Todd Devlin

Gameday London •

Warner London’s humble, grateful champion

Damian Warner is just like you and me. Hear the man out. It’s important to him we believe him when he says that. Yes, Warner is a gold medalist. Yes, he broke the Olympic record in the decathlon in August becoming just the fourth man in history to eclipse the 9,000-point mark in the competition. And, yes, he now holds the unofficial title of ‘world’s greatest athlete’ and official title of Canada’s Athlete of the Year.

But to Warner, he’s still Damian from London.

He’s a son and new father.
Gameday London •

Kelly entering ring to combat homelessness

In this corner, standing 5 feet 10 inches tall, fighting out of the FM96 studios. You know him as co-host of the Taz & Jim morning radio show. He’s quick with a joke and hopefully even quicker with his jab … Jim ‘The Irish Goodbye’ Kelly. On Nov. 8, Kelly puts the jokes aside and steps into the ring at RBC Place as one of 32 community members-turned-amateur boxers taking part in the Fight to End Homelessness, a charitable event supporting Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU). On the card are 16 b
Business London Magazine •

Business Profile: Rhonda Choja

Rhonda Choja makes things happen. Time after time, she’s lived the advice she now shares with mentees: ‘Push yourself outside your comfort zone,’ Choja says. ‘Be resilient’ … ‘You’re going to fall down, but believe in yourself. There’s something better on the other side.’ Given her own journey, and her rise into management and leadership roles, it might seem wise to follow the advice of the current Executive Vice President of Operations at Libro Credit Union. She’s learned a thing or two along t
Gameday London •

Fleming key to Canada’s chances

It’s something she refers to a lot. The opportunities and coaching she received growing up. The chance to join the national program at a young age. The unique opportunity, this past year, to juggle her studies at UCLA while playing for Chelsea FC. And the chance to play for Team Canada at this summer’s Tokyo Olympics, alongside veteran teammates and friends – all of whom are focused on reaching the podium. She’s earned every opportunity, of course. The scholarship, the degree in Materials Engine
Western Faculty of Health Sciences •

Understanding the relationship between physical activity and body image

Traditional gyms still sell weight loss and a change in one’s body appearance – leading to improved self-esteem – as the desired outcomes to potential customers. Those reasons are why many people engage in physical activity in the first place.

But are they the right ones? If the goal is to achieve a healthier body image, the answer is certainly not, according to Eva Pila, an assistant professor and researcher in Western’s
Gameday London •

Grainger golden in Tokyo

With 1500 metres down and 500 to go, Susanne Grainger entered the ‘tunnel vision’ part of the race. Things go black. Pain intensifies. Hearing starts to get fuzzy.

Still, she keyed in on her coxswain, Kristen Kit, who was shouting to her teammates.

“Never again, not again! No one is getting us this time!”

Canada’s women’s eight rowing team had led with 500 metres to go – and been overtaken – in both the heat race and the repechage in Tokyo. Now, in the Olympic final, they had led virtually th
Gameday London •

Romak ready for an encore

When Jamie Romak touched down in South Korea in mid-January, ready to embark on his fifth season of professional baseball in the country, he did so with a new honour under his belt – and a bounce in his step, knowing that this time his family will be joining him in the spring.

That wasn’t the case last year. Due to COVID-19, Romak’s wife and two kids remained in Canada while he played his fourth season with SK Wyverns of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO). With the family separated for a lo
Business London Magazine •

Business Profile: Peter Inch

It didn’t take long for Peter Inch to jump back in the saddle. And all it took was a month on the golf course. With last summer off, the Londoner picked up the game more seriously. The golf life offered a glimpse into what early retirement might look like. He played three times a week. He didn’t get any better. By September, the clubs were in the garage.

With six other co-founders, he created Peter Inch & Associates Heating + Air Conditioning. It wasn’t built overnight, but it certainly came to
Gameday London •

Ehrhardt’s jumping journey not over yet

Caroline Ehrhardt is resilient. She’ll bounce back from all the disappointment. Of Trials. Of injury. She’s been bouncing back for a long time, and she’s gained a lot of perspective.

She need only think back to 2017.

Having made the World Francophone (Jeux de la Francophonie) team, she was set to compete at the Games in the Ivory Coast. Two weeks before the meet, her father unexpectedly passed away.

Klaus was Ehrhardt’s only parent, as her mom had passed away when she was younger. When she wa
Western Faculty of Health Sciences •

Understanding the impact of natural disasters on women's health and wellbeing

In the summer of 2022, heavy rains led to catastrophic flooding in Pakistan. The climate emergency left a third of the country underwater and impacted more than 30 million people. More than 1,700 fatalities were reported.

The floods caused the destruction of roughly 9.4 million acres of agricultural land – and the loss of 1.2 million livestock. Stagnant water led to a surge in vector-borne diseases, including dengue.
Business London Magazine •

Business Profile: Alyson Paisley

It’s all about the people. Working with brokers; Creating and cultivating relationships – internally and with customers; And training and mentoring younger employees. “No, an auto insurance policy in and of itself isn’t super sexy,” Alyson Paisley says with a laugh, “but the relationships always keep me engaged. This is a very people-centred business.”

Paisley would know. The Londoner, born and raised, has spent more than 15 years in the insurance industry, almost exclusively with Intact Financ
Gameday London •

Zadorsky relishing prime of her career

She was on the field when Canada made history in Tokyo. And, boy, was it nerve-wracking – for everyone involved. Shelina Zadorsky subbed on late in extra time in the women’s Olympic gold medal soccer game against Sweden August 6. After the 120th minute, in fact. Extra, extra time. The game was headed to penalties. That was certainly the look of it. Bev Priestman’s late sub brought with her a lot of energy – to help a fatigued team in the sweltering Tokyo heat. When the final whistle blew, and th
Gameday London •

Mac Neil swims to historic Pan Am performance

In just four short years, Maggie Mac Neil has taken the international swim world by storm. She burst onto the scene in 2019 with a gold medal in the 100m butterfly at the world championships. She became an Olympic champion (and three-time medalist) in Tokyo in 2021. And she won five medals (and set meet records) at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She’s held a world record and Canadian bests along the way. This past week, in Santiago, Chile, the 23-year-old added yet another feat to her impressive s
Western News •

Researcher leads first-ever study of Canadian ‘SuperAgers’

Think of it like reverse engineering. Not a machine, or a computer software program – but the human brain. If you study Parkinson’s disease, you only see Parkinson’s disease, says Angela Roberts, assistant professor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders who holds a joint appointment in the department of computer science. Study dementia and you only see dementia. Even studying ‘typically aging’ brains often yields information about brains on a course towards developing an age-rel
Business London Magazine •

Business Profile: Luke Thomas

It was a shift in his thinking on health and fitness that prompted Luke Thomas to first dip his toes into entrepreneurship. A career change followed. Then, a move back to London. And today? The former personal trainer is hard at work growing Healthy Eats, the meal prep company he owns that has enjoyed much success in its early years.

“I used to think the way to get better results in the gym was to do more … you gotta work out more, you gotta do this more … As I gained expertise, I found out it’
Business London Magazine •

Business Profile: Derek Lamoureux

In many ways, launching SetReady Film Rentals was a natural next step in Derek Lamoureux’s career. A producer and director, he’s operated a production company for eight years – plenty of time to learn about the hurdles filmmakers face. A big one? Accessing high-quality equipment. Lamoureux wanted to make it easier for folks in smaller markets like London – and other southwestern Ontario cities – to obtain the gear they need to produce work they can beproud of. And, so, SetReady was born, a compa
Gameday London •

Women’s football getting the Showcase it deserves

They’ve been playing an exciting brand of football for years. And they’ve fought hard for recognition and legitimacy. This week — the biggest week of the year for Canadian university football — the women will get an opportunity to show off their skills as part of Vanier Cup festivities at Western University. On Friday, in conjunction with Football Ontario, some of the best women’s university flag football teams in the country will take part in the 2022 Canadian Collegiate Women’s Flag (CCWF) Sho
Business London Magazine •

Business Profile: Steven Vanloffeld

While an elected member of council at Saugeen First Nation, Steven Vanloffeld sought to solve many community problems. The answer to one problem, though, had a unique solution – creating his own business. It was after seeing one too many sales reps from big-box stores come through his office that Vanloffeld thought about ways to lessen the amount of capital that was leaving the community. The operating budget was about $27 million annually, and with few businesses within the community, so much o
Business London Magazine •

Business Profile: Lukasz and Peter Drygas

They got an early start. As young boys, Peter and Lukasz Drygas helped their father with renovation work on his rental properties. They didn’t love it, but their help was needed. And they learned the value of hard work from their father, who immigrated to Canada from Poland when his twin sons were eight years old. “We were brought up renovating, so we’ve always had real estate roots in our blood,” said Peter Drygas, who today co-owns Royal Oak Homes with his brother, Lukasz.

The brothers, who s
Gameday London •

With new perspective, Walsh focused on future

Social media was abuzz last month when Skate Canada announced the 13 skaters it had chosen to compete at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. One of the choices in particular drew a lot of criticism from Canadian figure skating fans.

On the selection process as a whole, Kaitlyn Weaver, a former Olympian and Canadian champion, shared her thoughts about the ‘thrilling’ or ‘devastating’ experience Canadian skaters were feeling at the time.