva played four seasons with the Gryphons women's rugby from 2007 to 2010. During her time as a Gryphon, Mimi was a three-time OUA champion and four-time CIS bronze medalist while studying tourism management. Following her graduation, Mimi made a seamless transition from the rugby pitch to the sled, where she has gone on to become a fixture on the international circuit for skeleton. Mimi currently has her sights set on Beijing 2022 where she hopes to earn the title of two-time Olympian.

Ottawa native Cody Sorensen attended the University of Guelph from 2004 to 2008, competing on the Gryphons men's track and field team. During his days as a Gryphon student-athlete, Cody was a three-time national medalist in the men's 60m hurdles, and was a key part of an unforgettable 2007-08 season when the Guelph Gryphons were crowned national champions for the first time in program history (on both the men's and women's sides). After earning his undergrad from U of G in management economics and finance, Cody would move from the track to bobsleigh after turning heads at an open identifiction camp held by Bobsleigh Canada at York University. After serving as an alternate at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, Cody would officially earn the title of Olympian at the 2014 Games in Sochi where he represented Canada in the four-man bobleigh alongside Justin Kripps, Jesse Lumsden and Ben Coakwell. 

For Episode 28 of Gryph Nation Radio, we are joined by three members of our Gryphon familly to chat all things mental health as part of Bell Let's Talk Day 2021. Our conversation focuses primarily around the student-athlete perspective, with Shyvonne Roxborough (Gryphons women's track & field) and Darian Hirst (Gryphons men's rugby) sharing some important insights regarding their experiences as current U of G varsity athletes. 

Also joining us for Episode 28 is special guest, Carrie Charles. For the past 10 years, Carrie has worked within U of G's Counselling Services, and since 2018, has served as the point person for varsity athletics when it comes to servicing mental health issues. Carrie is a registered psychotherapist from the Ontario Association of Mental Health Professionals and is also a proud Gryphon, with the Guelph native having spent four seasons competing on the U of G women's rugby while pursuing her undergrad in psychology. In Carrie's senior season as a Gryphon in 1998, she was part of the first ever national title in program history for the Gryphons women's rugby team. In our conversation with Carrie, Shyvonne and Darian, we discuss the importance of addressing mental health issues and explore the role mental health has played in their athletics, academics as well as their personal and social lives.

For our first episode of 2021, we are dipping into our favourite reoccurring segment on Gryph Nation Radio with our latest edition of “Champions Corner." For each "Champions Corner" episode, we do a little blast-to-the-past to catch up with former Gryphon student-athletes who helped secure some of the greatest championship moments in U of G history.
 
To this day, the Guelph Gryphons have been crowned national champions in football just once in program history. The year was 1984. The Gryphons put together an unforgettable playoff run, culminating with a 22-13 victory over the Mount Allison Mounties on Nov. 24, 1984 in the Vanier Cup, which was played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto in front of nearly 20,000 fans!

Joining us for Episode 27 are a pair of proud Gryphon alum from the ’84 Gryphon football squad, who had front row seats to watch the Gryphon fans storm the field and tear down the uprights at Varsity Stadium on that cold, November day. From the offensive side of the ball, we have Jed Tommy joining us! Jed wore No. 23 for the Gryphons and was the team’s bruising fullback who was named Team MVP of the '84 team. Jed suited up for the Gryphons from 1981-1984 and was inducted into the Gryphon Hall of Fame in 2004. After his playing days as a Gryphon, Jed went on to put together an outstanding CFL career which included earning the title of Grey Cup champion with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1986.
 
Also joining us is Pat Tracey, who was a starting cornerback on the Gryphons 1984 Vanier Cup-winning team. Pat played football for the Gryphons from 1982-1986, serving as a key piece of a loaded Gryphon defence. Following his football playing days at the University of Guelph, Pat Tracey went on to put together one of the most decorated and respected collegiate coaching careers in our country, with over 30 years of coaching experience in Canadian university football. Pat’s coaching career started at his alma mater, where he was actually part of two more Yates Cup championships with the Gryphons in 92 and 96. He was at Queen’s University from 2000-to-2013 (and was defensive coordinator of the Gaels 2009 Vanier Cup team) and currently serves as defensive coordinator out west with the UBC Thunderbirds. Pat Tracey's impressive coaching resume also includes a pair of stops in the pro ranks, with the former Gryphon coaching with the Ticats in 1998 as well as with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 2014-15.

Jed and Pat share some vivid memories from the Gryphons run to the 1984 Vanier Cup, with the full episode available on Thursday, Jan. 7 across all major podcast platforms.

Episode 26 of our Gryph Nation Radio podcast marks our final episode of 2020! To help us reflect on the year that was (from a COVID perspective), we chat with two special guests in Dr. Tim O'Shea and Sarah Mau.
 
From 1994-to-1997, Tim O’Shea studied biomedical sciences at the University of Guelph and played for four seasons on our Guelph Gryphons men’s rugby team. After graduating from U of G, he completed his medical degree at McMaster, while also earning his Masters of Public Health from Harvard University. He is trained in internal medicine, infectious diseases and medical microbiology at McMaster and is currently an Assistant Professor in McMaster’s Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases. Our chat with Dr. O’Shea revolves around COVID-19 vaccines, with the first vaccine shots in our country just administered earlier this week (Dec. 14, 2020).

After Dr. O'Shea starts off Episode 26 with some great COVID-19 insight from a medical perspective, we shift our conversation to provide our listeners with some updates from the perspective of the Department of Athletics. Sarah Mau, the Associate Director (Programming, Facilities, Fitness & Recreation) with Gryphon Athletics, joins us to reflect on how the past nine months have impacted the Department of Athletics at the University of Guelph.