Beneath Sports Podcast Darrell G

This is a special episode in honour of Truth and Reconciliation Day. We sat down with Taylor McPherson, a Can West and U Sports wrestling champion from the University of Alberta. We discussed her background in wrestling and how she climbed the ranks in the wrestling world. But we also took an in-depth look at her indigenous culture and her fight to reclaim her heritage.

This week, we sat down with Andrew Paris, the founder of the Black Rock Initiative. He is an advocate for bringing the sport of curling to a younger, more diverse generation and creating more representation in the curling coaching ranks. We discussed his upbringing in Summerside, PEI, his experiences coaching the youth and showing that the sport of curling is for everyone whether you are the age of 9 or 99.

This week, we sat down with Sarah Gates, the 2023 Usports Player Of The Year. She has been one of the best hoopers in U sports the past few years, and arguably the best basketball player to step on the campus at McMaster University. We discussed her upbringing in the York region, her commitment to the sport of basketball during the pandemic, and her final season as a McMaster Marauder. 

This week, we sat down with Donnovan Bennett, a host, producer, writer, and podcaster for Sportsnet. We discuss his football playing days at the University of Western to breaking through the Canadian sports journalism scene as a part of "The Score".  Donnovan is a phenomenal storyteller that crosses the intersection between sports, race, gender, and equality. 

This week, we sat down with Jeff Gamache, the athletic director at Trinity Western University, a faith-based institution in Langley, BC. We discuss topics from how Jeff started at TWU to the Complete Champion Approach that Trinity Western implements with their student-athletes. We determine balance between faith-based learning and athletics in a post-Christian culture.  

This week we sat down with Joanna Alphonso, A 3-time U SPORTS women's rugby national champion and 3-time Atlantic University Sport MVP. This Ajax, Ontario native helped continue the rugby dominance at St. Francis Xavier University as a part of the X-women. Now, post rugby career she is aiding the young minds of tomorrow to be dominant in the classroom.