Times Advocate, 1991-06-05, Page 16Pape 16
Times -Advocate, June 5, 1991
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National champs hope to promote hockey under water
By Ray Lewis
EXETER - Canada's national
past -time has gone for the big
splash. For hockey widows who
can't wait until the NHL season is
over, there is now hockey under
water, and hockey lovers may be
found hitting the pools, as well as
the ice.
Underwater hockey uses the
same . concepts of ice hockey;
shooting a puck, passing plays and
changes on the fly. It's more ther-
apeutic, virtually anyone cdn play,
and the equipment costs are mini-
mal. Besides that, there are some
men in the area who have become
quite good, in fact they're national
champs.
During the May 24 weekend,
Jim Fleming and Doug Sitter of
Exeter, and John Wickens and
Liam Good of London, competed
at the National underwater hockey
championships in Thunder Bay.
Sitter was on the Ontario mixed
team which finished second to
Calgary, while the others were all
members of the Ontario men's
team which struck gold.
Wickens, a former competitive
racquetball player, is the veteran.
After tearing up his knee eight
years ago, his doctor recommend-
ed swimming lengths as therapy.
"I was bored stiff with the
lengths and going crazy," said
Wickens. "Then I discovered un-
derwater hockey."
The game itself is fairly simple.
Each team has six players in the
pool with four substitutes on deck.
Wearing only mask, fins, and snor-
kel, they attempt to push a three
pound puck along the bottom of the
pool. They wear a glove coated in
silicone and use a small, wooden,
hand -carved stick to push the disc
into a three metre wide trough at
pool's end.
Fleming first heard of the sport
from an instructor who was giving
a scuba course. That was six years
ago.
"I didn't even know how to
swim," said Fleming. "But I could
hold my breath and after trying the
game, I was hooked."
Underwater hockey is played
with many of the same rules as that
of ice hockey, with a few excep-
tions. There are no offsides or ic-
ing, and it is strictly non -contact.
Two referees control the game
from in the water.
Sitter, also a qualified scuba div-
er, learned of the event from Flem-
ing and like him, loved it after one
practice.
"It was just a lot of fun," said Sit-
ter. "Anyone can play it, and wom-
en enjoy it because it's non -
contact."
Many nations claim to have
founded the sport, with the English
leading the brigade. Apparently,
they invented a similar game in
1954 called octopus, which they
used as a conditioning element for
navy divers.
The first world competition was
held in Canada in 1980, and ac -
cording to Fleming, the game has
progressed enough that the local
London team knocked off the
world champs.
"But it's not as. popular here as it
could be," said Fleming. "Televi-
sion may change it, and TSN wants
to begin coverage next year."
In Australia, for example, it is an
intramural sport in highschool, with
Holland andFrance not far behind.
Sitter, Fleming, Good and Wick-
ens all play for the London Dol-
phins, and compete from Septem-
ber to March against teams from
Guelph, Toronto and Cornwall.
Their participation and success in
Canada was a large step. It marked
the first time Ontario has ever won
the tournament, usually dominated
by Quebec and British Columbia.
But by no means do they intend to
stop.
. "We want to set a trend so that
Ontario wins a few more national
titles," said Wickens. "Then we
hope to use that as a stepping stone
to make the national team."
After chasing the national dream,
the group is now looking to the
world championship in New Zea-
land in 1992. Training will resume
when the new aquatic centre opens
in London.
Locally, the group has been in
touch with the Kirkton pool, and
plan to hold a clinic to spark more
interest. Anyone is invited to try it.
"It's too bad that we don't have an
indoor facility here," said Fleming.
"Given a good pool and four years,
we could give Exeter a world class
team."
The gear - Most of the equipment used in underwater hockey is
easy to find and inexpensive. A cap (left), fins, glove, stick, puck,
goggles and snorkel are all that is required.
National champs - Doug Sitter (left), John Wickens and Jim Fleming competed at the Canadian underwa-
ter hockey championships In Thunder Bay over the Victoria Day weekend. Wickens and Fleming were on
the Ontario men's team which won the gold medal, while Sitter's Ontario mixed team finished second
to Calgary.
Five accidents
investigated
this week
EXETER - The Exeter detach-
ment of the Ontario Provincial Po-
lice investigated five motor vehi-
cle accidents and 55 occurrences
this past week, and laid a total of
67 charges.
On Sunday, at 1:10 a.m. vehi-
cles driven by Lawrence Gegner
of Saskatchewan and Glenn
Grubb, RR1 Kirkton, collided at
the intersection of Highway 4 and
County Road 6. Only light dam-
age occurred.
At 1:34 p.m. Monday, a vehicle
driven by Jack Driscoll of London,
left Concession 2-3 of Hay Town-
ship and entered the ditch causing
light damage.
Friday evening at 10:10 p.m., a
vehicle driven by Ronnie Ed-
wards, RR3 Holyrood, struck and
killed a dog on Highway 4 in Hay
Township. Damage to the vehicle
was minimal.
Earlier Friday, at 5:30 p.m. in
Huron Park, James Cable of Hu-
ron Park struck a parked vehicle
owned by Yvonne Wells of Credi-
ton, causing moderate damage.
At 11:28 p.m. Saturday on High-
way 81 in Stephen Township, a ve-
hicle driven by Karen Axworthy of
London sustained minor damage
when the driver lost control and en-
tered the ditch. There were no Inju-
ries
In the early morning hours of
Monday, culprits broke into the
MTS Farm Supply in Woodham
and stole a quantity of cigaee<oea
and cash. A car with a no ex-
haust was heard leaving the scale.
Overnight May 25-26, on High-
way 83 in the area of Exeter Ceme-
tery,unknown persons stole the
outdrive from a motor boat that was
disabled on the side of the high-,
way.
lso overnight, May 25-26, Ro-
nald Harvey of Huron Park had his
vehicles vandalized by unknown
persons. .
Wed. 9 - 6
Thurs. 9 - 6
Fri. 9-9
Sat. 9 - 5
June 5,6, 7&8
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467 Main Street Exeter Ont. 235-0173