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Huron Expositor, 2009-12-16, Page 12Page 12 The Huron Expositor • December 16, 2009 CHSS teacher and coach Jim Cooke wins OFSAA's Leadership in Sport Award Dan Schwab 411.1.111.111111. On Nov 28, Jim Cooke left his God- erich home for Stratford, thinking he was about to attend a speech given by a sports psychologist. But Cooke, a ` volleyball coach from Central Huron Secondary School, had a surprise coming to him. It was during the opening banquet for the boys 'AAA' volleyball champi- onships that Cooke's fellow teacher Cindy Carter took the stage to ad- dress the crowd. Before long, Cooke realized there wasn't going to be any speech from a sports psychologist and that he was the one who'd be spotlighted that evening, as this year's winner of the Leadership in Sport Award, spon- sored by the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations. "I have had the opportunity to work alongside (Cooke) for the past four years," Carter said during the award presentation, according to the CHSS website. "His ability to coach the skills of sport are obvious; how- ever, I believe his true strength lies in his ability to prepare his athletes for the mental aspects of the game." During her speech, Carter thanked Cooke for his "positive energy." "His positive philosophy allows co- workers to work within the boundar- ies of the curriculum allowing for in- dividual styles to coexist," she said. CHSS basketball and soccer coach Tracey Weston and former volleyball player Jenna Rinn were also on hand to present the award to Cooke. Rinn called Cooke a teacher, coach, friend, role model and hero. "As my PE teacher, he didn't just teach us how to serve a volleyball or score a touchdown, he taught us self- respect, teamwork and valuable life skills that we will use in our future," Rinn said. Cooke, 47, has been coaching at CHSS since 1995 and is now head of the physical education department. He has mainly coached , girls and boys' volleyball teams, but he's also coached golf for the past six years. Last season, he helped lead the girls' hockey team to a bronze medal during the WOSSAA tournament. Cooke has also had a successful ca- reer as an athlete. He started play- ing volleyball competitively in high school and later played for the Uni- versity of Water- loo team, help- ing the squad win the Ontario championship. In 1992, Cooke and his volleyball partner won a tournament that had teams from North America, South America and Central America squar- ing off. He became the athletic develop- ment chair for Volleyball Cana- da, where he ran clinics for up-and-coming players. In 2000, Cooke headed to the Olym- pic Games in Sydney, Australia, as coach of the men's beach volleyball program. Canada's two teams fin- ished fifth and ninth in the Games. Cooke says a good coach has the ability to develop the student as "an athlete and as a person,'" he says. "Change is probably the hardest thing a person can do and part of Jim Cooke that change in team sports is letting go of yourself and choosing to work with others." Cooke says being a part of Canada's Olympic team was an honour, but the highlight of his career is still all the time he's spent with high school athletes. "I have been able to meet a lot of fantastic young people and hopefully I've had an influence on their lives," he says. Former Country Classic golfers are getting ready for 2010 PGA Tour, Nationwide and European Tour events Dan Schwab Some of the golfers who made a name for themselves during last summer's Seaforth Country Classic have qualified for the PGA Tour. Australia's 'Adam Bland, who shot a course record in Seaforth during the local tournament with 10 under par in the third round, will be returning next year to the Nationwide Tour, which is a devel- opmental tour for the PGA Tour. James Hahn, who finished sec- ond at the 2009 Seaforth Country Classic, shooting a four round total of 259, will also compete in the Na- tionwide Tour after narrowly miss- ing out on his PGA Tour card at the PGA Qualifying School. South Africa's. George Coetzee, who was billeted by Gail and Bill Price of Egmondville during the Country Classic, earned his PGA European Tour card. Graham DeLaet, who failed to make the cut in both the 2008 and 2009 Country Classic events, has successfully earned his PGA Tour card for 2010 after finishing 8th place at the PGA Qualifying School. Last year's Country Classic win- ner Brian Unk, of Ohio, failed to make it through to the second stage of the PGA Qualifying School but will be returning to the Canadian Tour in 2010. Kent Eger, the 2008 Country Classic winner, will also be on the Canadian Tour next year. London's Andrew Parr and Alan McLean will be returning to the Canadian Tour next year. Parr competed in the Country Classic in 2008 and 2009. Other Canadian Tour players who will be on the Nationwide Tour in- clude Hugo Leon, Brady Schnell, Barrett Jarosch, Tyler Harris, Brett Lederer and Robert Gates. Carolanne Doig, co-organizer of the annual Seaforth Country Clas- sic, says golfers on the professional circuit have to work for years to make a name for themselves in the sport. "The reality is, these guys have been crossing Canada to play, sharing cars and hotel rooms," she says. "And it's exciting because some of those players are just a few strokes away from being household names." Doig says since the Seaforth Golf Club began hosting the Country Classic in 2008, it's generated a lot of interest in the Canadian Tour and with golfers involved. "We get people calling us up now and saying, 'Did you hear how so- and-so did?'" she says. "So many people have billeted and volun- teered during the Country Classic, they might've sat on the patio or had a burger with some of these players during the Country Clas- sic,"