Better Know a Mountie: Sue Seaborn

Capturing Mount Allison for the past 32 years.

8616360891_e7cbb14716If there’s been an event in the past thirty-two years at Mount Allison, chances are Sue Seaborn has been there covering it. The Sports Information Director as well as a Communications Officer in Marketing and Communications, Seaborn’s photos have been all over Mt. A, the Maritimes, and Canada for years.

“My complete job description is rather all-inclusive,” she explains. “For Athletics, it includes gathering information about all of our athletes and passing it all on to the various governing bodies, fans, and the media all season.” This data includes head shots, player information, media and digital signage, web content, game day programs, results, and of course action photos.

Seaborn takes thousands of action shots a year, and says it is something she really enjoys doing.

“I enjoy trying to get good action shots of our athletes doing their thing,” she says. “It still excites me when their hometown papers publish my photos. If I can get photos and related info to all parts of Canada and beyond, I consider it free advertising for Mt. A.”

One of her favourite action shots is a close-up of All-Canadian basketball player Josh Graham, which was printed in full colour on a half-page of the Saint John Journal.

“As long as the photos are in focus, filled with lots of emotion, effort and success, and display the big old Flying A or Mounties’ insignias across our uniforms, then they are my favourites,” Seaborn said.

As if that wasn’t enough for her, she spent tewnty-two years as the head coach of the Women’s Volleyball Mounties, from 1981-2003. In 1989-90, Seaborn led the Mounties to the Atlantic Universities Athletics Association (AUAA, now the AUS) championship and a berth in the national tournament, a moment she says is her favourite in her time at Mt. A.

“Winning the AUAA against Moncton in our jam-packed gym was something we collectively had worked so hard to achieve,” recalls Seaborn.

She adds that her smartest move was getting Andrew Kennedy involved with coaching the volleyball Mounties. Kennedy is now the head coach, and has been for three ACAA championship Mountie teams. “I left the program in great, honest, hard-working hands!”

Seaborn has seen her fair share of influential athletes put on the Mountie uniform in her thirty-two years at Mt. A, but says nobody had the impact that star football player Eric Lapointe had.

“Eric not only made a really big impact through his play and ability as a Mountie, but through his continued level of prominence. He has remained a Mt. A icon beyond the CIS and into the professional ranks, and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. His celebrity status continues to put Mt. A on the map.”

Seaborn also praised the influence of the current Athletic Director. “Pierre Arsenault’s efforts to unite our athletes through standardization of their sports gear, uniforms, and commitments have made an impact and have our athletes, coaches, administrators and fans thinking the same way and believing in similar values. Hence, the ‘family’ emerges,” she says.

“I think a new belief has emerged over the past couple of years that our Mounties understanding that we may be small in numbers, but there is great pride in knowing that it takes a really successful person to multi-task like our athletes do so well.”

Seaborn will be busy over the next month in preparation for Convocation Weekend, but rest assured she will be taking plenty more action photos in the 2013-14 Mounties’ seasons.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Articles