To say it was a big moment for Nicholas Boole would be an understatement.
鈥淚t was the best feeling I鈥檝e ever had,鈥� says Nicholas, co-captain of the 2016 Rowe School of Business JDC Central team. He鈥檚 talking about when his team learned it had won the case competition鈥檚 Academic Cup.
The Rowe School has a history of strong performance at JDCC, the largest competition of its kind in Central and Eastern Canada, but this year the team outdid itself. The victory marks the first time the Rowe School has taken home the overall first prize (the Academic Cup) since the event鈥檚 inception in 2010.
As well, the team鈥檚 Marketing team placed first in its stream and the Business Strategy team placed third. Rowe student Adrian Hutcheson was named JDCC Volunteer of the Year and the Rowe sports team won the Sportsmanship Award.
Varied skills, big wins
The competition which moves from city to city each year, has undergraduate business students participate in case competitions in eight academic streams as well as in categories such as sports and debate. This year鈥檚 Rowe team, made up of approximately 40 students, made the long bus trip to Toronto to compete against 13 schools from Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes on January 8-10. It was a weekend of presentations requiring focus, preparation and energy. The event culminated in an awards ceremony at the closing gala.
Nicholas and his co-captain, Casey Gallagher, vividly recall the gala announcement where their team was announced as the overall champion..
鈥淓veryone was cheering around Casey and me and it took me a minute to be, like, 鈥榊eah, this actually happened,鈥欌�� says Nicholas.
鈥淭hey had to play our song three times because we wouldn鈥檛 get off the stage,鈥� adds Casey. 鈥淭hey took a picture that was only supposed to be Nick and me, but the whole team joined us.鈥�
Team spirit was a theme for the Rowe School in this year鈥檚 competition. 鈥淭his was the tightest team we鈥檝e ever been a part of,鈥� says Nicholas. 鈥淓veryone had each other鈥檚 backs.鈥� Casey says team members came to all events to support each other, filling the presentation rooms.
The co-captains, both both in the fourth year of Commerce degrees, had participated in JDCC in the past, but this was their first year as captains.
鈥淚 competed two years ago on the Business Strategy team and we won,鈥� says Casey. 鈥淚t really changed my university career and my professional career. It still comes up in every job interview. And I thought since I鈥檇 had that success I could bring it to others, because I know what it takes to get to the top.鈥�
Nicholas initially came to JDCC as a basketball player competing in the sports category, and loved the way the event combines competitiveness with support of other schools. 鈥淚 wanted to become captain to take Dal to the next level,鈥� he says.
Pride and accomplishment
Florence Tarrant, faculty advisor to the team, accompanied the students to Toronto. 鈥淚 am very proud of them,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey were very well prepared and presented their cases with confidence and poise.鈥�
Dr. Tarrant notes that nine Rowe students were invited by judges and sponsors to a VIP reception, and that the weekend resulted in preliminary job interviews for some students. 鈥淚t just goes to show what type of people we have at this school,鈥� says Casey. 鈥淭hey come off as level-headed and interesting with great networking and social skills.鈥�
鈥淭hese students clearly demonstrated this weekend why they are the future leaders of business,鈥� adds Dr. Tarrant, who on behalf of the team thanks the Rowe faculty and staff who helped prepare the students over the past four months. The students echo the sentiment and especially thank Dr. Tarrant herself: 鈥淣ot only did she coach two teams, she was present as much as she could be,鈥� says Casey.
After nine months of work鈥攖he co-captains started the administrative side of their job last May鈥攁nd one exhausting weekend during which they got about six hours of sleep, Nicholas and Casey are grateful for the experience and their teammates.
鈥淣ick and I are getting a lot of recognition right now, but it was really them too at the end of the day,鈥� says Casey.
Nicholas says being a captain was the most rewarding experience he鈥檚 ever had.
鈥淓veryone on the team got along like they were best friends,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t was amazing to see. Our success was the result of a team effort. The countless hours of hard work of all of the Rowe competitors, from sports to debate to the academic streams, shone through in that Academic Cup.鈥�
The Rowe School of Business team鈥檚 podium finishes:
First Place, Academic Cup
First Place, Marketing: Kelly Hawa, Samantha Loren, Corlyn Turner
Third Place, Business Strategy: Luke Bradica, Steph Kitchen, Lucas MacFayden
Sportsmanship Award: Jessie Blanchard, Megan Ferris, Jefferson Guest, Brett Hunt, Barbara Jenkinson, Matthew Main, Torsten Palmer, Davis Taylor
Volunteer of the Year Award: Adrian Hutcheson
School MVP Award: Connor Ross