Huron Expositor, 2006-08-09, Page 15Sports
The Huron Expositor • August 9; 2006 Polls 15 .
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Local rugby players head to Ottawa for Summer Games
Jeff Heuchert
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A .strong local contingent
of players from the area are
spending a few days this
week in Ottawa, where
they're competing in the
2006 . Ontario Summer
Games.
Juliet Veens and Tanya
Costello, both of Seaforth
and Ashley Bruxer, of
Hensall, are all members of
the Southwestern rugby
team, which forms every
two years solele to compete
in ' the Summer Games
competition.
The team, made up of
roughly 25 girls, has
players from as far south as
London and as far north as
Kincardine.
With years of rugby
experience from St. Anne's
Secondary School, where all
three have attended, the
girls know how to play.
However, only Bruxer has
played for the
Southwestern team before -
two years ago at the
Summer Games in London.,
"There's a lot of really
strong tacklers," said
Bruxer, 18, in an interview
prior to leaving for Ottawa.
"The girls that play there
know the game really well,
so you can't catch them off
guard like you can in high
school rugby."
"They're big and strong -
It's scary," she added.
Yet, even with that
warning, confidence and
expectations were high
among the three girls.
"I'm just looking forward
to the ,experience," said
Costello, 17, "and getting to
hit a few players," she
added with a grin.
"I don't mind coming home
with a few proud bruises."
"It's going to be tough,"
noted Veens, 16, of the
competition.
In the round-robin stage of
the Games, Southwestern
will play teams from
Niagara, Toronto and
Eastern Ontario.
Aside from the trip to
Ottawa, joining the
Southwestern rugby team
presented the girls with the
perfect opportunity to keep
playing rugby throughout
the summer.
"I wanted to keep playing
rugby because I wanted
something else to do in the
summer besides work," said
Bruxer.
"And there's no where else
to play (rugby) around here
(in _the , summer)," pointed
out Veens.
Since the team was
formed back in mid-June,
the girls have only gotten
together for two practices
and a couple exhibition
games - hardly enough time
you'd think to build any
team chemistry.
However, the girls said
that -is not -a concern of
theirs heading into Ottawa.
"We're pretty good
considering we just met
each other," said Veens.
"Usually if you don't know
your players you'd be off a
bit, but we're good with our
rucking and mauling,"
added Costello.
Bruxer explained that the
team had been struggling to
find a team they could play
against for practice, and
that they had to resort to
playing inter -squad
matches.
But they did get one
challenge before leaving,
during an exhibition game
with a club team from
Waterloo, which
Southwestern won 7-0.
The Games run from Aug.
9-13, and are host to over
3,000 athletes under the age
of 22, competing in over 19
sports.
Jeff
Heuchert photo
Three local girls heading to Ottawa include, from left to right,
Juliet Veens, of Seaforth; Ashley Bruxer, of Hensall and Tanya
Costello, of Seaforth.
Strong local showing at Motocross Championships
Jeff Heuchert
A crowd of around 25,000
spectators is expected to
converge upon Walton in a
few weeks time for the
Transcan National
Motocross Championships.
The four-day event, which
runs from August 17-20 at
the Walton Motocross
grounds, draws around 750
of North America's best
amateur and professional
riders each year, says Chris
Lee, whose family owns and
operates the grounds.
"It's the biggest outdoor
motocross event in Canada,"
says Lee. "Anyone whose
anyone in motocross will be
here."
"And, we're one of the top
two events in Huron County
each year," he says, the
other the being the Mopar
Canadian Nationals, held
annually at the Grand
Bend Motoplex.
Local riders competing
include Josh Shea, of
Seaforth, in the 80 (12-16
and Super Mini classes;
Scott Vande Borne, of
Egmondville, in the 125
Junior and GP Junior
classes; Brett Lee, of
Egmondville, in the Vet
Master class and Tyler
Listman, of Kinburn, in the
80 (12-16) and Super Mini
classes.
Also competing from
Walton is James Emmrich
in the Youth 14-24 class,
Bruce Godkin in the +40
class, Mitchell Godkin in
the 50 Peewee (7-8) and 60
Peewee (7-11) classes and
Lucas Godkin in the 50
Peewee (7-8) class.
Lee says, while most of
the racers will come from
Canada, some competitors
will be attending from the
United States and Mexico.
Among the competitors,
are some of the most
recognizable names in the
motocross world, including
Blair Morgan, a silver and
gold medalist at the X
Games and Jean Sebastian
Roy, a five -time national
motocross champion.
And, according to Lee,
"They're all 'getting spanked
by this young guy named
Dusty Klatt," who Lee
confirms will also be
competing in Walton.
Coincidently, Klatt's first
amateur victory came in
Walton five years ago.
The races are split among
two classes, the amateurs
and pros.
Lee explains that the
amateurs competed in
qualifying races across
Canada to earn a spot in
Walton.
"They'll be arriving on the
Tuesday (August 15) and
competing on the
Wednesday through
Saturday," says Lee.
"And that will decide the
national amateur
champions."
The pro class racers are
split into two groups, the
MX 1 class, which includes
the larger bikes and the MX
2 class, which Lee describes
as "a little like amateurs."
After each class has been
narrowed down, over two
days of racing (August 19-
20), the best from each
group will race against each
other.
"It's a shootout between
the two. It's the only place
where the top racers from
the two go head to head,"
Lee says.
In addition to the races,
spectators can take in an
array of other ' event going
on around the grounds, such
as bingo, a scavenger hunt
and helicopter rides.
There will also be a paint
ball field set up by the
SXPL, a professional
paintball league. For the
price of admission, you can
take a break from the races
to watch, and as Lee says,
"not have to worry about
getting hit."
Admission for adults on
the Thursday and Friday is
$10, $20 on the Saturday
and $25 on Sunday for the
pro class finals. Kids get in
for half price and pre-
schoolers get in for free.
Tickets will be available
daily at the front gate.
For more information on
the upcoming event, visit
www.waltontranscan.ca