HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1995-01-25, Page 211 itttr> .1;1c o(itte, l,U7tuti:/ 2.), 199.j
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This Week in Sports...
• Junior 'D' hockey page 20
• Minor hockey roundup - page 21
Exeter to host provincial bonspiels in 1997
The local club will be the
site of the Master and
Colts Ontario finals
EXETER - The Exeter Curling Club put itself on
the curling map in a big way over the weekend.
John DeBlock of the local club, announced that
Exeter will be the site of both the 1997 Masters and
Colts (Junior) provincial final bonspiels.
"We bid on it about four years ago and got it.
Now we're starting to crank up for it," said De -
Block.
There will be eight teams in the Masters, 60 -and -
over; and eight teams in the colts division which is
19 -and -over.
All teams have to qualify through the zone and re-
gional structure before coming to Exeter March 26-
29, 1997.
While it may be a couple of years away, it is the
biggest curling event which the local club has host-
ed and orf which will take a good solid group of in-
dividuals to make it run smoothly.
One thing the club won't have to worry too much
about is preparing their facility. In the past four
years nearly $100,000 has been spent on everything
from insulating the ice, regrinding the rocks, new
lighting and a new paint job. Over $44,000 alone
went into work under the ice.
"We realize•we have some events coming up and
have to spend some money," said DeBlock.
OCA event: Exeter is a member of the Ontario
Curling Association and belong to Zone 15 of
which there are 13_&bs. DeBlock explained there
are 16 sanctioned OCA events during the curling
season, each with zone and regional playdowns.
On Saturday, Exeter hosted the OCA's Zone 15
Governor General's event and there were two teams
from both Exeter and Vanastra competing.
"While a lot of OCA events are double knockout,
this is single because there are so many teams," said
DeBlock.
Winning on Saturday was the Vanastra rink
skipped by Brad Falconer who forced Albert Van-
Dyken's rink to the final end. It was tied 15-15 after
nine ends before Falconer and his rink were able to
plug up the house quite nicely and managed to score
three.
Falconer's rink will now return to their own club
to play in the regionals on February 4 and the fol-
lowing day the Governor Generals finals will be
held in Brampton.
Right from the start of an event, from the first step
of the zones, it is all very good curling.
Exeter's Deneen Sebastian releases the rock during weekend action at the Exeter Curling
Club. Preparing to sweep are Bill Brock and Didi VanDyken.
"These are all competitive all the way through,"
said DeBlock. "The quality of curling is good."
VanDyken's rink included Didi VanDyken, De-
neen Sebastian and Bill Brock while the Exeter -
rink, skipped by John Smits, included Mary Lou
Thompson, John Mousseau and Barb Smits.
Locals compete for Huron Hurricanes
The county's competitive swim team has two categories and go from September to July
By Fred Groves
T -A staff
VANASTRA - The sounds of
splashing water and laughter are
usually what you hear in the sum-
mer months, not on a chilly January
morning.
In Vanastra, at the only indoor
pool in Huron County where com-
petitive swimming meets can be
held, the Huron Hurricanes raced
against themselves, the clock and
their January 15 opponent, the
Woodstock Piranhas.
There are 40 Huron County
swimmers on the team that was es-
tablished four years ago, among
them are five from the southern
county comrfiunities of Exeter,
Dashwood and Hensall.
Exeter's Tim Hundey and Greg
Roy along with Candace Becker
and Aaron Datars from Dashwood
and Julie Campbell from Hensall
are all members of the Hurricanes.
On this particular Sunday, Hun-
dey competed in the Individual
Medley which is the backstroke,
butterfly, breaststroke and the front
crawl all combined. He also does
other strokes as well.
"I'm in everything and sometimes
the relay," said Hundey who com-
petes in the boys 13-14 age divi-
sion.
When asked why he doesn't just
concentrate on one particular
stroke, Hundey said, "I think it
would be more fun to be good in all
of them."
He is a veteran member of the
team -Ng this is his third year. For
Datars and Campbell, it is their first
year and they, along with the others
from this part of the county, seem
to be doing quite well.
"We have different levels in our
club. There is a novice group and
an intermediate group," explained
coach Matt Pearson. '"They swim
anywhere from three hours to nine -
and -a -half hours a week. Some of
the kids are here five days a week."
Developmental league: Right
now the Hurricanes are in what is
called a developmental swimming
league which also includes Wood-
stock, Stratford, Burlington, Brant-
ford, Niagara Falls, New Hamburg
and Kitchener -Waterloo.
The Hurricanes have 40 swim-
mers which come from Clinton,
Wingham, Goderich and the Exeter
area. They range in age from 7 to
17. For those long practices and
early Sunday morning meets, it's a
lot,�f wear and tear on the family
se"It's a commitment on everyone's
part," said Pearson. Most of our
kids swim on summer teams in
their own community and that
helps promote our team."
Exeter, Clinton and Goderich all
have summer competitive swim -
"They swim
anywhere from
three to nine -and -
a -ha f hours per
week. Some of
these kids are
here five days
a week."
ming teams but the interest is not as
good as it is for the Hurricanes. In
the summer, pools are plentiful and
it also doubles as a way to cool off.
Not everyone is keen on working
b41 in the pool in the hot weather.
n'he kids that are here (Vanastra)
want to swim, it's not because their
parents just want to send them to
the pool for the afternoon," said
head coach Rob MacLellan.
MacLellan pointed out that the
Hurricanes is not just a program
which runs for a couple of months
and stops when the warm weather
returns.
"We start swimming in Sep-
tember. One group is done in May
and the other goes right through to
the end of July. There are two dif-
ferent categories," he explained.
"There is one that swims com-
petitive all over Ontario and the
Aqua Seven is the developmental
league."
When the Hurricanes began four
years ago, there was seven swim-
mers on the team, that grew to 24
in the sophomore season and now,
there are 40.
The Hurricanes next meet is Feb-
ruary 5 when they travel to Kitch-
ener and their next meet at the Va-
nastra pool is April 9 against
Brantford.
The following are results of Da -
tars. Hundey and Becker who com-
peted at the January 15 meet
against Woodstock
Datars, (9-10 boys): Sth, 50m
freestyle; tad, 50m backstroke;
3rd, 50m breaststroke.
Hundey, (13-14 boys): 8th, iOOm
freestyle; 8th, 100m backstroke;
8th, 100m breaststroke, 8th, 50m
butterfly.
Becker, (9-10 girl la 5tl►, 100m
fiestyle; 6th, 10(M batkstroke;
10th, 100m breaststroke; 6th, 50m
butterfly.
Campbell, (11-12 girls): 12th,
100m freestyle; 11th, 100m back-
stroke; 9th, IOOm breaststroke;
1 lth, 50m butterfly.
Julie Campbell does the backstroke in a recent swim meet
NHL is back, but keep on supporting those local players
1
l felines
1 ; I'I I (; rr r i'e%;
Just because the big boys of the National Hockey League have
settled their differences and are back on the ice with their re-
duced 48 -game schedule, dont abandon the locals.
Why there are no statistics to prove whether or pot the local
minor and junior 'D' hockey teams have gained at the gate, there
also isn't any data to show that they haven't.
It costs a lot of bucks to head to Toronto or Detroit to watch
the NHL'ers while you can go to the local pond, sit a lot closer
and pay not as much.
I. was down at the OHA Junior Development League All-Star
game in Lucan on Saturday and it was very interesting to see
just how much this league has picked up as far as enthusiasm is
concerned,
Sure there was a bar and each team sent their own cheering
session to give encouragement to their representatives, but their
was an air that this league is beginning to pick up more fan sup
port.
Since the league changed its image a few years ago, adding
the word Developmental, the growing pains seem to be over.
League officials are a little more organized and for the most
part, coaches and GM's are pleased.
Here's a name from the past for sports fans - Dave Rook.
A former goalie with the Exeter Hawks, oh I'd say going back
about 10 years ago so I'm told. is now playing professional for
the Paisley Pirates of the First Division League in England.
I came across a copy of a newspaper article from England
about Rook and coach Martin Shields says discovering Rook
was the find of the season as he is really helping the Pirates win
a few games.
Rook was born in Britian but grew up and played his junior
hockey around Exeter. It was only when he came to Scotland to
complete a college course that he got back into hockey se-
riously. Don't think raisley isn't known by Canadian hockey
fans as the Pirates recently beat the University of McGill Red -
men from Montreal 8-4.
The biggest skating event ever come to Exeter, and I'm told
with the number of participants it could be the biggest sporting
event ever to hit town, begins Friday at 10 am.
At the South Huron Recreation Centre over 570 skaters from
Huron, Oxford, Middlesex and Elgin will compete in rec
reational and competitive levels.
I remember a year ago driving over to Ingersoll for last year's
H.O.M.E. competition with Katherine Ens, then president of the
Exeter Figure Skating Club. We couldn't believe how many peo-
ple were there and how big of an event it really is.
All those involved with this year's event should be con-
gratulated for taking on such a huge undertaking and bringing
skating recognition to Exeter. To chairman Jane MacLean and
all her group, good luck I hope you are still smiling come Sun-
day night.
From the sidelines: On the subject of good luck, here's wish-
ing all the best to Exeter's Brenyn Baynahm who heads to the
Canadian Junior Indoor Field Hockey Champ • hips in Van-
couver this weekend. This past weekend the Ontario team, of
which she is a member of,won a tournament at York University
and beat a Toronto team which included Exeter native Lee
O'Rourke...Congratulations this week goes to the Lucan Juve-
nile Ice Gems who took the silver medal at the precision skating
competition in Burlington...Last week it was goalie John Miners
of the bantam AE hockey team turnipg in more shutouts, this
week its Marty. Glavin of the Nabisco Atoms who closed the
door against both Hensel! and Forest...Special thanks to Ross
Haugh for all tis work in preparing this week's special feature
for the H.O.M.E. competition..., Fond farewell to Exeter's
George Shaw who recently passed away. He played a lot of
hockey including some pro in Montreal...