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2008: The Year in Sports, Bracebridge
January
09 Once she saw fencing in full swing, Erica Wright, 17, was hooked on the sport she likens to an “intense argument.” Fourth-year competitor Josh Hood, 17, compares it to a “physical kind of chess,” explaining, “you’re trying to read your opponent’s mind to see what they are going to do, trying to come out in expected ways and outmanoeuvre them.” The BMLSS fencing team members are coached by Bill Bagshaw in the sabre discipline. 16 Bracebridge has formally endorsed Huntsville’s bid for the 2010 Ontario Youth Winter Games on behalf of the Muskoka municipalities. The largest multi-sport event in the province, the games will require more than a dozen sporting facilities, 1,000 volunteers and accommodations for more than 3,000 participants. The typical games budget is $1.2 million, and each municipality would be expected to pay a share of the cost. The winning submission will be announced in March. 23 The BMLSS junior boys Lakers basketball team was red hot against the Hoyas, downing them 52-38 at Bracebridge Sportsplex Thursday. Despite the lopsided score, winning coach Dave Whiteside said neither team played well, adding Huntsville “appeared psyched out because they didn’t play us.” Hoyas coach Mark Reid seemed to agree, saying his team “didn’t show up.” Lakers guard Cody Sutherland topped scoring with 14 points. 30 Down 15-25 in the first set against the GHS Gryphons, the BMLSS junior girls Lakers volleyball team went the distance, taking the final set in dramatic fashion, 17-15. With the match on the line, Laker Krista Thorpe took service with the fifth set tied. Starting with an ace for the one-point lead, she served out the match for the team’s first victory this season. Both teams showcased skill, tenacity and tireless effort in this nearly two-hour affair. February 06 The Bracebridge girls hockey team made history for Bracebridge when they became part of the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association. The girls currently play on junior OMHA house league teams. Although bad weather forced cancellation of a game against the Almaguin Gazelles Jan. 18, Bracebridge rocked the Almaguin team 5-1 in their meeting in Sundridge Jan. 20. Both teams put on a great show of sportsmanship in an awesome game. 13 The Bracebridge Breakers bantam boys basketball team had their work cut out this weekend in a one-day Barrie tournament. The size and strength of their opponents took their toll on the Breakers in the first two matchups. Game three against Orillia was a marathon, stretching into three overtime periods. After tying the game with only one second left on the clock, Orillia managed to outlast the Breakers for a one-point victory. 20 With only 25 minutes rest before the bronze medal game at the Dorchester tournament, a tired Swiss Chalet novice Bears rep team played with heart and determination. Behind 4-2 at the end of the second, Bracebridge hunkered down and blew the Merriton Bulldogs off the map, led by Parker Bowman and Luca Barnes. Bowman scored seven of the team’s eight goals. Barnes notched six assists and one goal, giving him a sensational 101 points this season. 27 The one constant in the life of Earl Procunier has been the Canadian-invented sport of five-pin bowling. A regular with the Bracebridge 50+ league for over 30 years, on Friday his bowling buddies surprised him with well-wishes, serenaded him with Happy Birthday and showered him with a variety of sweets to honour his 90th birthday. “It’s a good getaway during the weekday,” said Procunier of bowling. “It’s better than sitting at home talking to the dog.” March 05 After edging out her nearest competitor by three points, Rachael DeCaire, 18, is heading to Ottawa for the Youth Bowling Canada 4 Steps to Stardom five-pin bowling championships. “People I’ve bowled against (before) have gone on to bowl at nationals . . . now it’s my turn,” said DeCaire, who attained the highest five-game total at the zone competition for Huronia. The championship is “the one tournament everyone wants to win.” 12 Although town council has agreed to lease Muskoka Rowing Club a storage shed and dock in Kelvin Grove Park, exactly who will pay for the required $2-million liability insurance policy remains to be decided. “It’s a small club with very limited resources . . . perhaps the club and (town) staff can work something out,” suggested councillor and rowing club member Scott Young. The club has been operating without a lease since 2002. 19 Mickey Walker, a woman synonymous with women’s hockey, passed away last week in Bala at age 90, only days before the presentation of the annual Mickey Walker Trophy honouring the most sportsmanlike player at the national championships in Charlottetown. A player for Bracebridge in the Women’s Hockey Canadian Championships at age 16, she has been a player and promoter of women’s hockey, appearing on TSN and CBS during two Olympics endorsing the game. 26 “Each year you just try to do your best,” says Bracebridge dentist Ken Hawthorn. Since age 40, the former member with the Canadian junior and senior cross-country ski teams has competed on the world stage. “I thought I would give it a shot for five years to have some fun and decided to keep on going,” said Hawthorn. Now close to 50, he hopes to break into the top 10 at next year’s World Masters in Sweden. April 02 A provincial grant of $2,815,213.50 will help transform the 60-acre Peake farm property into Bracebridge’s own field of dreams, a ball field complex to include four ball diamonds, a washroom and canteen building, trails, parking and other related facilities. “This grant is terrific news,” said ball field advisory committee chair Scott Young. 09 The Bears were hungry, the Shamrocks determined, and there was no shortage of drama when Parry Sound fired top shelf with only 1:21 remaining on the clock to tie the game. It took three periods of overtime before Tahner Lamorie netted the winner, claiming the Muskoka-Parry Sound championship title for the Swiss Chalet novice Bears, and ending their season 17-1-0. 16 An all-or-nothing kind of guy, 16-year-old North Johnston loves the technical discipline of slalom and “loves to whack the gates.” Moving up from K2 to FIS (Federation International de Ski) this year, he is on his way to realizing his dream of skiing for Canada in the World Cup, before taking over the family farm, Johnston’s Cranberry Marsh. 23 Racking up three firsts, a second and a third, the top-seeded BMLSS Lakers senior badminton team claimed their fourth consecutive Muskoka-Parry Sound championship April 10. “I’m very proud of them all for maintaining their cool and playing their game,” enthused coach Michael Quemby. With several members playing among the seniors, the juniors finished third at their MPS tournament April 15. 30 Almost two-dozen residents turned out for a workshop to give skateboarders and BMX enthusiasts a chance to submit ideas on the design of Bracebridge’s new, 10,000-square-foot skateboard park. “I think it’s a really good idea,” said 14-year-old David Scriven, who can’t wait for the park to be completed. “The one we had before was pretty old and crappy.” May 07 “It must be something in the water,” joked a proud dad, referring to the four former North Central Ontario midget Predators drafted in the 2008 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection. Bracebridge neighbours Branden Eden and Keevin Cutting are on their way to Brampton Battalion and Owen Sound Attack, respectively, while Daniel Clairmont and David Lazarus were selected by the Saginaw Spirit. 14 Despite a slow start, the BMLSS Lakers senior girls soccer team downed the visiting Parry Sound Panthers 4-0. All scoring came in the second half, started by Rachel Baranik. “To make the playoffs, that’s when things become a little more serious. One loss and we are done. We should finish first or second at the end of the season,” said coach Jason Sprathoff. The next game is against cross-town rivals, the Huntsville Hoyas. 21 Inspired by home field advantage, the “A” Gryphons played hard and kept it close, but lost 5-0 to the Lakers junior girls soccer team Tuesday. After a first half when the Lakers appeared out of sync, missing shots and unable to formulate any rhythm, momentum shifted. Led by forward Kristen Wright with two goals, the “AAA” team launched an offensive flurry, dashing the Gryphons’ hopes of a close match. 28 Boasting bruises like badges of honour, the BMLSS senior and junior girl rugby players share a passion for their sport. “It’s more about the camaraderie,” said team coach Ryan Merritt, and the satisfaction of a well-played and hard-fought game. Playing with little fanfare, as no other team exists in Muskoka, they have a five-game schedule as part of the Georgian Bay Secondary Schools Association league. June 04 If you’re interested in BMX, dirt jumping, mountain biking and trials riding, a style of biking where obstacles are negotiated without the rider’s feet touching the ground, Colin Rogers and Chris Calhoun have the club for you. After getting hooked on the sport at Bash at the Falls, they hope to organize regular events, complete with prizes, for extreme biking enthusiasts. 11 It will take more than construction to keep the boys of summer out of the park. Until new diamonds are built, the Bracebridge Men’s Slo-pitch League plays weekly at Jubilee and Kerr parks. “It’s all about playing the game,” says Todd Jones. “If you take it too serious you’re in the wrong league.” The six teams number more than 90 players, including one over 70 years old. 18 Twenty-nine awards were given out to more than 50 athletes, representing over 13 teams at the annual BMLSS athletic awards last week in Rene M. Caisse Memorial Theatre. Exemplifying what it means to be great athletes and great people, Derek Janssen and Laurel Patterson were named Senior Athletes of the Year. Annie Armstrong and Kenny Cunningham took home the Junior Athlete awards. 25 The Town of Bracebridge honoured the best and brightest names in athletics at its annual community sports awards presentation last week. Honorees were figure skater Katherine Malcolm, who walked away as Jim Quigley Memorial Athlete of the Year, Coach of the Year winner Ed Leeuwenburg, and the Muskoka Containerized Services midget hockey team, which was named Norm Harkness Team of the Year. “I love representing this town,” said Malcolm. “It’s a real honour to get this award. It makes me feel like I’ve succeeded.” July 02 At five-foot-seven and 135 pounds, Bracebridge teen Morgan Hughes has the physical and mental attributes of a great boxer, says coach Lisle Bynoe, founder of the Bala Youth Boxing Club. Hughes is working toward a berth in the 2010 Ontario Winter Games. “He’s gotta long road ahead of him, but I can see him doing it,” says Bynoe. 09 After graduating among the top of her class from the National School of Ballet (NSB) teaching program, Jillian Clarke is instructing evening and day camps at Bracebridge School of Ballet, where she learned her art. The 20-year-old will attend the Toronto dance theatre school this fall and teach evening programs at the NSB. 16 Hundreds of visitors got a first-hand glimpse of pioneer engines, farm implements and parts to everything associated with that era at the 24th annual Muskoka Pioneer Power Association Farm and Forest show at the Bracebridge fairgrounds, July 11-13. The event showcased the workmanship of days past and included classic cars and trucks. 23 Bracebridge-born pitcher Todd Martin, arguably one of the best in the game, pitched the first four innings of Team Canada’s one-hit shutout against Japan for the championship of the Three Nations Challenge in Saskatoon, July 7. With his sights set on next year’s International Softball Federation Senior Men’s World Championships, Martin says, “That’s the big one. That’s the only thing I have yet to win in this game.” 30 Stormy weather, dark skies and even a bolt of lightning were not enough to prevent Joy Jarvis from completing her 14-mile charity swim cross Lake Rosseau to raise funds for Camp Oochigeas, the Rossea-area camp for children with cancer. “I am hoping there will be better weather next year,” commented Jarvis, who completed the annual swim in eight hours and three minutes. August 06 Thanks to a last-cast catch, the Muskoka Bassmasters team of Garrett Green, Dave Rochette, Craig Stuckless, Phil Curtis, Gary Franklin and Chris Marling have earned a spot in the BASS Club World Championship in Oklahoma this fall. The team finished second in the qualifying tournament on Lake Champlain with a catch of 81.05 pounds, for a reward of $3,200 ($1,890 after taxes!). Stuckless’s 5.02-pound largemouth bass won the big fish prize. 13 Over 200 athletes registered for the inaugural Bracebridge Triathlon at Annie Williams Memorial Park Sunday. Hosted by Multisport Canada and part of the HSBC racing series, the event brought hundreds of competitors and fans into the community, and the course drew high praise from organizers and athletes alike. It was a banner day for local athletes as teams from Muskoka finished first and second in the triathlon relay. 20 Delta Muskoka Resorts softball team player Christine Mortimer calls Dr. John Cripps “a personal hero,” after he performed a 3-1/2 hour surgery, including 43 stitches, to repair damage to her right eye, suffered when she misjudged a high fly ball while playing centre-field. While she will miss the camaraderie and love shown by her teammates, she claims, “I’m mostly sure – 99.9 per cent – that I’m retiring” from the Muskoka Ladies Softball League. 27 Bracebridge pitching ace Todd Martin led the Kitchener Rivershark Twins to victory at the 2008 International Softball Congress (ISC) World Fastball Tournament in Kimberly, Wisconsin, ending the team’s 41-year title drought. “Just to win the ISC Championship is a huge accomplishment . . . it is so hard to win,” said Martin. It marks Martin’s fourth ISC World Championship, third Most Valuable Pitcher award and ninth selection to an All World team. September 03 Setting the trails afire, Bracebridge runner Natalia Hawthorn, 13, capped wins at the Cross-Country Ontario Track & Field and the Minor Track Association championships with a ninth-place finish in the 17 and under category at the Canadian Youth Track & Field Championships in Sherbrooke, Quebec in August. “I was really pleased with it and got a personal best by five seconds,” said Natalia, who also enjoys dance, soccer and cross-country skiing. 10 After an unprecedented four Bracebridge players were selected in last year’s Ontario Hockey League draft, the results are in. Branden Eden and Keevin Cutting are heading to the OHL, after signing contracts with the Brampton Battalion and Owen Sound Attack, respectively. Although fellow North Central Predators teammates Daniel Clairmont and David Lazarus failed to advance from the Saginaw Spirit training camp, both will continue in other leagues this season. 17 The parking lots were overflowing, despite the rain, for the 141st Bracebridge Fall Fair this weekend. With a new Ferris wheel on the midway, Maple the Cow for the kids, tractor and horse pulls, and entries galore in the exhibit halls, fair director Carolyn Seehaver is predicting record numbers for Saturday. On average, the fair sees about 6,000 to 8,000 people over the course of three days. 24 The South Muskoka Shield’s three Bracebridge rookies are making their mark. Ricky Greenslade’s three goals and two assists, Rob Childs’ one goal and one assist, and Wil Irons’ one goal and three assists spurred the Shield to a 13-3 drubbing of Ville-Marie and a 9-1 romp over Espanola on the weekend. With five games and a perfect record, the Shield is tied for first with Elliot Lake in the GMHL northern division. October 01 After attributing two weekend losses to a lack of strategy and coaching, Shield general manager Gord Carey relieved Rick Irons from his head coach duties. The decision came after an offer for Irons to remain as head coach, with Carey as an assistant coach, was turned down. “Rick’s a great recruiter, but he lacks experience in Jr. A hockey,” said Carey. 08 The South Muskoka Shield split their weekend games against the Innisfil Lakers and Tamworth Cyclones. After a 7-4 loss to the Lakers on Friday, the Shield notched a 7-0 win over Tamworth to push their record to 6-2-1 in the GMHL. The Shield is tied for second place in the northern division with 13 points after nine games. 15 Muskoka is now one of 10 locations across the country for the annual Ride for Refugees, which helps support refugees and internally displaced peoples through International Teams Canada, a Christian non-governmental organization that started in 1960. Event co-directors Bill and Peggy Fitch of Bracebridge say the start line is at Muskoka Falls Public School on Oct. 18. 22 Despite solid play and a terrific team effort, the Riverside Inn peewees missed the playoffs of the Dan Bell Memorial Tournament by a one-goal point differential to Port Perry, the team they defeated in their opening game by a 3-1 score. The Bears lost 2-0 to New Hamburg Saturday morning, but refocused to beat Schomberg 5-4 that afternoon. 29 Bracebridge native Nat Faulkner had no doubt that he would achieve his goal of finishing the 2008 Hawaii Ironman, but he went one better. On Oct. 11, Faulkner crossed the finish line after just over nine hours, placing second of 107 Canadian racers and sixth in his age category. “What he did is absolutely phenomenal,” said proud father Barrie Faulkner. November 05 The BMLSS senior girls basketball team easily dominated the visiting Almaguin Highlanders in the semifinal match for a berth to GBSSA, 37-23. Lakers forward Stefanie Hill led all scorers with 12 points. “Every single person on the team played well,” noted coach Jenn McCreary. The team enters GBSSA ranked fourth and will play the top seed. “I think if they play the way they can, we will have no problem,” said McCreary. 12 Bracebridge Skating Club members Katherine Malcolm, 17, and Niki White, 15, scored big in the novice ladies division at the Skate Canada Northern Ontario Sectionals in Thunder Bay, Nov. 1. For the second straight year, Malcolm advances to the Western Challenge Cup on her way to nationals. White moves on to the Ontario Trillium Cup, and is the first skater in club history to qualify for the provincial competition. 19 It keeps getting better for Bracebridge native Keevin Cutting. After earning a spot with the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack, Cutting will represent Ontario at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Port Alberni, B.C. “We’ll be playing teams from around the world,” said Cutting. “We’re definitely going to be trying to win the gold again.” It’s one step forward in Cutting’s goal to make Canada’s National Junior Team, then the NHL. 26 Is torchbearing in your future? Residents are invited to apply to carry the Olympic flame as it passes through Bracebridge Dec. 30, on its way to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Forty-five thousand kilometres makes it the longest domestic torch relay in Olympic history. More than 1,000 communities will welcome it, during a journey that will pass within a one-hour radius of more than 90 per cent of the Canadian population. December 03 It’s two in a row for the MCS major midgets, who defended their 2007 championship title in the annual Hilltop Variety Blades Tournament in North Bay. After knocking off the Petawawa ‘69ers 15-0, Cochrane Power Chargers 3-1, Vankleek Hill Cougars 2-0 and the Cougars again 6-2 in semifinal action, the Bears took on the undefeated Parry Sound Shamrocks in an intense final. Bracebridge withstood some hard hits and bone-chilling checks for a 3-0 win. 10 Sixteen-year-old Branden Eden is optimistic he’ll play with the OHL’s Brampton Battalion over Christmas. Eden posted nine goals and seven assists in 22 games with the Tier II Brampton Capitals before an elbow to the jaw left him sidelined. With the Battalion losing three players to the World Junior Hockey Tournament, Eden sees it as “an opportunity to show them what I’ve got. I just have to do what I do, and that’s put points up.” 17 Placing among the top 75 finishers in a field of 2,000 golfers has elevated Bracebridge native Brennan Webb to the elite status of one of only five Canadians to earn exempt status on golf’s Nationwide Tour. His success in the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament known as “Q-school” means Webb can now enter as many tournaments as he likes. “My goal is to finish in the top 25 on the money list and earn a PGA Tour card,” said Webb.
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