Athletes of the week

Joren Zeeman — Men’s Volleyball

Joren Zeeman traveled well this weekend, leading the men’s volleyball team to victories in Windsor and London.

“We’d never won a game at Western since I’ve been here,” the outside hitter said.

The Mustangs are ranked above the Gaels nationally which brings healthy competition to any match they play.

“We know they’re probably our biggest rival in most sports, we embrace the opportunity to play them,” Zeeman said of his 17 kill night against the Mustangs. “[A] fifth set [on a] Western weekend is an incredibly fun atmosphere to play in.”

Playing the Windsor Lancers, he picked up 16 kills to hammer in their win on Friday.

Zeeman has come a long way from his high school days of playing for Cambridge, Ontario clubs.

“I didn’t get any awards,” he said. “I was more of a potential guy still.” Zeeman’s nod from the Journal is his third recognition this week; he was named athlete of the week by both Queen’s and the OUA.

“I kept working hard,” he said. “A lot of the success I’ve had recently comes from all my coaches and team here at Queen’s.” Hard work has paid off for Zeeman, who is now ranked in the top 10 in three OUA and CIS categories. “It comes down to little things,” he said. “There are factors and points here or there that make all the difference in a game.”

Renée Tse — Figure Skating

Second-year figure skater Renée Tse cleaned up at the Toronto Figure Skating Invitational with two gold medals last weekend in the Senior Silver and Intermediate Similar Pairs events. The art history major began skating at five years old, after being awestruck by the sport in Hong Kong.

“I was only about five and I was having dinner in this mall when I saw the arena,” she said. “I couldn’t leave, I told my mom that day that I wanted to start skating.” The experience sparked a passion in Tse, who began skating competitively in high school and laced up again in her first year at Queen’s.

“It’s definitely different [at Queen’s] because the skating I’ve been doing competitively is very individual,” she said. “At Queen’s, it’s a team sport. My first competition at Queen’s … I loved how there was the support behind you.”

Last Thursday, Tse said she was nervous stepping onto the ice for her individual event.

“It’s kind of like my old competitions where I get nervous, it’s a totally different experience being alone out there,” she said.

The following morning, Tse skated back-to-back in a fours and then a pairs event with partner Charlotte MacDonald.

“We were already warmed up and tired, so we were in our automatic mode,” she said. “We said ‘let’s just go out there and see what we can do’.”

The two took home gold, attributing the win to high adrenaline and synchronization.

“Some skaters just focus on their jumps and not really on their choreography,” Tse said. “I’m very in tune with the music and use my body to send the message of how much I love it.”

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