Unique Laurier homecoming atmosphere brings together fans, different sports alike

In the leadup to Wilfrid Laurier University's homecoming clash against the McMaster Marauders on Saturday, star quarterback Taylor Elgersma is conjuring up images of Golden Hawks football history.

In a 60-21 rout of the Guelph Gryphons on Sept. 9, the second-year playerthrew six touchdown passes, which ties 2015 starting quarterback Eric Morelli and 1991 Vanier Cup champion Bill Kubas for the most in a game in program history.

Many of those players that have laid the foundation for Laurier football,will be right back on the field at University Stadium in Waterloo, Ont., this weekend to embrace the newest generation of Golden Hawks one that has helped produce Laurier's first 4-0 start in 16 years.The game will be streamed live at 1 p.m. ET on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.

"We take the extra step here, which might make it unique for our alumni that do come back," Laurierhead coach Michael Fauldstold CBC Sports. "Oftentimes, we allow them in the locker room to hear the pre-game speech.

Faulds himself is no stranger to football history, completing a five-year career at Western University in 2009 as U Sports' all-time leader in career passing yards, before being eclipsedby Jrmi Roch of Sherbrooke and Noah Picton of Regina since taking the head coaching job at Laurier in 2013.But he also has a unique understanding of the Laurier community as a rival.

"What I kept remembering [when applying to the Laurier head coaching position] was standing on the sidelines as an opposing player and thinking, 'Wow, this is a really cool place to be,'"said Faulds, who was the starting quarterback for Western in Laurier's 2006 homecoming win, the year after the Golden Hawks capturedtheir second Vanier Cup title.

While Western (with roughly 40,00 students) and York University (nearly 60,000 students) will also be celebrating their respective homecoming events this weekend also to be streamed live on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem Laurier's more modest student count of roughly 20,000 has its benefits, particularly a homecoming event.

WATCH | Laurier coaches on importance of homecoming:

Wilfrid Laurier University coaches reflect on importance of homecoming

12 months ago

Duration 1:02

Coaches from Wilfrid Laurier University explain why homecoming is not just another game for players and students.

"Here at Laurier some of your classroom sizes are no different than high school," said Faulds. "For our student athletes, when they walk across campus, they're recognizing these professors and other student athletes, whether it's soccer players, hockey players, basketball players.

"No better example of that is homecoming weekend, when you see smiling faces, energetic people, rekindling friendships sometimes from four years ago."

Laurier sports continuing, creating traditions

Rekindling friendships is something that Laurier women's basketball head coach Paul Falco has made part of an annual routine on homecoming weekend since 2009.

Every year during the week of homecoming roughly a month before the Ontario University Athletics basketball season kicks off Falco hosts the LaurierWomen's Basketball Alumni Game at the Laurier Athletic Complex, which features alumni playing head to head against the current roster.

"It's a chance to get as many people back as possible to play and share their stories from when they played with our young team," said Falco to CBC Sports. "It's good to pass the torch and hopefully they can do whatever they can to help the new team as well."

By no means is the game just a friendly match between the old and the new, with the game serving as a ramp-up for the pre-season schedule the Golden Hawks launch into afterwards.

"We've had some alumni games that have been pretty intense," said Falco. "I know the alumni beat us one year, I won't forget that one. But I think it's a sign that the program is doing well."

While the women's basketball team's alumni game is a well-oiled machine, men's soccer head coach Mario Halapir is hoping to create a homecoming tradition of his own with his club on Friday before they take on the Marauders.

An integral part of the Laurier soccer community for decades alongside current women's head coach Barry MacLean, Halapir has served as the men's team coach since 2008.

With the team sitting strong in second in the OUA West standings, along with having a brand new stadium to play which was helped made possible in part due to significant gifts from the Wilfrid Laurier University Alumni Association, the timing to start a new tradition seemed apt.

"I think it's very much long overdue," Halapir toldCBC Sports. "The main objective was to bring together the alumni with the current squad, and provide that support in many different categories, not just the financial end, but also the mentorship part."

The turnout for the men's soccer alumni game is sitting at 40 registrants and still evolving, with one team in particular leading the way:the 2008 provincial champs.

"After our captain Matt Smith passed away [in 2020, the team] got together after that tragic event. It's a credit to Matt and his spirit that kick-started this event. We started getting together once a month playing pickup and trying to figure out how do we go from here?

"So I shared my desire to get an alumni game going and that team always was and always will be a great character team. And I think it was an ideal sort of platform to use to get this going, and they were very instrumental and very supportive. They still are."

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