HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1997-01-01, Page 12r--
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Page 12 Times -Advocate, January 1, 1997
This Week in Sporty::.
' Com unity coaches sought for award - page 13
• Hawkstl Agin bug to beat Thamesford - page 14
1996 was a
old medal year for local sports
Throe, h the viewfinder
Above, The Exeter Hawks
pile up for a group photo af-
ter
fter winning the OHA Junior
Development League Cham-
pionship in April: Exeter
needed seven games to de-
feat Wellesley in the final
playoffseries clinching the
last game by one goal. It
was the first time Exeter
has won the provincial title
in 20 years.
Right; Dylan Lightfoot -looks
for the baseball during tyke
/lame last summer. Al -
hough the Peewee program
! folded due to a lack of regis-
tered players, Exeter Minor
Baseball fielded two Ban-
tam and Mosquito teams
with ali of them enjoying a
successful season.,
Below, ' a flawless perfor-
mance allowed the Exeter
Junior Classics Precision
Skating team to ,capture a
gold medal in the Western
Ontario Section Invitational
Precision Championships in
March.
Images of `96
1996 was a successful year for
local sports. The SHDHS field.
hockey team made another trip to
OFSAA, Exeter Minor Soccer As-
sociation. recorded an un-
precedented 450 kids in its pro-
gram and the two-year old indoor
program is taking off. Stephen
Township Minor Hockey Or-
ganization produced a provincial
championship atom team for the.
second year in a row, the- Exeter
Precision Skating team won the
Western Ontario Section In-
vitational and the Exeter Hawks
clinched the OHA Junior Develop-
ment crown giving Exeter its first
provincial championship in 20
years.
The following highlights pulled
from the archives of the Times -
Advocate are only some of the
many successful accomplishments
recorded by local sports organiza-
tions and athletes.
January
•The Exeter Curling Club an-
- pounces it will host the prestigious
Colts and Masters Provincial Tour-
nament in the spring of 1997. -
•The Exeter Minor Soccer As-
sociation kicks off their first indoor
soccer league for children. The Ex-
eter Fury and Exeter Centennials
mens team also form an adult
league. Organizers say the indoor
league wi)I provide players the op-
portunity to' sharpen their soccer
skills ove the winter.
•Local Martial arts and self de-
fence clubs: Loucks and Bell Ka-
rate, South Huron Martial Arts,
Bernardo Karate Academy,. Exeter
Karate School and Exeter Tae
Kwon Do pass students to higher
belt levels and see success at vari-
ous tournaments.
hebruary --
.The Exeter Petite 'C' Ringette
team -advance 'td the Western On-
tario ` Finals. The Lucan peewee
team win the Chesley Ed Goodwin
Memorial Tournament for the sec-
ond year in a row.
•Senior bowlers, Ron Dann and
11
Jim Bedard teamed up with Bantam
bowlers Corey Ducharme and
3.Shawn O'Brien to compete in the
Kids and Golden agers Provincial
Tournament.
•TheExeter Molting Hawks old-
timers hockey club retired Al
Flynn's jersey number (#2) to ac-
knowledge his -life-long commit-
ment to the sport.
March
•A flawless performance earned
the Exeter Junior Classics Precision
Skating team a gold medal in the
Western Ontario Section In-
vitational Precision Championships
held in Exeter.
•Local swimmers Courtney Oke
from Exeter, and Danielle and Mel-
anie Culbert from -Zurich make a
big splash at the Provincial Short
Course Swim Meet held in Ottawa
winning a number of gold, silver
and bronze medals.
•Over 100 skater perform in front
of a live audience as the Exeter Fig-
ure Skating Club hosted .their an-
nual carnival. The two-hour skating
extravaganza was performed to mu-
sic by the legendary Beatles.
April
•The Exeter Hawks defeat
Wellesley in the seventh and final.
game of the All -Ontario Junior De-
velopment Championship series
bringing the provincial title to Exet-
er for the first time in 20 years.
•SHDHS principal William Gerth
and vice principal Keith Allan take
on coaching positions to save the
school's track and field program.
•The Stephen Township atoms
win gold at the A11 -Ontario cham-ty for a. second year- in a
row, the peewees also made their
second appearance in the provincial
finals winning silver. The Zurich
Thunder midget hockey team also
wins silver at the 'All -Ontario fi-
nals. .
May '
•Theeter Express Senior Mens
Baseball team brake away from the
Great Lakes League to help form a
more competitive South Western
Ontario Senior Mens Biseball
League sanctioned by the OBA'.
'Exeter joins Dashwood, Zurich,
Grand Bend and Grand Cove 'Es-
tates in hosting the 1926 Huron -
Perth Middlesex Senior Games.
•Two local anglers placed first
and third at the Grand Bend Sal-
mon and Trout Fishing Derby.
Dwight Sheppard from Dashwood
-hooked into a 21.32 Ib. salmonto
win the Derby and Teresa Brenner
from Grand Bend landed a 19.25
Ib. salmon placing third.
June
•South Huron District High
School hands out 85 awards at their
annual athletic banquet to rec-
ognize the school's top athletes.
•The Lucan Irish Junior 'D' hock-
ey organization dismiss head coach
Scott Bogart after a two-year tenure
with the club. He is replaced by
new head coach George Pratt..
'Shelly McInnis from the Mount
Carmel area represents Grand Bend
Motorplex at the Buick Race Day
in Ohio where she beats eight other
drivers in the womens division.
July
•The Exeter Imperials fastball
team overcome the odds to beat
arch rivals Mitchell 4-3 at the On-
tario Junior Mens Fastball Elimina-
tions Tournament where they
placed 12th overall.
•Hundreds of spectators lined up
along the pier in Grand Bend to see
20 off -shore racing boats par-
ticipate in the third annual Lake
Huron Poker Run.
•Area golf clubs enjoyed a busy
year as five local golfers hit a rare
hole -in -one. Dwayne McNab from
Hensall; Al Taylor, and Jim Lewis
from Exeter; Bob Deane and Dave
McLeod from Grand Bend all made
the remarkable shot within weeks
of each other.
August
•Josh Watson receives the Town
Plaque for his success at OFSAA
,where he won a gold medal in the
1,500 wheelchair event.
air Continued on page 13
Big kick. Lisa Neeval practices her kicking during a tyke soccer game last sdmmer. The Ex-
eter Minor Soccer Association had a record breaking ye r as 450 kld9 registered to play.
The newly formed indoor soccer league has also been mehvith success.