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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1993-09-01, Page 17r y,� NTION GROWERS • r DEL •PICKETT ROD CUTTER PULL BEANS & WINDROWS ALL IN ONE PASS • UPDATED MODEL FOR 1993 FEATURING IMPROVEMENTS DESIGNED BY & FOR ONTARIO BEAN GROWERS... "WE LISTENED TO YOU" STEP UP TO THE "ONE STEP" TODAY! Stop In today and let Jerry, Len or Bob explain the "New Feeturw"of the 1993 Model Pickett One -Stepp" Rod Cutter BUM Silk MI EQUIPMENT - LICETER, ONTARIO Sales, Service & Rentals Since 1032 (519) FAX (519) 235.1121 1-800-265-2121 23641791 PICKETT 'Ontario s Excktssve Dealer Hawks. !rise react to • open training camps I EXETER - In Tess than a week's time both the Exeter Hawks and the Lucan Irish will be opening their training camps as the Ontario Hockey Association Junior Development League is about to begin the 1993-94 season. After completion of his first full year as both coach -general manager, George Pratt, Jr. returns behind the bench for another season. During the summer, the Hawks had some problem finding enough bodies to fill their executive positions but that has been taken care of and things are starting out on a very positive note. • The Hawks open their training camp at the Hensall Arena next Wednesday night beginning at 9 p.m. They'll go again on Thursday and the following night, travel to Seaforth to face the Centennaires in an 8:30 p.m. exhibition game start. Workouts continue on Monday, September 13 and again on Wednes- day, September 15, both from 9-11 p.m. Irish start Tuesday: Tuesday in Lucan, Irish coach Ken Needham starts putting his players through their paces and workouts will continue throughout the exhibition season. The Irish are on the ice again on Friday from 8 to 11 p.m. and Satur- day from 7 to 10 p.m. Their first pre -season contest is September 15 when they host Seaforth. Of interesting note, Clare Stanley has resigned as president of the club after 22 -years of service. Defenseman Matt Munro who spent some time with the hish last year, but mostly with the midget team has signed with the Junior 'B' Listowel Cyclones. Hockey notes...Ice will be in the South Huron Recreation Centre and ready to go by October 4...Lucan Arena will be the site of a Junior -B' exhibition game between the London Nationals and the St. Marys Lin- colns on September 8 at 8:15 p.m. J xeter Hawks nthihition _Games: • Fri. Sept. 10 •: in Seaforth, 8:30p.m. Sat. Sept. 18 - vs. Seaforth (in Hensall), 8:30 p.m. Tues. Sept. 21 - vs. Wellesley (in St. Ctemvnts) 8 pini, Fri. Sept. 24 - vs.. Wellesley (in Hensall), 8 Lucau Irish Exhibiti Gatnes: Wed: Sept. 15 - vs. Seafo t 8:15 p.m. Sun; Sept. 19 -stt o h h p.m. Wed. Sept. 22 - vs: ;`815 pat. Fri. Sept: 24 • in Tharnaft#M130 p.m. Sat. Sept. 25 - vs. Wellesley (in`St `Clements), 7:30 p.m. Sun, Sept. 26 - vs. Burford, 7:30 p.m. 1>i ed 5$pL 29 -::vs W Jet ski racing Nation's top rider rutins By Fred Groves T -A staff GRAND BEND - With the wind in their faces and water just about everywhere else - this is jet.skiing. On Sunday, dozens of racers roared through the course in Grand Bend as they prepare for the Grand Nationals Labour Day weekend in PortBtuwell. Among those putting on the wet suit and doing her thing was 31 year-old Tmcy - erbottgI- who will defend their number one rankz., ing status at the Grand Nationals. Although she lives in London, Putherbough couages rim :.Grand Bend during the summer and spends a lot of time on her jet ski in the waters of Lake Huron. "It's a great location, there's great pits right here which Archie Gibbs (owner of the main beach in Grand Bend) has looked after for us," said Putherbough between. races on Sun- day. A jet ski is a small motorized boat which has gained in popularity a great deal over the past few years. "A lot of the guys are ex - motocross racers who would rather come home wet and tired than cov- ered in mud." Putherbough, nicknamed The Terminator' is a member of the PBOUGH racing team and she has been spotlighted on TSN. Sunday's races were the last of a series of regionals across the prov- ince and in Port Burwell all racers will start with zero points meaning anyone could take over Puther- bough's Canadia Jet Ski Boating Association number one ranking in the women's expert division. She started in 1989 and since her first big race in Orillia she has been dominating the sport. "We (her and her husband) were recreational riders and we came to a race. He enjoyed it and I said 1 didn't want to sit on the beach and watch." Dedicated; Putherbough.says the reason she has became number one in such a short time is that she takes it seriously. That includes a lot of travel and being in the water every night during the summer. "A lot of the ::guys are ex -motocross racers who would rather come home wet and -tired than covered in mud" At her fust race in Orillia four years ago, Putherbough crossed the line fust but while riding it looked as though she had one knee down which was not allowed. "That was my very first race. I won it, I was very excited and4they didn't like the style I was riding. They felt my knee was too low." But that certainly didn't discou- rage her and, although this could be her last year of competitive racing, Putherbough is looking forward to heading to Japan in the fall. Kawasaki, one of the big names in jet ski racing is celebrating an anniversary with a special event in which the top male and female rac- t rs of each country will take pert. Putherbough is hoping it's her. Tracy Putherbough was one Grand Bend on Sunday. She is racer in Canada. "We go to the World Finals in Las Vegas first and then we go to Japan with all- the top world rac- ers." While the beach in Grand Bend was quite active on Sunday, Puther- bough said it wasn't as good a turn- out as expected. The reason being many racers had all the points they wanted before heading to the Grand Nationals. P"It's the last race of the year for the regionals. I think if people didn't have the points they didn't care if they raced or not." Safety is important in jet ski rac- ing and Putherbotigh explained that the jet skis are checked to make sure there is nothing banging off the bottom and to make sure the riders have the right helmets and life jackets on. "Out on the track you have to drive safely and they'll black flag you if there's any radical driving Starting one of the many races in Grand Bend on Sunday. of the many jet ski racers in the number one ranked female out there. It's a relative safe sport." And as far as retirement goes, Pu- therbough said this will be her last summer. "I'm one of the older racers on the circuit, most of them are 21 to 24. I think this will be my last year.'' a. Texas experience great for Andrew Geiger O n a farm outside of Zurich there is a haven for animals called Burnside Stables. There's cows, Chickens,a very friendly dog named Max and lots of horses that reside .on the Geiger Farm owned farm. But for the moment, the spotlight shines on one of the hors- es, Final Cheque, better known to his owner and friends as Chequer. A big, strong, good looking horse, Chequer and his owner - .rider Andrew Geiger have just retumed from one of the biggest quarter horse competitions in North America, the American Junior Quarter Horse Association championships which was held in Texas. At 17, Andrew is a veteran rider but this is the biggest event he has ever been to, as there were over 1,500 competitors some coming from Mexico and Japan. When the AJQHA championships concluded on August 14, Andrew and his family piled back into the family truck, com- plete with sleeping quarters, and made the 32 -hour trip home. Andrew brought home with him a seventh in the novice pole -bending and 13th in barrel racing. "I didn't have good runs, I was sick before the pole bending finals." There were nearly 60 other riders in each of his divisions and to make it to the final, Andrew had to finish in the top 15 to qualify. He did that in both, but admitted later he was not overly pleased with the performance of his horse. "He didn't do as well as he usually does. In the final he was running strong, he had a better run but he lost time." The reason Chequer lost time was.that•he.almost ran over one of the poles which took time off Judie form of a penalty. Chequer is a strong horse, which, prior coming to the Gei- ger Farm over three years ago was a race homegoing straight down the track. That's a big difference from weaving in and out of barrels and poles. Quarter horse competitions break down into various catego- ries. Andrew a member of the Ontario Team is a novice be- cause he accumulated 10 points in other events such as Quar- terama and the -All American Quarter Horse Congress. That's how the long trip to Texas began, with qualifying competitions and it ended with Chequer being put back into the ham after many miles under his legs. Andrew said getting Chequer -across the border and into the United States was nota problem. "We had his papers: and,zegistratiorimith him. They didn't even have to look athim." The Geigers' hauled a big four -home ler with them and made stops in.Elmira and Ottawa topiektuptorses from other Ontario team members. Once in Texas, each -rider could misiyalde the horse he or she brought - no stabsditutcs,shisisn't.dtoiaciug. Chequer had to go thmugh.aar iimpeation of sorts before each event. "Before every class they checkediiis groper*4o make sure it was actually him. Hetslg t► , that's how they can tell it's him." On any given day it would be easy.to pick Chequer out from the other horses on the Geiger farm. He's just so much bigger than the others. But down in Texas, Chequer, one of the youngest horses competing had the odd horse he had to look up to. And what's next for this talented horse -rider duo? They will head to the nearby Westem Fair and later in Octo- ber it's back to Ohio for the All American Quarter Horse Con- gress. Andrew says he's looking forward to going back to the AJQHA next year. "I'm going to try again fort year. It will be my last year as a youth." The winter will wean more Veining as Burnside Stables is equipped with a large indoor training arena for.not only Che- quer but all his friends on the Geiger farm who some day may be just like Final Cheque. 1