The beginning of a new term has arrived and we have saved some of UBC's best athletes for 2016. This week’s T-Birds 5-on-5 features five athletes who can time travel — just kidding. They can’t time travel, but they can make a huge impact on the UBC athletic scene by dominating their respective fields, courts, pools and rinks.
Cailey Hay (CH): women’s hockey
Erin Assman (EA): swimming
Liam Murphy-Burke (LMB): men’s rugby
Jordan Deshane (JD): men’s volleyball
Stephanie MacKinnon (SM): women’s rugby
1) Happy New Year! What are your resolutions?
CH: Drink more water (and swear less).
EA: Do things that scare the sh*t out of me. Like travel to Asia and move into my own place.
LMB: Become a vegan, join CrossFit, do hot yoga five times a week, run a marathon and get into Harvard. Realistically, I should try to be less sarcastic.
JD: Get better grades and party more. Hopefully those aren't contradictory.
SM: It would be nice to win a game. #teamworkmakesthedreamwork.
2) Now that it’s 2016, time travel technology is surely on its way. Which period in history would you visit first?
CH: Not really a time period, but I'd go to Boston in 1966. I'd love to see Bobby Orr play live in his rookie season with the Bruins.
EA: A time without insta is no time worth living (@erinassman. Throw me a follow, hey?).
LMB: Probably the 1960s so I could meet my late grandparents, see my dad at my age now and attend Woodstock.
JD: I would travel to the future to see if Donald [Trump] gets elected.
SM: I would travel to 776 B.C. to the first Olympic Games to change the competition to include exclusively women instead of men.
3) What’s your favourite campus relaxation destination?
CH: Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Arena ... it's my second home.
EA: Physio. Seriously, I fall asleep every time without fail.
LMB: The rugby clubhouse at our post-match events. It is always a good place to see the team, parents, supporters and have a beer.
JD: The War Memorial Gym's icy showers after a long 8 a.m. practice.
SM: Lying on Wolfson Field after sprints.
4) According to the Chinese zodiac, it’s the Year of the Monkey. If you had a monkey, what would you name it?
CH: I always find it funny when animals are given people names ... so Alfred maybe, or John.
EA: McNugget, obviously.
LMB: We already have a team monkey and his name is Brock.
JD: Ralph.
SM: Pete Jr. so that he can hang out with Pete Sr., our coach’s dog.
5) What was one of your favourite learning experiences at UBC in 2015?
CH: Learning how to maneuver a bicycle around icy UBC streets, which came in handy these past few weeks.
EA: Male seahorses give birth to their offspring. SERIOUSLY, WHO KNEW?
LMB: I realized that morning classes were not for me, so I learned to not start class before noon.
JD: Getting tacoed.
SM: Getting an all-expenses paid trip to Calgary for Chemical Engineering. Thanks, Shell!