The inter-faculty bowling championships are fast approaching, and this year the team representing our very own University of Toronto TAs and contract instructors has high hopes for victory. Hours of work have been put into preparation for the tournament, and members of the squad say they are ready for action.

The team captain, Ralph Picket, says the lineup is the best they’ve had in a long time.

“We’re more than ready for this,” he said as he laced up his shoes before a practice. “We work extremely hard at what we do, and at this point, we’re in a position to negotiate a win.”

The trophy hasn’t gone to CUPE 3902 since 2000, when a gruelling three and a half hour match yielded a 319-314 victory over the TAs from the University of Guelph. There are of course, limits to how long the match can go on, but it is unclear how long the team will be away this year.

What the team really want, though, is more support. “The students seem to know who we are,” says Picket. “As I polished my 10 pound Elite while walking out of my Anthropology tutorial the other day, the students hardly seemed surprised, but no one wished me good luck. All they want to know is whether I’ll still be able to mark their labs.”

The team seems to be in good shape, but at this point it is still very unclear whether or not they’ll be able to achieve their goals. The administrative team has been an oppressive opponent for many years, and without perfect strikes   they have no chance to win.