Times Advocate, 1994-7-13, Page 14a
Page 14 iTimes-Advocate, July 13, 1994
By
Fred
Groves
I never
threw up
Vomiting is one subject I
have never written about. To
tell you the truth, I've never
really had the opportunity -
until Saturday.
Cabin cruisers, especially
those that are 40 -feet long
and come complete with a
crew and free coffee are usu-
ally a thing of beauty.
However, during the Lake
Huron Poker Run on the
weekend, I realized that
cruising the waters of Lake '
Huron is not always glamor-
ous.
I was told to meet Grand
Bend mayor Tom Lawson at
his boat at 8:30 a.m. This
would be great I thought, go
out and get a few pictures of
the speed boats in action.
I've been out on the talo be-
fore with deputy -mayor Cam
Ivey and local businessman
Larry Mason so this was not
a new experience. Remember
however, I am the perfect
definition of a landlubber.
Anyway, as we were head-
ing up the channel Saturday
morning we passed another
boater who was waging his
hand in a motion that, even a
non -water person like myself
could figure out, there were a
few waves to be encountered.
Position on the bridge's
boat about a dozen feetAbove
the water was a great place to
watch all the boats in the har-
bour. I kept that spot until we
had pa3sed the pier and were
now into waves as high as
seven feet.
That's when I decided to go
below and hang on. Although
I was closer to the waves
which began to make me fgel
quite ill (I still don't know
how I got down the ladder) I
felt a little more at ease.
The water was so choppy
that several of the speed
boats decided not to par-
ticipate, and these guys are
used toit.
Anyway, for those who
ever come across the same
situation I was in, you know
when you feel like you've
drank all night and you've got
those terrible bed spins - I've
got a solution.
What ever you do, no mat-
ter what, even if you have to
brace yourself to take a pic-
ture, don't look at the water.
The slow rolling blue and
green water made me want to
bring up my breakfast over
the mayor's boat.
That would not be a good
idea especially since I have to
be in contact with him on a
regular basis and I know I
would never live it down.
Tom told me to look at the
shoreline and concentrate on
that, well it worked. It was
hard at first but with my cam-
era in my lap apd hanging on
for my life I was okay.
I turned a funny color I was
later told but 1 survived. Al-
though I thank Tom and his
wife Gail for taking me out,
next time 111 get a full report
first before putting my stom-
ach in the position of extreme
embarrassment.
This Week in Sports...
Local golf results - page 15
Cook recovers from accident - page 16
Mohawks will not have a team •
Lack of public support means Senior 'A' club will take a year off
By Fred Groves
'l' -A staff
EXETER - There will be no senior hockey in Exeter this
winter.
Monday morning, Stew Taylor, president of the Exeter
. Mohawks of the Southwestern Ontario Senior 'A' Hockey
League, told the Times -Advocate that the Mohawks would
be taking a year off.
"We are applying to the OHA (Ontario Hockey Associa-
tion) for a one-year leave of absence. I don't know if it will
be approved. I don't know any reason why it wouldn't be,"
said Taylor.
Last year, despite having a solid looking team on paper,
the Mohawks often only had a dozen players for road
games. They finished the 1993-94 season with a 12-10-2
recoriebut bowed out in the semi-finals to their biggest ri-
vals, thc Dunnville Mudcats.
When coach -general manager Dave®Revington resigned
after five years, thc Mohawks decided not to replace him
until they knew whether or not they would be having a
team.
Last February Revington said many of the players in the
dressing room didn't know each others first name yet.
Last Wednesday at the annual meeting, Taylor said only
about a dozen people showed up. The meeting was a last at-
tempt to see if there would be a team for tffe upcoming sea-
son.
"There was only one person who showed up that wasn't
on the executive," said Taylor about the meeting. "The only
thing that's going. to help is if there is no senior hockey,
people will think about it."
For the past several years, Sunday night's in Exeter have
always been Mohawk night and while crowds were usually
around 200 during the regular season, numbers swelled to
as many as 1,000 for the post -season play.
Taylor is confident that the Mohawks. will retum and has
a strong group of people behind him lending their support
towards the future..
"Come the fall, we're going to keep our executive in tact.
We will try and get some fundraisers going."
The past few years the Mohawks have had few local
players, other then Barry Baynharn, Jeff Warren, Ron El-
liott, Kris Bedard and Bill Glover the team has been made
up of those who came from New Hamburg, London and as
far away as North Bay.
Despite the lack of local flavour, thcy managed to put one
of the best senior clubs in the province on the ice thanks. to
the work of the executive and especially the efforts of Tay-
lor, John Prydc, Gabby Mol and Revington.
As far as players are concerned, Taylor said, "it might be
a wise idea to get some new blood and get rid of some of
the old attitudes."
In the past, thc'Mohawks had managed to put several all-
stars into their uniform including the league's top scorer Joe
Scherer. HeA'teamed with Greg Snyder to make one of the
best one-two combinations in the league.
Last year the Mohawks allowed the most goals, 128
while scoring the most 144. Exeter finished the regular sea-
son in second place in the seven -team league.;* was a log-
jam at the top of the standings as the Dorchester Dolphins
had 27 points followed by Dunnville, Exeter and Bothwell
all with 26.
Drag races return to Grand Bend
A young competitor gets
ready to race his mini -
dragster, above, while below
spectators had lots of oppor-
tunity to check out the cars.
Race organizer Kris Bedard, right; keeps, a c ul eye at the starting line.
Over 200 cars reve up, roared and raced down the track
By Fred Groves
T -A staff
GRAND BEND - Thirty years
ago drag racing was very popular in
Grand Bend. This past Saturday it
returned and the popularity looks as
though it may continue.
Organizers Kris Bedard and
Doug alld Brenda Jennison had 225
cars registered in four different
classes - superpro, pro, street and
junior dragster. -
After many hqprs of getting the
track, which was located at the
Grand Bend Airport into shape, the
cars began time trials at 9 a.m. and
the next races are scheduled for
Saturday, August 13.
Getting the many racers to come
to the drag strip came through the
efforts of Bedard who races his Ca-
maro Z28 at the Sparta track on a
regular basis.
"The track, it's going to take time.
We're here to support Kris and the
guys," said Wayne Neilson of Lon-
don who was racing a 1969 Chc-
vellc SS.
He ripped off the starting line and
down the spectator -lined track at
119.68 miles per hour and did the
quarter -mile distance at10.82 sec-
onds.
The most important pan of the
track is the starting line. That's
where the cars spin their tires and if
they don't get a good start, it's near -
1y imposltible to get a good time.
Bedard spent all day at the star-
ing line and was busy picking up
bits of pavement from where the
tires were churning things up.
"The starting line can't take too
much horsepowerey have to get
more rubber down,' said Neilson.
Super pro cars can run the dis-
tance in 10.99 seconds or faster and
a pro can do it in 11 to 13 seconds.
The street class has the cars going
down the track in 13 seconds.
On Saturday, engines roared and
the many spectators were able to
wander the pit area and get a good
look at not only the race cars but'
the cars and trucks that were in the
adjacent display show.
"It's an expensive hobby," said
Neilson of drag racing. "It depends
on if you break or not. It's a lot of
money."
Cars ,were running three time
trials on Saturday and after that
went into an elimination round.
When this race is run, a car with a
slower time is given a head stats to
make sure the race is fair.
Neilson and his crew chief re-
member coming to Grand Bend
back in the 1960's to watch the drag
races.
"A la{ of us were kids when we
came here 25 years ago. 1t was big-
time stuff back thcn."
Woodstock's Rob Stager was an-
other one of the many racers who
came to test their powerful ma-
chines on Saturday. After his first
of throe time trials, he headed back
to the pits for some adjusting.
"I've been racing off -and -on for
10 years. For me it's a hobby,
something to do on the weekends,"
said Slagcr.
He was racing a 350 horsepower
Bel Air which he bought in 1986
and spent three years restoring and
preparing for the drag strip.
Saturday's races went strictly by
the book as safety was important
and the National Hot Rod Associa-
tion rules applied.
On arrival at the gates , which
opened at 7 a.m., racers were reg-
istered and then headed to the pits.
'They check to make sure you've
got a helmet,t belts and they put
a number on," sa Slager.
There were dragsters, , mo-
torcycles, trucks and cars on Sat-
urday, Tots to see and for some, a
chance to enjoy a sport that was
very popular in the 1960's.
Burring up a little pavement as spectators look on.
1