On November 9, the Université de Montréal Carabins saw victory slip from their grasp at Stade Telus after a 14–11 loss to the local Rouge et Or team from Université Laval, who won the Dunsmore Cup for the 11th consecutive year.

This narrow defeat takes nothing away from the Montreal Carabins’ incredible strength of character. It was a tight game from start to finish with the team facing the same formidable adversaries for the fifth time in a row. Students who participate in high-level competitive sports are known to develop greater skills like self-discipline, concentration and perseverance, but also strength of character. These student-athletes learn to bounce back from defeat and maintain their drive to excel. It’s inspiring.

Carabins team members, aka les Bleus, are not only warriors on the field. They also distinguish themselves in the classroom. No fewer than 83 student-athletes from various Carabins teams were placed on the Université de Montréal’s varsity sports program honour roll for the 2012–2013 season. Fifty-seven of the students are from UdeM, seventeen from HEC Montréal and nine from Polytechnique Montréal. While playing on one of the 19 Carabins teams during the past season, these athletes maintained an overall average of 80% or higher in their respective programs.

“Each year, many of our student athletes successfully attain a level of excellence in their studies while also pursuing their athletic careers at an elite level,” says Manon Simard, Director of Athletic Programs at UdeM. “Because of their superb performance in both the classroom and in their respective sport, these future leaders serve not only as ambassadors for our institutions, but also as role models for our youth.”

I would like to congratulate the Carabins football team for an excellent season and to encourage all the Bleus on the other teams to keep up the great work! The academic community is proud of you. Allez les Bleus!

 

Photo credit: James Hajjar