Loggersports

Saying Goodbye to Algonquin College’s Lumberjack

There were few people who could look Chris Ryan in the eye. At well over six feet tall, he towered over most people that he met, but his intimidating physical physique was quickly swept away by a smile and dimple that could light up the room. For almost 30 years, he was a fixture in the hallways of Algonquin College’s Pembroke Campus and in the forests of the Ottawa Valley, wherever students were learning about the field that he was passionate about.

Chris RyanRyan passed away recently, after battling health issues in recent years. He was only 49 years of age and his death has left a big hole in the Algonquin College community and in the region’s forestry sector where he was well known as the big lumberjack with a contagious chuckle and a jovial spirit that made him a friend to many.

Growing up in the Pontiac region of West Quebec, Ryan was surrounded by trees that grew into a love of the outdoors. From a young age he was felling trees. Not surprisingly it led him to a career in forestry. After completing his high school education in Quebec, he crossed the Ottawa River to earn an Ontario grade 13 certificate and then enrolled in the Forestry Technician program at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Campus.

When he graduated from college, he joined the staff of the college as a technician for the forestry program, a position he held for almost three decades, moving from part-time to full-time work. While he supported students in their many field trips, he also led some tutorials in the classroom and he became the coach of the school’s varsity loggersports team.

The team competed against other colleges and universities in activities such as pole climbing, crosscut sawing and axe throwing. It was a throwback to the forestry trade at the turn of the century before the industry was revolutionized by modern equipment. Ryan excelled as the coach. His strength and size spurred comparisons to the great Joseph Montferrand, the French Canadian logger who became a folk hero and was the inspiration for the fictitious Big Joe Mufferaw, the character that Stompin Tom Connors sang about, creating an anthem for everyone who loved forestry as much as Ryan did. Ryan received a call from the Ottawa Redblacks

In the spring of 2014, Ryan received a call from the Ottawa Redblacks. The fledgling Canadian Football League team was building its brand and wanted to link the football club to the Ottawa Valley’s rich forestry heritage. The team had learned that Algonquin’s Pembroke Campus had a loggersports team and was interested in a partnership to have the loggersports athletes perform at Redblacks home games.

Ryan at the stadiumIt turned out to be one of the highlights of Ryan’s life and made him into a bit of a celebrity, a role he relished, never shying away from a photo opportunity with a fan, a player or team executive. Over the course of several seasons, until the world wide COVID-19 pandemic abruptly ended the partnership in 2020 when the CFL season was cancelled, Ryan never missed a home game.

He was on the sidelines with loggersports team members, scrambling every time the Redblacks scored a touchdown, to start the chainsaws and cut a ceremonial wooden cookie, branded with the Redblacks logo. He was there for the team’s Grey Cup parade and celebration in Ottawa after they upset Calgary in the 2016 league championship and he attended Grey Cup games in Winnipeg and Edmonton. He was the constant every time the team got in the end zone, his image splashed across the nation on TSN, a symbol of the Ottawa Redblacks lumberjack brand.

His work in forestry fit his personality. Forestry is the reason the Ottawa Valley exists. The industry dates back hundreds of years, and at his core, Ryan was nostalgic. He loved old television shows like The Dukes of Hazzard and Dallas, but beyond the forests his other passion was sports. Baseball was his true love. An avid Blue Jays fan, he celebrated team wins and dissected losses, always enjoying the opportunity to kibbitz with colleagues about the trials and tribulations of being a sports fan. Grey cup

His presence will be missed on campus and in the community. He was often there when the loggersports team performed at local festivals and fairs and given his physical stature, he was hard to miss in a crowd. He knew a lot of people and kept in touch with friends and colleagues. For those who knew him well, they will miss his texts and chats and his sense of humour. Algonquin’s big lumberjack was a lot like Joe Mufferaw. He was bigger than life.

(Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs)

 

Loggersports Alumni Perform at Grey Cup Game

Algonquin CollegLoggersports Alumni Perform at Grey Cup Gamee’s Loggersports team was back on the national stage this past weekend as its team of lumberjacks traveled to the Grey Cup game in Edmonton to cheer on the Ottawa REDBLACKS in the Canadian Football League championship game. While their chainsaws were quieter than they would have liked as the REDBLACKS fell to the Calgary Stampeders 27-16, it was still a thrill for the team members to have the opportunity to participate in a great Canadian tradition. The Grey Cup game brings both passionate and casual football fans together each year to celebrate Canada’s unique brand of football and is the most watched sporting event of the year Loggersports Alumni Perform at Grey Cup Gamein Canada.

The team of coach, Chris Ryan, and Forestry Technician alumni, William Lance (2009), Taylor Popkie (2010) and Matthew Manion (2018) drew plenty of attention from the crowd of more than 55,000 people who packed Commonwealth Stadium, when they revved up their chainsaws at the start of the game and then cut a celebratory wooden cookie when the REDBLACKS scored their only touchdown of the contest. The media also took notice when they met, Quick-6, the Calgary Stampeders horse who runs down the sideline when the Stampeders score a touchdown.

The partnership between the College’s Loggersports team and the REDBLACKS started when the team began play in the 2014 season. The REDBLACKS were looking for a unique touchdown celebration that would tie in the Ottawa Valley’s rich forestry history. It has been a relationship that has benefited both organizations, especially given the success of the football team.

Loggersports Alumni Perform at Grey Cup Game

Ottawa has appeared in three Grey Cup games in its first five years, winning one of them in 2016 when they knocked off the Stampeders in overtime. The Loggersports team travelled with the team to Winnipeg three years ago when the club lost the championship game to Edmonton but was prevented from performing because the Eskimos protested that it would create an “unfair advantage” in what was supposed to be a neutral site game.

This year, the CFL allowed both the Stampeders to bring their horse and the REDBLACKS to bring their lumberjacks, creating a better fan experience and a public relations win for the league that had been criticized in the past for not allowing teams to incorporate their touchdown celebrations at the Grey Cup.

Now back at home, the Loggersports team is already looking forward to another football season and hopefully a return to another national championship game. Next year the Grey Cup will be played in Calgary, so you know that Quick-6 will be there. Hopefully, there will be a reunion with the plaid-wearing lumberjacks who have become a symbol of excellence for the football team that has captured the attention of the nation’s capital for its continued winning ways.

Posted by: Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs

Celebrating a Great 2016 at the Waterfront Campus

A lot has happened in the past year at Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus. That’s why it’s so tough to put together a top ten list of reflections, but here it goes…

Chris DoréComing in at number 10: The introduction of an Entrepreneur-in-Residence. Chris Doré joined the campus in January and has brought forward many initiatives that are creating a more entrepreneurial spirit on campus. This includes the development of a student entrepreneurial club, the first TEDxPembroke event and the college’s sponsorship of StartUp Ottawa Valley, a grassroots network that encourage entrepreneurs throughout our region.

#9: The incredible applied research done by students in the Environmental Technician program who spent hundreds of hours tackling a complex environmental issue along the Muskrat Lake watershed in Whitewater region.

Jason Blaine#8: The community contributions of our students and graduates. Alumnus Jason Blaine raised a record $80,000 at his third annual charity concert and golf tournament and has now been able to invest more than $200,000 in local community causes. Office Administration-Executive student Wendy Hewitt was elected as Chair of the Renfrew County District School Board trustees and students in our Bachelor of Science in Nursing program participated in a humanitarian mission in Guatemala. Just a few examples of how our students and alumni made a difference in 2016.

#7: The economic impact the Waterfront Campus is having on Pembroke’s downtown. Two privately owned and operated student residences are open and a third is under construction and will be ready for the fall 2017 intake. Several new stores have opened and many buildings that had been neglected are being invested in by developers who are helping build Pembroke’s reputation as a college community.

Urban Forestry - Arboriculture, Algonquin College#6: The development of three new full-time programs that will launch in September of 2017. The new Action Sports Park Development program is the first college program of its kind in Canada, while the Urban Forestry-Arboriculture program will compliment the highly popular Forestry Technician program that has been offered at the campus for more than 45 years. The Applied Nuclear Science and Radiation Safety Diploma program has already been endorsed by Bruce Power for its future hiring needs.

Melissa Bishop, Olympian and Pan Am Gold medalist#5: An inspirational visit by Canadian Olympian Melissa Bishop who captured the hearts of all Ottawa Valley residents at the summer Olympics when she just missed a medal in the 800 metre race. Bishop spoke to both students and visiting guidance counsellors during an October stop at the campus and broke news when she announced her intentions to be ready for another Olympiad in four years time.

#4: Having our Loggersports team celebrate a Grey Cup championship with the Ottawa REDBLACKS. While our athletes were prevented from attending the championship game in Toronto by the CFL, they were front and centre when 40,000 fans celebrated Ottawa’s first football title in 40 years.

#3: The hundreds of employers who provided placement and co-op experiences to our students and jobs for our graduates. Employers are critical to helping our college provide the skilled workforce that will ensure our region prospers in the future, and in 2016 our businesses were truly our greatest partners.

Waterfront Campus Convocation 2016 banner#2: Words to live by from former Board of Governor representative Fred Blackstein at our 2016 convocation ceremony. His six words, “Be Algonquin Proud, Make Algonquin Proud,” have become a call to action for the entire Waterfront Campus community.

#1 thing to celebrate is: Another record enrollment of students at the Waterfront Campus. With almost 1,000 full-time students studying at the campus, the college is attracting both local and out-of-town students, helping produce college graduates who can help meet the workforce needs of employers across Canada, and in some cases around the world.

2016 was a great year. We look forward to even better things in 2017 as we celebrate our 50th anniversary!

Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs