GoManitoba is a province-wide platform that connects individuals to sustainable commuting options. Its purpose is to ease travel by finding compatible carpool partners, promote public transit use where available and match individuals to bike or walk mentors. The platform is quick, secure and easy to use; simply type in where you would like to go. You can choose between commuting with others from campus, or with those who are simply travelling on the same route as you, including one-time trips.

What are the benefits of carpooling? In addition to saving money by reducing car repairs, gas consumption and parking, carpooling reduces greenhouse gas emissions and your carbon footprint. It provides the opportunity to establish new connections in the workplace or in your community while reducing stress and overall time spent commuting. If you are looking to carpool with individuals, simply enter your typical commute times as well as your start and end destinations. GoManitoba connects you with other individuals nearby who have a similar commute. Preferential carpool stalls are available in U, Q and B lots on the Fort Garry campus, and in E lot on the Bannatyne campus. These stalls are available for parkers with a valid permit only.

If you want to start cycling, walking or taking the bus but are unsure of how to get to campus, GoManitoba makes it possible. First, the platform provides you with recommended routes that are safe and efficient while fitting your personal preferences. GoManitoba can also partner you with a volunteer mentor – whether it is for cycling, walking or taking the bus – who is familiar with the method and can help you learn how the system works. If you decide to choose cycling as your sustainable commuting option, there are approximately 1,400 bike parking spaces on the Fort Garry campus and 150 spaces on the Bannatyne campus. For a fee, there are shower-only passes and enclosed bike parking spaces available on both campuses.

Even if you already embrace sustainable commuting options, GoManitoba offers features to enhance your travel. Using your commuting data, the platform provides you with calories burned, money saved and greenhouse gas emissions reduced – your results might surprise you! Prizes are offered to reward regular site users who log their trips.

The U of M is one of GoManitoba’s founding partners. By signing in as a U of M student, staff or faculty, GoManitoba will automatically connect you with the rest of the campus community and provide matches if they are available.

Sign up today at umanitoba.gomanitoba.ca!

This year, over 17,000 Canadians took part in the Commuter Challenge, collectively avoiding 233,220 KGs of CO₂ emissions by choosing sustainable transportation options. Manitoba has been named the top province in Canada for participation with 454 workplaces and 6,372 people registered for the Commuter Challenge. To see how we did compared to other Canadians cities and provinces, check out the national Commuter Challenge website.

Provincially, the Commuter Challenge is coordinated by Green Action Centre. Grand prizes for the event include a free transit pass for a year with Winnipeg Transit, two Folklorama VISAs to tour the world in Winnipeg, a free night stay for TWO at an Alt Hotel across Canada and more! Check out the 2019 results to see if you won and congratulations to those who have!

Congratulations to the following University of Manitoba specific winners:

Prize #1: 2 Bison season passes & Office of Sustainability swag

• Brenda Gerwing

Prize #2: 2 Bison season passes & LED accessories for cycling, walking and jogging from the University Centre Pharmacy

• Mike Ferley

Prize #3: University of Manitoba Bookstore swag & 1 FREE UMCycle bike tune up coupon

• Mina

Prize #4: 1 FREE UMCycle bike tune up coupon & LED accessories for cycling, walking and jogging from the University Centre Pharmacy

• Jamie McMillan

Prize #5: $50 Foodbucks for UManitoba Dining Services locations & a Starbucks package

• Don Deally

The University of Manitoba and the Office of Sustainability would like to extend a thank you to everyone who participated in the Commuter Challenge this year. By choosing to walk, bike, bus or carpool, you are joining thousands of other Canadians who have chosen to try a more sustainable commuting option to reduce our local, regional and national carbon footprint. We hope to see you continue your green commute choice throughout the summer!

Monday, June 17 is Bike to Work Day! From 6:30 – 9:00 AM, cyclists can stop at Pit Stops along their route to grab fun giveaways and enjoy the morning with a refreshing bike ride! The University of Manitoba is looking forward to participating in the fun by hosting Pit Stops at both the Fort Garry and Bannatyne campuses.

For those travelling to Fort Garry, stop by from 6:30 – 11:30 AM at the UMCycle Kiosk at Sidney Smith and Curry Place. The Office of Sustainability and UMCycle are cohosting the Pit Stop that will feature snacks and drinks, music, a photo booth and giveaways! Needing a tune-up? No problem! UMCycle mechanics will be offering FREE tune-ups!

Bannatyne campus staff, faculty, and students can stop in from 6:30 – 9:00 AM at 727 McDermot in front of the Brodie Centre main entrance. The Pit Stop will have snacks and drinks, music, a photo booth and plenty of giveaways!

If you visit either Pit Stop, you will be entered to win some serious prizes. Each campus will have a draw for a University of Manitoba Bookstore gift card, a fair trade package courtesy of the University Centre Pharmacy and an UMCycle discount of 50% off, up to $100.

Pit Stops are located throughout Winnipeg as part of Bike to Work Day, and cyclists can get prizes for visiting eight or more locations by participating in Bike Week Ride and Go Seek. Be sure to plan your route with Bike Week Winnipeg’s handy Pit Stop Map and we hope to see you on your bike for Bike to Work Day!

Helpful tips for your commute to campus:

A message from Recreation Services:

To say thank you for all that they do, on May 12 and 13, we invite all moms to use the Active Living Centre and all fitness and recreation facilities at the Fort Garry campus for free! Moms who are currently Recreation Services members can bring any guest free of charge. 

To participate, simply bring a valid piece of photo I.D. and check-in at the customer service desk in the Active Living Centre. It’s that easy!

Happy Mother’s Day!

The REC Club program has been designed to enhance the University of Manitoba student experience and promote life-long learning and appreciation for active living, leadership, and service.  All Clubs are registered, student-run organizations that offer recreational and/or competitive opportunities in a sport or physical activity. Each Club consists of a student executive team who are responsible for running the organization including coordinating and overseeing all club events, services and operations. This may include weekly practices, lessons, coaching, recreational or competitive opportunities on or off campus, social events, community outreach opportunities, equipment services and other initiatives determined by the clubs’ visons and objectives. Recreation Services provides these voluntarily-run student organizations with facility space, administrative support and promotional opportunities in an effort to ensure that each REC Club is as successful as possible. 

For 2018 winter term, the following clubs are available:

• Badminton
• Climbing
• Rugby
• Soccer
• Synchronized Skate
• Table Tennis
• Tennis
• Volleyball
• Wrestling

Every Club is run differently however the goal remains to keep its members active in a social, recreational environment. If you are interested in joining a Club but are unsure about what sort of skill level each Club is at, you are encouraged to drop in on any of the regularly scheduled sessions at no charge. To join a Club for a complimentary visit, please register at the Customer Service Desk in the Active Living Centre.  

For more information about the REC Club program, please visit website at uofmactiveliving.ca or contact our Club coordinator  at recclubs@umanitoba.ca.

Start a New Club

Are you passionate about a particular sport or recreational activity? Are you a University of Manitoba student with the enthusiasm and drive to be a leader? New Club proposals are always welcome! Visit our Start a New Club  webpage for more information!

UM Today: Let’s go back to the beginning to when you served in the South African Defense Force. What was your role?

Gene Muller: I studied at the University of South Africa, got a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology and worked within the military as a psychologist. I did a combination of therapy and what is known in the South African National Defense Force as operational psychology. They needed someone who was trained as a soldier and a psychologist in operational settings.

What was that time like in South Africa?

It was an interesting and historic time because it was a time of democratic transition for South Africa. Mandela had been released midway through my conscription and then I chose to stay on for another six or seven years afterwards in the military.

How did you make the transition from the military into coaching?

I was still competing as an athlete in field hockey while I was in the military. In South Africa, because they don’t have coaches for many of the teams they will look to a player to help out with coaching, so I kind of got into coaching by accident. The teams that I coached became quite successful and I got an opportunity at the national level as an assistant coach. I never felt that I chose coaching, I felt that I was recruited by it, rather than choosing the path of a coach. I really enjoyed it – I loved it – and had an opportunity to coach full time and took that on. I became national coach within a year of making that decision, which was in 1998.

You were head coach of the team that qualified for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. What was that experience like?

I was really young as a coach. I was 32 years old. It was the first time that the South African women’s team had made it to an Olympic games. The thing about the Olympics – you understand it later – it is a magnifying event. I learned that it magnifies success and happiness for a very small amount of people, and not for the rest. It was a difficult experience for me.

What made it so difficult?

It was a time of personal upheaval for me, so it was a very lonely experience for me, especially as a coach where there is not the shared experience of a player. I found it quite lonely. It dramatically changed my view of coaching. After the Olympics I started viewing coaching as a craft that I needed to improve at instead of glory to be achieved. When you’re a young coach or a young player you focus on the results, but after that experience I wanted to become good at coaching, I wanted to do things right. I understood my role as a coach and sports’ impact on my life much clearer after the Olympics. I wanted to become good at something, and that’s devoid of anything else except the satisfaction that comes from progressing at your craft.

At what point did those realizations come? Was it a dramatic “aha” moment?

Absolutely. We went in with quite a good team and we ended up losing close games, and the pressure of that, and the inquiry into it, I found to be quite difficult. You have no idea what to expect before an event like that. I realized that sport is transactional; people like you when you are winning, people want to be around the players when you are winning. When you’re out of it, it’s quite lonely. I very badly wanted to go back to the Olympics as a head coach again with that knowledge, but our team lost in the final qualifying match for both Athens and London.

But you did return to the Olympics in 2008, but in a bit of a different role. What was that like?

I went back as a consultant with Australia, which is a very different experience. You are paid for analysis and ideas. You are paid for making a small difference, not necessarily for being with the team. You don’t own the result as much; you just become a source of creativity and a sound board.

How was your Olympic experience in 2008 different from 2000?

I was outside of the pressure. It was enjoyable to watch games with a detachment, and to watch the games from the stands and not from the ground level. I enjoyed that because you become truly an analyst as opposed to a participant. It was an enjoyable experience. I enjoyed the hands-on part of coaching, but that was without a doubt more fun.

How did you first come to U of M?

It was a coaching position and teaching position. A friend of mine knew of a position opening up and suggested my name. I was contacted we went from there. I got a six-month coaching contract coaching the Bisons and the Canada Summer games field hockey program. During that time I was chosen to be the Canadian field hockey coach.

You then spent six years in Vancouver as the head coach of the national field hockey team, followed by six years with the national field hockey program in Ireland. What brought you back to Canada?

In the time that I was here I had met my future wife, so there was always a pull to come back to Manitoba. We came back because I was tired of the nomadic lifestyle of a coach. Coaching is demanding in a way that it demands obsession and continual attention, and that becomes hard when you have children. You always realize with coaching, especially when coaching national programs, that by definition it is limited. Basically the only question is how long can it possibly last until either you get fired or you choose to stop. I chose to stop.

But your return to Manitoba didn’t bring you straight to the University.

Within a month or two of coming back I was asked to be the general manager of field hockey Canada. I did that commuting for a year, but that was really hard to sustain. I had to manage the organization through a 60 per cent funding cut. I found out about the cut two weeks after taking the job. To make it financially sustainable I had to dismantle a big part of the operation, yet maintain the people that were critical to the success of the teams.

That must have been a tough time.

That was the toughest job I ever had – a sport that I loved, I had to oversee the dismantlement of non-essential parts of it. That was difficult because I had to terminate people’s contracts with the organizations, which is really hard. I was proud that I managed to persuade the correct people to stay, and the Canadian men have now qualified for this Olympics, and the Canadian women are the highest they have been in the last 10 years. That was a really tough experience and it was probably the event that led me to go back to school fulltime to re-tool myself. I went and did the MBA fulltime.

And after the MBA you were hired as the director of recreation at U of M.

I had built relationships in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management through my time here in 2001, and also taught a course on high performance coaching while I was working as the general manager as well, which had made me a known quantity, and probably, through those connections, I was offered the position at the Faculty. I did that for a year-and-a-half before I was appointed as athletic and recreation director.

Do you see a connection between your time in the military, your head coaching experience, and now being a manager of these units at the University?

I think the South African military gave me an awareness of how big systems work and how to navigate through a big system. I learned a lot about teamwork, I learned a lot about purpose, and how to contribute to a sense of purpose. I think those lessons as a coach were in a similar vein – that as the leader in a team, part of your role is to impact systemic reasons for success and failure. How you clear obstacles, how you create synergies, I think I have a constant awareness of that. The thing that I have learned about systems is the importance of managing winning and losing within a system. We often have these ideas of leaders as relentlessly pursuing their goals – sometimes with a cost to other people. I have realized that that doesn’t work because people don’t forget. If people experience a situation, which you have been involved in, and they experience it as a loser, they will find ways to rectify that situation. I am continually aware that if you want to progress, there cannot be too many losers, because the system eventually balances. I am aware that other people need to achieve their aims in the achievement of your aims.

What are your goals for Bison sports?

My task right now is just to get to know the people that are working there – to get to know the operation of Bison sport. My initial experience has been really positive. I am not arrogant enough to propose a direction, I want to learn what it is and build on that. I am not sure where it will end, and I probably have a better idea of the process of how to get there. I really believe that my role is in just focusing on that. I want to be diligent and disciplined at establishing and monitoring the process of improving.

How can you balance your two roles (director of athletics and recreation)?

Whether it is recreation or high performance sport, you are dealing with performance. For recreation, I want to create an environment where people feel motivated and welcome to use our facilities. For our athletes, I want to create an environment that is professional and challenging and, if they stick to our programs, they can end up winning matches, tournaments, and championships. There is no way I would have a chance of balancing that without really good and capable staff. The intention is for my role to strategically position both, to strategically impact both.

What will you take from your experience in recreation services that you can apply to Bison sports?

We have really competent people in Recreation. Our Mini U programs and our Recreation Services units are well managed. I have been really lucky that way, but I also expect our people to be successful. I expect our people in Bison Sports to be successful. I am not surprised to discover great people there. One lesson in particular is the value of regular touch points – this enables us to decide and respond quickly. I try to connect regularly and trust that this allows us to make good decisions.

Muller, who coached South Africa’s field hockey team at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and consulted with the Australian field hockey team at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, assumes his new role at the University of Manitoba on September 1, 2016.

Muller has coached over 300 international matches as the head coach for the South African, Canadian, and Irish national teams.

Muller currently serves as the director of Active Living at the U of M and in 2001 he was named Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) field hockey coach of the year as head bench boss of the Bison field hockey squad.

Prior to coaching, he was a psychologist in the South African National Defense Force. He retired from the South African National Defense Force in 1998 with the rank of Captain.

Muller has a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of South Africa and a MBA from the U of M’s Asper School of Business.

“Gene’s résumé speaks for itself. We are tremendously fortunate and honoured to have someone with such comprehensive international experience and tangible success leading our sports and recreation services programs,” says Douglas Brown, Dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management.

Muller replaces current Bison Athletic Director, Coleen Dufresne. Dufresne is retiring following a successful 32-year career with Bison Sports. As athletic director for the last 15 seasons, Dufresne oversaw the addition of Bison women’s soccer program to the list of CIS varsity sports offered at the U of M. She was also at the helm while four Bison teams won CIS championships and nine conference championships.

As the new year begins to unravel however, those well-intentioned goals can become frayed. Finishing assignments, studying and regular exercise will help to keep goals tethered to success; a number of other factors can untie one’s overall health.

A balanced approach to good health focuses on a number of areas, including mental, spiritual, environmental, social and cultural, and physical health. With so much to keep a grip on, dealing with any aspect of poor health can be difficult and perhaps, even confusing. Strategies, resources and information on keeping a balanced lifestyle are often separated.

Until now.

umanitoba.ca/livewell

Bridging the interconnected themes of active living, mental wellness, and environmental responsibility, the University of Manitoba has created a new online tool, organized into five domains that should help to orient the U of M community through the aspects of positive health. The intent is to provide quick and easy access to information and services that promote personal health and wellness and help the U of M community contribute to ecological, social, and economic sustainability.

Live Well was established on campus in August 2015 as a partnership among Active Living, Human Resources, Student Affairs, and the Office of Sustainability.

“It’s been exciting to be a part of the Live Well group, and to have a chance to work with the many great folks that came together to support healthy living within our community,” says Learning and Organizational Development director Mark O’Riley.

This portal opens the door to a tremendous range of activities, opportunities, and resources that U of M students, staff and faculty can access in each of the five areas.

Arlana Vadnais, an employee wellness specialist, in the U of M’s Human Resources department agrees.

“Live Well is an exciting new tool for the entire university community that provides quick and efficient access to the wellness related initiatives and supports available on campus. Our hope is that Live Well will facilitate the ability of students, staff and faculty at the U of M to learn about, enhance and maintain their wellness.”

Aligned closely with the university’s campus mental health strategy, Success through Wellness, and Wellness Works, a partnership among the university, the government of Manitoba, and Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, Live Well is devoted to building personal and community health

“Our campus mental health strategy, Success Through Wellness, takes a holistic approach that acknowledges the interconnections among students, staff, and faculty,” says Don Stewart, executive director, Student Support. “It also emphasizes the importance of having a healthy and supportive campus environment in which to study, live, and work.”

Since physical activity is integral to health, and even plays a huge role in individuals’ mental health, it was imperative that active living be brought into the overall strategy.

Gene Muller is the director of Active Living in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Recreation Management. “Active Living is excited to be part of the Live Well group. With our partners, the hope was to create a resource that informs the U of M community about all we are doing to support healthy living,” says Muller.

McGavock is an associate professor in the department of pediatrics, at the University of Manitoba, and a research scientist at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba. His research focuses on the prevention and management of type-2 diabetes in youth, with a particular focus on physical activity.

His research group focuses on a holistic approach, not just on body weight and blood sugars. From the standpoint of his research, McGavock says three things are key to creating a positive link between physical and mental health.

1. Do physical activity for your mind.
2. Find a friend to do it with.
3. Do it outside.

“In terms of mental health, if you were to ask someone who just spent half an hour on a treadmill or especially if they were outside walking through the woods, the first thing most people will report is lower stress and generally feeling better about themselves. A daily walk is something that allows you to get into your mind, think about things and reduce stress. It’s a way to reduce the noise, if you will,” McGavock says.

“Unfortunately, when most people decide to get physically active they do it for the wrong reasons. They’ll do it to look better: to lose weight or build muscles. But you don’t see those results every single day. If you’re doing exercise to lose weight, it could take up to six months to see a change, and even then it may not happen if you’re not exercising at an adequate level. On the other hand, you get mental health benefits no matter what, and you get it instantly. And I’d say if you do it outside, you get even more bang for your buck because there is something very peaceful and calming about being in green space.”

That covers his first and third point, but what about the second point, to be active with a friend? Why is that significant in the age of wearable devices like Fitbits, which track and encourage activities?

McGavock’s research shows that people who are active with a group of friends are more likely to sustain that lifestyle. Fitbits and other wearable devices, he says, are good for goal-setting people.

“If you’re someone who’s not a goal-setting person, having someone come to your office and say, ‘Hey, want to come for a walk with me?’ really resonates with an important part of our makeup as human beings, which is a sense of belonging. When people find that sense of belonging, they tend to be more resilient and have a better well-being.

“I don’t think a Fitbit is as powerful as a group of people who know that at lunch they are going to go for laps around campus because in that moment, in terms of mental health, they will be connecting with others, they’ll be outside, talking about their day and getting things off their chest. And on days when you’re not feeling great, the Fitbit is not going to motivate you to get out there, whereas your friend will.”