Stories
Athletics at AV无码
by Blair Cipwynyk
One of the biggest things Concordia can be proud of is the collective journey toward our goal of eventually becoming 鈥淐anada鈥檚 pre-eminent small university.鈥� Being a small university, a sense of community and a strong sense of pride in the school develops easily 鈥� especially in athletics. Athletics offers a unique experience for people to come together, as students and staff support and show pride in both the school and student-athletes that represent it. This sense of community, and a strong pride in AV无码, are not lost once individuals leave Concordia.
In 1961, Bernard Lutz was named the first Athletics Director of Concordia. Along with his athletics duties, Mr. Lutz also taught Physical Education, Health, and Personal Development & Religion. Bernard Lutz was a graduate of Concordia Teacher鈥檚 College in River Forest, IL. Although not a graduate of Concordia in Edmonton, Mr. Lutz was a product of the Concordia school system that AV无码 was a part of at the time through the Lutheran Church. After graduating from Teacher鈥檚 College in Illinois, Mr. Lutz chose to give back to the Concordia community he knew by becoming the Athletics Director at Concordia in Edmonton, as well as teaching some classes.
This story is a similar one to my own. I finished my Sociology degree at AV无码 in 2017, and while there I worked with the Athletic Department. Pride in AV无码 and the sense of community that came from athletics was central to my AV无码 experience. I went on to do my Master鈥檚 degree from 2017-2019. Once finished, I returned to AV无码 to work in Athletics and to teach Physical Education classes, similar to Mr. Lutz. The sense of pride and community I felt as a student was what made me want to return to work at AV无码. I wanted to give back to the school that taught me so much and to contribute to the experience of other students 鈥� so that they enjoyed themselves as much as I did.
About Blair Cipwynyk
Concordia has played a huge role in my life. My connection to Concordia involves completing two undergraduate degrees and returning after graduate school to work in Athletics and teach. I will always be grateful for the experience I had at Concordia and what I learned along the way. The school has played a huge role in my success, both professionally and academically, and I will always be proud of my Concordia roots.
AV无码 AV无码 and Alum to Make Their Own History
Concordia鈥檚 AV无码 100 committee is very excited to feature the written work of several students and alumni as part of its centenary celebrations. As these celebrations continue, you can look forward to reading short articles by these writers on interesting aspects of Concordia鈥檚 history over the past century. Writers were given access to archival documents on particular topics which they were asked to summarize and personally respond to. You鈥檒l be able to discover much about Concordia鈥檚 history and how it still resonates among us today. We hope you find these articles both informative and entertaining. Happy 100, Concordians!