Matt Dionne | Sports and Health Editor
Featured image courtesy of York Lions
Excalibur’s featured athlete for November is Milan Beader, a soccer player and first-year business and society major from Oakville, Ontario.
Beader, who is in his first year of athletic eligibility, finished tied for second on the team in scoring with seven goals, which was good enough for 15th-best in the Ontario University Athletics. Beader lead York in scoring this post-season with four goals, which accounted for 80 per cent of York’s offense in the playoffs. Beader will look to add to his scoring total this weekend when York will play for their third-consecutive Canadian Interuniversity Sport, or CIS, championship in Guelph.
Excalibur: When did you first start playing soccer?
Beader: I first started playing soccer at the age of six; I played for a local team in Hamilton, where I was born and living at the time.
E: Did you ever play anything else?
B: Yes, I used to swim [in addition to] playing soccer.
E: When did you decide you wanted to play at the CIS level?
B: I decided I wanted to play at the CIS level last year, after returning from playing in Europe. I wanted to have an opportunity to both play at a high level, and to pursue my post-secondary education in Canada.
E: Why did you decide to come to York?
B: I decided to come to York because of various people telling me a lot good things about the university, and [I was especially enticed by] the excellent soccer program Coach [Carmine Isacco] has established.
E: During your first year, what was the rookie initiation process like?
B: The rookie initiation process was very funny; most of the rookies got their heads shaved by last year’s previous rookies.
E: Did you struggle fitting in with the team, or was it an easy transition?
B: It was a very easy transition [for me]; the guys were amazing [and welcomed] me into the squad. I also came into the squad knowing a lot of the players [which] also helped the transition.
E: What’s your training schedule like?
B: Our training schedule is very busy; we have trainings every day. In [the] preseason, we had two sessions a day, which was difficult but helped us become more fit for the season.
E: Does the coach have the team follow a specific diet?
B: The coach doesn’t have a specific diet for us, he trusts his players to eat well because he knows most of us have played at a high level before coming [to] York.
E: Do you prefer to listen to music when you’re practicing or training?
B: I prefer to listen to music before or after training in the change room, but during I like to focus on the training session. I like to listen to a lot of different types of music but mostly R&B, rap and tech/deep house.
E: What is a typical week like for you, in terms of practice, playing and traveling, lifting, class, work, etc.?
B: A typical week for me would be all of the above, very busy. [We have practice] every day, mixed in with class three days a week, and games on the weekends.
E: Do you have any pregame rituals, or routines that you feel you can’t play without?
B: I don’t have any specific rituals, but I like to have the same routine on every game day, which starts as soon as I wake up in the morning.
