CiTR -- Thunderbird Eye

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CiTR Sports interviews UBC's premiere athletes, discovers the off-field stories of Thunderbirds athletics, and provides your weekly roundup of UBC sports action with hosts who are a little too passionate about the T-birds.

Jacob Aere, Jake McGrail, Eric Thompson, Liz Wang, and Cory Branson


    • Dec 8, 2022 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 53m AVG DURATION
    • 202 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from CiTR -- Thunderbird Eye

    Rugby Nationals 2022

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2022 30:01


    Bailey and Jade chatted about McGill vs UBC rugby national finals, with PAS about Ski and Snowboard end of term event.

    Thunderbird Eye x All Access Pass

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2022 56:12


    Sports and Accessibility collective leads interview Para-rower and Kinesiology students.

    Sports Collective Fill-in: Outdoor Recreation

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2022 35:58


    Talking about the snow with Jade and the condo cram for the ski/board club.

    The Final Championships

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2022 57:44


    After a month away we recap the end of the Thunderbirds spring seasons, including the golf and track & field championships as well as baseball and softball playoffs. Also, we have an interview with women's golf captain Shania Remandaban!

    Back for the Summer

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2022 38:31


    After some time away for #ExamSZN, we're back with our first summertime episode (even if it might not seem like that outdoors just yet). We covered the Golf CCC Championships, plenty of baseball, softball and track & field, and all of the Thunderbirds honoured at the annual Big Block Awards.

    The Defensive Back is Back!

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2022 43:52


    On this episode we welcomed former CiTR Sports member and UBC Football defensive back Nelson Uzonwa to the studio! We chatted about his time here at UBC, his experience at the CFL combine and more. We also covered all the latest Thunderbirds news including the Men's Hockey National Championships.

    One National Success

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2022 41:57


    The U-Sports Swimming and Women's Hockey Championships took place this past weekend, and the Thunderbirds came away with a gold and a silver on the water. We recap all that as well as Track & Field and Baseball, plus we sit down with Nicole Salas of the UBC Softball team for an interview!

    Momentum Grinds to a Halt + a Special Occasion

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2022 53:32


    Today was a milestone marker for the show, as for the first time since before the pandemic we had an interview live in the studio! It was with fellow CiTR programmer Valie Madejska, who is a member of the UBC Artistic Swimming team. After chatting with her we covered the end of the conference playoffs for men's hockey and women's volleyball, the beginning of the track and field season, and more!

    Hang the Banner!

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2022 45:30


    UBC women's hockey are Canada West champions! That is our headline news for this week, as women's volleyball also looked to grab the spotlight with a continued strong playoff run. After recapping that along with baseball and softball action we chatted with our own Mike Liu about his final couple weeks in Beijing and his overall thoughts on his time at the Olympics.

    The Postseason Push Begins

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2022 37:01


    We have a PACKED show this week as hockey, volleyball and basketball all began their playoff runs with some mixed success, and baseball and softball had their home openers in their games here on campus in over two years. If that wasn't enough, we also had the first golf tournament of the new year! So yeah, strap in for this one

    Opening and Closing

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2022 30:42


    Regular seasons ends for volleyball, basketball and women's rugby 7s, while conference seasons is just getting (or about to get) underway for softball and baseball! We're looking forward to the playoffs this weekend but there's still plenty happening in the meantime

    A Period of Transition

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2022 49:57


    Multiple sports are ending their regular seasons now as others are just beginning their seasons. As we look ahead to some playoff action, we also play the second part of our interview with women's basketball coach Erin McAleenan!

    Back to Some Winning Ways

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2022 50:58


    A number of our Thunderbird teams (especially volleyball and hockey) got some W's under their belt once again, although baseball struggled in Arizona. As well, we have the first of a two-part interview with women's basketball coach Erin McAleenan!

    An International Update and a Pile of Losses

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2022 45:57


    In this episode we hear from our very own Mike Liu as he gives us the run-down of what he's been up at this point in Beijing! As well, we recap the latest Thunderbirds action which includes the long-awaited return of UBC baseball and some tough losses for basketball and hockey

    Going for a Run

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2022 34:11


    Ollie sits down with UBC Cross Country runner Joshua Kozelj to discuss his unexpectedly great season and his philosophy on running. As well, we discuss the Thunderbirds volleyball and hockey teams having rough weekends and men's rugby's return to action.

    A Double Feature + Heading to Beijing

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2022 46:52


    After some extra time away we're BACK for our first episode of 2022. In it, we recap two weekends worth of Thunderbird action, and talk to our co-host Mike Liu about his status as a Team Canada support staff volunteer for the upcoming Olympics!

    A Winter Retrospection

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2021 44:13


    There was not any new Thunderbirds sports action this past week, so for our final show of 2021 we take a look back at all that went down this semester here at UBC. We also have an interview with women's hockey player Shay-Lee McConnell to talk about the team's strong start to the season and what it was like being named to the Team Canada roster for the 2021 Universiade.

    The Final Action of 2021

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2021 40:37


    Our Thunderbird teams are now on winter break after hockey, basketball and volleyball played their final games of the calendar year this past weekend. On top of that, UBC women's rugby star Savannah Bauder came on the show to discuss her and her team's great season and her time at UBC to this point.

    The Business Trip

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2021 32:47


    We recap men's rugby's dominant performance at the Canadian University Rugby Championships, as well as how UBC athletes did at the Canada West Swimming Championships and the Canadian Cross Country Championships. Elsewhere, men's hockey staked their claim as one of the top teams in the country, volleyball ran into some tough opposition and basketball continued to (mostly) roll.

    Coming Back Down to Earth

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2021 43:36


    Things weren't quite as rosy for the Thunderbirds this week, as soccer and cross country were all unable to medal at their Nationals and men's hockey had their perfect start to the season snapped. We also have some clips from men's rugby ahead of the Canadian University Championships and the second part of our interview with UBC golf coach Chris Macdonald.

    The First Nationals and a Look at the Green

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2021 44:24


    We cover some postseason action as women's rugby went to Nationals and football had their playoff semifinal, as well as some season opening action from volleyball. Then, we have the first half of a two-part interview with UBC Golf coach Chris Macdonald!

    Flying Solo

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2021 44:09


    Cory is here to solo report the news of this past week, as men's soccer and women's rowing won championships, their counterparts finished with silver, football clinched an unexpected playoff spot, and more! Then, we have an interview to share as Mike Liu sat down with men's rugby player Jacob Bossi.

    Three Banners and the Hunt for More

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2021 29:30


    It's championship season here at UBC as women's rugby and men's and women's cross country are both Canada West champions! Elsewhere, soccer has the chance to add to the banner total, hockey looks legit, football took a dive and basketball is now underway.

    Shifting Towards the Playoffs

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2021 28:53


    This week, soccer, women's rugby and women's field hockey all ended their regular seasons, with varying degrees of success. Also, hockey had a strong weekend, cross country took to the track again and football stole the show with a massive win.

    Hitting the Ice and the World is Upside Down

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2021 29:08


    We have a jam-packed show this week as we bring you some interview excerpts from women's soccer and men's hockey, to go along with recapping the hockey season openers, football getting their first win, soccer clashes with TWU, rugby dominance and more!

    The Man on the Sidelines

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2021 28:30


    Breaking news: our very own Mike Liu is a trainer on the UBC Football team! In this episode we chat with him about what the experience of being part of the team has been like this season, after covering our other various Thunderbirds sports highlighted by the continued dominance of golf and women's soccer.

    Some Big Ups and Big Downs

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2021 28:36


    Results were all over the map for our Thunderbirds teams this past week, as golf, women's soccer and women's rugby remained perfect but football, men's soccer and men's rugby all faltered. Also, field hockey began their season.

    Multiple Homecomings

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2021 28:55


    We celebrate the return to campus for both our soccer and rugby teams! As well, we look at the season debuts for football and cross-country, while golf continues their strong start to the year.

    Hitting the Ground Running

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2021 29:24


    Ahead of the UBC soccer home openers this weekend, Mike sat down with men's soccer standout Chris Lee to discuss his time in the CPL with Pacific FC, as well as his experience at UBC to this point. As well, we cover the latest action for our Thunderbirds golf and women's rugby teams, while multiple other sports played some exhibition matches against SFU.

    Opening Seasons and Books

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2021 31:06


    Our UBC soccer teams began their Canada West seasons with the women's team finding more success, and the Thunderbirds golf teams crushed the competition at their first Cascade Conference tournament of 2021. As well, we brought former CiTR Sports member Nico Roselli back on the show to discuss his soon-to-be-published book!

    Return to the Studio!

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2021 28:47


    After a long time away, we kick off the school year with our first live show in 18 months! To celebrate the occasion we look back at some of the highlights of the summer for our Thunderbird athletes and also look ahead at what this season will look like.

    Taking a Tumble

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2021 33:16


    In our first show in around a month, Cory sits down with UBC Cheer captain and coach Marika Butzelaar to discuss what university cheerleading is like and how it differs from some common misconceptions about the sport. Also, we cover a busy few weeks in Thunderbirds news and Liz joins the show for the final time.

    Incoming Talent

    Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2021 31:43


    For the first time we have an interview with a UBC commit, as Cory sat down with high school senior and Manitoba basketball star Olivia Weekes, who will be joining the Thunderbirds women's basketball program in the fall. Also, we have a ton of news to cover from the past few weeks, including a retirement and plenty of Hall of Fame inductions.

    Storm The Wall

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2021 38:25


    One of the biggest events on the UBC campus, Storm The Wall is an open to all students triathlon with a twist in the form of a 12 foot wall you have to scale at the end of the course! To dive into what makes this event so fun, Byron sat down with two Storm The Wall veterans, Daniel Duncombe and JM Jamet!

    From Dominance to Teaching

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2021 23:14


    On this week's show, Liz sat down with UBC swimming legend and three-time Canadian Olympian Brian Johns! He discussed his time as a Thunderbird, his transition to coaching, and his thoughts on the UBC "Decade of Dominance" swim teams being inducted into the Canada West Hall of Fame.

    A Look Down South

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2021 53:49


    For the first time, we interview a non-UBC athlete, as Diana sits down with Darren Wong, a Vancouver native and a team captain on the UC Berkeley Men's Gymnastics team. They discuss a wide range of topics, including why Darren went to the US for university, the pros and cons of NCAA competition, his experience with the Canadian National Team setup, and more!

    EPISODE 100!!! Group Celebration Time

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2021 51:01


    This is a massive milestone for CiTR Sports, as we have now reached 100 episodes of Thunderbird Eye! To celebrate, we got the group together (while bringing back to former contributors as well) to take a look back at some of our favourite moments from the show's history.

    A Closer Point of View

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2021 25:04


    Mike Liu sat down with Lief Olsen, a student trainer for the UBC Baseball team. As someone with a unique perspective of one of our Thunderbird teams, Lief shared what his job entails, how he serves as an important link between all the different people involved with the team, and how his role has only increased in scope with the pandemic. Also, our swim teams receive another accolade, and we look at a legendary UBC coach for our alum of the week.

    Polo Tales

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2021 31:16


    After a one week hiatus we are back with another episode! Our resident aquatic experts Alan and Byron brought a couple fellow swimmers on the show, as they interviewed two members of the UBC Water Polo Club, Taylor Goldblatt and Amelia Milne. They discussed how the club has adjusted how it operates due to the pandemic, their personal journeys within the sport and shared some advice for those who are interested in the sport

    From the Ballroom to Zoom

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2021 43:51


    This week, Mike Liu sat down with the president of the UBC Dance Club, Juliana Chow! They discussed the structure of the club and all of its events, how they find a fit for people of all skill levels, and how she has taken the task of running such a social group from social distance. we have news from the UBC Aquatic Centre and our recent Thunderbird men's soccer draft picks, while the whole UBC community mourns the loss of one of the biggest figures in school athletic history.

    Still on (the) Track

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2021 35:45


    This week's show saw Liz sit down with two UBC track athletes, cross country runner and PhD student Jenna Melanson, and race walker and undergrad student Joean Lu, as they discussed their very different paths to UBC and what it's been like having basically full training yet no competitions this season. Also, we introduce a new member of the collective, as masters student and member of the Thunderbirds football team Nelson Uzonwa joins us for the first time.

    Coming Together for Fundrive

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2021 44:06


    Given that this is Fundrive week here at CiTR, we got the whole gang together for a special group segment where we brought a very important guest back on to the show: former leader of CiTR Sports Jacob Aere! He shared what he's been up to since he graduated and what he learned from his time at CiTR. As well, everyone took a look back at the history of the show and what CiTR has meant to all of us.

    Coming Together for Fundrive

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2021 45:02


    Given that this is Fundrive week here at CiTR, we got the whole gang together for a special group segment where we brought a very important guest back on to the show: former leader of CiTR Sports Jacob Aere! He shared what he's been up to since he graduated and what he learned from his time at CiTR. As well, everyone took a look back at the history of the show and what CiTR has meant to all of us.

    Taking it to the Gridiron

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2021 36:55


    We have a packed show this week, as Cory sits down with former UBC Football star and current member of the San Francisco 49ers, Dakoda Shepley! They discuss his professional career to this point, how he and his team dealt with relocating to Arizona partway through this past season, and how he landed a role in Deadpool 2. Also, it was a banner day for Thunderbirds Soccer at the CPL draft, a former UBC Swimming great was honoured by Canada West, and a UBC baseball exec has taken up a new job.

    Serving up a Racket

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2021 22:03


    Alan sits down with UBC Badminton Club exec Stephenie Ho to discuss both the club and her own personal history with the sports. Also, we cover some great news for one of our Thunderbirds swimmers, and look at one of UBC's most successful soccer players for our Alum of the Week.

    Mental Health Support

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2021 26:31


    For the first time we have a guest returning to the show for a second time, as Jake sits down with former UBC women's hockey player Mikayla Ogrodniczuk to discuss the UBC Athlete's Hub, a mental health resource specifically for student athletes that she co-founded. Also, the Thunderbirds community mourns the loss of UBC and Canadian Olympic rowing great Kathleen Heddle.

    The View From the Top

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2021 36:42


    After a few weeks off we are BACK with our first episode of 2021, where Jake sits down with Kavie Toor, UBC's Athletic Director, to discuss his personal history with UBC, his rise through the athletic department's ranks and how he has handled taking over his current position during the pandemic. Also, we wrap up some of the most important Thunderbird stories from over the winter break.

    Shoes Made for Walking

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2020 50:50


    In our FINAL show of the 2020 calendar year, Mike sits down with former Thunderbird and current Canadian Olympic race walker Evan Dunfee, to discuss his time at UBC and how the pandemic has affected his preparations for the upcoming Olympics. We will now be going on a short hiatus over winter break, but we will be back in January with plenty more content!

    On-Court Adjustments

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2020 23:03


    After attending a UBC Men's Volleyball practice, we have two interviews to share! First, Coltyn Liu and Michael Dowhaniuk talk about how they've dealt with the cancelled season, and how they're preparing for next year. Then, Coach Mike Hawkins talks about how he's had to change up what he's doing from a coaching perspective, and the challenges that has entailed.

    A Big Swing

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2020 24:40


    Cory sits down with UBC Men's Golf star Ethan de Graaf to discuss his time at UBC, how he’s handled the big changes to competitions this season, and nearly breaking the school single-round record the other week. Also, Thunderbird athletes were honoured virtually for their academic achievements, and before the province's new health guidelines were put in place there was some long-awaited action for the UBC Women's Hockey team.

    Change of Direction

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2020 43:50


    This week, Diana Hong sat down with two-time Canadian National Champion figure skater, and current UBC kinesiology student, Alaine Chartrand! She spoke about her career to this point, why she decided to come to UBC, and why she feels becoming a student was a great decision. Also, UBC golf wrapped up the fall portion of its BC Rivalry Series with a pair of good performances.

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