Whoever plotted the site for UVic’s Department of Writing must have been a farmer. Whether there’s something in the water or the land is just fertile, a substantial number of writers — all with roots in UVic’s writing program — cultivated their careers this past year with publications or award nominations and wins. The most recent to add to the Department’s literary yield is Yasuko Thanh, who earned both her B.A. and M.F.A. in Creative Writing from UVic. Last month she launched her first collection of short stories, Floating Like the Dead.

The 2011-12 school year is on the cusp of completion, and the varsity season is all but exhausted. Only golf maintains a competitive schedule into the summer months. But although varsity has come to an end on the surface, many of the program’s coaching staff will be working through the next few months, trying to bolster their rosters for next season. The recruitment of graduated high school students is one way to do this; luring student-athletes already involved in post-secondary institutions is another.

My fingers slip from the pool’s edge and I linger on the water’s surface a moment before submerging. The wetsuit and air tank cling to my body. My breath quickens as the water envelops my head. I clench the mouthpiece between my teeth, trying to maintain my breathing. Through my mask I see Tyler Preston, president of the UVic Scuba Club, in black scuba gear, hovering just above the pool floor. He makes the A-OK sign at me with his hand. I return it, then plunge through the water toward him.

With reading break long gone and the final, grinding last month of school underway, most UVic students are playing the hermit card and holing themselves up to study. Anything other than total educational dedication over the next couple weeks could mean academic defeat. And many of those who made for warmer climes during reading break back in mid-February are kicking themselves now. What was I thinking? they say. If only I’d used that time for school instead of sunbathing!

With several Vikes swimmers taking the season off tos focus on Olympic qualifica- tion, both the men’s and women’s teams were depleted as they entered the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championships last week. The men finished in 13th and the women in 15th place after the three-day event; last season, the teams finished 5th and 4th respectively. But while this year’s results fell short of those set in 2011, head coach Peter Vizsolyi views the experience from a more holistic stance.

When I first graduated high school, nearly a decade ago, I went to Simon Fraser University to play varsity soccer. I dated a volleyball player. Other guys on my team dated volleyball players. In fact, the guys on my team dated everyone and anyone. During my three years playing soccer at SFU I had teammates who dated girls on the volleyball team, soccer team, softball team, basketball team, track and cross-country team, swim team and the wrestling team. My team’s promiscuity invaded every women’s varsity program in the school.

A cry not heard in Victoria since 1975 echoed throughout Centennial Stadium on Sunday afternoon as the Vikes men’s soccer team claimed the 2011 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championship. More than 3000 full-throated fans cheered their team to a convincing 3-1 win over Saint Mary’s University (SMU) in the final. This marked UVic’s second national title on home soil and the fifth in program history.

The men’s and women’s UVic soccer teams both entered Canada West Universities Athletic Association playoffs this past weekend. The journey had extended beyond the regular season and now the games were for real. For the women, anyway.

It took until the final game of the regular season but the UVic women’s soccer team has officially aired out last year’s dirty laundry. After winning their final three games of this season, the Vikes managed to qualify for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Canada West playoffs — by a single point. Which is more than they accomplished in 2010.

After losing the first two games of the 2011 campaign by a combined score of 6-1, it would have been easy for UVic’s men’s soccer team to write off the regular season. The Vikes are hosting this year’s national championships after all; they automatically hold a place in the post-season regardless of their standing. But did the guys capitulate in the face of early-season adversity? No. They pulled their socks up and started kicking ass.

U Vic athletics has made an uncanny discovery this year — a gene that promotes soccer success. For the first time in Bruce Wilson’s 25-year reign as head coach of the Vikes men’s soccer team, three brothers — Lucas, Wesley and Gavin Barrett; 25, 23 and 21 respectively — are playing for him at the same time.

Looking at their credentials, UVic’s swim team brims with ability. Not only did the Vikes have a strong showing at the 2011 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) National Championships last February, finishing fourth and fifth in the women’s and men’s categories respectively, but a number of Vikes succeeded internationally throughout the year as well.

UVic athletics are being well represented at this year’s Pan American Games, currently underway in Guadalajara, Mexico. Eight current and four former Vikes don Canadian colours across seven events.

For most soccer players, the prospect of playing in the World Cup is nothing more than a pipe dream. But for second-year Vikes midfielder Jaclyn Sawicki, the dream of representing her country at soccer’s biggest event is taking shape on the horizon.

The men’s and women’s Vikes cross-country teams shot from the gate this weekend to begin what, for a number of UVic runners, could be a nearly year-long campaign. Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) features two seasons throughout the year: cross-country from September to November and indoor track from January to March. Outdoor track begins in May and carries through much of the summer. Although the latter isn’t considered varsity, UVic still competes as a team.

Throughout the weekend, there was a buzz among festival-goers around Blackalicious as one of the more anticipated acts in the latest instalment of the Rifflandia franchise. The two-man group—consisting of rapper Gift of Gab and DJ Chief Xcel—played Victoria a number of years ago and left a lasting impression.

More than 100 musicals in nine venues across Victoria. Four days of ceaseless aural ecstasy. Several thousand gleeful wristband-wearers running amok. Put your earplugs in, Victoria; it’s time for Rifflandia Festival 2011.

The Vikes men’s field hockey team managed to convert what was a challenging preseason into a successful start to the regular season. Prospects looked bleak for the Vikes after going winless in the first three games of their preseason tournament. The squad managed to rally for the fourth and final game, however, and earn a win against the Vancouver Hawks — a team Vikes head coach Mike Lee says will be one of the top two sides in the league.

When a natural disaster interferes with peoples’ lives, those people don’t usually consider themselves to be lucky. But the UVic Vikes women’s field hockey team, who had its preseason Ivy League road trip interrupted by Hurricane Irene, actually benefitted from the disruption.

With the Rugby World Cup officially underway, excitement for the sport is growing around the globe. And with the Vikes men’s and women’s rugby season starting up in a few days, excitement is building across the UVic campus, too. And just as the World Cup teams rely on the international experience of their players for success, so do the Vikes.