T-Birds 5-on-5: Nuts for the New Year

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!