The King's Connection Magazine Volume 23 Number 3//Spring 2013 | Page 10
campus news
campus news
Heart of a Champion: King’s student
represents Canada in international
cyclo-cross race
R
acers take their places, lining up shoulder to shoulder,
gripping the handle bars of their Cyclo-cross bikes, a mix of
mountain bike and road bike, ready to fight through the muddy,
rugged terrain for the chance to call themselves champion.
Among the competitors is Michael van den Ham, thirdyear Politics-History-Economics student at King’s and 2012-13
Students’ Association Vice-President of Administration.
This scene was from the recent UCI CycloCross Championship held in Louisville,
Kentucky. Cyclo Cross is a form of bicycle
racing made popular in Belgium, France and
the Netherlands. Racers complete short laps of
a 2.5 to 3.5 kilometer course that may include
steep hills, stairs, mud, grass and rough terrain.
It is not uncommon — and is totally acceptable
— for riders to dismount their bikes and carry
them across rougher patches of the course.
Races typically last about one hour.
Photo: Masa Higuchi
“The experience was incredible and surreal,” says van den Ham.
“All I remember is the continuous roar of the fans, seeing familiar
faces around the course, and the knowledge that I was racing
the best in the world with the maple leaf across my back.”
Heritage Archives to Honour and remember
Dutch and German Canadians’ experience
A
major gift of $400,000 donated to The King’s University College will facilitate the creation of
the Gerry Segger Heritage Collection, an archive to be housed in the Simona
Maaskant Library on campus. The Heritage Collection will be a substantial assembly of books,
personal papers, and other archival materials that bear witness to the Dutch Canadian and
German Canadian experience in Canada.
“While The King’s University College has been and remains non-denominational, support for its
creation came from western Canadian congregations in the Christian Reformed Church (CRC), a
denomination comprised primarily of Dutch immigrants, the majority of whom arrived in Canada
after the Second World War,” says President Fernhout. “The vision for a Dutch and German
Canadian research collection is therefore in part an expression of gratitude to our founders.”
Every year King’s receives requests from Dutch immigrants or the families of Dutch immigrants
regarding the university’s interest in donations of books, personal papers, and other archival
materials. The existence of the Heritage Collection will enable King’s to receive donations that are
significant for research and preservation purposes. The Heritage Collection will also become part
of the national archives system, making it a destination for visiting scholars.
Still in the early stages of development, King’s has appointed an Archive Design Team consisting
of faculty from the history department, staff and a student representative. This group is already
working on a design and implementation plan for the Heritage Collection, with the goal of having
a ribbon cutting event in early October. A different committee will be created to set criteria for
material to be included in the Collection. King’s own archival material will be included.
A long-time supporter of King’s, Mr. Gerry Segger also recently donated a Dutch Bible published
in Amsterdam in 1718. The Bible is currently on display in the Library. ?
This was the first time the international championship was held
outside Europe.
Van den Ham, who has been racing for three years, placed
seventh in the 2011 Canadian Nationals held in Toronto. Coming
so close to a top spot encouraged him to set his sights on
representing Canada on the international stage the following year.
At the 2012 Canadian Nationals, van den Ham placed fourth,
earning him a spot on team Canada. “After coming so close
in 2011, I realized I wanted to have the honour of representing
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