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Times-Advocate, 1987-07-22, Page 19Coolm.n's wkNling wonders Scott Coolman can do things on a bicycle that would impress the most jaded circus goer. Handstands, splits, spread-eagles and a variety of skips and jumps are all in his repertoire -- and he makes them look easy. Coolman, a 16 -year-old entrepreneur -cyclist who is spending summer working at Leon's Buy -and - Sell west of Exeter, has tapped into the relatively new sport of stunt cycl- ing. In the two years since he began to do stunts, the sport has progress- ed for him from a hobby to a passion. He formed the '2 Cool Trick Team' last summer with two friends; Dave Miko, 16, who acts as an announcer for the shows, and Joel Sims, 14, a se- cond cyclist. The trio now spend their weekends touring the area and putting on cycl- ing shows at various events, sometimes attracting crowds of up to 500 people. Their next appearance will be in Dashwood August 1, during Friedsburg Days. Running the team like a small business, Coolman expects to make as much as $1,000 this summer after he pays expenses and splits the re- maining profits with the other two members of the group. "And that's just for riding, going out and showing off in front of people, getting free food -- that's not too bad," says Coolman. The team travels with two large ramps for jumping stunts and a P.A. system, putting on shows which last roughly 25 minutes. He and Sims per- form choreographed routines both in- dividually and as a team while Miko explains to the audience what is about to happen. To add variety, Miko pro- vides a skate -boarding exhibition in tie middle of the show. Coolman Says he rarely gets ner- vous before the show, though there are moments when the going gets tough. "Last year my mouth would go totally dry and my stomach would get going, but now -- you get used to it," he says. "The only time it's bad is when you get a bad crowd. When you put your foot down one too many times and the crowd doesn't applaud -- that's when things kind of go sour." Coolman became interested in BMX cycling when he received a bike for Christmas five years ago. He began to pick up pointers and simple tricks from BMX magazines. Through a process of trial and error and by watching other riders, he taught himself a number of stunts. When his uncle, Dirk Coolman of Exeter, asked him to do some stunts at the Exeter Home and Garden Show, Coolman was hooked. "He (Dirk Coolman) said: 'Do you guys want to provide some entertain- ment?', and from there on in I was in- to it." Now the cycling shows take up a good portion of his time. "Other than this (cycling), I have no hobbies. I'm quite dedicated to the sport." Coolman says the sport is still in its infancy. He notes that world amateur tours are being organized in the United States, but that trick cycling in Canada has a long way to go. "In Canada it's not nearly as powerful or popular," he says. "It doesn't have the clout that it does in the States." Though trick teams in Ontario are few and far between, the competition is still stiff. The 2 Cool team is spon- Bantams lose in Kincardine tourney Exeter bantams baseball team travelled to Kincardine to participate in a tournament on the weekend where they were forced out in two straight games Saturday afternoon. By the time they finished Saturday, • the team had played four games in five days. Bantams have run into some dif- ficulty in the past two weeks due to an absence of players. Gary Hartman, coach of the team, said they have been relying on a hard core of dedicated players and a small number of peewee players brought up through the ranks to fill spots left open by those who had work or fami- ly commitments. Though bantams have lost all but ne of their last five games, Hartman rconfident that the team will give all has to hold their own in the league. • With just five games remaining in regular season, Exeter bantams are clinging to third place with a record pf six wins, seven losses and two ties. Exeter was handed a 14-9 loss by Wilkesport in their first game of the Kincardine tourney. • Harlen Tinney led the bantams at bat, knocking two home runs over the centre field fence and hitting a dou- ble in three trips to the plate. Jason (Bucky) Clarke also con- tributed to the effort with a long home run over the right field fence. Mark Russell turned in a double and a single in four attempts at bat. Jason Heywood, brought up from Exeter peewees, played an outstan- ding game behind the. plate. He look - Annual Giant Pre Inventory SALE Every Honda motorcy- cle, ATV, outboard, garden tractor, and ac- cessory is priced to sell this week RT 5000 Garden Tractor Just --Er O per month Based on purchased price of $5999. with 15% down and 48 monthly payments Plus get a $500 minimum trade-in allowance on ' any tractor or riding lawnmower. We're Honda Crazy R.R. 1 Varna 262-3318 pitches of Terry Gettner and David Schwindt. Heywood was a big factor in Ex- eter's next game, though the team lost to St. Catharines 8-5. He tagged out two runners at home plate and did a good job catching for the bantams hardest hurler, Harlen Tinney. Despite the loss. Hartman noted that a coach couldn't ask for anything more from the team. They put for- ward a valiant effort, but were unable to pull out a win. Clarke. at one point in the game. tried to prevent a three -run homer from going out of the park. He hit the fence hard and was forced to retire early from the game with numerous cuts and bruises. Tinney managed to strike out six batters and walk one. He also hit two home runs and a double. Russell singled twice in three at- tempts at bat. ' League action Exeter was trounced by Lucan 14-1 when they were forced to use three peewee players and one tyke player to field a team. Fred Steciuk singled and then scored Exeter's only run when tyke Darryl Hartman drove him in with a hit. Jim Ahrens was bantam's starting pitcher. He was later relieved by David Schwindt. The Exeter team was in similar straights Wednesday night when they came up against St. Marys and lost 12-10. Tinney and Steve Dubarry both turned in excellent performances. Starting pitcher was Terry Gettner. Exeter bantams finally pulled out a win Friday night when they came up against a team from Varna and thrashed them 10-4. The play of the game came when David Schwindt threw an excellent ball from deep centre field to home plate, allowing the catcher to tag a Varna player attempting to score. Dubarry turned in a solid perfor- mance, hitting three for three and walking twice in five trips to the plate. Bantams see action tonight (July 22) at 6:30 when they face a strong first place Lucan team here in town. sored in part by Rainbow Cycles and Copps Lumber, but Coolman is responsible for finding events for the team. "'You really have to be aggressive when you're on your own," Coolman says. "Last year I was kind of learning everything. This year I'm establishing myself. Next year we'll go all the way." No ordinary bice Coolman owns a BMX Haro Freestyler, a bicycle specially modified to meet the needs of a stunt cyclist. He estimates that the bike is worth $1,400. It has a system of floating brake cables that won't tangle allowing the rider to spin the handlebars. There are 'fork stands' on the front and back forks which provide the stunt man with various footholds. Added supports at the joins in the frame and extra spokes in the light alloy wheels give the bicycle the durability it needs to stand up under abusive stunts. The added supports, however, make little difference in the light weight of the machine. The expensive BMX Dike is an in- dication of Coolman's commitment to stunt cycling. He isn't sure how much farther he will go with the sport, but he's sure it is a valuable experience for him. "I don't know where it will take me," he says. "If anything, it will give me a good basis in business." Coolman can be reached for book- ings at 666-0878. Times -Advocate, July 22, 1987 Page JA BMX MASTER — Scott Coolman, who will be appearing at Dashwood during Friedsburg Days.August 2, has token cycling into a new dimen- sion. Juvenile, Peewee girls softball Exeter juvenile girls fastball team watched a 10 game unbeaten streak come to an end July 14 when they were narrowly edged out by Poplar Hill 18-16. Michelle Caers led Exeter at bat in the high -scoring match -up, going five for five over the course of the evening. Kelly Whiteford was the starting pitcher for Exeter. She was relieved by Shelley Skinner. The Juveniles had extended their record to 10 wins July 7 when they downed Lieury 24-10. In that contest. Caers managed to hit a home run. , The Exeter team bounced right back Sunday with a 14-6 win over East Williams. Again it was the combina- tion of Kelly Whiteford and Shelley Skinner who took care of the pitching duties -- this time, for the win. Skin- ner pitched five excellent innings. Kelly Coon managed to bring in a run in the seventh inning as well as hers&f when she knocked the ball out of the park. Joy Parent also hit well, going four for four at bat. Sunday's game gives Exeter Ju- vienile girls a win -loss record of 11 and one. Peewee girls Exeter peewee girls team number two held onto their unbeaten, streak July 14 when they trounced Usborne number two 27-6. Jill Sararas was Exeter's star of the game. As the starting pitcher. she struck out 10 opposing batters. Sararas also did her share to build up Exeter's lead when she hit a grand slam home run in the fourth inning. Exeter number two now has a record of eight wins and no losses in regular season action. Busy Bee Machine Tools ONE WHEEL WONDER — Scott Coolman, leader of the 2 Cool Trick Team,performs one of his many stunts he has taught himself inthe past two years. Coolman and his cohorts will be performing at Friedsburg Days in Dashwood August 2. Judging by Coolman's exper tise and enthusiasm, the show will be well worth taking, in. Playground holds mini Olympics By Susan Vanderspek • This week started with the Mini - Olympics on Tuesday. Exeter hosted the games inviting Hensall and Zurich playgrounds. Some.of the events in- cluded a human obstacle course and 'jello slurping'. Today the playground will go to the Seniors' Home to entertain with favourite songs. Thursday, the Sports Club is having a watermelon eating contest in the morning while the Bert and Ernie Club will be transported to a fantasy Hawaiian island of tropical delights. The children are asked to wear some funky Hawaiian shirts and tourist clothing to lend to the mood of the day. Thursday afternoon a magician, John Parker, will dazzle the kids with fascinating illusions and tricks. Children not registered with playground will be charged $1.00 ad- mission. Pre -registered children will be admitted with no charge. Friday is another special day. Bert and Ernie's are having Hallowe'en while the Sports CJub are 'punking- out' on Punk Dress -up Day. Children should dress accordingly. On Tuesday, (July 28) the playground is sponsoring a bottle drive. If you are not going to be home you can leave your bottles on your porch in an easily accessible area. Next week, Thursday and Friday. the playground will be camping at Yogi Bear Park near Port Franks. Campers are limited to those registered already. Parents are welcome. If you can drive please con- tact the playground. Exeter Ladies golf club Despite the heat, a good number took part in our regular golfing last Tuesday morning. Prizes for the most honest golfer went to Cathy Bell while Grace Drummond and Cathy Robbins both parred number three and won the prize for hidden hole while Jean Smith carded a six for low on hidden hole number four. Hidden score prizes were won by Beryl Elgie and Hazel Gemmell. Next week (July 21) is two -ball. four -some time. C VISIT OUR SHOWROOMS IN MISSISSAUGA AND CONCORD FOR MANY MORE SAVINGS RYOBI 10" RADIAL ARM SAW • Weight. 105 6 lbs • Sokd one piece cast pedestal providing extra strength and rgid4y • Powerful all ball-beanng 2112HP motor • Exclusive utNy sip clutch STAND OPTIONAL • On -Off switch is provided with safety key lock t0 prevent accidental start. 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