CrossFit club officially sanctioned

The months-long CrossFit Queen’s saga has finally reached an amicable conclusion.

Organizers Callum Owen, Storm Patterson and Alex Wilson were informed in early May that CrossFit will be officially sanctioned as a recreation club under Athletics and Recreation — something they’ve been trying to achieve since last fall.

Athletics and Recreation originally expressed safety and licensing concerns, prohibiting the group from conducting organized workouts in the ARC throughout the winter semester.

According to the organizers, an April meeting between former AMS Vice-President of Operations Tristan Lee and Jeff Downie, associate director of business development and facilities for Athletics and Recreation, changed the scope of the CrossFit conversation.

“[It was a] huge change of tone from the other meetings we’d had with Athletics,” Owen said.

After meeting with Downie themselves, the organizers provided Athletics and Recreation with financial projections, safety guidelines and examples of possible workouts. Within a month, they were officially ratified.

The club is currently running four morning workouts per week out of MacGillivray-Brown Hall, where they’re hoping to secure permanent workout space and purchase more equipment for the fall term.

Equipment funds will mainly come from the club’s membership fees — presently slated at $200 for a four-month summer pass.

“We tried to think of the most minimal amount we could charge our members to reach [our] goal, which is getting the equipment that we want,” Patterson said.

— Nick Faris

No Gaels drafted, but Prinsen inks contract

For the first time in seven years, no Queen’s football player was selected in the Canadian Football League draft — but at least one Gael will be heading to a pro training camp.

Last Wednesday, offensive lineman Josh Prinsen signed with the Toronto Argonauts as an undrafted free agent.

Sixty players were picked in the CFL’s annual amateur draft on May 6. The Gaels were held off the board for the first time since 2006.

Prinsen, Gaels wide receiver Justin Chapdelaine and defensive lineman John Miniaci attended the CFL’s pre-draft evaluation camp in late March. All three have a year of CIS eligibility remaining.

Forty-four of the 60 players picked this year came from a CIS roster. The Vanier Cup finalist McMaster Marauders led all Canadian teams with five draftees, while four other OUA teams boasted multiple selections.

Next year’s draft should be a different story for Queen’s.

Four Gaels suited up in the East-West Bowl on May 11, considered a national showcase for players entering their fourth collegiate season. Quarterback Billy McPhee, defensive lineman Derek Wiggan, linebacker Sam Sabourin and defensive back Andrew Lue saw time for the East team, which suffered a narrow 18-17 loss.

Lue was recently ranked sixth among CIS players eligible for the 2014 draft by CFL analyst Justin Dunk.

— Nick Faris

CIS reaches national television deal

The next time you watch a major Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) game on TV or online, it will likely be through Sportsnet.

On May 9, CIS and Sportsnet announced a six-year agreement to broadcast Canadian collegiate games on the network’s television, online and mobile platforms.

The agreement will run through to the 2018-19 academic year, with coverage for 2013-14 featuring 13 events.

“We look forward to working with [CIS] to significantly increase the profile of Canadian university sports and expose the country to some of our best athletes and stars in the making,” said Navaid Mansuri, Sportsnet’s vice-president of programming.

Last month, Rogers Media — Sportsnet’s parent company — officially acquired The Score Television Network, which has broadcasted OUA football on a national scale for the past 11 seasons.

Now, Sportsnet has exclusive rights to next November’s Vanier Cup, as well as both national semi-finals — the Uteck Bowl and the Mitchell Bowl.

Over a two-week period in March 2014, Sportsnet will broadcast 10 CIS basketball and hockey games, covering the men’s and women’s national championships in both sports.

Up to 27 CIS games could be televised on Sportsnet six years from now, when the deal expires.

— Terence Wong