Going through changes😯😯
...it's part of life
In February, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut.
Seasonal depression sets in, your job or program hits peak mid-quarter monotony, and your New Year’s resolution disappears with the last bit of Christmas chocolate. If we don’t pay attention, February can get us stale. And it makes sense. When we run the same routes, see the same people, or write the same University midterms for the seventh year in a row (enough for neurons and action potentials, already!), we can get bored and fall into a slump.
So, how can we avoid this mid-winter rut? Perhaps by seeking new purpose - by making a change.
The St. FX track and field team, after their first competition at the Saint John Ellis MacMackin Fieldhouse
Ask Graydon Staples, who walked away from a professional cycling contract when he noticed it was not for him. Or Alexa Zarins, who left her job in Antigonish in 2019 to chase a new position in Halifax. Or the entire St. FX track and field team, who dodged the wrath of Moncton’s 167m calf-burner and competed at the brand new Saint John Ellis MacMackin Fieldhouse for the first time last weekend.
The distance squad brushed shoulders with a fit Dalhousie team, which elevated several to personal bests. With just two weeks to go before the conference championship, coach Eric Gillis hopes to continue seeing gains.
“The men's team has had some cold and cough issues that we're hoping will clear up by the time AUS comes around,” says Gillis. “Despite that, the whole team rallied at the end of the meet for the 4x400m. We put in a total of six teams plus one club - we had a lot of fun with those.”
St. FX Athletics recap for the women, and for the men
Full results can be found here.
The X-Women and X-Men compete at the new facility twice this season, the second time being the AUS championship on February 22 and 23.
The Top 5
1-
Jane Hergett handily won the 1,000m in a time of 2:50:08. She currently ranks fourth in the country. Her teammates Aidan MacDonald (3:05.66) and Paige Chisholm (3:05:82) were fourth and fifth, respectively.
2-
Fourth-year athlete Catherine Kennedy continued her impressive season with a clocking of 1:37:77 in the 600m, good enough for first place. She will enter the AUS championship ranked first in the conference.
3-
Rookie Jacob Benoit clocked a personal best time of 8:45:84 in the 3,000m, and placed second. The defending AUS cross-country bronze medalist ranks fifth in the conference. His teammates Graydon Staples (8:54:47) and Luc Gallant (9:05:72) also ran personal bests.
Benoit leads the 3,000m
4-
The Women’s 4x800 team, consisting of Catherine Kennedy, Paige Chisholm, Aidan MacDonald, and Jane Hergett, ran a conference-leading time of 9:22:36.
5-
High schooler Siona Chisholm (not yet a St. FX Athlete, but a member of St. FX Track and field Club) took home double gold in the weekend’s distance events. The daughter of St. FX cross-country assistant coach Tommy Chisholm, Siona ran times of 4:53:66 in the 1,500m, and 10:13:37 in the 3,000m.
Alum corner
Hana Marmura in action at the Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic
Two St. FX alumnae continue to make noise across the country.
Catherine Thompson on Dalhousie was the top AUS athlete in both the 1,500m and the 3,000m at the New Brunswick Indoor championship in Saint John on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. She stopped the clock at 4:56.93 and 10:26.22.
Hana Marmura, who now competes for the Western Mustangs in London, Ontario, ran the mile in 5:08:94 at the Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic on Saturday, January 25. Marmura was the 2019 AUS silver medalist in the 1,500m.
Both student-athletes graduated from St. FX in 2019.
Re-cycled
In his first full season with the X-Men, it’s been no pain and all gain for former professional cyclist Graydon Staples
Finally free of pain, Graydon Staples hit the ground running in 2020.
With the conference championship still to come, the Chemistry and Finance double major from Oro Medonte, Ontario has already run three personal bests in the distance events.
“It’s my first real indoor season,” says the 20-year-old sophomore, “so every race is a good opportunity for a PB.”
Staples had waited to prove himself on the track for more than a year now - his rookie season was riddled with setbacks. It had started in January 2019, when he felt pain in his right shin, following a race at the Université de Moncton track. After an X-Ray came back inconclusive, he opted for a bone scan. The result was worse than he thought.
“I had stress fractures on both my shins,” said Staples, who was confined to the gym for the rest of the school year.
Looking back, running into injury was almost inevitable. Like most first year runners, Staples had little running experience and a desire to train hard. What separated him from other rookies, however, was an extremely developed aerobic system. An accomplished cyclist in high school, he signed a continental level professional contract with Silver Pro Cyclers, at just 18 years old. Staples deferred his university experience and moved to Spain, where he competed as a professional athlete.
Staples in 2017
“It was a great experience,” he says, “but it wasn’t for me. I hated being away, and it was a lot of pressure. I wasn’t having fun.”
After a year, he came back to Canada, and started university in the fall of 2018 with no intention to do varsity sports. But, when he heard that St. FX had a cross-country team, he got curious. Running had come naturally to him in the past.
“It wasn’t until I was a part of the team did I realize how great of a program I was joining,” he says.
Motivated by his new environment, and in great shape from his time in Spain, he immediately threw himself into high-mileage weeks. Quickly, his body broke down.
“I had good fitness, but I wasn’t ready for the impact of running,” he says. “I didn’t have great form, and jumped it too deep. Then, I got this injury, and I didn’t know what to do. So I just kept running, thinking it would go away.”
Coach Eric Gillis says that Staples’ pain tolerance and willingness to train were so high, that it was difficult to know how to manage him at first. But, having a shared understanding of high-level sport made the pair quickly mesh.
“We learned a lot from that first year,” says Gillis, “and now these results are really starting to come. He is a good observer of what people are doing well around him and quick to implement that into his training. He also knows how to recover well.”
When his shins healed, Staples spent the summer gaining experience in his new sport. His body got stronger, but he still needed to learn pacing.
“I ran a 5K that summer,” says Staples, “and split 8:50 for the first 3K. I jogged to the line in close to four-minute Ks.”
Steadily, however, Staples’s durability and race savvy caught up to his aerobic capacity. He became a regular scorer for the X-Men in the fall of 2019. This winter, he is in striking distance of scoring at the AUS championship. His time of 8:54:47 currently ranks him 10th in the conference.
“We went through 1,500m in 4:23, so it was a bit of a positive split,” he says, about his race.
From left to right: Findlay Day, Graydon Staples, Jonathan Peverill (SMU alum) and Jacob Benoit
Now, with the help of resistance training and form drills, he is confident that he will finish this season healthy. He eyes the 3,000m on Sunday, Feb. 7 in Halifax as a tune up for the AUS championship on Feb. 22 and 23.
“I think I have time on my side this year,” says Staples. “Early on, it’s such a steep learning curve. Now I can stay healthy and run more miles, and the more I can put in, the more I can get out.”
Fun fact: Staples cycled on the same team as 2017 St. FX graduate and XC/TF runner Nathan Jeffs
This week on “Remember them?”: Alexa Zarins
If you were once a student at St. FX, chances are Alexa Zarins knows where you live. Shortly after she finished competing with the X-Women in 2014, the Victoria, B.C. native started working in the university’s alumni department, and sending St. FX magazines to your home. Of course, Zarins did much more than that and, despite her young age, became a well-known face across the Xaverian community for her engagement and passion for the White and Blue. Recently, Zarins accepted a new position in Halifax, and is now the Stewardship and Donor Relations Officer at the Nova Scotia Community College Foundation. Here, the 27-year-old tells us about her new life away from Antigonish, and shares with us her favourite memories as a St. FX student-athlete and employee.
Zarins at the 2013 AUS championship in Moncton, N.B.
AC: What is a current day in the life of Alexa Zarins?
AZ: I can’t say a day in my life is all that exciting. I get up around 6 and take our doggo (Sinclair) out for a walk, make some coffee and breakfast, and I’m out the door to be at the office for 7:30 am. Most days if I can get to the office for 7:30, it means I’m finished by 3:30, and I get to enjoy some of the rare winter daylight hours. Since moving to Halifax, I’ve joined a new Irish dancing studio so depending on the day of the week, I try to go for a run, get to the gym or you can find me at the dance studio in the evening.
AC: What is your favourite part of your new job in Halifax, and what is your least favourite?
My favourite part of my new job is telling the students’ stories. I get to read student bursary and scholarship recipients stories and share them with donors. I’m always blown away by people’s achievements and sometimes what obstacles they have overcome to get themselves to and through school. It’s exciting and rewarding to tell a donor how their donation has helped someone. My least favourite is commuting in traffic, it’s not all that long but it’s a change from Antigonish “traffic.”
AC: You left Université de Montreal after one year of undergrad, went to St. FX, and liked it so much you returned to Antigonish after graduating to become the Athletic Sponsorship and Fund Development Coordinator. What was it about St. FX that pulled you first as an undergrad, and again as a young professional?
AZ: There were many reasons I transferred to St. FX for my undergrad. Few schools were still accepting applications in May, and I knew I didn’t want to take a year off school. The other factor was I had been studying business and it wasn’t for me. I realized what I wanted to study was something along the lines of Kinesiology, but I was wary of pursuing a BSc. I was quickly able to transfer to StFX and take a BA in Human Kinetics. The bonus for me was that I had six friends from my high school already at St. FX, one being Ben Gunn-Doerge who assured me if I was interested in running cross-country and track that I would enjoy Bernie, Kevin and the crew.
Returning to StFX and Antigonish to kick off my career was one of the best decisions I have ever made. A job in university athletics was a dream for me because of my dad, who had been an Athletic Director at three universities throughout his career. Having the opportunity to work with athletics at your Alma Mater was a bonus. It was a job I was passionate about and I got to learn the ropes in a somewhat comfortable and familiar setting, while pushing out of that comfort zone to meet new people, building relationships and tackling challenges.
Zarins and her parents at the 2016 AUS championship. (Far left: Warren Ferguson)
AC: What did your work with St. FX entail?
AZ: I worked in both the Athletics Department and the Advancement Department, building and maintaining relationships with St. FX alumni and friends. My role at St. FX was to raise funds for the varsity athletics programs as well as support the fundraising projects that contributed to the Amelia Saputo Centre for Healthy Living. I also managed the sponsorship agreements relating to athletics and special projects such as the Xplore the World Draw and the annual Day of Giving (this year’s is May 2020).
AC: In your role as Athletic Sponsorship and Fund Development Coordinator, you were one of the chief planners of coach Bernie Chisholm’s retirement weekend. How was that experience? Did the organization reveal anything about the closeness of the XC program?
AZ: I don’t believe I could be considered one of the chief planners, Eric and Gina did so much work to get that pulled together. It was fun to work with them to bounce ideas off each other and to take an idea and run with it (no pun intended).
If I said I’m surprised by the turnout the weekend received, I would be lying. I knew given the history of the program that Bernie had so much to do with building and celebrating his retirement, that it was an event no one wanted to miss. Trust me; it was a tough one to miss!
AC: What is your favourite memory of St. FX?
AZ: I’m not sure I have a single favourite memory, so a favourite moment it is. It’s one that comes each year (like Christmas) - training camp. There’s nothing quite like showing up after being apart from your daily running crew (even though I had Kathryn Tuck by my side for training almost 365 days a year) for a few months to reuniting to do nothing but run, eat (spend countless hours in meal hall), sleep and repeat. Each August, you’re missing a few that have graduated, but you’ve gained some new friends. And in those few days, you feel like you’re living your best life.
And I would be remiss not to mention Father Stanley travelling on the bus with us to Halifax to cheer us on.
Zarins and Father Stanley MacDonald
AC: How has being a varsity athlete helped you prepare for the next steps in your life?
AZ: I got comfortable with being uncomfortable. I learned to push myself physically, academically, even socially. Being a varsity athlete gave my university life structure and routine, which I have carried on since graduating.
AC: Do you still do very much running? If so, do you have some races lined up?
AZ: I am certainly not running the way we used to, but I head out for some scenic runs here and there.
AC: Do you have any advice for young professionals preparing to enter the workforce?
AZ: Figure out what your work-life balance is and stick to it. You will enjoy your job so much more if you enjoy the time away from it. Get involved and give back.
Alex Cyr is a St. FX cross-country alumnus (2017) and journalism student in Toronto, Ontario. You can find most of his work on Twitter (@cyresy_10) and on his website www.wordsbyalexcyr.com