Articles by author: Brock University

• Getting their kicks: Goodman Business students help alumnus launch new FootGolf course

  Tuesday, June 27, 2017 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 27 June 2017 – R00123

  When Brock University alumnus Andrew Julie (MBA ’05) and his wife Jen took over the Brock Golf Course (no affiliation to the university) three years ago, they wondered how they might grow the business.

  They found an answer just down Merrittville Highway, on the campus of his alma mater.

  Andrew became a client of students at Brock University’s Goodman School of Business — specifically, of the Goodman Accounting Students’ Association — in the Goodman Consulting Competition, a six-week challenge where students hone their consulting skills while bringing value to an organization.

  As a result of that fateful collaboration, this weekend Andrew and Jen will officially open a FootGolf course, joining a new recreational activity whose popularity is spreading across Canada.

  FootGolf combines soccer and golf. Players basically use golf rules while kicking a soccer ball towards a hole — a big hole — on what otherwise looks like a golf course.

  Andrew doesn’t hesitate to say the idea was a direct result of the Goodman competition. He provided a budget to work with, and students came up with creative but feasible possibilities for making the best use of what was then a 27-hole golf course.

  “We were trying to figure out what to do with the third nine, and the idea to open a FootGolf course came out of a brainstorming session with one of the groups of students,” said Andrew.

  “I looked at my wife, and a light bulb came on.”

  Work soon began to convert nine holes of golf to nine holes of FootGolf. As a pure business growth strategy, the Julies hope that having the FootGolf facility alongside their 18-hole golf course “will help introduce people to golf even though they may not be golfers yet.”

  Goodman Business student Mikayla Zolis, who was on the competition’s winning team, says the experience was a lesson on how to communicate effectively with a consulting client. The students had to conduct stringent analyses to support presentations on the proposal’s feasibility and expected return on investment.

  Zolis said the experience develops skills that are invaluable as students prepare to leave the campus and enter the workforce.

  “We had more creative liberties,” said Zolis. “We had to look at all the different challenges that an organization faces when it wants to grow.”

  This is an example of experiential learning opportunities where Brock students get to take on learning partnerships with industries, not-for-profit organizations or small businesses. In this competition, students interact with a client to learn about their particular business and better understand its needs.

  Brock FootGolf officially opens to the public at 7 a.m. this Saturday, July 1, although the media can get a sneak preview at noon on Thursday, June 29 when a Grade 8 class from St. Alexander Catholic Elementary School in Pelham gets to play the first round.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  • Maryanne Firth, Writer/Editor, Brock University maryanne.firth@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x4420 or 289-241-8288

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  Categories: Media releases

• Experts available to comment on ‘leaving no trace’ when exploring Canada’s national park sites

  Monday, June 26, 2017 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 26 June 2017 – R00122

  While Canadians are visiting national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas for free this summer, Brock experts want them to be mindful of their potential impact on these protected areas.

  As part of Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations, Parks Canada has opened its sites at no cost through use of a Discovery Pass. The gesture is expected to increase traffic at the national sites, and Brock experts are encouraging visitors to be mindful of leaving no environmental trace during their trip.

  Garrett Hutson, Recreation and Leisure Studies Associate Professor, can speak to:

  • Leave No Trace principles to minimize recreational impacts to natural areas
  • Brock’s Outdoor Recreation programs and their commitment to teaching students to practise and learn outdoor leadership, while ensuring they leave a minimal impact on the environment

  “Healthy parks help to create healthy people and communities, and can continue to do so for generations through actions of care,” says Hutson, who has done considerable research on the topics of outdoor recreation management, outdoor leadership and person-place relationships.

  Canada’s National Parks are a great way to experience our environment. By using Leave No Trace practices, Hutson believes Canadians can be taught ways to minimize recreational impacts to natural areas.

  Tim O’Connell, Recreation and Leisure Studies Professor, can speak to:

  • Brock BaseCamp, a distinct summer experience for incoming undergraduate students that introduces them to life as a university student through backpacking, canoeing and rock climbing
  • How Brock BaseCamp makes sure students are aware of the cultural and natural history of where they are travelling
  • How to leave as little an impact as possible on the environment by following Leave No Trace principles

  “Many BaseCamp participants appreciate learning how to travel lightly through our provincial and national parks,” says O’Connell, a member of the Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario. “In fact, many of them apply these principles to their everyday lives when they are back on campus or at home.”

  Leave No Trace Canada is a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and inspiring responsible outdoor recreation while building awareness, appreciation and respect for the country’s wildlands.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  • Maryanne Firth, Writer/Editor, Brock University maryanne.firth@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x4420 or 289-241-8288

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  Categories: Media releases