Athletic director Darren Cates | ||
University Royal Military College of Canada Association Canadian Interuniversity Sport Conference Ontario University Athletics Location Kingston, Ontario, Canada Varsity teams Basketball, Cross Country, Fencing, Hockey, Rugby, Running, Soccer, Taekwondo, Volleyball | ||
The Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins are the athletic teams that represent Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Team colours are red and white. Its facilities include: Kingston Military Community Sport Centre (KMCSC) with seating for 3737; Navy Bay fields with seating for 800; Constantine Arena with seating for 1500 and the Birchall Pavilion.
Varsity Sports Program
RMC has a long-standing tradition of competing in a multitude of sports, often with great success, especially given the small size of the institution (1200 students). In 2002 however, the then commandant of the college, RAdm Morse, made the very controversial decision to greatly scale back the Varsity sports program. This was done with the stated goal of increasing the competitiveness of the remaining sports by consolidating the skilled athletes. Also stated was a desire to encourage teamwork and leadership that would be necessary for cadets once they left the college.
This move was wildly unpopular within the student body of the college, and amongst ex-Cadets, as it left many students who were very competitive in a sport of their choice without a means to participate. Among the teams cut were Men's and Women's Rugby union, Track and Field, Swimming, Rowing, Biathlon and Karate; while the college kept the Hockey, Soccer, Volleyball, Basketball, Taekwondo and Fencing teams.
In 2004, the College revisited their decision, and after a great deal of lobbying on the part of RMC alumni, and an enormous show of support from the student body, they brought back the Men's Rugby team at the Varsity level.
The Paladins currently compete in five sports in the Ontario University Athletics Association (OUA):