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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1996-03-27, Page 14This Week in Sports... • Karate team fighting - page 16 • Stephen Atoms and Peewees race for championship - page 15' • The Exeter Junior CJai tleles •Precision skating team captured a gold medal in the Sectlons Invitation*Precision halilpf. onship hosted by Elceter at the South Huron Recreation Centre on Saturday. The Classics skated flawlessly during their second routine to bring them from third to first place in the competition. Exeter Classics win gold Exeter's Junior Classics Precision skating team places first in Western Ontario Section Invitational [held in Exeter EXETER - If you ask any of the 20 girls on Exeter's precision skat- ing team what could be better than winning a gold medal; they'll say winning it in front of their home crowd. The Exeter Junior Classics won the Western Ontario Sections In- vitational Precision Championship at the South Huron Recreation Cen- tre on Saturday. Exeter hosted the prestigioiis competition featuring some - f,the best •precision skaterstin A , total of :39 teasnq-prtt9[lcipated in competitive or recreational events in Juvenile, Novice, Junior and Adult categories that took a full day and a portion of the evening to complete. Preliminary competition began at 9 a.m. and after the first round, the Exeter Classics competed against teams from Elora, Chatham, Port Stanley, St. Marys, Aylmer- Tillsonburg and Copper Cliff in the Junior "B" division. A wrong turn by one of the skat- ers landed Exeter in third place, just two points behind the first place Port Stanley Junior Waves and only one point behind the Ma- ple City Ice Crystals from Chat- ham. However, Exeter executed a flaw- less performance during their sec- ond skate impressing judges and spectators alike propelling them into first place. Their gold medal performance didn't come as a surprise to team manager Beth McGee. "I 'was definitely proud but I wasn't �su��r prised, I knew,they could • do it,' agiMcGee. After 'b`solid first 'number, the Classics knew' first was in reach and their spectacular performance later in the day was enough to con- vince judges they deserved top hon- ors. • "They skated well in the morning but the second skate was much bet- ter. The girls even said it felt right," said McGee. Shonyn Baynham, co -captain for the Exeter Classics said they were still trying to iron out some of the rough spots in their routine when they entered the invitational. "This was a big surprise. At practice we couldn't seem to pull it together but we did in competition. I think we perform better under pressure," said Baynham. The Exeter Mini -Classics in the juvenile division also participated. The young skaters didn't win a medal, however, they placed fourth in the silver finals, im- proving from a sixth place finish earlier in the day. Baynham said the Juvenile team was just as thrilled and excited ask the,•plder girls about the Exeter Classics winning,gold, . The Classics are coached by Lau. rie Loosley and the Mini -Classics , are coached by Dawn McAdams. It was the first time Exeter hosted' the invitational in 10 years and many of the local skaters appreciat- ed having friends and family mem- bers watching them. For others, it was the first time they have seen precision skating which is similar to figure skating. But the strong team element sets it apart and a successful routine de- pends upon many skaters working together. Precision skating is a visually im- pressive team sport involving groups of skaters performing cho- reographed routines to music while executing a series of intricate foot- work and a variety of manoeuvres to cover the entire ice surface. A combination of creative cho- reography, music and costumes gives the sport its artistic appeal. The Classics skated to a classical piece and incorporate a water theme. Their blue and aqua colored costumes complemented the theme and their introduction, simulating ocean waves, was creative and ef- fective.,,- , . The popularity of precision skat- ing among Exeter skaters will no doubt be on the rise as the gold medal win raises the profile of the sport. McGee is already looking forward to next year but for now she and the rest of the Exeter skat- ers are enjoying the end of a very successful season. "This was a fantastic year. We should end every season like this," she said. If the Chir Chris Skalkos T -A staff EXETER - 1 received a parcel last week I hoped would never arrive. A special delivery I prayed would somehow get lost in transit. But it did come, priority courier first class and was handed to me in person. Folded neatly inside a plastic bag was a Listowel Cyclones Juvenile hockey jersey. Fire engine red with bold black lettering and smelling like it came fresh out of the locker room, I put on the diadful sweater and wore it for the next five days. I'm not a fan of the hockey club nor do I personally know anyone on the team. Heck, I've never even been to Listowel. Wearing the jersey stems from an act of stupidity bearing the cfdlittequence of humility. T other words, i was at the IO end of a bet gone bad. j * Nl started when the Exeter Chiefs advanced to the "BB" Juvenile semi-finals. They were matched up against the Listowel Cyclones. It just so happens that the Times -Advocate has an affiliate newspaper (The Banner) under the Eedy news group in Listowel. I thought it would be interesting to call the Banner and propose a friendly bet. After all, we would be reading each other's coverage on the series and it would be a fun way to meet Bob Dorey, the sports re- porter for the Banner. The bet. The losing reporter would have to wear the winning town's jersey for five days after the series was over. "What site do you wear?" I asked Dorey over the phone when we so- lidified the bet. I couldn't help being a little cocky. i was sure the Chiefs were going to win. After completing a successful regular season with a 12-2-5 win/loss/ tie record, the Exeter Chiefs roared into the playoffs eliminating St Exeter. Precision Skating Club Gold Medalists Junior Classics Shonyn Baynham Melissa Brock Alyssa Darling Jena Darling Sunny Dinney Terri Hamather Jayann Heywood Carrie Iliman Karie Jennison Alisha Jennison Debbie Lawrence Jennifer McGee Jodie McGee Krista Riddell Jodie Riddell Sue Anne Soldan Melissa Timmemmans Anita Wein Carisa Willis Amy Zwart Coach: Laurie Loosley Shuffleboard; Exeter March 20 5 garde winners Inti Williams 391 Delmar Skinner 38� Howard Johns 366 Tota Williams 364. 4 game winners Lloyd Lovell 276 Leona Elliott 276'j Sena Gosar 259 Joe Gosar 216 3 game winners Doris Denham • 202 March 21 5 gatpe winners Hal Walsh 402 Ina Williams 375f John Pepper 3641 Estelle Chalmers 361 Sam Skinner 360 4 game winners Delmar Skinner 397 John DeWeerd 342 Gordon Hoggarth 331 Howard Johns , 291 3 game winners Marjorie Hodgert 154 Lloyd Lovell 76 Hensall March 19 6 game winners Gert Eagleson Hazel McEwan Marg Dietrich Emma Campbell Russell Ferguson Dave Woodward 5 game winners Dave Kyle Pearl McKnight 533 472; 411 397 380 377 373; 330` it Marys in the first round. They then defeated Aylmer, last year's pro- vincial champions, in the quarter finals after a hard fought series. Coming hot off the heels of dethroning the defending champions and pumped up for the Listowel series, head coach Henri Debruyn said his team was at their peak and he was confident they would take Listowel. I was sure this was a safe bet. A sure thing. Here's where the stupidity comes in. Act of stupidity number one. Even though Exeter tested themselves against the best team in the province, and passed, they had never met Listowel and despite coach Debruyn's confidence, he really had no idea what the Chiefs were up against. Neither did I. Unbeknown to me, the Listowel Cyclones had only lost one game all season and had swept Blenheim in three games to clinch their quarter finals. They were well -rested and more than ready to take on Exeter which was still a little battered and tired from the long series against Aylmer. Too bad I didn't look into their team record before I entered into this bet. A simple phone call would have revealed that the.Cyclones'were a talented team with plenty of playoff experience boasting 11 seasoned veterans from last year's squad. Act of stupidity number two. The bet was my idea. So was the "loser wear's winner's jersey" idea. Dorey actually refused the first time I asked. After a second phone call I eventually talked him into it. As fate would have it Exeter lost. Despite a solid effort, the Chiefs were swept in three games scoring only once in the series. Here's where the humility comes in. The first act of hamillation. I couldn't help but brag. After all, that's what a bet like this is all about. I told the Chief players about the bet. I told my friends and col- leagues. I even had a shirt picked out for Dorey and joked about how silly he would look working at the Banner with an Exeter Minor Hock- ey Jersey on. The joke was on me...and I wear a size medium. Act of humiliation number two. Walking down Main Street Exeter with an other town's hockey jer- sey on is considered a suicidal act. Exeter, including neighboring Ste- phen Township, is a hockey hot -bed with a tremendous amount of EXE' EJ1 . ... Cr Bantams,4 a'team from Sweden ons Wednesday; April±3 at 7:30 in Exeter. • The team is from Stockholm, Sweden and are called SKA 80, an elite major' bantam team. 'fhey will be arriving in Gode- rich, March 28. On March 30, 31 they will play an exhibition series with Seaforth, Goderich and Clinton. On April 1 they will play Grey -Bruce triple A bantams; on April 2 Lucknow who are in the Ontario final and Exeter on 4.10' Of speci t�terejst. wo -t i` their players, tidy Sundin a Jens Jonsson are relatives Mats Sundin and Kenny J son of the Leafs and Islanders,; The Exeter Bantams are cult!. rently in a Shamrock 'A' final series with Lambeth and on: Friday at 8:00 will host t1 • London Rebels, a select 'A'' bantam team. This will be a fundraiser f minor hockey so they are • pecting a good crowd. ................. community support for it's minor hockey programs. People here are deeply devoted to the home team and the hockey moms are reputed to be among the most ferocious in Ontario. "You're asking for trouble wearing that shirt here!" I was warned by hockey wise -men." I couldn't help it. A bet is a bet. To make matters worse. Because of the nature of my job I have to be in the public eye. That included wearing the jersey in front of 900 fans at the Rec Centre during the Hawk's final game against Seaforth Fri- day night. I've already taken a puck off the head while photographing a Hawks game earlier in the season and some of the Exeter players commented that the Cyclones logo on the front of the jersey looked a little like a bull's eye. I immediately sought the safety of the warm -room for the rest of the game. Act of humilition number three. The shirt stinks. Literally. I'm sorry but there's no nice way to put it. It smells like Dorey had every player on the Cyclones lake turns wearing the shirt after doing 50 pushup in a sauna. - My colleagues don't want me working close to them, I can't have lunch in a public restaurant in fear of turning people off their food and my dog Barney hai even abandoned me. After taking one sniff of the shirt I was wearing he mad a bee -line under the bed. I haven't seem him since. Washing the jersey is definitely not a solution. What would be even worse than wearing it would be paying for it af- ter the color runs in the washing machine. So true to my word, I wore the shirt for five days. Like 1 said, a bet is a bet, and if I was lucky the cold wet weather would continue forcing me to wear a coat over my embarrassment when 1 stepped out of the ,: office. However, I don't have any regrets. The guys on the Chiefs got a charge out of the bet and it was my way of showing i was behind them. It was also a good way for me to meet a fellow sports reporter at the Banner and everyone at the office got a few laughs from it. Listowel has advanced to the finals and is currently battling Duro in a best of five series for the provincial gold medal. I wish them luck but next year if Exeter and Listowel meet again in the playoffs, i think I'd rather put my money on the table. , . •i •u .A.