Lucas Punkari
After finishing his final exams in the geological engineering program at the University of Waterloo last Tuesday, Fort Frances native Steve Boileau has had a chance to reflect on his last six years at the school and what he’s been involved with while he there.
While his studies and co-op placements took up most of his time, one of the activities Boileau enjoyed most was taking to the squash court, where he played for the Waterloo Warriors men’s team.
“It’s been a lot of fun, and it really added something to going away to school,” Boileau noted.
“It’s also been great to see the program grow, as well, as we went from having just eight guys on the team in my first year to having around 15-20.
“And the women’s team just started a few years ago and they now have 10-15 players out for them,” he added.
“One of the girls on our team [Micaala Seth] won the women’s athlete-of-the-year this year at our school, as well, and to play with people like her and to be coached by a bunch of great people has been great,” Boileau said.
Boileau had a chance to compete at the provincial championships every year during his stint with the Warriors, usually as the number-six member of the squad.
“While it is a individual sport, you go into the events as a team and earn points based on how your games go,” he explained.
“When you go to a tournament, they rank everyone going into the event, so the top guys from each school will go head-to-head with one another and it just goes down from there.
“I came in around sixth and ended up being in that same spot during my time [at Waterloo],” he continued.
“But I know that I have become better as a player while I’ve been here, and the calibre of the players here has also become much better.”
The highlight of this season for Boileau and his Warrior teammates came at this year’s provincial championships in Hamilton, where they earned the bronze medal in men’s play.
“The number-one spot is pretty much impossible to get because Western has had it for the last 30 years, and they are a program that recruits and goes up against a number of NCAA teams,” Boileau noted.
“For us, getting silver at that event is like getting a gold,” he added. “And while we were one point behind McMaster for that, we were all still happy with how he did as a team.
“Most of the guys that I started playing with here are graduating with me this year, so it was fun to go in and play that well during the weekend.”
Boileau’s passion for the game of squash can be traced back to when he played here as a youth, with coaches Bob and Mary Beth Tkachuk helping to mold him into the player he is now.
“They’ve been a huge influence to my success, and Bob and Mary Beth were the ones that got me into it,” he stressed.
“I started with them when I was 10 years old, and they coached me all the way through high school, so I have to give a big thanks to them for helping me get to this point.”
After his convocation ceremony June 15, Boileau will be heading out west for work as he has a job lined up with BGC Engineering in Vancouver.
But as he ventures into the real world, he still is hoping to get out on the squash court as much as he can.
“Unfortunately, with my co-op terms at Waterloo, I’ve been working out in the field for the last two or three years so I haven’t been able to get out to the court,” Boileau lamented.
“But now that I have something a little more permanent, I’m really hoping that I have some time to get out and play some squash out west,” he added.
