The sun's been shining and the cherry blossoms have been blooming in Vancouver for several weeks now, but this weekend it will officially be spring. Many UBC teams have now moved into the 'off-season', but for others, spring is the most important time of year: it's championship season for sports such as track & field, golf, baseball and softball. As such, we caught up with five spring sport athletes to find out what their goals are this season, what their spirit animals are, and even what Victoria's 'secret' is.
The panel[/ub_subhead
Stephanie Wong (SW): women's golf
Nate Ollis (NO): men's golf
Jack Williams (JW): men's track & cross country
Conor Lillis-White (CLW): men's baseball
Quinn Dhaliwal (DH): women's softball
1) What are your individual and team goals for this season?
SW: Individual goals: come top three and win an individual title. Team goals: win NAIAs, win Canadians.
NO: Individually I try to keep my goals as process-driven as possible, and to improve every day. Not focusing too heavily on outcomes ultimately allows me to stay in the present and to perform better in the long run. Same goes for the rest of the team. If there was one outcome goal for the remainder of the season, however, it would be to win the team NAIA National Championship in May.
JW: Individual: get invited into a pre-race prayer ritual by them southern folk down there in good ol' Alabama, which should help me run a personal best. Team: improve by one place in the 4x800 at nationals -- first baby.
CLW: To start each weekend with W's and end each weekend at The Roxy.
DH: Both goals are along the same lines. In the short term our goal is to get one per cent better everyday at practices and games. Our team goal is to make it to regionals in Lawrenceville, Georgia in May.
2) What's your spirit animal?
SW: A wolf. I am territorial and loyalty is very important to me. Actually, I took three quizzes online and my spirit animal ranged from a "cute kitten" to a bear, so I went with the happy medium and I believe I am truly a wolf. Or I'm a butterfly, who knows!
NO: Not knowing exactly what a "spirit animal" is, I would say an eagle because birds of prey are my favourite animals.
JW: An anteater, because of its long and skillful tongue.
CLW: A T-Rex, because it has short arms.
DH: Wine. Wine is definitely my spirit animal.
3) If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
SW: If it was possible, I would skip the part where I am an infant, since that is already a waste of 12 years! I would probably spend most of my time travelling and meeting new people and learning about the different cultures around the world and obtain my education later.
NO: There's a very good chance I wouldn't be attending a post-secondary institution! With such a short life expectancy I would probably spend as much time as possible exploring the world and seeing as much as I could. The Emirates Stadium in North London would be close to the top of my list.
JW: I would make more chilli in the crock pot for Reid.
CLW: I would try to red-shirt a few more times.
DH: If I only had 40 years to live, I think I would just stop worrying about the little things. Like actually going out on that Sunday when you have a midterm on Monday. I would travel the world to see all of the places on my bucket list. Fall in love. All that cheesy stuff because it's actually the most important things in life.
4) If you had to look at one city skyline for the rest of your life, which would it be?
SW: I would look at Vancouver. I love downtown Vancouver.
NO: I've never actually been there, but I'd be hard pressed not to pick Melbourne, Australia. I know a couple of people who have been and I hear that it's beautiful.
JW: Bruges, ‘cause it's Bruges.
CLW: Grand Forks, B.C. Lots of good memories there.
DH: The Vancouver skyline view from Spanish Banks. Vancouver will always be my heart and home.
5) What do you think Victoria's 'secret' is?
SW: I think Victoria's secret is her secret love for pizza.
NO: The city or the lingerie? I hear the people in both are quite nice ...
JW: I Googled this one.
CLW: Not telling.
DH: Victoria's 'secret' is that if a girl's bra and underwear are matching it wasn't by chance that you got lucky. It was a predetermined decision.
Check out the last week’s edition of the T-Birds 5-on-5 series: Tenacious Thirteens.