Katie Chu
Women’s rugby
Katie Chu, a rookie winger on the women’s rugby team, broke through several tackles to touch down her first OUA try during Saturday’s 36-30 home win over the Trent Excalibur. The lead changed hands multiple times throughout the game, until the Gaels finally pulled ahead for good after Chu’s spectacular run.
Chu said she received praise from all directions after the game “My Coach in Phys. Ed. was ecstatic, and the men’s rugby team seemed pretty happy too.” Even with all the plaudits, Chu wouldn’t accept all the credit.
“It’s a really good feeling to know that you’ve contributed and made a difference to the game,” she said. “It’s a competitive team with a lot of really talented players on it, and even though the try was finished by me on the field everyone helped out and I really can’t take all the credit for it.” Before her rugby days, Chu was a figure skater until a fractured spine ended her on-ice career. She joked that when her friend suggested rugby, she was happy to go for a less physically dangerous sport.
“When I fractured my spine, my friend told me to come out to rugby, so for lack of a better option I did,” she said. “Since then, I’ve gotten neck deep in rugby. I love everything about the sport and hopefully I’ll get a chance to play for Canada next summer.”
Chu is a FYNIR (first year not in residence) in the Phys. Ed. program, and said the week of training camp helped her bond with her teammates.
“I had the comfort of sleeping in my own bed for the training camp,” she said. “Another rookie came to live with us, so it was a lot of fun.”
Faced with the task that terrifies many first year athletes<-> that of learning to balance classes and a varsity sport<->Chu said she feels comforted by the success of others before her.
“It’s not too hard to balance classes and rugby,” she said. “A lot of Queen’s athletes have had to balance their entire lives before getting here so by now it’s kind of second nature.”
What’s your favorite team in any sport?
I’m not a huge Leafs fan, I kind of like the Canadiens… I love watching hockey.
Which superhero do you have the most in common with?
Maybe Spiderman ‘cause he gets to fly around, he’s pretty shifty.
Boxers or briefs?
Boxers.
What’s on your iPod right now?
A whole bunch of really old music. I love oldies!
If you were a dancer, would you do ballet or break dancing?
I actually was a dancer and I did ballet, but I would love to learn how to break dance.
Mullets or Mohawks?
Eww, neither
Italian or Greek food?
Both. I love food from every culture.
Who’s your celebrity crush?
I love Patrick Swayze, but he’s dead now and I feel really bad!
-Kate Portner Gartke
Ryan Kruyne
Men’s rugby
Men’s rugby interim captain Ryan Kruyne led the Gaels to a second crushing regular season victory last Sunday, scoring 17 points in a 77-3 rout of the University of Toronto Varsity Blues.
Kruyne converted six of 14 tries and scored a try of his own, bringing his season point total to an OUA-leading 34 in two games.
Kruyne was quick to offload credit to his teammates, though.
“It feels good for sure, but it’s all team effort,” he said. “I couldn’t have done what I did if my other teammates weren’t working hard. It’s only when the whole team is working hard that I can get those breaks.”
Kruyne said he was thrilled to have his girlfriend, her parents, his friends and housemates watching him, and was happy to take in all the high fives and heckling that came at the final whistle.
Soccer was his sport in his youth, but Kruyne’s love affair with rugby began at Ottawa’s Ashbury College, where he lived in residence.
“My [residence] don in high school was the rugby coach,” he said. “He asked me to come out and play, and that’s how I got started.” Kruyne said that living in residence in high school and at Queen’s were similar sexperiences.
“It was the same residence idea, but there were less rules,” he said. “I was used to the lifestyle, but there was way more freedom.”
That freedom didn’t impact his commitment to sport, though.
“Rugby was so demanding, you’re practising every day, so you didn’t have the time to screw around.”
Since then, Kruyne has juggled the demands of studying commerce and playing on a varsity team. Now in his fourth year, his best advice for young athletes is to get started with good habits right away.
“It’s a bit tough, but it’s just a matter of time management,” he said. “Queen’s is pretty good at helping out, and they’re making sure we’re all on track. It’s all about setting up in first year and getting into the right routines – get your schedule set up as soon as possible and build off that.”
What’s your favourite team in any sport?
Ottawa Senators.
Which superhero do you have the most in common with?
I don’t really know any superheroes. If I said the Hulk I’d get shot…what’s a cool superhero? Okay, I’ll go with Batman.
Boxers or briefs?
Briefs.
What’s on your iPod right now?
A lot of country.
If you were a dancer, would you do ballet or break dancing?
Oh my God…I’m not answering that question, I don’t like either.
Mullets or Mohawks?
Mullet.
Italian or Greek food?
Italian.
Who’s your celebrity crush?
Let’s go with Jennifer Aniston.
-Kate Portner Gartke, with files from Amrit Ahluwalia
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