Times Advocate, 1992-07-01, Page 13Track and field
O'Rourke to continue career
By MichellekEllision
T -A Staff
DASHWOOD - It is always a feeling of accomplishment for coaches to
see a former protege succeed, past the usual secondary school level of
athletic competition, to a national calibre.
Former South Huron District High School student,
Lee O'Rourke has continued to make people sit back
and feel proud they were even a small part of the lad-
der to success for such an athlete.
Seeing O3ieauke being considered as an athlete on the
same level as Canadian stars Ben Johnson and Angela
Taylor last weekend at the Canadian Olympic Track and
Field trials in Montreal would have been one of those
moments.
O'Rourke attended the national meet for the triple
jump event placing sixth. Rumours that Dashwood
may have an Olympic athlete on their hands flourished
when ORourke was ranked first going into the event, but
the women's triple jump will not be considered an event
at this summers games.
For O'Rourke, "it was just another meet," at a na-
tional level. The first place ranking was even a sur-
prise for the University of Western Ontario student,
who represented the York University Track Club.
She had placed second in the Canadian lnter-
Collegiate Athletic Union meet in the spring.
A jump of 11.88 metres, not far off her personal best
of 11.97 metres, gave her the sixth place finish in Mon-
treal.
"I jumped it on my first jump so in the aid I was up-
set because I usually get better as I go," said
O'Rourke.
The experience was an eye-opener for O'Rourke.as
well.
"It's neat to go just to see everyone. You get to
talk to all the big wigs and you realize they're normal
people," she said.
Athletics always has been the nam for
O'Rourke. After graduating from South Huron as
the top athlete and collecting an armful of tro-
phies, she continued her athletic career at Western
on both the varsity field hockey and track and field
set the record for the women's triple jump in her first year and continued
to break her own record several times.
To acknowledge her success as an outstanding varsity athlete, O'Rourke
has received many awards. The prestigious Purple Blanket Award was
presented to her after the 1990/91 season for athletic achievement and in-
volvement at Western and the Don Wright award for her continued suc-
cess over four years at the Don Wright track and field meet. She was also
named the MVP for the track and field team for four of five years and
Rookie of the year for field hockey.
O'Rourke fords the combination of team and in-
dividual sport contribute to a well-rounded ath-
lete. While she admits she thinks, "team sports
are a lot more fun," and she enjoys the team in-
ter- dependence, she finds the mental motivation
involved in her track and field events a healthy al-
ternative.
She also feels the balance of extra -curricular athletics
and academics is important in post -secondary education.
"If I had just straight school it would be boring," she
said. "You have another outlet and it makes the year go a
lot faster."
Presently, O'Rourke continues to follow a training schedule
at home given to her by her coach Vicki Croley to prepare for
the Canadian National meet in British Columbia in August.
O'Rourke says that although the standards for this summer's
meet are low, the York club has been forced to raise their standard
because of lack of funds to 12.20 metres for athletes to qualify.
She hasn't jumped that as of yet but is confident she will.
After graduating from teacher's college this year, she is hoping
to find a secondary school teaching position for the fall but
says her options are definitely open if she doesn't. She
can continue to train with the York club or may even
have the opportunity to coach the team as well.
Either way, she makes it clear she has no plans
to hang up her spikes because her university
days are over.
"I'm not ready to give it up:" she confesses.
Hopes for the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta,
Georgia are not out of the question, says
O'Rourke, provided the women's triple jump
event becomes an exhibition event and she is
still competing.
Despite the: increased pressure and competi-
tion she has faced at the national level, O'Rourke
still maintains a level-headed perspective about what is important in sport.
"I don't know where it's going or how far I'll go, but it's fun," she says.
Throughout her five years at university, where she
obtained an Honours degree in Physical Education with
a minor in science and her teaching certificate from Althouse College, she
Photo by
Peter Thompson
Recreation '92
Registration way down at Huron Park pool
HURON PARK - School is out
for the summer and the four area
pools are already into their swim-
ming lessons.
While the pool in Kirkton reports
good numbers as far as registration
is concerned, things aren't so rosey
in Huron Park.
Karen Buchanan, supervisor of
the Huron Park pool said (he first
session which is currently under-
way has less than .20 .participants
which is way down from 59 a year
ago.
The second session which had 49
swimmers last year is at 26 and the
third session is a bong way from
filling up.
In 1991, the Huron Park Pool un-
derwent a major $40000 renova-
tion and this year the Centralia -
Huron Park Lions Club helped do-
nated towards a new pool blanket
to keep the water at a nice warm
temperature.
But according to %Kilauea num-
bers don't seem to be picking up.
"We're losing a lot of our town-
ship kids."
She noted one reason why there
seems to be a big decrease.
"It's happening everywhere.
There are 36 new backyard pool
lessons in Southwestern Ontario
this year."
While there is no increase in cost
for the sessions, length of the ses-
sions have dropped from three to
two weeks.
.Huron .Pack Pool .is once again
offering both Redcross and Royal
Life saving programs.
We'reMovingJuly 6, 1992 ...
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Kirkton: This stems to be a very
popular spot to not only take swim
lessons but participate in several
water activities.
The first and second sessions arc
filled with the third one drawing
lots of participants as well.
At the Kirkton pool, they plan on
having a Sports Olympics day later
.this month as well as Aqua Fitness
and underwater hockey.
Continued on page 16
It•s Eric's
turn to sh
Edc, Eric, Btic.
I can almost ima-
gine Mrs. Lindros
pleading with her
son to come in out of the
cold.
But little did she know
while untleing the lads extra
large size skates;; rhe would
not only become the centre of
attention in the sporting world but he would make a battery of
lawyers and high ranking advertising reps stand up and beg.
�jt's beginning to seem that dozens of executives in their ex -
pe a suits am simply becoming Lindros' groupies.
A1th gh I have joked around the office here he should be
traded to China for three bowls of rice (and maybe some
chopsticks), let's face facts.
He's good, real good.
Sports is no longer the thrill of victory and the agony of de-
feat anymore. It's big, big business.
Once Lindros pulls on the jersey of an NHL club, and signs
on the dotted line, hockey will change instantly.
He won't have to wait a few years to get the big contract. He
won't have to watch while other players on other teams rise W
stardom.
No waiting for Lindros.
While the primary goal in hockey is winning the Stanley
Cup, its just as important to fill the amna. The quickest way
of doing that is bringing in a big name - like Lindros.
At the Gardens in Toronto, a big name isn't necessary, nor
is winning a lot of games. The gentlemen who sit high in the
house of Harold know what they are doing.
No big name, nobody capable of winning a Stanley Cup,
who cares the building is sold out every night. Hockey is big
business, it's about making money, not losing it.
When Lindros joins his new team he'll be the greatest thing
to hit the NHL since Bobby Orr.
You •remember him, the kid from Parry Sound who was
watched since he was an adolescent. The Bruins knew he was
going to be a great one and he was.
While Mario Lemieux had to wait for Wayne Gretzky to
bow out gracefully from the spotlight and wait until the Pitts-
burgh Penguins built a team around him, Lindros won't have
to wait.
' Just like Orr and the Bruins, the team Lindros plays on will
already have the talent to build a contender. Even if he was to
go and play in Quebec (there are worse places like Anchor-
age, Alaska), there are a few good players there now.
Hockey, in my opinion has room for only one superstar.
The person everyone looks to for answers.
When the NHL players were in the midst of their strike, it
quickly become ratified when Gretzky got involved.
Some day, Lemieux will be carrying the torch and even af-
ter that it could be someone else.
I don't think Lindros is the man the NHL can hang their hats
on. He's too worried about himself, his ego will get in the way
of keeping the game going.
Sorry son, that's the way I see it.
There are such things as natural hockey players; the kind
Clod looked down upon wilettey Were clung a stick in
their crib,
Howe, Orr and Gretzky fit into that mould.
With his huge size and strength, Lindros is the type of guy
that if, he didn't have the raw talent could make it anyway be-
cause he just bulldozes his way around the ice.
It's funny to sec the change in size of players over the last
25 years.
Nobody who towers over 6'5" like Lindros would have
thought of being an NHLer 25 years ago.
But players are bigger and faster now.
Lindros may not be a novelty in the few short years to
come. Who knows, maybe hockey will soon be a place where
the little guy under six feet may be an outcast. -
I'd like to say Lindros should wait his turn to get the huge
salary, Brett Hull had to. But this is big business and Lindros
is going for everything he can gel.
Attention, money and perhaps a spot in the Hockey Hallof
Fame.
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