Gov. Gen. David Johnston honoured the top eight all-Canadian academics at a ceremony at Rideau Hall on Nov. 17.
The Governor General’s commendation is given to university varsity athletes who exhibit excellence both on the playing field and in the classroom.
He said that he himself was a hockey player in university, and that these athletes who “aren’t just good, but the best” at both athletics and academics must be celebrated.
Johnston started the commendation last year in collaboration with the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), and to qualify the athletes must be among the best at their sport and have an academic average of 80 per cent or over, as well as partake in community service that aids the development of sport in their region, said CIS CEO Pierre Lafontaine.
“These students are special people . . . it’s not just everybody,” he said.
Out of 11,000 varsity athletes, over 2,800 achieve this golden standard.
Each university nominates a male and female athlete, and the CIS and its four regional associations choose the top eight who receive an engraved medallion.
Lafontaine said this year is the first time they’re having a ceremony and handing out the medallions at the event.
Former Ravens basketball player Tyson Hinz was a recipient of a medallion. He played five years of men’s basketball at Carleton and won four championships, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in commerce.
Hinz could not make it to the ceremony, as he is currently playing professional basketball in the Dutch Basketball League, but his family was in attendance.
When it was noted Hinz was not there to collect his medal, Johnston asked the family to stand and applauded them for their contribution to Hinz’s success.
“We always stressed that the athletics is important, but you’re primarily there for the academics,” said Hinz’s father, William Hinz.
He said Tyson had to learn discipline and time management to balance his schoolwork and basketball, “especially with a program as demanding as Carleton’s.”
William credits the coaches at Carleton for his son’s success, saying they place emphasis on school and extracurricular activities in addition to basketball.
“I have tremendous respect for Dave Smart and his coaching staff, because they also encouraged the kids to give back to the community . . . he benefitted enormously from realizing that it’s not all about you, not all about you as a basketball player, it’s not about you as a student,” he said.
Adrian Robertson, another recipient, said he was excited when he received the news of his commendation. He plays men’s hockey at the University of New Brunswick and studies business administration.
“It’s awesome that the Governor General does something like this, makes us feel special,” he said. “It’s a great experience and an honour to be here.”
Recipient Caroline Ehrhardt, who excels in track and field at the University of Western Ontario, said it isn’t as hard as people think it is for athletes to do well in both school and sport.
“Just make sure you set time in the day for both. For student athletes, we usually have practice at the same time everyday, so it shouldn’t that hard to schedule your time,” she said.
