Red Leafs clawed down by the Wildcats: SFU WBB Game Recap

February 10, 2025

A girl in a white and red uniform attempts a lay-up while surrounded by players in black and red uniforms. — PHOTO: Kaja Antic / The Peak

By: Kaja Antic, Sports Writer

Editor’s note: included stats were retrieved on February 7, 2:00 p.m.

The first full week of January not only saw the return of classes to Burnaby Mountain, but also the return of SFU women’s basketball.

The Red Leafs hosted the Central Washington Wildcats in the West Gym on January 9, their first of two matchups against the Wildcats this season.

SFU head coach Bruce Langford sent out the usual starting line up; redshirt seniors Makenna Gardner and Arman Dulai, senior Sophia Wisotzki, junior Myrlaine Shelvey, and sophomore Rilyn Quirke — the group that has started every game of the season to date.

The Wildcats earned an early 9–0 lead in the first 2.5 minutes of play. The Red Leafs fought back against the visiting team, leading 13–12 halfway through the first quarter. The two teams continued to trade baskets back and forth, with SFU coming out on top 18–17 after the first 10 minutes.

SFU and Central Washington started the second quarter how they had ended the first — with the lead changing multiple times. It wasn’t until halfway through that the Wildcats started to pull away. The visitors scored 18 points over the next 5 minutes, with the team’s defence confining the Red Leafs to only three points in the same time frame.

“The visitors would score 18 points over the next 5 minutes, with the team’s defense confining the Red Leafs to only three points in the same time frame.”

Headed into halftime, the Wildcats led the Red Leafs 46–32, having outscored the hosts 29–14 in the second quarter alone. Aside from the basketball game, breaks in play also allowed for performances from the SFU Athletics Dance Team on the court. The dancers kept the energy high in the West Gym, performing in smaller groups and as a larger troupe, equipped with red and white pom-poms.

SFU tried to mount a comeback as the second half began, though Central Washington still held the edge with a 69–50 lead after thirty minutes of play. Even though the Red Leafs outscored their American visitors 20–13 in the fourth quarter, the home team fell 82–70 after the final buzzer went.

Despite the loss, the Red Leafs still had some decent statistics over the Wildcats. The team earned 24 points off of turnovers, compared to Central Washington’s 16. As well, SFU players off the bench earned 20 points, whereas the Wildcats’ bench only managed to score seven.

Wisotzki scored the most points for the Red Leafs, earning 27 of the team’s 70 points over the course of the game. Second in team scoring was freshman Sophie Bergeron, netting nine points after coming off the SFU bench.

Despite a strong start, SFU is struggling to keep up with their Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) opponents — having a 4–8 record in GNAC games at the time of publication. Still, Wisotzki leads GNAC scoring with over one hundred points more than the nearest opponents, even while her team is seventh out of 10 in GNAC standings. With the season ending on March 1st at Seattle Pacific, the Red Leafs look to rebound to keep their GNAC Championship hopes alive.

Where’s the sexy in sex?

Peak Web

February 10, 2025

ILLUSTRATION: Multiple bodies tangled together, but with eyes looking elsewhere — ILLUSTRATION: Winnie Shen / The Peak

By: Anthony Houston, SFU Student

Not too long ago, right after hooking-up with a guy I met on Tinder, I thought to myself, “Man, that was such a boring interaction.” There were many factors influencing my perception: it was the first time we met, it had been a long day, and honestly all I could think of was getting back home rather than going on this impromptu hookup. Being the self aware queen that I am, it was obvious that I wasn’t really putting in an effort. The guy was good looking and seemed like a genuinely nice person, yet, I felt like I rushed through the interaction without being present in it. Walking back home, all I could think about was how transactional it all felt — and where had all the sexy gone from having sex?

Honestly, who even knows what being sexy is? It’s one of those subjective things that changes from person to person — some might find biting your lips sexy, while others might find it cringy. To me, sexiness is a whole mindset. I don’t usually go to parties or events, they aren’t my vibe, but when I do, I make the most out of it. I choose a well-thought, color-coded outfit, matching accessories, and perfume, because to me the biggest part of sexiness stems from a conscious effort to look and feel good. It’s that confidence boost you get from knowing (or thinking — let my unrealistic self be) all eyes turned to the door just because you walked in. It’s the allure you bring into the room, and what you do to allure someone out of it. It’s exchanging glances and holding eye contact, it’s the way you carry yourself on the way to making the first interaction. Putting in the effort and feeling sexy, both in appearance and mentality, is what makes a night special, whereas hooking up can honestly feel like crossing an item off my to-do list. Hookup culture has made it so much easier to skip this entire set of rituals. No time or place for allure — no slowly building up the anticipation, no effort at all. It usually goes down to text, meet-up, and sometimes sex.

It’s that confidence boost you get from knowing (or thinking — let my unrealistic self be) all eyes turned to the door just because you walked in.

I’m definitely not against having hookups, nor do I think that being/feeling sexy during casual encounters is impossible, actually on the contrary. Hookups and casual encounters can help you experiment with different ways to express yourself, find new ways to feel sexy, and develop confidence during sex. Many people deal with different forms of sexual anxiety, which can include “concerns about performance,” or anxiety about your body image. Having the option of facing said anxieties in a more casual encounter can be a positive way to deal with them. For others, hookups can help them discover their sexuality. However, casual encounters can also lead you down a path of apathy, of sex just being a transaction of and for pleasure. Being able to skip through some of the more ritualistic steps of courtship has stripped so many opportunities for being sexy. Even in casual sex, there should still be some forms of allurement and sensuality that differentiates it from just scratching an itch.

As a queer man, finding inspiration for being sexy can be . . . odd at times. I don’t look at the almost always shirtless men at the covers of Men’s Health and think, “Yeah, that’s the epitome of men’s sexiness.” Similarly, I don’t feel like I’m the target demographic for People’s “Sexiest Man Alive” issue — Idris Elba and John Krasinski, sure, but starting the whole thing with Mel Gibson just makes me feel out of place. For the longest time I’ve conflated sexiness with having broad shoulders, six-pack abs, and a jawline that could cut diamonds — an ideal that felt tailored for a specific type of man I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to become. I’ve learned about sexiness from mostly women, icons like Lady Gaga, Audrey Hepburn, and the many iterations of the femme fatale. Very different examples, but it’s their confidence and poise in anything they do — that scene-stealing presence, their ability to command any gaze that dares be directed their way.

Now, does that mean we should all ditch hookups for the sake of only having encounters when exuding sexiness? When we are serving femme fatale realness? Absolutely not. There’s convenience and purpose behind hookups. To some extent, they’re part of the courtship behaviour of the 21st century. Casual encounters have their time and purpose, they allow you to explore and know yourself without the anxiety of having to meet a certain standard for a partner. However, do be careful when casual encounters start feeling a bit too . . . casual. I’m not here to tell you how to have sex, but if you find yourself heading to a hookup in your Crocs and that one old pair of underwear that’s barely holding on, maybe take a moment to ask yourself — do you really want to have sex, or are you just feeling a bit lonely right now?

SFU students to vote on fee increases

Peak Web

February 10, 2025

This is a photo of an orange door that says “executive committee” vertically on the side of it on the window. — PHOTO: Courtesy of The Peak

By: Yasmin Hassan, Staff Writer

Editor’s note: As an independent student society, The Peak Publications Society would financially benefit from the Vote for Student Life referendum and non-editorial staff members are campaigning for it. We’ve taken steps to prevent conflict of interest from affecting our reporting of this issue, such as ensuring the writer and editors of this piece are not involved in or informed by the campaign. The Peak remains committed to objectivity and representing diverse student perspectives on issues that affect students. We invite students to share their perspectives by emailing news@the-peak.ca for future coverage.

From February 10, the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) executive and general committee elections campaign period is active. With this period of the elections comes the Vote for Student Life referendum, which proposes an increase in student fees to go towards a number of independent student societies and the SFSS health and dental plan. The referendum aims to establish a student fee “increase of $1.50 per full-time student and $0.75 per part-time student each semester for four independent student societies,” along with $12 and $6 respectively towards SFSS membership for health and dental. This makes the total proposed increase $18 for full-time students and $9 for part-time students.

“The SFSS, Embark Sustainability, Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group (SFPIRG), The Peak, and CJSF Radio are all funded by relatively small fee levies voted on and approved by SFU students,” states the referendum. These fees, which haven’t been adjusted according to inflation in 9–30 years, will also be indexed to inflation annually starting in Fall 2026. Indexing a fee means linking fees to inflation as reported by the BC government and ensuring the cost of running the student groups matches the inflation rate.

Over the years, these student societies have struggled to keep up with rising costs. Inflation has increased by 26% since Embark’s last fee adjustment in 2016, 42% for CJSF since 2008, 48% for the SFSS since 2006, 57% for The Peak since 2003, and 84% for the SFPIRG since 1995.

The student societies state they aim to maintain and expand “the quality and quantity of programming, services, and resources.” Students can cast their votes for the levy increase and SFSS elections from February 27–28 via a link sent to their SFU emails.

How the increase will affect student groups

The Peak interviewed Noëll Cousins, director of engagement at SFPIRG, to find out more. SFPIRG is a student organization “dedicated to social and environmental justice.” Their “areas of work include education, action, research, and community-building.” Cousins explained how an increase in their funds would support more student employment opportunities like their work-study program or the “People’s University” political education project, and bringing back their Antithesis magazine. Cousins said the increase would also help SFPIRG platform students’ work and improve their student events by inviting speakers to SFU. Cousins said they want to ensure “folks are able to put food on the table and be able to meet their own needs,” emphasizing the importance of living wage jobs that develop students’ skills. According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives BC, one–third of BC workers make below a living wage.

“Instead of just surviving, there’s actually space and room to really thrive and offer students [ . . . ] what it is they want and ask for.” — Noëll Cousins, director of engagement, SFPIRG

She also noted that the increase would put SFPIRG “in a position where [they’re] moving with the times in a specific way, and don’t have to be in this existential fear or crisis all the time” around operating. “Instead of just surviving, there’s actually space and room to really thrive and offer students and provide back to students what it is they want and ask for.”

Why the health and dental plan is increasing

The Peak attended the biweekly SFSS Council meeting on January 29. “The SFSS health and dental plan ranks one of the lowest in coverage among other comparable student societies across the province and the country,” said Sam Killawee, SFSS vice-president internal and organizational development. The Peak verified this. “85% of certified SFSS members have expressed interest in improving essential benefits under the health and dental plan.”

The Peak interviewed Killawee for more information. He explained that the last successful referendum to increase the health and dental plan fee was in 2017, leading to a 5% fee increase or decrease policy in any given year. This means the SFSS could increase or decrease the health and dental fee at their discretion to “allow them more flexibility to match fee changes.” In 2020, the SFSS pivoted to a fully insured model, decreasing the risk of “massive fluctuations in healthcare planning costs.” However, the 5% increase policy expired in 2022 and has never been used since. In the 2024/25 SFSS term, the SFSS Board of Directors and Council decided to cut student services as they “couldn’t increase fees to the level that the insurance provider was now charging.” Killawee said this was “not something any of us [at the SFSS] wanted to do.” He added, “Rates of the plan have gone up significantly in recent years, particularly around the dental program.”

To ensure the plan’s future, the referendum would increase both the basic and enhanced care plans by $97, aiming to restore coverage and expand benefits. For full-year coverage, the enhanced plan would increase from $267.08 to $364.08, and the basic plan from $207.40 to $304.40.

How students can opt-out

As the fee increase may be challenging or undesirable for some, students have the option to opt out. As for the health and dental plans, “Students will retain the option to choose a lower level of coverage at a lower cost” or opt out entirely.

Methods of opting out vary and can be found linked here on pages six and seven. Students can learn more about the independent student societies by visiting their respective websites.

The Peak will continue to cover the SFSS election.

Activists protest recent TMX agreement at Burnaby City Hall

Peak Web

February 10, 2025

This is a photo of a hung-up banner that says “Protect the Water” / “Protect the Land.” It features drawings of an orca, salmon, a turtle shell, a bison, a hummingbird, and more. — PHOTO: Olive Visser / The Peak

By: Olive Visser, Peak Associate

Content warning: brief mention of violence against an Indigenous person.

On January 28, climate activists and community members gathered at Burnaby City Hall to oppose the city’s recent community contribution agreement with Trans Mountain Corporation. The agreement involves an expenditure of $20.1 million from Trans Mountain to support the development of “emergency response and safety planning” for the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project (TMX). It also prevents the city and Trans Mountain from speaking negatively about each other.

The federal government purchased the Trans Mountain expansion project in 2018. Many have criticized its parallels to Canada’s colonial history, with multiple First Nations — the Squamish Nation, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, and Coldwater Indian Band — claiming the project was started without proper consultation. Activists continue to call on the government to consider Trans Mountain’s impact on the environment, animal life, and Indigenous sovereignty.

The protest was supported by Mountain Protectors, Burnaby Residents Opposing Kinder-Morgan Expansion, Protect The Planet, SFU350, T-Rex Against TMX, the Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment, and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.

Anishinaabe Elder Jim Leyden (Stem-may-kochx-kanim) opened the event by celebrating the recent release of Leonard Peltier, an American Indian Movement (AIM) activist who was controversially arrested in 1975 for the death of two FBI officers. AIM “is a grassroots movement for Indigenous rights” that was “founded in 1968 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.” Bill Wilson, a Kwakwaka’wakw Hereditary Chief and politician who passed away four days prior, was also honoured.

Darcy Demas from Oceanside Dakota followed with drumming and sang the “AIM song.” The song originated within the AIM in response to the murder of an Oglala Lakota man, Raymond Yellow Thunder.

“It’s a very important thing that we have to do. It’s to protect the sacred. Those trees, those are sacred to us,” said Demas, regarding the rally.

Burnaby mayor Mike Hurley stated the community contribution agreement is not a “gag order,” which is a legal restriction on information sharing; the agreement means the city requires “pre-approval” from Trans Mountain before any public releases.

Elan Gibson from the Burnaby Residents Opposing Kinder-Morgan Expansion said it was “shocking news to have this agreement done without involvement of the community.” She noted that by-laws like “the Community Charter and Local Government Act [requires] advanced public notice of matters of public interest.

“At the base of Burnaby Mountain, below the university, sit two time bombs.” — Douglas Courtemanche, climate activist

“The pipeline wasn’t even supposed to be completed until they had submitted emergency preparedness plans,” she continued. Gibson said she was told an emergency preparedness plan would not occur until “late 2026 or 2027.” She believes this is “too late,” citing California’s recent wildfires and a decrease in humidity across Canada.

Douglas Courtemanche, climate activist and plastic surgeon at BC Children’s Hospital, spoke about the danger of tank farm fires and explosions: “At the base of Burnaby Mountain, below the university, sit two time bombs.

“There have been many tank farm fires,” he continued. “By the end of 2022, there were over 600 tank farm fires around the world.” Courtemanche also said “research suggests it takes about five days to extinguish a tank farm fire.”

In 2021, the City of Burnaby released a risk assessment for the Burnaby tank farm that cited an “unusually high risk, particularly for seismically caused tank fires,” which are fires triggered by earthquakes. Natural Resources Canada predicts “a one in five chance of a very strong earthquake” occurring in Vancouver within the next 50 years.

“There are 29,000 undergraduate students at SFU, 5,200 graduate students, 1,100 faculty, and thousands of staff. Those on Burnaby Mountain do not have an escape route,” Courtemanche explained. “The effect on the land is devastating [ . . . ] It’s polluted with heavy metals like lead and arsenic and the residue of electrical equipment and composite plastic products.

“The City of Burnaby needs to stand for and with the people of Burnaby,” Courtemanche expressed. “And each of us, as Leona Prince says, needs to be a good ancestor.” Prince is an award-winning educator from Lake Babine Nation and Nak’azdli Whut’en, and belongs to the Likh Tsa Mis Yu (Beaver) Clan.

In a statement to The Peak, SFU stated, “To evacuate Burnaby Mountain, SFU worked with the City of Burnaby on an emergency evacuation route for pedestrians to leave campus and to accommodate emergency vehicles in case roadways are blocked. The SFU emergency route runs through Burnaby Mountain Park between Centennial Way and University Drive, following the existing trail alignment.” They also stated that they are “one of the partner agencies with the City of Burnaby-led multi-agency, full-scale emergency response. The full-scale exercise is expected to take place in 2027.”

During the rally, some attendees entered a Council meeting to present Mayor Hurley with the “Dinosaurs of 2025” award. “Burnaby City Councillors are pedalling us towards extinction,” said Mountain Protectors in an Instagram post. One person in a red dinosaur suit was detained by Burnaby RCMP for causing a disturbance. According to Mountain Protectors, the activist was not read their charter rights nor were they informed of their right to legal counsel.

The Peak will continue to cover the Trans Mountain expansion.

The Book Nook: Cookbooks from Cameroon to the islands of Comoros

Peak Web

February 7, 2025

A wooden chopping board, black mortar and pestle, various spices, knives, and a cast-iron skillet on a wooden surface. — PHOTO: Todd Quackenbush / Unsplash

By: Izzy Cheung, Arts & Culture Editor

In Bibi’s Kitchen
Hawa Hassan and Julia Turshen
Available to borrow from the Vancouver Public Library

Published in 2020, this book collects recipes from Eritrean, Somalian, Kenyan, Tanzanian, Mozambican, South African, Madagascan, and Comoran bibis (grandmothers). Ma Kauthar’s mango chile sauce is a hit in this cookbook, combining the sweetness of this tender fruit with the kick of jalapeños. She uses this sauce “with every main dish, from her chicken biryani to stews, curries, and more.” In this book, you’ll also read about cinnamon-spiced zanzibar pilau and Ma Gehennet’s hearty vegan shiro.

A Spicy Touch
Noorbanu Nimji
Available for purchase at Black Bond Books

A Spicy Touch is Noorbanu Nimji’s love letter to her Ismaili Muslim and Kenyan heritage, fusing recipes from both cultures to create her own unique tastes. After initially moving to Calgary in 1974, Nimji began teaching the Ismaili community how to cook. This soon blossomed into creating and publishing her recipes. A Spicy Touch features Nimji’s takes on creamy bharazi (pigeon pea curry), pillowy-soft mandazi (coconut donuts), and tomatoey chana wagharia (chickpeas and eggplant). Consult her book for hearty dishes sprinkled with warm cardamom or tangy chutneys to spice up your meal.

Yawd
Adrian Forte
Available to borrow from the Vancouver Public Library

Canadian-based chef Adrian Forte puts a modern spin on Afro-Carribean dishes in his first cookbook, Yawd. Forte’s penchant for cooking runs in the family — as a child, he would help out in the kitchen of his grandmothers’ restaurant in Jamaica. The book showcases recipes with “African ancestral ingredients” such as ackee and saltfish fritters with a crispy, tater tot-like exterior. Be sure to check it out for Forte’s fiery rendition of coq au vin made with a juicy jerk-chicken marinade.

Saka Saka
Anto Cocagne
Available to borrow from the Vancouver Public Library

Anto Cocagne’s Saka Saka is not just a cookbook stuffed full of delicious recipes from Gabon, Cameroon, and more, but it’s also a lush collection of landscape and food photography of the cuisines’ regions of origin. With the recipes come “the main characteristics of these cuisines, the specialties of each region, the produce, [and] the ideal pantry.” Plantain fufu, a simple snack needing only plantains, cassava tuber, and red palm oil in this book, is featured with a fun twist — each piece is cut into cookie-like shapes. Typically, this dish is served as a ball or rolled.

IMAGE: Courtesy of Page Street Publishing

Black Rican Vegan
Lyana Blount
Available to borrow from the Vancouver Public Library

Published in 2023, Black Rican Vegan combines Black and Puerto Rican tastes to create dishes like bronx fried oyster mushrooms. Every recipe in this book is vegan, meaning that you can enjoy these dishes without consuming any meat — yes, that means getting to eat pollo guisado (braised chicken) sans the chicken! Chopped cheese is a New York classic, and chef Lyana Blount puts a delicious vegan spin on it that includes ground beyond meat and sazón for an extra kick. If you’re looking to avoid meat while savouring rich flavours, give this book a read!

IMAGE: Courtesy of WORKMAN PUBLISHING COMPANY

Black Power Kitchen
Ghetto Gastro
Available to borrow from the Vancouver Public Library

Presented by Ghetto Gastro, a culinary group with origins in the Bronx, Black Power Kitchen is “part cookbook” and “part manifesto.” Founded by Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao, and Lester Walker, the collective “layer[s] flavour the same way hip hop layers samples and interpolations: as a way to expand, comment, shake up, share, and revel in our collective memory.” Nose-tingling seasonings are plentiful in recipes like their king jaffe jollof, which combines curry powder, tamari, soy sauce, cinnamon, and more.

Bright-er Side: Campus Community Shuttle

Peak Web

February 6, 2025

This is an illustration of the campus community shuttle, a colourful bus with bright doodles on the sides. — ILLUSTRATION: Bithi Sutradhar / The Peak

By: Abigail Streifel, SFU Student

If you need a free, accessible, and quick way to get across campus, the Campus Community Shuttle is perfect for you. Starting at 8:00 a.m. every weekday, the shuttle takes students across the Burnaby campus and drops them off at one of seven stops along its route. It leaves Residences every 30 minutes and continues throughout the day until 10:30 p.m., so that it’s practically always available.

The Community Shuttle is seriously underrated for how helpful it is. It can take you from one end of campus to the other in a couple of minutes — you can make it to class when you’re running late! It’s also a lifesaver in rainy weather. Staying completely dry outside isn’t always possible, so the shuttle keeps you from getting drenched. Furthermore, it’s a good accessible option if you aren’t able to easily travel across campus.

There’s also the added benefit of getting to go on a little adventure. It can be exciting to watch the trees and buildings fly by and appreciate the view! If walking around SFU sometimes feels monotonous, taking the shuttle offers a bit of variety.

The shuttle service is an amazing resource that allows us to travel to any location at the Burnaby campus, free of charge. Next time you have somewhere to be, consider taking the shuttle!

A letter to the girls pursuing sports

Peak Web

February 6, 2025

Six diverse women and girls gathered around each other: three of them are holding hockey sticks, two are speaking into microphones built into broadcasting headsets, and one holds a scoreboard while wearing a cap. — ILLUSTRATION: Yan Ting Leung / The Peak

By: Dani Santos, SFU Student; Kaja Antic, Sports Writer; Izzy Cheung, Sports Editor

Dani Santos

As an 11-year-old girl still discovering herself, I started playing soccer after my best friend invited me to join her team. With months of learning the sport and shaking off the pain of a few cuts and bruises, I quickly grew to love the fast pace, camaraderie, and excitement of playing the game. Soon after, soccer became a part of my identity as a defender for my club and varsity teams while I also fulfilled my duties as a student.

Soccer became an escape for me and my teammates. After a long and tiring day at school, all we wanted was to get into our cleats and kick a ball. I can’t possibly count how many times soccer has served as an outlet for my stress and frustrations.

I played soccer for seven years, until my playing career was unexpectedly cut short in high school because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although this was devastating for me, I decided that the only way for me to bounce back was to stay connected to the sport even after playing. I coached youth soccer teams for a bit, but ultimately decided I wanted to go into sports journalism.

Some advice I can give to girls interested in playing soccer (or any team sport) is to value your connection with others. A player’s relationship with their team and opponents influences their character outside the field and long after they finish playing. Not many people realize that until later on.

My relationship with soccer has changed immensely since the last day I played, but one thing that will never change is how I’ve learned to communicate, cheer people on, and support others when they’re down. That’s the biggest thing that I will thank soccer for.

Izzy Cheung

Hockey was the sport I first fell in love with, back when I was about as tall as a pair of skates. I’ve never played it — the closest I’ve gotten is partaking in toonie skates at my local rec-centre — but somehow, this sport has given me the opportunities of a lifetime.

I first started writing about hockey when I entered university. I started a weebly.com blog and wrote about my hometown Vancouver Canucks, only sharing the website link with my dad and my close family. Part of me thinks I was too insecure to put myself out there at the time — I was never the most outgoing person growing up, nor did I like being in the spotlight. At the end of the day, however, my reluctance to involve myself in the sports media community could be chalked up to one thing: I didn’t think I could make something out of it.

I was introduced to The Peak in the fall semester of 2022. I had a couple of classes with our former Sports Editor, Isabella, who encouraged me to submit something and get my name out there. It took awhile, but a few months later, I did. Maybe I finally felt like I could make a difference in the industry, even if it was miniscule. Regardless of whatever it was, the community that introduced itself to me made me feel comfortable enough to make that leap. My first big piece written for The Peak was about hockey. This later led to me covering a game for the Canucks, as well as securing a job with The Hockey News thanks to the support of fellow women in the industry.

I won’t sugarcoat it for you — the sports industry is a hard one to enter. You don’t work regular hours, your jobs won’t always be stable, and you won’t always be selected for the role you want regardless of whether your résumé is longer than the men who applied for your job. It’s a tough industry that asks a lot of you. But trust me when I say that if it’s really what you want to do, reaching those plateaus makes every tough moment worth it. You don’t have to start big — write that little column in your school paper, start live-tweeting during your favourite sports matchups, or offer to take photos for your local rec-league’s teams. Put your name out there and watch with pride as your dreams start to take flight.

Kaja Antic

I wouldn’t describe myself as a sporty child, preferring to pick at the grass rather than play during my U7 soccer days. Despite my horrific athletic abilities, I loved watching sports, no matter what was on. I was blessed (or cursed, depending on the day) with Canucks fandom from the time I was born, and have loved hockey as long as I can remember. I also loved soccer, even though I was doing anything but emulating my hero Christine Sinclair on the rainy fields of Newton Athletic Park. As I got older, I left these “sporty” interests behind in favour of my band and theatre alliances, but they still remained in the back of my mind.

Once I reached university, I started diving deeper into the sports-fanatic traits I had left behind in childhood. I started more with audiovisual media, getting the opportunity to host my first podcast, Game Over Vancouver, where I’m now on my third season doing postgame live shows after the Canucks play. It wasn’t until I came across The Peak table on Clubs Day in 2023 that I decided to apply to be a Sports Writer for the newspaper. I’ve been able to write about sports from Burnaby Mountain and beyond since then, even getting the opportunity to take a chance at sports photography.

I’ve had my own ups and downs in my time in the realm of sports. It’s certainly taught me a lot about my personal resilience and perseverance, having been in this industry since I was 19. As a queer, femme person in sports, there have definitely been some moments where I’ve thought the sports world would be better off if I left it alone, though something I heard in my first year in this industry still sticks out to me now: “Nothing changes if I leave.” By being in an industry dominated by men, by continuing to put yourself out there, by continuing to disrupt the status quo, you are making a difference in the present and future of sports. Also, if a man can do it, how hard can it be?

What Grinds Our Gears: Slimy-handed kids

Peak Web

February 6, 2025

this is a digital illustration of a parent holding up a phone to take a photo of their child at their birthday party. — ILLUSTRATION: Victoria Lo / The Peak

By: Soap, SFU Student

I’m a type-A germaphobe. Opened the door and grabbed the handle? Straight to the sink. Tapped my compass card, or really, anything in my wallet? Sanitize me now. I wipe my phone and laptop keyboard with isopropyl alcohol after being out with them all day — when I’m home, I’m clean.

It’s hard enough dealing with my own grossness, but the second I’m handed back a device and my skin touches the greased, sticky fingerprints on the glass, I bluescreen. My whole face feels like it’s been drenched in cooking oil. My hand burns, or at least, it may as well, and suddenly no surface is safe.

I grew up around lots of kids, and as the oldest, I was inevitably the target of every single possible rendition of “Can I play on your phone?” known to man. I get it, I was a kid once, too, surrounded by adults with gadgets that looked cooler than mine.

But seriously, if I can see and feel your fingerprints on my phone screen after you use it, it’s not gonna happen.

Dear Peakie aids those in need

Peak Web

February 4, 2025

Two professionals doing a handshake. — PHOTO: Mikhail Nilov / Pexels

By: Sarah Sorochuk, Peak Associate and C Icart, Humour Editor

Dear Peakie,

I love merch! People think my favourite slogan is “fight, fight, fight,” but it’s actually “monetize, monetize, monetize.” I can sell anything! Candy, robes, guitars . . . I would sell the whole country for profit if I could (wait . . . )! So, could I interest you in some of the most great merch on earth?

You know you want some,
The shipping is free!

Dear The shipping is free,

Canada is in an economic crisis, so it would be foolish to purchase anything at this time. Though Canada is not the only one struggling, my bank account is constantly screaming every time I pull it out for a coffee at Tims. But my lack of double-double money is nothing compared to your financial issues. I would advise you against selling stolen land, and I wouldn’t be caught dead in your merch. Good luck, though!

Hustling,
Peakie

Dear Peakie,

Help! The last day to add classes has passed, but I want to enroll in Mandarin Chinese I. I’ve never been interested in it before, but the 12-hour TikTok ban really changed me. Even though I guess I’m no longer a TikTok refugee, I still have FOMO about all the jokes I don’t fully understand on Xiaohongshu. How can I convince the university to make an exception just for me? It’s important!

Sincerely,
How do I write my name in Mandarin?

Dear How do I write my name in Mandarin,

I understand your dilemma, and the university should definitely make an exception for this situation. Unfortunately, it looks as if they disagree. Don’t worry, TikTok never left our side of the border and you’re still able to get your daily dosage of dopamine (or as I like to call it “DDD”). As for the Mandarin class you want to attend, might I suggest Duolingo as a start. Yes, the green bird is mean looking and for sure possessed. But it will definitely help catch you up in the meanwhile, aside from that take it up with the student union.

From your bro,
Peakie

Dear Peakie,

Why is everyone so obsessed with me??? I wrote in my bullet journal that in 2025, salary transparency was out, but apparently no one read that! What they did do is snoop through the public records and tell everyone how much money I make which was so unnecessary. Any advice on how I can keep dodging this question in interviews until this all blows over?

Wealthily,
Definitely not Malcolm Brodie

Dear Definitely not Malcolm Brodie,

I am truly sorry to hear that people are doing deep dives into your personal life. I would suggest going on a trip to avoid all the questions. Take a vacation to a place away from social media and the internet. Consider it your own personal detox from the world, and the world from you. You seem to have enough money to go off the grid for a while, and the best part of being gone is if you’ve disappeared long enough, then the media will surely forget about you too. Or they’ll have a field day estimating how much of your $362,000 you spent on your getaway!

Poorly,
Peakie

The cure to that heartache is Strange Medicine

Peak Web

February 4, 2025

A girl with beaded dreadlocks holds a banjo in front of a blue background. — PHOTO: Courtesy of @kaiakater / Instagram

By: Yasmin Hassan, Staff Writer

Grenadian Canadian musician Kaia Kater, born in Montréal, tells the story of her roots through music. She released her first EP, Old Soul, right out of high school in 2013. With a jazz-inflected voice and masterful songwriting, she plays into a more bluegrass, roots genre of music that hits the soul’s soft spot. Her music reflects her father’s childhood in Grenada and her years immersed in traditional Appalachian instruments like the fiddle and harmonica. Deeply connected to Canadian folk music, she also incorporates the rich sounds of her hometown and the Caribbean into her work. Recently, Kater has expanded her artistic horizons into film composition, working on original music for The Porter and My Dead Friend Zoe. At the core of it all is her deft banjo playing and lush songwriting, a testament to her ability to seamlessly blend her influences into something entirely her own!

With Strange Medicine, Kater turns transformation into an art form, weaving grief into joy and sorrow into hope. The 10 captivating songs celebrate the resilience of oppressed people, like “Fédon” — a song about Fédon’s Rebellion in 1795 in Grenada against British colonists, and push back against centuries of fear, greed, and exploitation. The album features guest appearances from artists such as blues veteran Taj Mahal, lyrical poet and activist Allison Russell, and Grammy award-winner Aoife O’Donovan. The intricate layers of Strange Medicine pull inspiration from everywhere — Steve Reich’s minimalist rhythms, Brian Blade’s fiery jazz drumming, Jonny Greenwood’s haunting film scores, and the hypnotic melodies of the West African kora. Deep, dramatic strings mixed with curious trumpets and flutes creep into majestic melodies. Her banjo work is as unexpected as it is masterful, pushing the instrument into uncharted territory. The project captures the full spectrum of her artistry, offering a space for both collective mourning and celebration, while honouring the voices of those who came before.

“The project captures the full spectrum of her artistry, offering a space for both collective mourning and celebration, while honouring the voices of those who came before.”

I loved “The Witch” for its gentle but insistent melody, powerful yet sly lyrics, and the comforting drum beats that sound like a slow, rainy day. I’ve been listening to a lot of The Sundays lately, and this song reminds me of exactly something off Reading and Writing Arithmetic. “Often As The Autumn” gives me Björk vibes with the airy and tender vocals, loose synthy background noise, and the gentle strings dancing in the corners of your ears, peeking through the hitches of Kater’s voice. Finally, lyrics wise, “The Internet” really caught my attention. “I spy the satellites of the internet / Above me like human-made stars / Concentrically circling the internet / But never enough / To touch / To feel any rush / Out beyond the pull of the internet.” Beyond her comforting and ever-emotional voice alongside the soft plucking of the banjo, the heart-tugging strings rising and falling, her poetry is something to behold! It’s only a few words; but to me, in a world filled with artifice and an overwhelming reliance on technology, I find it refreshing to see this sentiment reflected in such a beautiful, touching way.

I’m not usually a partaker of the Midwest in the form of music, especially a banjo, but Kater’s sound is captivating in such a remarkable way that I couldn’t stop listening. I’m also a sucker for meaningful lyrics, and after listening to the first song on the album, I already knew it was going to be banger after banger (I was right). If you’re free this February 11 at 7:30 p.m., do yourself a favour and go see this gem of an artist at The Cultch Theatre!

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