Night of the Dinos

Veteran wrestler, rookie lineman among those honoured for performance

By Don McSwiney

Being a part of the Dinos and learning what it means to be a champion is something I’ll never forget.”
Natalie Schwartz pauses a moment to collect herself. It’s an emotional night, and for many of the student athletes in attendance at the 39th annual Night of the Dinos awards banquet, it’s the last time they’ll be together as a team.

Schwartz, who received an award of merit at the April 4th ceremony, is the captain of the Dino Women’s volleyball team, which won bronze in the CIS national championships this year. During her Dino career, she was a Canada West All-Star—twice—and an Academic All-Canadian.

After five years as a student athlete, Schwartz is finishing her degree in Communications and Culture and moving on. Her speech, on behalf of the graduating player class, captured the bitter-sweet feeling of the evening.

“ By ‘champion’ I mean I’ve learned to fight through every challenge that I am faced with, to figure out my priorities and what’s really important to me,” she said.

The Night of the Dinos is an evening that celebrates University of Calgary athletics and the students who push themselves to excel both on the playing field and in the classroom. It’s a night to celebrate people such as Megan Gould.

Gould battled through a serious knee injury to return to the soccer playing field and become the female recipient of the Calgary Booster Club/University of Calgary Scholar Athlete of the Year award.
Gould is finishing a joint Bachelor of Education and Kinesiology degree, and in her spare time coaches Special Olympics and a youth team.

The male recipient of the award was Geoff Kerr, a track athlete who won gold medals in the conference 1,500- and 3,000-metre races. Kerr managed a 3.5 grade point average in his studies at the Haskayne School of Business and is a CIS Academic All-Canadian.

Given the outstanding group of student athletes at the University of Calgary, choosing the athletes of the year is difficult. The female recipient of the Dr. Dennis Kadatz Female Athlete of the Year trophy was Brittanee Laverdure.

Laverdure, a wrestler, was undefeated in the 55 kg division last season and she led the Dinos to a second-place finish in the national championships. Coming from a small community in the Yukon, she says she started wrestling because it’s a sport where you don’t have to rely on too many other people.

“I played all sports, but wrestling was the one sport that if someone quit, there was still a team, because you only needed one other person to drill and practise with.”

Ironically, Laverdure says that it’s the team atmosphere at U of C that she’s going to miss the most.

“Even though you go out there on the mat by yourself, you still practise with the team—you’re all pushing for the same goal.”

While other athletes were reflecting on the end of their athletic careers, Dan Federkeil has every reason to believe that his is just beginning.

The Dr. Dennis Kadatz University of Calgary Male Athlete of the Year has already seen a lot of interest from professional football, including the New York Jets.

Federkeil was a Canada West All-star, a nominee for the J.P. Metras Trophy and was chosen to play in the prestigious East-West Shrine Bowl Game in the United States. He’s projected to be a first round pick in the upcoming Canadian Football League draft.

Like Laverdure, Federkeil says that what he’ll remember the most about his days as a student athlete is the friendship of teammates.

See the full list of winners at www.godinos.com.