ONE GAME AT A TIME
CANBERRA’S ONLY SPORTS MAGAZINE
CANBERRA CAVALRY BASEBALL IN CANBERRA
CRICKET LOCAL TO TOUR WEST INDIES
FOOTBALL
SWIMMING
CANBERRA UNITED’S HOT STREAK
THORPE UNFAZED
CYCLING
RUGBY UNION
WOMEN IN SPORT
BRUMBY JESSE MOGG
OLYMPIC CHAMPION STEPHANIE RICE
AIS ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARDS
ISSUE # 5 NOV 2011 ISSN: 1839-3756 CFL PUBLISHING PTY LTD
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Issue #5 – November 2011
CONTENTS FEATURE
20
CANBERRA CAVALRY BASEBALL IN CANBERRA
02 Cricket
26 Women in Sport
03 Outlook
28 Cycling
04 Baseball
30 Tennis
06 Basketball
30 Surfing
08 Swimming
32 Golf
11 Top 5
34 Motor Sport
12 Rugby League
36 Combat Sports
13 Aussie Rules
38 Technology in sport
14 Rugby Union
39 Fencing
16 Your Shout
40 Paintball
17 One Minute With
42 Left of Centre
17 On the List
44 Fitness
18 Football
45 Sports Crossword Nutrition and Health
Local young gun to tour the West Indies With Chris Cairns
Road Racing | AIS Athlete of the Year awards
Canberra Cavalry Breaking records | MLB WNBL | NBL
Cult Heroes
PGA | LPGA Formula 1 | V8 Supercars | Moto GP
Independent Commission
UFC
AFL | Tuggeranong Hawks
GPS
Player focus: Jesse Mogg | Beale to inspire Letters to the editor
‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Season draws to a close
Mitch Flynn - Cycling Team Suzuki
Beer Pong
The Cannonball tackle
Get fit for summer
EPL | A-League | W-League
24 Social Pics and Events DETAILS
WHERE TO PICK US UP Quality sports shops, cafes and your local shopping centres. THE TEAM If you’re after information on advertising, design, writing or just wanting to get involved, contact us at www.playcanberra.com.au or on 0452 220 100 FIND US ON FACE BOOK AND TWITTER PLAY Canberra @PLAYcanberra
Issue #5 – November 2011
Djokovic plays down fitness worries Moore set to make surfing history
Phelps wins in Minnesota | Thorpe unfazed
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Stephanie Rice | Cricketer Kris Britt
PUBLISHER CFL Publishing Pty Ltd
ART DIRECTOR and DESIGN Sally Anstess 0404 025 070 sally@playcanberra.com.au
PRINTED BY CaxtonWeb
CONTRIBUTORS Writers: Chris Cairns, Anthony Perry, Peter McGrath AAP, AFP. Photographs: Andrew Finch - Edge Light Photography Ben Southall - Ben Southall Photography
EDITORIAL INQUIRIES Nathan editor@playcanberra.com.au ADVERTISING MANAGER Nathan Minerds 0452 220 100 nathan@playcanberra.com.au
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1
MELBOURNE STARS WANT FAN NOISE BACK AT MCG Cricket Australia marketing general manager Mike McKenna says any outbreaks of the Mexican Wave will be closely monitored. However McKenna admitted on Monday it was unfortunate that in recent years authorities had reacted to the minority of misbehaving fans, which has had a significant impact on the majority. “The Stars are onto something there. Having a supporter bay where you have your most fanatical fans is always going to be very exciting,” McKenna said. “I think it will help pump the teams up. “There’s no change to the terms and conditions of entry to cricket this year. “We certainly want to make sure that we look at it and ascertain what’s going in the crowd. Australian cricketer Shane Warne at the MCG in Melbourne. Image: Julian Smith - AAP
The Melbourne Stars Twenty 20 team want fans at the MCG to show Shane Warne the kind of wholehearted support that Bay 13 was famous for back in the days of Merv Hughes.
In recent years it has been stadium security officials who have become notorious as “fun police” for confiscating blow-up balls and generally taking some of the spontaneity out of the MCG crowds.
Fans in the old Bay 13 area of the MCG became notorious for throwing rubbish in the air during outbreaks of the Mexican Wave, causing discomfort and injury to other patrons.
However the Stars have launched a Warnie’s Bay promotion, with 500 tickets available for their home games in the Big Bash League Twenty20 season, starting next month.
“In the past when people have done the wave ... when they started throwing things we saw a large number of injuries. “You had to be in the first-aid rooms under the ground here at the MCG to see the damage that was being done to people by the objects that were being hurled into the air without any consideration for others’ safety. “That’s the sort of thing we’re concerned about.”- AAP
YOUNG GUN TO TOUR THE WEST INDIES
◊ PETER MCGRATH
The West Indies is about to find out what young Marist cricketer, Lewis Harman, has to offer. The fifteen year old will represent Australia when the Under 16 Schoolboys travel to the Caribbean for a series of matches over three weeks this December. 2
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Thanks to some keen fundraising and kind sponsorship from Marist College, Weston Creek Cricket Club and Lord Taveners ACT, Harman is set to embark on an amazing cricketing experience that is sure to be the envy of all his local teammates. Harman and his Australian teammates will square off against teams from Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados, culminating in a two-day game against the West Indies. He has only limited experience in the two-day format and while Harman admits that he enjoys the short version of the game, he relishes any opportunity to bowl in more one-day matches.
“20/20 suits my batting, because I’m not the most patient batsmen. I just like to go out and have a hit… but in the 50-over matches I prefer to bowl as you get 10 overs and can get a bit of a rhythm.” Bowling left arm orthodox and batting at no.6, Harman was selected after an outstanding U/15 National Carnival and will soon focus his attention on the U/17 National Carnival in Hobart starting in December. With the opportunity to play in the carnival again next year, Harman’s age and ability will certainly catch the eye of State and academy selectors. A cricket enthusiast from a young age, Harman is training up to 4 times a week in an effort to maintain form before the Australian Schoolboys side leaves in December. His preparation time is split between his three teams, Marist 1st XI, Weston Creek first grade, and the U/16 A.C.T Representative side. The Australian Schoolboys will meet at the Sydney Cricket Ground only three days before departing so any team bonding might need to be left for the plane trip. Cricket is not the only sport in which the young Marist college student shows
FREE Entry - Junior Cricketers Junior cricketers in the ACT have an opportunity to watch their heroes play at Manuka Oval for Free when the NSW SpeedBlitz Blues take on Tasmania Tigers on Sunday 4th December in a one day match. Junior cricketers in the ACT aged under 16 will need to wear either their junior club playing cricket shirt or MILO in2CRICKET shirt to enable them FREE entry to the match. The match will provide an opportunity for all junior cricketers to come and see the likes of Katich, Warner, Henriques, Bollinger, Hazelwood, Bailey and Hilfenhaus. The match is the first of a series of matches which form the Festival of Cricket which involves 10 days of first class cricket been played at Manuka Oval this December. Following the Ryobi One Day Cup match, a replay of last year’s Sheffield Shield Grand Final will be played featuring NSW and Tasmania as well as two tour matches between a Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI v India. All tickets for these matches are now on sale with the Ryobi One Day Cup through Ticketek and the BUPA Sheffield Shield tickets available at the gate on match day. Ticket prices start at $15 for Adults. Match details: Who: NSW SpeedBlitz Blues v PKF Tasmania Tigers What: Ryobi One Day Cup Match (50 over’s) When: Sunday 4th December 2011 Time: 10:30am Start Where: Manuka Oval
promise. He plays AFL as a half back flanker at Marist and was recently selected in the U/15 Greater Western Sydney academy. This is quite a feat considering the demanding nature of both sports at a youth elite level. And like so many multi-talented sportsmen, Harman will soon have to choose between sports so as to pursue a professional career. “At this stage cricket is probably leading, especially after making the Australian team, but I guess time will tell” Harman says. As with many talented young cricketers, Harman’s ultimate goal is to play for Australia, but he is well aware that he will need to keep ticking the boxes. “I’m hoping to make the ACT u17, then the 19’s, then hopefully the Comets in two or three years.” And with that progression in mind, it is clear that Harman’s feet remain firmly on the ground, despite his elite achievements thus far. It may not be long before Harman returns to the Caribbean, however next time it may be with a Baggy Green cap. Issue #5 – November 2011
CHRIS CAIRNS
OUTLOOK
It’s interesting to note the move that Patty Mills is making from the Aussie NBL to the Chinese Basketball Association, what’s also interesting to note is….what would you do?
Quite often in the Southern part of the World the conundrum of passion versus price raises its head. I am often dubious about the reporting of these perceived public opinions where we see news stories of disgruntled fans questioning the commitment some athletes have towards their club. It is so much more interesting to read about the vilification of someone than have people supporting the actions of another. Now let’s get one thing straight right from the beginning of any debate about what value a player is worth. It is not the players fault they are being
Issue #5 – November 2011
offered a sum of money. Market forces dictate what the price will be. Like the price of art, a player in sport is only as valuable as what someone is willing to pay for him or her. Market prices can become inflated when there is a competing league or venture or when a new franchise or team is set up because more teams drives up the value of the top players dramatically. But the key is to decide what model is best? Do you have an open market environment where no cap is required like the English Premier League, where rich men can flaunt the spoils of business and create completely unsustainable business models whilst in search of placing a trophy on their dining room table. They pay their charges whatever it takes to keep them at the club and any loss in this part of
their business portfolio is swallowed up as a loss generating component and written off against the significantly more successful parts of their empire that allowed the purchase of the club in the first place. Or do you look towards the NRL model which has a salary cap so that talent can be distributed and player base strength matures when purchased young and blossoms to create a shot at the title in years to come? This provides a chance for fans to live the dream knowing full well that if they hang in there through the tough times, their chance will come to win the title. So what is it that entices owners to part ways with vasts sums of cash and in most cases end up losing vast sums of money? It can be passion. Passion
of a club which was once something meaningful in the life of the owner. A chance to preside over the direction of something special. Buying in to a sport could also be the chance for the wealthy to get alongside and intimate with the one thing money cannot buy, talent. Whatever the motivation to purchase a sporting club or franchise, the key is to make it sustainable. The players involved, like Patty Mills are pawns in the game and it would be tough call to not support someone who has the chance to secure their families future. Ultimately that’s what we all strive for.
Have your shout email us at editor@playcanberra.com.au ONE GAME AT A TIME
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3
MCGUIRE’S RECORD BREAKING NIGHT
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Tests set for new MLB agreement
Mike McGuire pitches the ball. Image: Ryan Schembri - SMP Images
◊ WWW.THEABL.COM.AU
strike. The previous record for strike outs in a game was held by Melbourne Aces pitcher Travis Blackly. He struck out 11 Blue Sox on 11 December 2010 last season. McGuire struck out his 11th batter in the 5th inning and passed Blackly with the second out in the 6th.
Last night’s game was one for the ages. While the final score of 10-2 tells one story, the really story is that of Canberra “UberGlobal” pitcher Mike McGuire. McGuire’s dominating performance was one for the record books as his 14 strike outs of Bite batters set a new Australian Baseball League single game record for punch outs in a game.
“Mike is a very talented young man,” Assistant General Manager Thom Carter said. “As the game wore on we knew something special was happening. In his two starts for us he has shown the kind of dominance that we expected when he signed this spring. When he pitches it is a thing of beauty”.
McGuire faced 22 batters in his 6 1/3 innings of work. He gave up four hits, three ground ball outs, and one fly ball out; the rest of the players he faced walked back to the dugout after a third
Single Game Strike-out Leaders Name McQuire, Mike Blackley, Travis Blackley, Adam Moore, Benjamin Yamada, Hiroki
Team Cavalry Aces Aces Heat Bandits
Against Bite Blue Sox Bandits Aces Blue Sox
Date 10/11/11 11/12/10 22/12/10 20/1/11 19/11/10
Number of K’s 14 11 10 10 10-
Upcoming Home Game Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 December V Adelaide Bite Next Home Games Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 November V Melbourne Aces
4
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At Narrahbundah Ball Park Kyeema Street, Narrabundah For more information on the Canberra Cavalry go to www.theabl.com.au For tickets go to www.theabl.com.au
Baltimore Orioles’ Nolan Reimold slides safely under Toronto Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia, right, at home plate to score the go-ahead run as umpire Bob Davison watches during ninth inning. Image: The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette - AAP
Major League Baseball players and club owners are on the verge of a new collective bargaining agreement that includes blood testing for human growth hormone (HGH). Citing two unnamed sources, the New York Times reported recently that a new deal could come in the next few days and will feature blood tests starting in February when players report for pre-season training camps. The move could make Major League Baseball, long criticised as being slow to act to confront steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, the first major North American sports league to test players for HGH. The National Football League included HGH tests in a union deal struck last July but the pact required the NFL players union to agree to details of the tests and system of testing, something that has not happened four months later. Players testing positive for HGH under the new MLB blood tests would face a 50-game ban, the same as for a first positive steroid test, the Times reported. Major League Baseball imposed HGH tests on developmental-level players last year, in part because that move did not require union agreement.
US lawmakers, who prodded Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig for years to take tougher antidoping measures, have pushed the NFL’s union to allow the start of HGH tests this season, a campaign that ends on 1 January. The 2007 Mitchell Report, which examined doping in Major League Baseball, found several players connected to HGH, citing its ability to help them recover from the fatigue of a six-month season. What is expected to be a five-year deal replacing a contract that expires on December 11 would also bring an expanded playoff system with a total of 10 teams, five each from the National and American leagues. Major League Baseball’s 1994 World Series was wiped out when players and team owners could not agree on a contract, but might have the easiest time making a new deal among America’s three top sport leagues. The NFL endured a four-and-a-half month lockout before reaching a new deal on how to divide about $US9 billion in annual revenue, while the NBA has been locked out since July 1 and is in danger of seeing an entire season lost. - AAP
Issue #5 – November 2011
Sat 26 Nov 6pm The Fort
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WNBL
Capitals and trail 22-19 heading into the second quarter. But a 32-11 second term opened up a margin that didn’t drop below 20 points at any stage for the rest of the game. The Capitals recorded their third win of the season against their fellow ACT tenants. Led by 25 points from their All-Star centre Marianna Tolo, who also pulled down six rebounds. Jess Bibby added 14 points for the victors and Nicole Hunt added 11 points. Sara Blicavs led the way for the AIS with 16 points and seven rebounds, while guard Madeleine Garrick hit seven of her 12 field goal attempts on the way to 14 points.
Nicole Hunt of the Canberra Capitals. Image: Ben Southall.
CAPS HITTING FORM A 32-11 second term scoring output has helped the Canberra Capitals set up a convincing 91-55 victory over the AIS at the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre in Albury. A close first term saw the students match it with the more experienced
Canberra Capitals 91 (Marianna Tolo 25, Jess Bibby 14, Nicole Hunt 11) defeated AIS 55 (Sara Blicavs 16, Madeleine Garrick 14, Mikhaela Donnelly 9) The caps now sit 8th on the WNBL ladder. With some winning form under their belt, and 8 games left in the regular season, they have begun their charge into the finals. Get along to the next home game to cheer them on. The Capitals are back in town on 10 December to take on Sydney at the AIS arena.
Cambage hoping to bounce back from illness ◊ BY MELISSA WOODS
Rising Australian basketball star Liz Cambage knew she didn’t come back from her first WNBA season in the United States in great shape. But after struggling to get through a match late last month with the Bulleen Boomers in the WNBL, she knew something was up. The 20-year-old had medical tests, which revealed she was on the tailend of a bout of the energy-sapping glandular fever.
She top-scored in last week’s 77-61 win over Adelaide, with 16 points. The defending champion Boomers have had one loss this season, from five games, and trail unbeaten Sydney and Townsville on the WNBA ladder. Cambage said the round two loss to Bendigo was actually good for the Boomers. “It didn’t really feel like a loss, it felt like more of a lesson. “We really needed it, especially after beating Canberra in the first round, I think people got a bit too excited.” She believed Sydney was the team to beat, discarding Townsville’s ambitions.
“In games it wasn’t my lungs, it was my whole body that would get so tired I’d be hunched over,” Cambage said.
“I think they’re very beatable, I don’t see them building any more unlike our team, we have so much more to go.”
“I was really run down and tired so I got the blood tests.
The Boomers had a large player turnover following their breakthrough title win over Canberra, and Cambage said they were still finding their way.
“It’s just on its last legs now.” Cambage believed she worked too hard too quickly to regain the fitness she had lost while playing limited game time for Tulsa in the WNBA. “I kind of burnt myself out,” she said. The 203cm centre, who was 2010-11 MVP of the WNBL, said she felt back to her old self ahead of Bulleen’s next clash with Dandenong.
“People haven’t really learnt their roles ... everyone wants to come out and score. “As a post player, I really don’t think I’m getting the ball enough. “We’re learning and working on it, it’s exciting to see where this teams’s going to go.” - AAP
Santa is a Baller 3x3 Mixed Tournament Date: Saturday 10th December Registration Cost: $50 per team of 4 RSVP: pierre@bigbangballers.org
REGISTRATIONS MUST BE IN BY MONDAY 5th December 100% of proceeds will go towards the Big Bangs’ programs worldwide. We’re collecting cash, toys and sporting equipment for our kids in developing countries, so bring your checkbooks, small plush toys and used (but loved!) shoes and sports equipment! THIS IS AN OPEN TOURNAMENT. Full rules on website!
CASH PRIZE FOR CHAMPS: $250
www.bigbangballers.org 6
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Issue #5 – November 2011
PATTY MILLS TO LEAVE NBL FOR CHINESE CLUB marketing for basketball in Australia, especially after insurance issues robbed the Sydney Kings of a chance to land fellow Boomer Andrew Bogut.
was highlighted by his season-high 32 points in Saturday night’s 95-89 loss to Adelaide.
Gold Coast (3-3) moved menacingly into the top four above Townsville (3-3) with a 87-75 home victory over the Crocs.
“He will fly out tonight,” Melbourne coach Trevor Gleeson said.
The classy point guard announced the move earlier Sunday night (20 November) on Twitter.
New import guard Adris Deleon scored 21 for the Blaze, who have won three of their past four games.
“But we wish him well and we’ll never hold back a player when he gets a good offer like that.”
“Just wanted to let you all know that I got an unbelievable opportunity to play in China,” he said.
Cairns scored their first ever win in Sydney (3-5) in 15 attempts, cruising to an 85-67 victory.
He could earn as much as $1 million with the move to the Xinjiang Flying Tigers.
“Just want to thank all the basketball fans in Australia for their support while I’ve been here. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!
“It’s been a difficult trip for many a Taipans team to come down here,” Cairns coach Aaron Fearne said.
While Mills was always going back to the NBA at some stage, Tigers CEO Seamus McPeake explained that their policy was not to hold back players with a chance to further their careers internationally. Patty Mills at the launch of the NBL season. Image: Julian Smith - AAP
◊ BY JOE BARTON AND ADRIAN WARREN
The NBL has lost its most marketable and dynamic player, with NBA star Patty Mills leaving the Melbourne Tigers immediately to take up a contract with a Chinese club. Since linking with the Tigers during the NBA lockout, Mills has sparked an unprecedented interest in the competition while being the catalyst for Melbourne’s 6-3 start. His departure is a massive blow to both the Tigers’ championship ambitions and
“It was a similar situation with David Barlow and Mark Bradtke,” he said. “They received very lucrative offers overseas and it was in their best interests to pursue the opportunity. “Patty has received a great offer and being an Olympic year we will always do what is best for him.” “It is disappointing to see him depart hopefully we will see him back in the future.” Mills was arguably the most dominant attacking force in the league over the first four rounds of this season, averaging a league-high 18.6 points per game, while his influence at the Tigers
Mills’ last weekend in the NBL was mixed, with the Tigers coming from 21 points down in the second quarter to score a meritorious 87-82 home win over fellow pacesetters Perth in which Mills scored an NBL career-low six points. The Tigers squandered an eight-point lead on the road the following night, losing 95-89 to last-placed Adelaide (2-5). “We didn’t play any defence,” Melbourne coach Trevor Gleeson said after the Adelaide experience. “We took soft options - very disappointing.” Stephen Weigh sparked the 36ers with a 24-point haul. “We said all week we did not want to get beaten on the boards and we came out winning the boards 49-31,” Weigh said.
For Sydney it was their third loss in four home games this season and 12th in 18 since being readmitted to the competition last season. “Home is meant to be your fort, that’s where you protect, we seem to rally more on away games,” Sydney centre Julian Khazzouh said. “I think maybe we put more focus on that in away games, it’s just a mental thing for us.” Cairns (4-4) overturned an 11-point last quarter deficit to score a 80-78 home win over New Zealand (5-3) in their first clash since last seasons grand final series. Alex Loughton scored 22 and Andrew Warren 21 for Cairns, who snapped a two-game losing streak at home, while Thomas Abercrombie headed the New Zealand list with 21. - AAP
COACH K NOTCHES MILESTONE VICTORY to give “Coach K” his 903rd career win, breaking a tie with Bob Knight -- who was Krzyzewski’s coach at Army and his mentor when he became a coach himself. Third-year guard Andre Dawkins had 26 points for the Blue Devils, who took control with a 20-1 run that gave them a 61-41 lead with 9:17 remaining. The lead was never threatened, leaving Duke to get to the business of celebrating. Krzyzewski was drafted to guide the 2008 US Olympic basketball team after a disappointing third-place effort at the 2004 Athens summer games. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is recognized post game for breaking the men’s Division I college basketball coaching record following an NCAA college basketball game against Davidson in Durham, N.C. Image: Gerry Broome - AP
Mike Krzyzewski, the coach who led a team of NBA stars to Olympic gold in Beijing and will try to guide the US to a repeat in London, became the
Issue #5 – November 2011
coach with the most wins in major college basketball. Krzyzewski’s Duke University Blue Devils defeated Michigan State 74-69
The veteran coach was able to get the best from a US squad that included such NBA superstars as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant and in 2009 agreed to return as coach through the 2012 London Olympics. “It was a huge honor to be selected as the US national team coach the first
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time. It is still a huge honor,” Krzyzewski said then. Several of Krzyzewski’s former players attended Tuesday’s game at Madison Square Garden -- some of them able to be there because of the NBA lockout. “It’s a special moment,” Krzyzewski said of family and former players being present. “At halftime I wasn’t sure we were going to have this moment. We beat a really good team and I’m glad now we can just move on and just develop our team.” As soon as the game ended Krzyzewski crossed the court to talk to Knight, now a television commentator, and hugged him. “I just told Coach I love him,” Krzyzewski said. “I wouldn’t be in this position without him. It’s a moment shared. I know he’s very proud and I’m very proud to have been somebody who’s worked under him and studied him and tried to be like him.” - AFP CANBERRA.COM.AU
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SWIMMING
PHELPS ROMPS TO FIFTH WIN IN MINNESOTA those times is definitely good for me right now. “I’m happy to just be able to compete how I used to.” The 14-time Olympic gold medal winner Phelps crushed the 200 individual medley field, winning by almost four seconds and touching the wall in one minute, 57.58 seconds. Phelps also swam the fastest time in the morning preliminaries.
The US’ Michael Phelps on his way to winning the Men’s 200m Individual Medley. Image: John Macdougall - AFP
◊ BY LIAM FITZGIBBON
Michael Phelps captured his fifth gold medal of the Minnesota Grand Prix meet, dominating the 200 metre individual medley. Phelps, the most decorated Olympic swimmer in history, is stepping up his
training and getting ready for the 2012 London Olympics. “It feels good to sort of have things going in the right direction again,” Phelps said. “It’s been so long that I’ve been able to swim halfway decent inseason. Being able to kind of get back to
The 26-year-old American had already won the 100 and 200 butterfly events, as well as the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke during the three-day competition at the University of Minnesota pool. South Africa’s Darian Townsend finished well back in second in the medley with a time of 2:01.55 and China’s Wu Peng was third in 2:01.97.
Six-time Olympic medallist Ryan Lochte, of the US, swam the third-fastest preliminary time in the 200 individual medley and the top preliminary time in the 200 backstroke, but chose not to compete in the evening finals. While Phelps was the top male swimmer of the meet, his American compatriot Melissa Franklin was the leading female scorer after winning five medals. Franklin captured the 200 backstroke on Sunday, finishing in 2:08.03 and later won the 100 freestyle with a time of 54.27. She also placed third in the 200 individual medley in 2:13.12 Sunday. The 16-year-old is chasing her first Olympic berth. “We’re in really tough training right now; everyone is,” Franklin said. “To be able to come out here and go some of my best in-season times is really good. I’m thrilled.” The Minnesota Grand Prix is the first of seven stops this season on USA Swimming’s Grand Prix series.- AFP
THORPE UNFAZED BY SLOW TIMES ◊ BY LIAM FITZGIBBON
Australian swimming legend Ian Thorpe says he aims to compete in next year’s London Olympics and is not disappointed by a recent string of slow performances during his comeback. Thorpe, 29, announced his return to the pool in February after retiring in 2006 due to what he said was a loss of privacy in his life and training. “I’m not disappointed at all. I expected my first race wouldn’t be that fast and that’s what it was,” Thorpe told a press conference marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between South Korea and Australia. Thorpe, who faces a selection trial for the Australian Olympic team in March, failed to make the podium at meets this month in Singapore, Beijing and Tokyo. “It’s pretty natural for anyone who has spent any time out of the pool, let alone how long I’ve spent. So my performance is on track, where I’d like to head...and technically, I’m swimming better,” he said. The five-time Olympic gold medallist, dubbed “Thorpedo” by fans, didn’t hide the 8
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difficulties he is facing with his comeback, likening it to restarting a car after five years. “It doesn’t matter how good the car is, it’s still going to be difficult and I’m experiencing this,” he said. “There are...some things I need to improve on, but I think most importantly, I rediscovered love and passion for the sport. I don’t think I can underestimate the value of that.” Thorpe stunned the swimming world when he retired at age 24. “At that time, I didn’t think I’d compete again...so I surprised myself that I wanted to do this,” he said, adding he had witnessed incredible progress in swimming during his retirement. “What’s fantastic about this progression is that it’s from all over the world. It’s not one or two countries...but it’s really spreading throughout the world.” Money is not the reason for his return, he said. “I can’t motivate myself to just get up early for money. It doesn’t work...I’m only able to do this because I found my passion.” - AAP
Ian Thorpe of Australia (C) leaves the pool after racing the preliminary round of the men’s 100-meter butterfly at the FINA Swimming World Cup 2011. Image: Kimimasa Mayama - AAP
Issue #5 – November 2011
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AUS GOALBALLERS PLAY FOR LONDON 2012 SPOTS
“It’s a game with the speed of soccer, the hardness of rugby league and the precision of golf,” Apps said. “These guys must have mental toughness to judge and make decisions under extreme physical pressure.” Teams of six players, with three on the court at any one time, fight it out for possession of the ball, using their bodies to block potential goals. Australian men’s captain Robbie Vogt is a veteran goalballer who played in the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney. He says the best way to play the highcontact game is to concentrate on communicating with your team-mates. “It’s really one of those things where you rely on your team and the guys around you,” Vogt says.
Danish goalball player Martin Enggaard makes a save during their win over Lithuania in the final of the men’s goalball. Image: Rick Rycroft
◊ BY VICTORIA BRUCE
It’s a Paralympic sport with the speed of soccer, the hardness of rugby league and the precision of golf - and the players are blindfolded. Australian men’s and women’s goalball teams play Algeria and New Zealand respectively in Sydney on Thursday with spots in the 2012 London Paralympic Games at stake. They’re contesting final qualifying matches at Sydney’s Olympic Park to
wrap up the 2011 IBSA Africa-Oceania Goalball Regional Championships. Goalball is a game involving a 1.25 kilogram rubber ball with a bell inside being launched at speeds of up to 80 kilometres per hour - and players use sound and touch to locate the ball. The indoor sport played by the vision impaired is the only blind team sport played at the Paralympics. Australian men’s coach Rob Apps says players put their bodies on the line.
“Because if you go out there and try and do these things as an individual and you’re stuck in your own headspace, nothing will work.” He says the players compensate for lack of vision by using tactile cues and strong communication. “Because we don’t have the vision, we can’t nod and wink to one another to see what the others are doing so you really need to communicate well and be well drilled to know what one another is doing on court.” Vogt said his team were determined to secure a spot in the 2012 London Paralympic Games.
“London looks awesome. We’re pretty keen to be involved as it looks like the most amazing Paralympic Games to date,” Vogt said. Women’s captain Meica Christensen said she first picked up a goalball when she was 15. She snapped up a spot on the Australian team touring Sweden in 2004 and has been captain for the past two years. The 22-year-old says her team has to good chance of beating the Kiwis in Thursday’s qualifying match - as long as they keep their cool. “I think we can do it, but I think we just need to go into the match with the attitude that it’s just another game and we need to win it,” Christensen said. “If we put too much pressure on ourselves, that’s when things go bad and if we think it’s going to be too easy then we’ll let our guard down and next thing you know you’re a couple of points down and it’s hard to get back up. “We’re going to go out there and play our best tomorrow and we hope the boys will too.” Australian men’s team: Robb Vogt, Ben Macfee, Thanh Tu, Ben Rowe, Jon Horsburgh, Michael Shepphard. Australian women’s team: Meica Christensen, Jenny Blow, Nicole Esdaile, Rachel Henderson, Tyan Taylor, Michelle Rzepecki.- AAP
MATCH-FIXING TO BECOME SPECIFIC CRIME ◊ BY CRYSTAL JA
Match-fixing is set to become a specific criminal offence carrying penalties of up to 10 years in prison after the states and territories struck a deal to crack down on corruption in sport. They’ve agreed to draft legislation that identifies match-fixing as a crime and ensures punishments remain consistent. Under the proposal, match-fixers will spend up to 10 years behind bars regardless of where the crime occurs in Australia, with similar penalties for anyone engaged in “match-fixing conduct” or those who encourage others to do so. Federal Sports Minister Mark Arbib said the changes send a strong message to would-be offenders.
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Last month in Sydney, former NRL player Ryan Tandy was found guilty of trying to manipulate the first score of a 2010 match in Queensland, convicted of the formal charge of attempting to obtain a financial advantage by deception. Senator Arbib said the new laws will cut through the legal confusion. “In the past, there have not been specific match-fixing offences and penalties,” he said in a statement. “These changes make it clear where the law will stand. “Anyone who becomes involved in match-fixing runs the risk of serious penalties.” The states and territories have agreed to run the proposal by their cabinets, hoping to have the legislation passed sometime next year.
Others want it through before the start of the next NRL season. Illegal betting and spot- or matchfixing have increasingly been under the spotlight for governments and sporting bodies all around the world. Three Pakistani cricketers were sent to jail in Britain earlier this month for deliberately bowling no-balls in a Test against England at Lord’s last year. While Australia doesn’t have a record of major corruption, the federal government admits the sports gambling industry is increasingly at risk of being targeted by unscrupulous types. Canberra was able to get the state and territories to agree to a national policy on match-fixing in June and helped set up the latest agreement.
Senator Arbib said codes of conduct, education for players and officials, as well as national regulation for sports betting, have all contributed to maintaining the integrity of Australia’s sporting industry. The Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports, which represents the AFL, ARU, NRL and the major cricket, soccer, tennis and netball leagues, applauded the move to legislate match-fixing as a crime, but wants more. It wants all betting agencies, which helped process the $2.8 billion Australians gamble on sports every year, to sign integrity agreements with sports. Sports ministers will meet to discuss the matter next year. -AAP
Issue #5 – November 2011
5
CULT HEROES
George Rose
Some sports people are remembered first and foremost not for their qualities as a player, but because something in their personality, appearance, or way they carried themselves held a special appeal for fans.
Rose is known for his big frame on the footy field and his passion and determination.
It is these cult heroes we salute!
A rugby league player who plays for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in the NRL competition.
Ok we love him cause he is a big man and he sports a beer gut but is still a professional sportsman.
Marco Pantani
René Higuita A truly bizarre figure, Colombian goalkeeper René Higuita is remembered for the spectacular ‘scorpion kick’ with which he cleared a goal attempt in a friendly against England in 1995. This kick is incredible watch it via www.youtube.com
Italian road racing cyclist, widely considered one of the best climbers in professional road bicycle racing. His attacking style and aggressive riding turned him into a fan favorite in the late 1990s. He was known as ‘Il Pirata’ because of his shaved head and the bandana and earrings he always wore.
Mark ‘Jacko’ Jackson
Dennis Rodman Former Basketball player and the prototypical “bad boy”, Rodman was notorious for numerous controversial antics. He dyed his hair in artificial colors, presented himself with many piercings and tattoos and regularly disrupted games by clashing with opposing players and officials. He famously wore a wedding dress to promote his autobiography.
Former Aussie Rules player Jacko was know for his antics on the feild and his career after football. One of the most famous was the handstand in front of the Hawks full back, Kelvin Moore. Moore told Jackson that he “wouldn’t be a full forward whilst his arse pointed to the floor”, so Jackson did a handstand to point it to the sky.
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INDEPENDENCE CLOSE FOR THE NRL Following a meeting at NRL headquarters between representatives from all 16 clubs and the commissioners, Wests Tigers director Dave Trodden confirmed the clubs had agreed unanimously to sign licences to compete for the next seven years.
This happened after clubs accepted a cash injection believed to be worth $500,000 to be delivered once the new TV broadcast rights deal is put in place, expected to be midway through next season.
Raiders celebrate after Josh Dugan’s last second winning try during the NRL, round 20, Canberra Raiders v St George Illawarra Dragons at Canberra Stadium, Monday, July 25, 2011. Raiders won 24 - 19. Image: Action Photographics, Colin Whelan - AAP
Rugby league’s independent commission has been given its strongest endorsement to date, with all 16 NRL clubs agreeing to sign club licences with the new ARL commission. In the strongest sign yet that rugby league will soon be independent, the eight commissioners were given a vote of confidence by all the NRL clubs, who agreed the commission is the right vehicle to take rugby league into the next era.
Clubs had previously baulked at signing any agreement unless they were given a $2.1 million grant. But Trodden said the funding debate was no longer an issue,
“The clubs have obvious concerns about their financial stability and it was necessary for them to raise issues about their financial stability with commissioners and with other stakeholders in the game,” Trodden told reporters afterwards. “But today they’ve left the meeting with the commissioners more convinced than ever that the commissioners are the right people to take us into the next era of the game.”
Gallop said he didn’t expect the drawn out process to affect the NRL’s negotiating power when it came to generating the most money from rugby league’s new broadcast deal. “Not necessarily, I think there will still be plenty of time to do the right deal for the game,” Gallop said. “I think it may take a bit of time once the process starts, but I remain optimistic that the game is well placed to do a tremendous TV deal.”
Both Trodden and NRL chief executive David Gallop were cagey when asked to put an exact date on when the commission would become fully operational.
The new broadcast deal is expected to bring with it a huge injection of funds, which Gallop said would help further reduce the gap between the annual club grant and the salary cap.
Gallop is adamant it will be in place for the start of the 2012 NRL season in March, while both were pleased one significant hurdle was no longer an issue.
At the moment the disparity between the grant ($3.85 million) and the cap ($4.3 million) is $450,000.
“It’s probably not for me to put a date on the commencement of the commission,” Trodden said. “But it’s important to note that the club agreements are now in place and there’s one less impediment for the commission to happen.”
“We’ve certainly worked over a long period of time to close the gap between the grant and the salary cap,” Gallop said. “We’ve got to keep that as a goal. If we do that, our clubs will be in a financial position, our players will be sharing the rewards of the game and the game will be set up right for the future.” - AAP
TOUCH FOOTBALL MIXED 16S A WINNER champions Tuggeranong Vikings in Round Six with Woden Eagles beating ladder leaders Canberra City in Round Six. 16 year-olds, Stephanie James, Jessica O’Rourke and Cassandra Fisher have shown they can match the skill level with some of the ACT’s top players providing a strong future for the RiteWay Northern Phoenix.
Men’s As we get closer to the business end of the 2011 Touch Football ACT Super League season, team preparations and game play are starting to heat up with some exciting games of Touch Football. With the introduction of the Mixed 16’s competition, after five rounds the RiteWay Northern Phoenix are the only undefeated team. RiteWay Northern Phoenix boasting six boys and girls who represented ACT in the Under 15’s National School Sport Championships in October, have guided the team to some impressive wins.
Women’s
After Round 6 Canberra City and Tuggeranong Vikings share the lead on points with the two teams playing some hotly contested games. RiteWay Northern Phoenix defeated defending 12
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RiteWay Northern Phoenix are leading the men’s competition with five straight wins from their first five matches, only to be beaten by the Woden Eagles by one touchdown in Round Six. The Men’s competition has seen some extremely quick and action packed touch football. Tuggeranong Vikings currently sit in 3rd position but can cause a shake up close to finals. RiteWay Northern Phoenix, fielding a much different team to the one that lost the Grand Final in 2010 have displayed a wide variety of touch including new game play strategies and policies. Young guns Ben Hughes and Stephen Mekile have shown their strength in the team and cemented their positions well with old heads Damien Prendergast (Captain) and Chris Tarlinton.
Semi Finals & Grand Finals will be held on Saturday 17th December 2011 at West Belconnen Leagues Club, Hardwick Cresent, Holt starting at 11:00am. For more information visit www.phoenixtfc.com
Ladders Mixed 16’s (after 4 Rounds) Pos 1 2 3 4
Team RiteWay Northern Phoenix Tuggeranong Vikings Canberra City Woden Eagles
P 4 4 4 4
W 4 3 1 0
L 0 1 3 4
D 0 0 0 0
Points 12 10 6 4
Women’s Open (after 6 Rounds) Pos Team 1 Canberra City 2 Tuggeranong Vikings 3 Woden Eagles 4 RiteWay Northern Phoenix
P 6 6 6 6
W 4 4 2 1
L 2 2 3 4
D 0 0 1 1
Points 14 14 11 9
Men’s Open (after 6 Rounds) Pos Team 1 RiteWay Northern Phoenix 2 Woden Eagles 3 Tuggeranong Vikings 4 Canberra City
P 6 6 6 6
W 5 4 3 0
L 1 2 3 6
D 0 0 0 0
Points 16 14 12 6
Issue #5 – November 2011
JAMAR WELCOMES CHALLENGE
Melbourne’s AFL players have been challenged on all levels by new coach Mark Neeld - and it’s a good thing, according to ruckman Mark Jamar. Neeld’s inheritance of the underperforming Demons has come amid tough public pronouncements and promises of a harder edge to the team in 2012. And Neeld is fronting every player one-on-one during pre-season training, making it clear what he expects on an individual and team level. “He’s straight to the point, you know exactly where you stand,” Jamar said of his recent face-to-face meeting with ex-Collingwood assistant Neeld. “We’ve all been challenged, and that’s all part of footy. I think that’s good, it’s good for every single person to be challenged - then you don’t get comfortable.” Jamar, 28, has been told to work on his leadership, and aspects of his ruck work.
Jamar takes a strong pack mark against Brisbane. Image: Martin Philbey. - AAP
But as a team, the message from Neeld has been to improve the
“If you defend teams really well, it makes it hard for them to score and obviously it makes it hard for them to play,” Jamar said. “That’s probably where we’ll focus on. “Everyone individually has to have that defensive focus for the whole team defence to work.”
Dragicevic is a genuine hard luck story of AFL football. Drafted from the Geelong Falcons in 1998 it did not take long for Dragicevic to impress with his hard running and silky skills.
Tuggeranong Hawks General Manager David Graham has been busy over the past few weeks speaking to players from all over Australia but none have been bigger than former AFL star Marc Dragicevic (ex-Richmond Tigers) and the Hawks are delighted to have secured his signature. Issue #5 – November 2011
Dragicevic quickly became known for his clean ball use and the ability to be thrown forward Dragicevic which cemented his spot in the Richmond team, earning himself a Rising star Nomination in 1999. Dragicevic was making a name for himself on the big stage before bad luck struck with a knee injury taking him out of the game early in 2001 just as the tigers where charging toward finals football. He underwent a full knee reconstruction, but ever the consummate professional that he is, Dragicevic applied himself
Former St Kilda bookends Aaron Hamill and Max Hudghton will return to the AFL club in a coaching capacity. New Saints coach Scott Watters has recruited the pair as specialist coaches, with Hudghton to look after the side’s defence and Hamill to take care of offence - as was the case in their playing days.
Jamar, who has blossomed into one of the game’s best ruckmen from humble beginnings at the Demons, is set for a huge boost in 2012 with the recruitment of ex-Brisbane ruckforward Mitch Clark.
Hudghton played 234 games for St Kilda, and worked in a similar coaching role at Collingwood after his retirement in 2009.
It will give Melbourne the combination of A-grade ruckman and quality pinch-hitter the AFL’s best teams have, and Jamar some much-needed relief when required.
“All three bring a high standard of technical knowledge in their area, but as men display exemplary character and values which reflects the culture we are creating at St Kilda,” said Watters.
Hamill had a serviceable 190-game career with Carlton and St Kilda.
“It might mean I can rotate forward a little more often ... he (Clark) is a great addition to our club and it’s going to be really good for us,” Jamar said. - AAP
DRAGICEVIC ENTERS THE NEST AT TUGGERANONG Dragicevic has been playing assistant coach at St. Albans Football Club in the very strong local competition the Geelong Football League for the past three seasons, prior to that Dragicevic was with West Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League where he was recruited after his de listing at Richmond at the conclusion of the 2004 AFL season.
Canberra product named St Kilda Offence Coach.
Demons’ defence - an area much criticised under predecessor Dean Bailey.
diligently to get himself set for a big comeback. Once he was back into full training it was quickly evident to everyone that he had lost none of his suburb skill and pace and he was again back in the senior team at the start of 2002, before tragically re injuring his knee in the opening round of the preseason competition. Unfortunately this time around the going was much tougher, the game had become faster and the high impact made it hard to regain his spot in the team and at the end of 2003 he was delisted before being relisted as a rookie and finally being delisted once again at the end of 2004 season. Dragicevic has a very impressive football CV that has those at Tuggeranong very excited with what he has to offer the Hawks in 2012 and beyond, with genuine enthusiasm around the club. Dragicevic CV includes: • Victorian representative in 1996, 1997 and 1998, • U/18 Australian representative in 1998, • AFL Rising Star Nominee in 1999,
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The Saints expect to name a midfield coach in the coming weeks. - AAP
• Runner up best and fairest at West Adelaide in the SANFL in 2005, 2006 and 2007, • Member of the leadership group whilst at West Adelaide, and • Playing Assistant Coach/Captain at St. Albans in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Dragicevic has a real desire to get the best out of himself and his team mates and this trait will see him make a huge impact at Tuggeranong. He has set himself the task of developing young players and providing a genuine on field leadership role. A massive drawcard was the emergence of the North East Australian Football League and the opportunities that it provides young players today to give themselves the best possible chance to get drafted into the AFL. Marc has offered his services to the AFL NSW/ACT Regional Talent and Coaching Manager Steve Mahar in any way he can help and he looks forward to assisting young footballers in taking the next step in their careers. Tuggeranong Hawks Coach Glenn Gorman is over the moon to have secured Dragicevic to his playing list and together with other key signings the club is looking move forward in season 2012. CANBERRA.COM.AU
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PLAYER FOCUS – HARD WORK CULMINATES IN BRUMBIES CALL UP FOR JESSE MOGG surprised to have received a call from head coach Jake White. “Jake randomly came to one of our games for Wests and called me on Monday telling me to come to the Narrabeen camp...pretty stoked about it, but surprised at the same time,” he said. At just 22 years of age, Mogg is a relatively newcomer to rugby union. While growing up, rugby was third to soccer and athletics. Jesse Mogg (right).
◊ BY ANTONY PERRY
After two strong seasons with the Brumby Runners and John I Dent Cup side Wests Lions, Jesse Mogg has claimed one of five places in the ACT Brumbies’ 2012 Extended Playing Squad (EPS). Described as bringing enthusiasm and a fresh dynamic to the Brumbies, Mogg’s selection is an encouraging sign for the club ahead of next year’s Super Rugby season. Mogg says being selected in the EPS is a good opportunity and is something he has been working toward, but was
During his college years, however, he burst onto Queensland’s schoolboy rugby scene, playing first XV at college in 2005 and 2006 and representing Queensland. “Towards my senior years I started taking rugby a little bit more seriously and played schoolboys in Year 12 and that’s when I thought I might be able to give it a crack,” he said. While playing first grade club rugby in Brisbane after finishing school, Mogg was poached by the Brisbane Broncos and had a season long stint with the club’s Toyota Cup side in 2009. But the Brumbies lured him to Canberra in 2010 for an Academy trial.
“It [the trial] worked out well and I got an opportunity to stay here and got offered a second year opportunity to stay in Canberra,” he said. The move has certainly “paid off.” Being a part of the Brumbies Academy has given Mogg a taste of Super Rugby, with the Academy flyer earning two provincial caps in 2011. He made his debut against the Queensland Reds in a trial match and gained a second in a trial against the Wellington Hurricanes. With Super Rugby experience under his belt, Mogg is eager for more in 2012. “I haven’t had a chance to run out on to Canberra Stadium yet, so I’m looking forward to the year and hopefully I can make the run-on team or if not, the match-day 22,” he said. Having taken on the goal kicking duties for Wests in 2011’s John I Dent Cup, if selected in the match-day 22, Mogg may be utilised by White as a kicking option. “Jake said that he enjoys watching me kick and that he likes my goal kicking, so he said to keep working on it,” he said. Regardless of what 2012 brings for Jesse Mogg, the young fullback feels
that pulling on a Brumbies jersey is a “privilege” and is looking forward to whatever comes his way.
New system to achieve greater spread of playing talent 2012 will see an Extended Playing Squad (EPS) system introduced for the first time in Super Rugby. Each Australian Super Rugby team’s EPS will consist of five players who will train full time with the team’s 30-man Core Playing Squad (CPS). Members of the EPS will only be available for selection in the match-day 22 in the event that the CPS is depleted by injury. Making up the final pieces of the Brumbies’ 2012 Super Rugby playing squad, in the form of the EPS, are; Dylan Sigg (lock/No 8), Jesse Mogg (wing/fullback), Scott Sio (prop/hooker), Scott Fardy (flanker) and Ruaidhri Murphy (prop). Each fortnight, PLAY will profile a member of the Brumbies’ 2012 EPS.
Eight times a year, the big names in Canberra get together to do business. Join them.
For years, Canberra’s business leaders have enjoyed Brumbies hospitality. To exchange names. And exchange ideas. As a place to meet, to entertain clients and reward staff. All while watching Canberra’s other big names put on eight spectacular matches a year. And you don’t have to pay for a whole season. Prices start from as little as $125 per game.
Contact Simon Chester on 0406 436 202 or s.chester@brumbies.com.au
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Issue #5 – November 2011
RUGBY UNION
BEALE HOPING TO INSPIRE AS NITV AMBASSADOR sports stars as an ambassador for National Indigenous TV. Beale and the legendary Lloyd McDermott, the first Aborigine to represent the Wallabies, have joined rugby great Mark Ella in throwing their support behind NITV, a 24-hour channel dedicated to reflecting the lives and cultures of Australia’s indigenous population. Available through Foxtel and soon Wallabies player Kurtley Beale looks on during the Australian team. Image: Dave Hunt - AAP to be screened on SBS, NITV has been ◊ BY DARREN WALTON running for four years and is hopeful On the field and now on the box, of boosting its audience levels after Wallabies ace Kurtley Beale is hoping to appointing Ella as head of sport. inspire the next generation of Aboriginal
“I’m pretty honoured,” Ella said. “Sport in all communities, particularly indigenous communities, plays an important role. “If you look at all the major Australian sports and you look at the Aboriginal contribution, we’ve got champion indigenous athletes across all sports. “We talk about the mainstream rugby league, rugby union and Aussie rules, yeah sure we’ve got some great players, but also sports like tennis, baseball, basketball, whatever, we’ve got indigenous athletes who are just killing them. “There’s even a national indigenous golf tournament.” Beale said NITV’s sports coverage was the next best thing to wide-eyed youngsters having the chance to meet their heroes in person. “It’s not always possible to connect face to face but if you’ve got a little indigenous person out there, a little Aboriginal lad, watching TV, it would be great for him to watch his own people being successful, seeing his role models on TV,” he said.
“It’s a great way of communicating with these kids. “As an indigenous person, watching your own people on your own TV show, for me it would be pretty inspiring.” In addition to sport, NITV airs news, current affairs, music and children’s programs. Beale said it was great for aspiring indigenous youngsters to be able to watch events like rugby league knockout carnivals featuring NRL stars playing with local hopefuls. “Everyone wants to be on TV and to cover a lot of these big knockouts and the Ella 7s coming through, it’s just a great way of branching and spreading the word out there among the indigenous kids that there’s an opportunity here and so why not take part in it,” he said. “The people at home can relate to it and follow their aspiring role models and maybe one day it can help encourage these kids to get off the lounge and go out and play sport some day.” - AAP
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YOUR SHOUT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
AT BIRTH
We’d love to share our story in Play. I think it will make a great masters read.
Dear Editor, First of all, thank you very much for running my comparison between Joel Reddy and Nathan Hindmarsh. Secondly I was wondering, now the footy season is over, if you have some suggestions for getting through the off season? I’ve tried filling the void with episodes of Audrina and 16 & Pregnant on Fox, but nothing seems to help pass the time. Mick, Wanniassa. Hi Mick, thanks for your letter – we might have to get you on the payroll soon. Mate, I hear your concerns, but you need to look at the off season not as time apart from the game/s you love, but as an opportunity to find new love. Give the A-League, NBL (W-League, WNBL) or ABL a go. You’re bound to find that summer romance to fill the void. Just make sure you delete all traces off your phone before the NRL, AFL and Super Rugby come back – you don’t want to get on their bad side.
Kim Hi Kim We would be happy to feature the Canberra Dragon boat masters teams and the hard work that goes into the sport. Look in our next issue due out 8 December for the feature. Editor
Swimming comebacks I have been reading you magazine and love it and felt the need to right in and talk bout comebacks in swimming? First it was Geoff Huegill’s amazing transformation, then Ian Thorpe’s comeback, with little success but I do believe he will be back in form very soon. Then there is good old Michael Klim and Libby Trickett also making comebacks after retiring from the sport.
GAVIN COOPER - FOOTBALLER Former Titan now Nth Queensland Cowboy. Image: Dave Hunt -AAP.
I would have thought that swimming was a sport for the young athletes. But it seems that the career of swimmers is getting longer. Jay, O’Connor
Editor
PLAY Have just read another great issue of Play. I saw your Master’s section for the local area, highlighting masters sporting teams and would like to ask you to consider a story about the Canberra dragon boat team. We’re a team of local women who compete in local and state and international paddling competitions. There’s an awful lot of training and work that goes into getting to the point we’re at - and our story is one of fitness, tenacity and being a part of the Dragon Flyers sisterhood.
Swimming is a very techniquely based sport. If you have all the techniques in place you should glide through the water much faster. Swimmers also need extreme fitness and strength. Ian Thorpe will comeback in a big way, his stroke is unique. His long slow arm strokes seen lazy but are incredibly efficient and technical. The final of the mens 100 meters rely at the Sydney 2000 Olympics shows Thorpe’s stroke in all its slow glory as he ran down the Americans in a great sporting moment. Editor
Have your shout and let us know what you think about any of our stories or if you just want to share your wisdom. email us at editor@playcanberra.com.au
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SEPARATED
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EDDIE PERFECT - ACTOR Pictured here with Offspring co star Kat Stewart. Image: Ten Network - AAP
www.playcanberra.com.au Issue #5 – November 2011
ONE MINUTE WITH... MITCH FLYNN
riders who compete in local, national and international cycling races. How did you get into cycling, and how long have you been cycling and competing? I first started riding for fitness during rehab after breaking my wrist while playing Rugby League about 18 months ago. I then met some great guys in a local team in Canberra (Team QUON) and really started to enjoy the sport and the people involved. I was then lucky enough to be picked up by the NRS cycling Team Suzuki and have been fortunate enough to do almost every race they have done in only my first season of racing domestically.
Image: www.suzukicycling.com/
Mitch is a member of the Suzuki Cycling Team. A relative new comer to the sport and with a background in Rugby League, Mitch’s path into cycling differs from most riders. The Suzuki Cycling Team is registered with Cycling Australia as a participating team in the Australian National Road Series. Suzuki Cycling is comprised of a squad of competitive cyclists who are based in Canberra, Australia. With the assistance of local sponsors, the Suzuki Cycling Team funds a roster of male, female and junior
TO
R’S
RANT
ON THE LIST
VIC The cannonball.
Just when you though it was safe to head back on the field, along comes the cannonball tackle. The chicken wing has been banned, the crusher outlawed and the grapple tackle is a distant memory. No it’s not WWE I’m talking about here, it’s the NRL. It would be comical were it Hulk Hogan or
Issue #5 – November 2011
What’s the thing you’ve found hardest about cycling? I would probably have to say it would be the discipline required and the training load. As a footballer you do have to train hard, but nowhere near as much or as strictly and specificly as a cyclist. Since football I’ve dropped about 25kg, completely changed my body type and have really concentrated on the foods I put in. It’s not only the diet you have to work on but also the long training hours, 5am morning starts, and for me trying to balance that with a part time-job.
Macho Man Randy Savage (think John Cena or Triple H if you’re under 50 years of age) performing the maneuvers, but unfortunately it takes a serious turn when it’s out on the footy field and the only intention seems to be seriously injuring an opponent. Issac Luke’s recent efforts against Sam Thaiday and David Shillington in the 4 nations, and Chris Sandow’s before him, are nothing short of intentional efforts to maim somebody. There is no defence for that style of tackle, you’re not trying to stop them, they are already held up. What is it going to take before the tackle is officially outlawed? It should have been banned when it first appeared this year. David Shillington was lucky to escape serious injury. What the NRL need to understand, from a fans perspective, is we want to see the best players out there playing. We don’t want to see a bunch
Do you think a league background helps in the peleton? I wouldn’t say that it didn’t help. I think the types of training are very different, with footy being short and sharp and cycling more of an endurance sport but it definitely helped to have some sort of an athletic background coming into the sport. With league I was always one of the guys that wanted to get to training early and finish late working on the little things and doing extras. In cycling if you put in the hard work and long hours you definitely see the results. Cycling is a real team sport, everyone working together to get a teammate over the line first, how does it differ from other team sports like league? It’s a hard one to explain to people that don’t understand cycling but it’s as much of a team sport as football. In cycling, you have maybe one or two team leaders for each race and the rest of the team are domestiques. The role of a domestique might be to help the rider back to the group if they have a puncture, make sure they have enough food and drink, and to keep them out of the wind so they’re using as little energy as possible. People sometimes think that when a rider crosses the line with his arms in the air then he has won the race as an individual
but there’s a lot of hard work that their teammates put in as well to help them get to the finish. In league, it’s the same kind of thing I guess. You have the forwards that do the ‘dirty work’ and then you have the backs there to score the tries, but you still need everyone working together to get the team the win. What’s coming up on the calendar (races etc..)? Got some fairly big ones coming up with the NSW Grand Prix Criteriums (circuit races) up in Wollongong and Cronulla this weekend, which should be a really good experience because it’s with all the pros that have just got back from stints overseas. After that I’ve been lucky enough to be selected to go over to a five day UCI tour in China in early December, and then will build up for the Australian Nationals in early January. Anyone you want to thank? Team Suzuki for helping to develop me further as a rider and giving me the opportunity to race with them this season and into the future. Also John Forrest for coaching me this past year, helping me out with my training and dieting, which is something completely new to me. for more imformation head to www.suzukicycling.com
of cheapshot artists ruining our teams chances, and that’s exactly what could have happened in the shillo incident. Had the injury been worse the Raiders would have lost their number 1 prop for the entire season. For the Raiders, tested by squad depth before, that could have been a disaster. No one is arguing against tough plays or aggressive defending, but the cannonball is neither of those two things. It takes about as much courage as hitting a fullback under a high ball – not much!! Just like those other abominations before it, I think common sense will prevail and the cannonball will be a minor stain on the games history. If you need me, I’ll be at the club.
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Johnathan Thurston after being flattened by Issac Luke during a NRL Match - AAP
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FOOTBALL
MAN CITY INCUR LOSSES OF MORE THAN $300M Manchester City’s losses soared to almost STG200 million ($A317 million) in the latest financial year amid a lavish spending spree that helped the club end a 35-year trophy drought. City also qualify for the lucrative Champions League for the first time, but they were forced to pay for it with net operating losses of STG160 million ($A255 million), with the figure rising to STG195 million ($A309 million) by adding on “additional exceptional charges”. They are the highest losses by a British club in a single year, with its staggering wage bill of STG174 million ($A276 million) surpassing that of Chelsea (STG172 million) and Manchester United (STG152 million).
Manchester City’s Samir Nasri (L) is tackled by Newcastle United’s Yohan Cabaye (R) during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Newcastle United. Image: Robin Parker - AFP
Bankrolled by Abu Dhabi billionaire Sheikh Mansour, City spent heavily last year on improving their squad, with world-class players such as David Silva and Yaya Toure, and were rewarded by winning the FA Cup - their first major piece of silverware since 1976.
Roberto Mancini’s team also finished third in the league to reach this season’s Champions League, which helped entice the likes of Argentine striker Sergio Aguero and French midfielder Samir Nasri in a further outlay of STG74 million ($A117 million) in the off-season. City lead the league by five points after 11 matches as they look to claim a first English title in 43 years. “The result is consistent with the guidance ... that losses would peak in the 2010-11 financial year, as a result of the accelerated investment program that the club undertook between 2008 and 2011,” the club said in a statement. In view of UEFA’s financial fair play regulations, which came into operation in July, City’s chief operating officer Graham Wallace said: “Our losses ... will not be repeated on this scale in the future.”
Victory’s first goal came from a 52nd minute penalty awarded against Bas Van den Brink, who clearly got the ball in a well-executed penalty area tackle on Melbourne striker Archie Thompson. That came after Perth midfielder Liam Miller was sent off in the first half, for bringing down Thompson from behind, as the striker was headed for the penalty area. Ferguson said the club might appeal the Miller send-off, although they would need to take a closer look. But he was in no doubt the penalty was incorrect and said Football Federation Australia should review that blunder by referee Chris Beath. “I’d like something done, to be honest with you,” Ferguson told reporters.
m Glory
A-League referee under fire fro Image: Matthias Schrader - AP
◊ BY SAM LIENERT
Perth Glory coach Ian Ferguson says the referee who made a horror penalty decision in the A-League draw with
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Melbourne Victory should be held accountable. The Glory showed enormous character to fight back from a two-goal deficit
In the current financial year, which started on June 1, City have begun their Champions League campaign. They are is second in a group that also includes Germany’s Bayern Munich and Italy’s Napoli with two matches remaining. They agreed to a 10-year deal with Etihad Airlines to sponsor the club’s stadium. It was widely reported in the British media that City will earn around STG40 million ($A63 million) per year from the stadium deal. “We should not underestimate the club’s other major achievements in terms of its continued commercial performance, groundbreaking partnership initiatives, expanding contribution to the community and independent recognition for the quality of our facilities and matchday offerings,” chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak said. - AAP
Under those regulations, clubs face being barred from the Champions
and a debatable first-half send-off to salvage a 2-2 draw at Etihad Stadium.
A-LEAGUE
League and Europa League if they cannot break even on footballrelated business.
“Without jumping all over anybody, let’s be calm about it and let FFA do what they’ve got to do and look at it. “At the end of the day, it’s our livelihoods. “It could cost you games, it could cost you points, it could cost me my job, especially crazy decisions like we’ve seen.”
Victory’s Carlos Hernandez converted and when Danny Allsopp scored six minutes later, the contest seemed over. But Perth fought back gamely to break their three-loss streak, Brazilian Andrezinho scoring with a superb 25m free kick in the 71st minute and Shane Smeltz knocking in a clinical header in the 87th. Perth climbed to fourth, while the Victory are seventh and still without a win at home this season. Victory coach Mehmet Durakovic struggled to explain another unconvincing performance from a side that started the season with huge expectations. Durakovic questioned his players’ spirit in letting their lead slip against 10-man opposition. “Unfortunately things aren’t going our way at the moment, that’s the honest truth,” he said. “We’re a big club and we need to be getting points at home. “I’m disappointed, like the players and like the fans out there.” - AAP
Issue #5 – November 2011
W-LEAGUE
UNITED BRING DOWN JETS WITH HEYMAN AT THE DOUBLE Michelle Heyman scored twice as Canberra United extended their unbeaten record at the start of the Westfield W-League winning their fifth match in succession with a 3-1 win over the Newcastle Jets at a swelteringly hot McKellar Park. Heyman grabbed a second half brace of headers to add to Sally Shipard’s first half opener as Canberra cruised to victory staying clear at the top of the table. Following their club record four game winning start to the season it was no surprise to see Canberra United boss Jitka Klimkova name the same starting eleven for the visit of the Jets for whom ace Matildas international striker Lisa De Vanna recovered from a nasty looking head knock last weekend to take her place in the attacking third alongside young tyro Tara Andrews. As expected the opening exchanges were based around the central midfield tussle with both teams fighting to gain the ascendancy and early chances at a premium. The closest either side came to breaking the deadlock in the opening ten minutes was when Ashleigh Sykes, freed by a precisely flicked pass from Caitlin Munoz, attempted to square a pass to Taryn Hemmings when a shot might have been the better option as the promising move broke down. The Jets were the first to test the Matildas international goalkeepers on show with Lydia Williams brilliantly tipping the ball over the bar as Stacey Day struck a firm shot from 25 metres that threatened to open the scoring in the 17th minute, whilst Heyman’s ambitious volley looped harmlessly into the arms of Jets custodian Melissa Barbieri less than a minute later. In oppressive heat it was hardly surprising that the pace of the game slowed at times but it was the injection of speed from Hemmings that made the difference as United took the lead in the 29th minute from an unlikely source. The US import raced clear on goal and looked certain to score only to be denied by a brilliant block from Barbieri. The letoff for Newcastle was only momentary though as from the resultant corner
Issue #5 – November 2011
Ellyse Perry cut the ball back to the edge of the penalty area where Sally Shipard met it with a fierce strike that flew through a crowd of players and past the unsighted Jets stopper for her first ever Canberra goal. It was the home team that started the brighter in the second stanza putting the Jets defence under increasing pressure with the United midfield dominating. With Ashleigh Sykes and Hemmings causing havoc on the flanks United nearly went 2-0 up when Shipard, perhaps inspired by her first half goal, hammered a shot from 25 metres that the busy Barbieri did superbly well to push over the bar. A second seemed ever more likely at it duly arrived in the 64th minute and, if the opening goal scorer was something of a surprise, this one certainly wasn’t. A slick move and delightful pass from Perry released Shipard whose deep cross was met at the far post by Heyman with a firm downward header sent back across goal and into the far post for her sixth goal of the season. The two-goal cushion gave United some breathing space at last and Jennifer Bisset revelled in the freedom offered her bustling around the park and creating a half-chance for Perry whose shot from the edge of the area came off the boot nicely but straight at Barbieri. Newcastle were far from done at this stage though and got themselves back into the match with a beautifully crated goal thirteen minutes from time. Some classy approach work by Gemma Pearce, evading a trio of challenges, resulted in a cross that was met by Gema Simon who curled a cracker over Williams and into the net off the far post. United’s response was immediate and stunning. A swift break saw Ashleigh Sykes release Perry and her near-post cross was diverted by a glancing header from Heyman that snuck into the far corner for a high-quality goal to put Canberra 3-1 ahead with eleven minutes to play. That third goal killed off the hopes of the Jets as they visibly looked deflated with Canberra coasting through the final ten minutes to cement their lead at the top of the league.
C U IN GREEN THIS SEASON WESTFIELD W-LEAGUE
SEASON SATURDAY 10TH december KICK OFF 5PM
CANBERRA UNITED v sydney fc DEAKIN STADIUM GROSE STREET, DEAKIN
TICKETS: $10 ADULT, $5 CONCESSION, CHILDREN UNDER-12 FREE
11-11328/2
◊ BY RUSS GIBBS CANBERRAUNITED.COM.AU
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UBER GLOBAL
CANB CAVAL
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Issue #5 – November 2011
BERRA LRY Canberra Cavalry have started the 2011/12 ABL (Australian Baseball League) season in solid fashion. With four strong wins and three out of the possible four ABL Players of the Week, the Cavs are looking like strong contenders for the title. PLAY was lucky enough to catch up with former Major League pitcher and now Canberra Cavalry manager (head coach) Steve Schrenk. Steve has been involved in baseball his entire life. Born in Great Lakes, Illinois, he has been a great ambassador for the game since making his Major League debut for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1999 and during his successful move into coaching. His passion for the game and the team are apparent at first meeting. PLAY: Hi Steve, it’s been a solid start to the season with four wins, you’re currently third on the ladder. Will the Cavalry be playing finals this year? That’s what we’re all here for, definitely we’re pushing in that direction. Currently we are at .500, we’ve lost a few that we probably could have won. I think the games we have won - we’ve done pretty well, we’ve pitched well and we’ve hit well and there has been some nice wins this season. We’re definitely looking to be in the playoffs this year and I think we have the team to do it. We’ve got the players and the personnel to get it done and it should be a great season to watch. Who’s the team to beat this year? You know what, I’d like to say we’re the team to beat this year but there are a lot of good teams in the league. It seems like everybody’s pretty well balanced with the exception of Perth. I think Perth are running away a little bit at the top but they haven’t played us yet! I think it’s going to be interesting to see how it all pans out but I’m confident we’ll be there in the end. Any reason for Perth’s strong start? I think it’s their good pitching. I’ve talked to a couple of managers that have faced them already this year. Perth have some good ball players. Issue #5 – November 2011
do and so far they’ve done a good job. As the season progresses and we get rolling here our fans are really going to start getting into it.
They won it last year and they’ve had a lot of good guys come back and they know how to win. So credit to them, they have a good ball club. Three out of the possible four ABL Players of the Week in the first two rounds have been Cavalry players. That must be good for the team’s morale?
On a cultural side, baseball is really engrained in the American culture. Australians are not too dissimilar to Americans so I think it’s something Canberrans would really enjoy – getting out on a warm night, watching the game, having beer and a hotdog.
Sure, coming out with the family. It’s a great family environment. The kids can come out have a good time. Parent’s can let the kids have a run around and watch a baseball game and like you said have a beer and a hotdog, it’s a ...without good pitching you nice environment.
don’t win games. No matter what anybody says, you can hit as well As a former pitcher do you get the as you want to hit, but you’ve got to chance to throw it much anymore? have the pitching. No I don’t, I just throw at batting
Definitely those guys have earned it. They’ve done all the work and it was good to see McGuire come out and get that award. Masahi Nohara, who’s no longer here with us, batted well and so has Tolisano.
It’s nice to see those guys get Players of the Week, they’ve done a good job and they’ve earned it. It’s good for the team and the game here in Canberra. We’ve got three players that have already stepped up early and hopefully we can continue to have one every week. That would be nice, three out of four is not a bad start. There are a few nationalities represented in the squad. Does that make communication difficult at times? Well we have a translator here for our Japanese players and it hasn’t been too much of a problem. Our guy Curty is very good here as far as translating and getting the message out how I want it to come across, but other than that I think everyone else speaks pretty good English. Last year we had some Koreans and it’s a little different this year with the Japanese guys, but it is what it is and they do a good job. The translators help me a lot, it is nice to have them. There’s always a great atmosphere out at the fort (Narrabundah Ballpark). You guys must love the support. Does that help the players? It definitely does and the fans in this town are tremendous. They are 100% behind the Cavs when we’re out here and they’re loud and they’re obnoxious when they need to be (laughs). It’s nice and that’s part of baseball. To have a good time and come out to see their team and cheer for them and get on the other team’s back. That’s what we want to see the fans come out and
practice. My days of pitching are over, I did it for 17 years and my arm won’t allow me to get up there and throw it sixty feet six inches anymore, with any kind of velocity. But throwing at batting practice with the guys coming out playing and catching - just being on the field it keeps me young and I love the game. I’ve done it since I was eighteen years old and I’m going to be 43 in a couple of days so I’ve known it all my life. It’s great just being out there. So as a pitcher/manager do you have a soft spot for the pitchers in the team? Do they get away with a little bit more? I think you have to as a manager, because without good pitching you don’t win games. No matter what anybody says, you can hit as well as you want to hit, but you’ve got to have the pitching. Every World Series game, every play-off game you see in the big leagues and minor leagues, it’s the pitching that prevails. You’re going to have your nights when you hit the ball but for the most part you’ve got to pitch and play defence. So I think every manager has to have a soft spot for pitchers. They are a unique breed in themselves. So I guess I would have to say yes, I’ve got a soft spot for them (laughs). Being a former Major League pitcher, you would have appeared on quite a few baseball cards. Do you collect your own baseball cards? Have you got any of them? I have all my cards – I don’t have them here with me but I’ve collected them over the years. There’s probably way too many to count as I played for so many different teams and also coaching, you get coaching cards as well. So my kids, they like it.
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I don’t do much with them – I think there’s a few of them on E-bay going for $1.25 or something (laughs). I’ll keep them for when I’m older and there’s also a few video games that I’m on from when I played. It’s neat to have all that stuff. This is your second season in Canberra. Do you like living here? I love it. Canberra’s a great city. I tell everyone. The people really make this place. The people of Canberra and Australia in general, they treat us well here. Wherever we go everybody’s friendly and I think that’s what makes any town or any city, the people. It’s a nice community here. Thanks very much and good luck. Come along and join the crowd at the Fort as the Cavs take on the Melbourne Aces. Games will commence at “The Fort” at Narrabundah Ballpark on 24 of November at 7pm, with games following on the 25th (7pm), 26th (6pm), and 27th (1pm).
Next Home Games Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 November V Melbourne Aces Upcoming Home Game Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 December V Adelaide Bite At Narrahbundah Ball Park Kyeema Street, Narrabundah For more information on the Canberra Cavalry go to www.theabl.com.au For tickets go to www.theabl.com.au
Play Trivia ◊ How many times has Germany won the Soccer World Cup? ◊ An average sausage roll has how many calories? ◊ Who won 7 Gold Medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics? ◊ Which Aussie won the Heptathlon at the 1982 Commonwealth and 1984 Olympic Games? ◊ What displines and distances make up the Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon?
ANSWERS: 1. 4 2. 110 3. Mark Spitz for swimming 4. Glynis Nunn 5. 3.86 km swim 180.2 km bike 42.195km run 22
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Issue #5 – November 2011
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Cary Bignell, Chris Bugden and Leanne Cowan
David Bryant, Andrew Deane, Chris Fusca and Anthony Monagan
Hans Kusche, Earl Maher, Tony Wood and Sid Scotcher
Derek Jing, Nelson Konj, Chris Rice and James Zhal
HEART FOUNDATION GOLF DAY @ Gunghalin Lakes Golf Course Tuesday the 15 November Glen Turner, Ben Pollack, Nathan and Scott Edwards with Cam Sullings
Sarge and Assistant General Manager Thom Carter Jai Pike and Tom Fewson Brittany and Brayden Kent
CANBERRA CAVALRY FAN DAY @ Narrabundah Ballpark Saturday the 19 November Blaise Limaleba, Dean Sinclair, Mick O’Brien and Vince Gueta 24
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Tom McCue and Peter Bojkowski Issue #5 – November 2011
Dirt Crits - Majura
UPCOMING EVENTS
Thursday, 24 November
Aussie Skate ACT
Dirt Crits are suited to all levels and styles of mountain bike riders. Everyone from Elite level riders down to 2 year olds on balance bikes can participate. Dirt Crits are great fun and a good way to challenge yourself in a fun and relaxed environment.
Thursday 01 December 2011 Phillip Swimming and Ice Skating Centre Irving Street, Phillip, ACT, 2606 What is Aussie Skate? The Aussie Skate program has been specifically designed to suit the needs of all people wanting to learn to ice skate. It allows you to learn the basic moves of skating which all skaters need to know by way of a series of graded tests. Anyone can join. However, the Aussie Skate Program is usually undertaken by skaters who are participating in group lessons or private coaching.
Aussie Skate Tests There a variety of tests ranging from Tiny Tots (6yr & under), through introductory tests providing a basic core for all skaters, and then advanced tests. Each test is made up of three elements. These tests provide a prerequisite for skaters wishing to participate in the Aussie Skate Competitions and later in the official ISA testing program. Participating skaters need to start at the beginning of the program and progress in a set order through the tests. Coaches will let skaters and parents know when they are ready to go on to the next badge. Tests are designed to give skaters the opportunity to get used to performing and being judged. Skaters that pass a test are presented with a badge to recognise their achievement. Aussie Skate Tests are conducted two Thursdays each month. Official Aussie Skate Judges conduct the tests. For more information and test dates please check the ACTISA noticeboard at the skate hire end of the rink and the Calendar page on the website.
www.actisa.asn.au
The format of dirt crit racing is multiple laps of a short circuit(marked out on the night and changed weekly). The length of the laps normally range between 700 and 1500 meters.
Categories A,B,C,D U15s, U13s U11s. All categories are mixed men’s and women’s.
Registration and Entry Fees From 5:30 with racing kicking off at 6. $2 for CORC/MTBA members. Competitors in the junior categories race FREE of charge. $22 for non members (includes day license). Keep an eye on the website for any race up dates or race cancellations due to weather etc. These races are suited to any one at any age who want to have fun and love mountain biking. Garreth Paton dirtcrits@corc.asn.au Tell us about your upcoming event via editor@playcanberra.com.au Please email us up to 2 weeks prior to your event.
GOT A SOCIAL EVENT? PLAY is keen to cover the SOCIAL SIDE OF SPORT. Let us know the details 2 weeks in advance Email us at editor@playcanberra.com.au
ONE GAME AT A TIME www.playcanberra.com.au
Issue #5 – November 2011
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WOMEN IN
SPOANRIETRICE STEPH
Swimmer Date of Birth: 17 June 1988 Hometown: Brisbane, Queensland Height: 176cm Weight: 68kg Olympic Medals: Three Gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics Current World Record: 400m Individual Medley in 4 minutes 29.45 seconds at the Beijing Olympics Swimming Club: St Peters Western Swimming Club, Brisbane Coach: Michael Bohl Age started swimming: 18 months of age. Strokes: Butterfly, freestyle, Individual Medley Sponsors: SunRice Stephanie Rice burst onto the international stage in 2006, when, at just 17, she won gold in the 200 & 400 Individual Medley at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. She followed that success in 2007 with two bronze medals in the same events at the World Swimming Championships, also in Melbourne. In 2008, Stephanie Rice cemented her dominance in both Individual medleys and as the lead off swimmer in the 4x200 Freestyle relay team, with the stunning haul of three Olympic Gold medals and three World 26
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records. She also took home the title of “Most outstanding female athlete at the Beijing Olympics” and was honoured to be Australia’s flag-bearer during the closing ceremony. Following the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Stephanie was named World Swimmer of the Year, Telstra Australian Swimmer of the Year, Pacific Rim Swimmer of the Year and Queensland Sportswoman of the Year. She was also awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. In 2009 Stephanie Rice won two silver and one bronze medal at the World Swimming Championships in Rome. In September 2010, Stephanie Rice underwent surgery on her right shoulder to remove an inflamed bursa, which saw her withdraw from the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships and the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Stephanie underwent several months of intensive rehabilitation including regular physiotherapy, and her training schedule was changed to light swimming and dry land training, before she made a gradual return to her pre-surgery training schedule. Her first competition after surgery was at the Queensland State Championships in December 2010, followed by the NSW State Swimming Championships in February 2011. At the National Championships at Sydney Olympic Park in April 2011- her first major meet since shoulder surgery - Stephanie won the 400m Individual Medley
and came second in the 100m Butterfly, 200m Butterfly & 200m Individual Medley. Stephanie secured the most individual swims of the Australian team for the Shanghai World Championships but made the decision to drop the 100m Butterfly to concentrate on the Individual Medley. In June 2011 Stephanie spent three weeks in Mexico training at high altitude before competing in the Santa Clara International Swim Meet. Stephanie won gold at this meet in the 400m Individual Medley with a time of 4:36.5 which was the 3rd fastest time swum in the world this year. At the 2011 World Swimming Championships in Shanghai (July 2011) her first major International meet since 2009, Stephanie won 2 Bronze medals, for the 400 Individual Medley (in a time of 4:34.23) and for the 4 x 100 Medley Relay. Stephanie came 4th in the 200 Individual Medley and 5th in the 200 Butterfly, her 2 other Individual events. Her next focus will then be on the London 2012 Olympics. Stephanie Rice trains at the St Peters Western Club in the inner western suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, under the guidance of Head Coach, Michael Bohl, who was awarded the Australian Swim Coach of the Year in 2008. When she is not training, Stephanie enjoys spending time relaxing and eating out with friends, watching movies, listening to music, ten pin bowling and playing mini golf. Issue #5 – November 2011
The move back to Canberra must have agreed with Kris because she has really starred as captain of the Meteors. She played her 100th WNCL game on 28 October 2011 and was generous enough to give us some time for a short interview. We started by asking her about the amazing 344 in 2003 when playing in the ACT Grade Competition. Talk us through the 344 against Norths in 2003? Kaleen enclosed oval – I was 19, so a lot fitter and quicker than I am now!
CRICKETER
KRIS BRITT Kris Britt has played women’s cricket here in the ACT since she was very young. After outstanding performances in the local grade competition, Kris left to play for South Australia in the state women’s competition because the ACT did not have a team. In 2008-9 the ACT was the first ‘expansion team’ in the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) and this allowed Kris to return home. In the past two seasons Kris (Britty to her teammates) won the WNCL player of the year or MVP. For five years Kris was a member of the Southern Stars, the equivalent of the men’s national team and her all round skills in batting, bowling and fielding kept her on the fringe of the national team, despite several injuries.
I scored my first hundred within 17 overs, second hundred just before the second drinks break. I really had no concept of how many runs I was scoring. It was weird – everything just came off that day. I didn’t give a chance the whole innings and by memory I didn’t hit too many 6’s, so a lot of 4’s and ran a 3!! My batting partner was Hannah Stanley for the majority of the innings and she scored her first ever half century. The team’s total of 454 is a record in one-day cricket, but we did come close last weekend (5 November as reported in last Play edition) scoring 421 against Eastlake! What are your highlights from the Southern Stars? Making my debut on Australia day was amazing. I still remember the nerves I had!
What advice do you have for young women wanting to play at the highest level? Never forget that you play cricket for fun! Even at State level, still enjoy your games. Train hard and always believe in your game – don’t change the way you play if it works for you. If you have something different to offer, keep it! Look at how Malinga bowls – I am sure some coaches tried to change him but he was true to himself and look where he is now – one of the best bowlers in the world!
Scoring 30 or 40 in a game versus NZ over there, and also getting 4 wickets against England. I think having the opportunity to play with great players like Belinda Clark, Lisa Keightly and batting with Karen Rolton – best player I have seen by far, not only for Australia but also for SA for 9 years! Lucky me! Have you noticed changes in cricket in the ACT since you left and came back? To be honest yes, the association is taking the women’s program so much more seriously. We are now the premier team here in Canberra. We play first class cricket and we are treated accordingly. The commitment of the players to the Meteors program is amazing – a lot of the girls are traveling from Sydney at least once a week to train down here and play in the local comp. The training requirements have been stepped up massively and I guess that is only a positive as it means the people who really want to be successful at the highest level are playing for us! Not only has the commitment by the players stepped up, but the off-field side of things has become excellent. We all have personal fitness instructors with our strength and conditioning programs. We have professional physios on hand and obviously our skills coaches. I think the addition of former Comets player Greg Irvine has been a huge plus for all the Meteors this season!
Highlights of your career so far? Playing for Australia Scoring a hundred at WNCL level Being captain of my home territory Making the WNCL final with SA – but it was washed out! Any lowlights? Injuries aren’t great anytime. Being dropped from the Aussie team/squads and not being able to regain a position What does the future hold for Kris Britt? A WNCL title?? I hope! A few more years playing for the Meteors and I want to eventually coach at the WNCL level. Well, we know that your teammates and the ACTCA would love you to achieve your future wishes. Canberra has so many outstanding women sportspeople and Kris is one of them.
SOFTBALL, BASEBALL WEIGH OLYMPIC MERGER ◊ BY GRAHAM DUNBAR
Baseball and softball could merge into a single international governing body in the hope of returning to the Olympics. The two sports are meeting Olympic officials this week to find out how much cooperation is required to regain their Summer Games status, International Softball Federation President Don Porter said. “There are a lot of benefits of being an Olympic sport. That is what you have to weigh against losing your identity,” Porter said. Porter and International Baseball Federation (IBAF) President Riccardo Fraccari are meeting separately with IOC sports director Christophe Dubi to get a clearer picture of bidding to be part of the 2020 Olympic program.
Issue #5 – November 2011
Fraccari said the sports “have to study many things”. Baseball-playing countries must first back a joint bid at a December 3 meeting in Dallas. Baseball and softball are competing with karate, roller sports, sports climbing, squash, wakeboard and wushu for one spot on the 2020 program. The IOC will vote on the sports in September 2013. The IOC voted in 2005 to remove baseball and softball from the Olympic program after the 2008 Beijing Games. Two years ago, baseball and softball failed to get IOC support for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics when their separate bids included proposals for women’s baseball and men’s softball. Golf and seven-a-side rugby, which offered men’s and women’s medal
events, were voted onto the 2016 program. Both baseball and softball now agree, following IOC advice, that cooperation is their best hope of regaining Olympic status. “As we understand right now, it would have to be one bid in another federation. We can’t have two federations,” Porter said.
Variations on the term “diamond ball” were suggested without great enthusiasm, Porter said. However, Porter said he was encouraged by a willingness to combine forces. “There is no animosity at all. We want to come up with a detailed plan that is going to work,” he said. Fraccari declined to look beyond his IBAF congress next month.
Porter’s federation asked him to explore a joint bid, though he acknowledges a potential problem could be simply naming a merged body. “Whatever that other name is, we don’t know,” he said. “Softball people don’t want it to be baseball, and baseball people don’t want it to be softball.”
“The first step is to have a common decision to (bid) together,” Fraccari told the AP by telephone. “Maybe these are all things that will follow the first decision.” - AP Let us know what you think. Email PLAY at editor@playcanberra.com.au
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CYCLING
TOUR DOWN UNDER SIGNS NINE TV DEAL
Sky Pro Cycling will return to the 2012 Santos Tour Down Under for the third time, with a highly experienced and competitive team. The UK outfit will be led by Norway’s EDVALD BOASSON HAGEN and features fellow Brits GERAINT THOMAS and ALEX DOWSETT, along with three Aussies, MICHAEL ROGERS, CHRIS SUTTON (pictured) and MATHEW HAYMAN. Unfortunately recently-signed star MARK CAVENDISH will not be riding. Image: JOSE JORDAN - AFP
◊ BY ROGER VAUGHAN
Adelaide’s Tour Down Under has severed ties with cycling’s traditional home SBS and struck a three-year television rights deal with the Nine network. The contract is a major step for Australia’s biggest annual cycling event as it tries to build on the success of its three-year Lance Armstrong era. The Santos tour confirmed weeks of
rumours when it announced the new rights agreement. Race director Mike Turtur said the deal with Nine would boost the national profile of the January 15-22 tour. “The race and the sport will benefit greatly from being with Nine - the way they’ll promote it and cover it, it will be of great benefit for everyone,” he said. He said noted cycling commentators
Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen would continue to front the coverage. But some cycling fans have voiced their unease on the internet about the Nine deal. Another key figure of the Nine coverage will be rugby league presenter Andrew Voss, who is yet to prove his cycling credentials. Turtur said he is “100 per cent confident” that cycling fans would be happy with the Nine coverage. It will include highlights packages of the Cancer Council Classic race and the first four stages of the tour. The key fifth stage at Willunga and the final stage in Adelaide will have live coverage. It is not the first time that a commercial network has had the tour rights, but SBS had refined and expanded its coverage of the race in the last few years. “I’m quite excited about it - I’ve worked for Nine at the Commonwealth Games on two occasions and I know the professionalism and the drive they have within their sporting area,” Turtur said. “Don’t forget, they’re also the Olympic broadcaster.
“I think their expertise and commitment towards getting involved with the tour is really going to pay dividends. “It will be good for the future of the race and also good for the watching public, because we’re going to reach people who would normally watch the tour ... the diehards will be well catered for.” Armstrong started and ended his cycling comeback at the tour and his presence gave the race a massive boost in national popularity. In that time, there was also a noticeable improvement in the quality of the racing as international teams sent stronger squads to the race. Turtur admits it is a “$64,000 question” whether the tour can maintain the increase in interest over the last three years. “We had a massive increase in a period that took us to the stratosphere, if you like, and the challenge is, what happens now?” he said. - AAP Is this a good thing for cycling? Tell us what you think. Write into editor@ playcanberra.com.au or tweet us @PLAYcanberra.
MASSIVE YEAR FOR AUSSIE (AND CANBERRA) CYCLING He received the award at a black tie function in Sydney. Evans is the only cyclist to have won the “Oppy” four times, having also taken it out in 2006, ‘07 and ‘09. In July, the 34-year-old made sporting history when Jayco founder Gerry Ryan (left) and Cycling Australia President Klaus Mueller (right) with Cadel Evans he blitzed the (centre) after presenting him with the Sir Hubert Opperman Medal at the Australian Cyclist of the Year time trial on Awards. Image: Cycling Australia, Regallo - AAP the second◊ BY ROGER VAUGHAN last stage of the Tour to overtake Luxembourg rider Andy Schleck and Tour de France champion Cadel Evans claim the race lead and subsequent capped his historic year by winning the victory. Australian cyclist of the year award for a record fourth time. It capped an outstanding career which has also featured two second placings Evans was the first Australian to win at the Tour in 2007-08 and the 2009 the Tour and this made him a certainty world elite road championship. to win this year’s Sir Hubert Opperman medal. This year, Evans also become the first Australian to win the Tirreno-Adriatico 28
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stage race in Italy among several other high placings. Meares, world individual pursuit record holder Jack Bobridge and mountain bike star Jared Graves were the other finalists for the overall award. But Evans’ Tour triumph, one of the greatest achievements in Australian sport, meant this year the overall honour was realistically a one-man field. In most other years, Meares’ three track titles or Bobridge’s breaking of the individual pursuit world record would have made them favourites for the “Oppy”. Meares won the women’s track cyclist of the year category, while Bobridge won the men’s track award. Meares beat Evans and fellow road cyclists Matt Goss, Stuart O’Grady, Mark Renshaw and Steele Von Hoff to win the people’s choice award, which is a public ballot. Evans took out the men’s elite road cycling category. Goss made Australian cycling history this year when he became the first rider from this country to win the MilanSanremo classic.
But Evans’ Tour triumph meant Goss was only a nomination for the men’s road category and so was not even a finalist for the overall award.
Canberra Representatives. Canberra was well represented in the awards with Caroline Buchanan being named the elite female BMX cyclist of the year, Rebecca Henderson the elite female mountain bike cyclist of the Year and Susan Powell taking out the elite female para-cyclist of the year. For the boys, Nathan Haas was Cycling Australia’s National Road Series Champion and Tim Ward was the ACT Australian Sports Commission Volunteer of the Year. Other major category winners included Shara Gillow (women’s elite road cycling), Graves (men’s mountain bike), Rebecca Henderson (women’s mountain bike) and elite BMX rider Sam Willoughby. Michael Gallagher was named male para cyclists of the year and Hilton Clarke was named coach of the year. - AAP
Issue #5 – November 2011
The 28-year-old won the women’s 500 metres time trial at the 2004 Olympic Games before silver in the women’s sprint four years later in Beijing. Her silver medal in Beijing occurred seven months after a crash left Meares within millimetres of becoming a quadriplegic. “To have an athlete of the stature of Anna winning this award highlights the importance of the AIS and all our institutes and academies working with national sporting organisations to develop our elite talent,” sports minister Mark Arbib said. This was the second time Meares had received the AIS accolade after being a joint athlete of the year with walker Nathan Deakes in 2007. A supplied image of Sports Minister at the Australian Cyclist of the Year Awards. Image: Cycling Australia, Regallo
MEARES NAMED 2011 AIS ATHLETE OF THE YEAR ◊ BY ED LOGUE
World and Olympic track cycling champion Anna Meares can add the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) athlete of the year award to her growing list of achievements in 2011.
Cycling dominated the awards with four of the five AIS honours presented in Canberra. Other cyclists to receive AIS awards were men’s under-23 road time trial champion Luke Durbridge (junior athlete), AIS cycling was program of the year and Kaarle McCulloch and Meares team of the year for their track cycling
team sprint world title. Ben Wordsworth won coach of the year at the helm of the institute’s snowboard program. Meares’ award culminates a year where the Queenslander won three world track titles in the Netherlands, including her first women’s sprint gold medal as well as for the keirin and team sprint events.
Senator Arbib said it was inspiring to see many successful Australian athletes on the world stage ahead of the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London. He said Australian cycling had a fantastic 2011, which reflected the sport’s domination at the AIS awards. “This is a credit to the AIS cycling program for their drive and commitment working in partnership with Cycling Australia to enable athletes to succeed in reaching their goals,” Arbib said. - AAP
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Issue #5 – November 2011
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TENNIS
DJOKOVIC PLAYS DOWN FITNESS WORRIES ◊ BY CAROLINE CHEESE
His body creaking after a stellar season, Novak Djokovic insists he is fit enough for a shot at his 11th title of the year. The No.1-ranked Djokovic withdrew from the Paris Masters quarter-finals last week with a shoulder injury that has blunted his late-season form. He said he would be ready for his opening match at the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals against Tomas Berdych. “I have been serving at 100 per cent in the last two or three days,” Djokovic said. “For me the shoulder is fine at this moment. I can say it is recovered and it is ready to compete.” Andy Murray and David Ferrer make up the rest of Djokovic’s group, while Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Mardy Fish compete in the other group. Djokovic has already compiled what is widely regarded as one of the best seasons ever in men’s tennis. He has a 69-4 record and has won 10 titles, including three Grand Slams. He went
unbeaten until June in a run of 41 straight wins. For the 19th and last tournament of a hectic year, Djokovic is back in London, the scene of his most precious win at Wimbledon. “I was even thinking of going to Wimbledon for a cup of tea, as a member you know,” he said. “It’s the most prestigious, the most valuable event you can think of in our sport in my opinion and I think a lot of players would agree. “That was the tournament I always dreamed of winning.” After Wimbledon, he went on to win the US Open, beating Rafael Nadal, the player who started the year on top, for the sixth time in a final this season. “It has been the best year of my career and I’m definitely proud of what I’ve achieved so far,” Djokovic said. “But it’s still not over and I have a very important event to be a part of and I try to do my best for the next week. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer both said it would be difficult for Djokovic to
SURFING
MOORE SET TO MAKE SURFING HISTORY Carissa Moore of the US competing at the Roxy Pro Biarritz. Moore become the youngest ever ASP World Champion by advancing into the final round. Image: Aquashot - AFP
Women’s world champion Carissa Moore is set to make history when she surfs against the men in the first two legs of the prestigious Triple Crown in Hawaii. The Hawaiian became the youngest women’s world champion in history at 18 when she took out the ASP crown earlier this year. Now she’s been awarded wildcards to compete in the $145,000 Reef Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa (Nov 12-23) and the $250,000 Vans Hawaiian Pro at Sunset Beach (Nov 25-Dec 6). “I don’t mind if I lose out there at Sunset
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or Haleiwa in a heat, I just want to surf there,” she says. “I won the world title but I won it away from home and would love to have finished it here. “I’m just excited to surf in front of a home crowd.” Moore says she’s excited to have another go in a pro event, especially since the 2011 women’s competition wrapped up in August. However she is disappointed there isn’t another rated event for female surfers this year.
maintain such high standards in 2012, while Murray said that repeating a year like that “just doesn’t happen in sport.” “It’s like Barcelona in football,” Murray said. “It’s the best team but to win back to back Champions Leagues, even though you’re the best team, it’s so tough, the margins are so small. A lot of things have to go your way.” Djokovic vowed not to rest on his laurels. “It’s always possible to get better,” he said. “I like to think of my game as a complete game but I think I still have room for improvement.” However, Djokovic accepted Federer’s concern that staying at the pinnacle of the sport presents a whole new challenge because of “all the other things you have to do that go with being world No. 1.” “I know it’s going to be really tough,” Djokovic said. “I know with the new position I have, I have more expectation, more responsibility, but I’m ready for it. “Everything I do in my life it’s a challenge.” - AAP
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic speaks during a television interview at the 02 arena in London. Image: Ben Stansall - AFP
“I want to drive home that if there were events for the girls, I wouldn’t be surfing in the guys’ events,” she says. “But I’m excited and looking forward to it and hopefully that shows.” The ASP women’s World Tour wrapped up its seven-event tour at Huntington Beach, California back in August. Moore dominated the season with three wins and six finals, becoming Hawaii’s first female world champion in 30 years. She is thrilled to be riding the waves with some of surfing’s best and brightest male talent. “These opportunities to surf with the best surfers are really important,” she says. “That’s how our sport evolves - by watching and being inspired by your peers.” - AAP
champion - only to have the title retracted because a mistake had been made in calculating the ratings.
CEO resigns over Kelly Slater blunder
ASP chairman Richard Grellman will temporarily take on Carr’s responsibilities while a replacement is found.
The blunder that led to Kelly Slater being prematurely crowned world champion has claimed the job of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) chief executive David Carr. Carr has tendered his resignation following the error, which resulted in Slater being announced as this year’s
Slater went on to win a record 11th world title the following day by reaching the quarter-finals of the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco. “It is my duty to accept responsibility for the recent calculation error that resulted in the premature crowning of Kelly Slater’s 11th ASP world title,” Carr said in a statement. “The determination of the ASP world title is the most important moment in professional surfing. “Ultimately, the responsibility for every activity within ASP lies with me. “Therefore, I have elected to resign my position as CEO.”
“The board of directors met today and reluctantly accepted the resignation of Brodie Carr,” Grellman said. “We would like to recognise his valuable contribution over the last six years and wish him every success in the future.” - AAP
Issue #5 – November 2011
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PGA
TIGER CLINCHES THE PRESIDENTS CUP FOR US
Tiger Woods of the US chips out of a bunker during his match on the final day of the President’s Cup golf tournament. Image: William West - AFP
◊ BY ROBERT SMITH
Tiger Woods clinched The Presidents Cup for the US team with the winning point over the Internationals in the singles of the teams match play event at Royal Melbourne. Woods also provided the clinching point when the Americans posted a 19.5 to 14.5 triumph over the International team at the previous event in San Francisco in 2009.
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The Americans split singles with the Internationals 6-6, finishing overall 19-15 winners. “It does feel good. I was hoping it wouldn’t come down to my point. I was hoping that Stricks (Steve Stricker) and I could take a victory lap back here,” Woods said. “But we (USA) didn’t get off to a good start early. We needed to get our point so we went out there and played really well today and put a lot of heat on Badds (Baddeley).” Woods, who only got into the US team as the captain’s pick after taking part in just eight USPGA Tour events this year because of injuries, was praised by team captain Fred Couples. “He was ready to go this whole week. He was ready for a month,” Couples said. “A lot of people have asked why I picked him and how he was going to play. “Certainly, I couldn’t answer how he was going to play but this week I think he showed to himself that his swing is back and he’s healthy, and that’s more important to me.” The star-studded American team went into the final day’s singles leading by four points and although Greg Norman’s International team made a charge to get
within two points they were too strong in the final matches. “The Jim Furyks of the world and Tiger Woods made a lot of putts and they kept our guys out of the match,” Norman said. “I think if you look back over it, it came down to just that and when you look back over all of the days, our foursomes let us down, no question about it.” It was a dominant performance by the Americans, who won both the foursomes, split one of the fourballs and narrowly lost the other fourball. Apart from Woods, America’s other singles winners were Hunter Mahan, Nick Watney, Jim Furyk, David Toms and Steve Stricker. Furyk was the only player to finish unbeaten in five matches at the event. The Internationals faced a tall order heading into the final day as no team trailing into the singles matches had gone on to win The Presidents Cup, although in 2003 the United States trailed 12.5 to 9.5 and fought back to tie the competition in South Africa. South Korean Kim Kyung-Tae, who holed a pressure putt at the last hole to beat Woods and Dustin Johnson in the fourball, carried on his form with a resilient
one-up win over Webb Simpson in the day’s opening singles. Victories followed from teammates Charl Schwartzel of South Africa, Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa and Australian Greg Ogilvy as the Internationals began strongly. But Mahan and Watney restored control with comfortable victories before Furyk, Toms and Woods got the Americans across the finish line with Stricker winning the day’s final singles match two and one over South Korea’s Y.E. Yang. Adam Scott had a two-and-one win over Phil Mickelson, and Retief Goosen edged out Matt Kuchar one-up for the Internationals’ other wins. It was an accomplished performance from the Americans who came to grief when they last played The Presidents Cup at the demanding Royal Melbourne layout, losing 20.5 to 11.5. The classic sandbelt course tested all the golfers to the limit in Friday’s brutal blustery conditions, but played a little easier on the weekend in cooler weather. “I came in here in ‘88 and played the Bicentennial so I assumed that if I could learn the course in a day and a half or two, these guys can learn it in two or three practice rounds,” Couples said. “It was never a concern.” - AFP
Issue #5 – November 2011
LPGA
PARK, GAL SHARE LEAD AT LPGA TITLEHOLDERS
Park Hee-Young of South Korea tees off. Image: Park Ji-Hwan - AFP
South Korean Hee Young Park fired her second three-under par 69 in a row on Saturday to match Germany’s Sandra Gal for the lead after three rounds of the LPGA Titleholders tournament. Park birdied three of the last four holes to stand on seven-under par 209 through 54 holes at Grand Cypress Resort with Gal matching her after a 71. Park, seeking her first LPGA triumph in the season-ending $1.5 million showdown, cracked the top-10 only twice all season, but her third-place effort at the Safeway Classic in August was good enough to earn a spot at this event. “I’m very thirsty,” Park said of her desire for an inaugural LPGA victory. “Yeah, I’m ready.” Gal figures she has an edge over Park because she knows what it’s like to win an LPGA event. She won the Kia Classic last March with a birdie on the 72nd hole for her only career LPGA title. “It’s great to be in that position, have the chance to win,” Gal said. “If you’ve done it before, I think it gives you more confidence in the back of your mind for sure.” World No. 2 Suzann Pettersen of Norway was third on 210 after a bogey-free 68 while American Paula Creamer was another shot adrift after firing a 71. World No. 1 Yani Tseng of Taiwan matched the low round of the week with a 66 to pull within three of the lead and grab a share of fifth with South Korean Na Yeon Choi on 212. Choi, who led when the day began, stumbled back with a 75. “I played bad on the first two days so today it was really nice,” Tseng said. “I just enjoyed and tried to make more birdies.” Park opened with her only bogey of the day but answered with a birdie on the par-4 fifth and charged at the finish with Issue #5 – November 2011
birdies at the par-5 15th and par-4 16th and 18th. “I started bogey and then the second hole was a little bit of a struggle,” Park said. “Then it was a little bit difficult to play the front nine. “But today (was) just be patient, patient, and then back nine finally I just felt my putting distance so I just trusted and hit and that was the back nine.” “I’m actually pretty drained. It was such a roller-coaster round,” Gal said. “But it’s all just good. I’m happy to be up there leading. It was tough. “I had a good start and then just in the middle of the round I had a couple bad holes, but I’m really proud of myself how I pulled it together on the back nine. Sometimes you’ve just got to hang in there and fight it out. It was one of those days.” Pettersen opened with a birdie and added three in a row starting at the par-3 12th to climb into contention for her third victory of the season after the Match-Play Championship in May and the Safeway Classic. “I’m just glad to be back in this tournament,” Pettersen said. “I feel very good with my game. I’m right in where I want to be. I had some good opportunities and then saved a good par on the last. Overall very happy.” Tseng, whose 11 global titles this season include seven LPGA crowns, enjoyed having her family at the event, one of the few times in a season they see her perform. She finally began showing the form that has made her the world’s best. “I’m really happy and proud of myself,” Tseng said. “Six-under on this course with these conditions is not that easy. I saw my name on the leaderboard after nine holes. It gave me more motivation to try to make more birdies.”- AFP
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FORMULAT STA1 RT
remain after successive years of disappointment and upheaval including a change of ownership. Renault is now owned by the Genii Capital investment group led by Luxemburg-based Spaniard Gerard Lopez and has recently completed a deal enabling the team to be re-branded Lotus next season, an achievement that Frenchman Boullier believes will end their problems.
MCLAREN WANT FAS TO NEXT F1 SEASON
“This is massive for us for many reasons,” he said. “We now have a proper identity and we know who we are,” he said. “The Lotus project is much bigger. Something should be announced quite soon I hope and it is a nice way to secure our future with a new identity. It will change everything.” Petrov, 27, who is in his second season with the team after becoming the first Russian driver to race in Formula One in 2010, finished one lap off the pace in 13th place for Renault in the recent Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton of McLaren Mercedes during the Formula one Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi. Image: Srdjan Suki - AAP
◊ BY TIM COLLINGS
McLaren’s Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton hope, and expect, to be fast from the first lap of next season’s Formula One world championship in a bid to stop Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull reeling off a hat-trick of title triumphs. The title-winning duo of 2008 and 2009 will fly into Sao Paulo for next weekend’s season-ending Brazilian grand prix hoping, also, to end 2011 in a blaze of glory, but their real goal is to take over at the top again next year. And this week the British pairing received a boost to their ambitions when McLaren’s team chiefs stressed that it was vital for them to begin the new season as they were ending the old. Hamilton won the recent Abu Dhabi grand prix to record his third win of the year while Button has only failed to finish in a podium position once in the past eight races. This run of consistency and speed has left the team happy with their developments, but frustrated at being unable to mount a serious bid to stop Vettel and Red Bull’s march to glory. As a result, McLaren have made clear that their focus is on starting the next season much faster than they have done recent ones. “We need to start next year quick. We’re showing that we can out-develop and stay close to everybody,” racing chief Jonathan Neale said. 34
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“We’ve consistently won races, we’re consistently on the podium, but we don’t win championships enough and that’s a frustration.” The team believe their 2012 hopes depend on their ability to design a car which is fast from the outset. Struggles in pre-season testing this year highlighted a clear disparity between McLaren’s MP4-26 and Red Bull’s RB7, but McLaren steadily reduced that deficit as the season progressed. Neale added: “We love winning races, but we want to win some more championships. We’ve got to get out of the blocks.” He explained that only six per cent of the 2011 car will be re-used in the design for the 2012 machine. Neale said: “We’re running a high-speed research and development organisation, but it’s up to us to give the drivers something they can really get hold of and exploit. “And I think Lewis and Jenson, as backto-back world champions, deserve the best. So that’s a clear target.” - AAP
Petrov slams Renault as team look to future The troubled Renault Formula One team suffered a setback this week when lead driver Russian Vitaly Petrov delivered a scathing appraisal of their on and offtrack failings.
Team boss Eric Boullier, however, has hit back at critics by claiming Renault were set to break through to a bright new era -- with a new identity following the deal to be re-branded Lotus. During an interview with Russia 2 television channel, Petrov blamed the team’s lack of development and a series of mistakes with pit-stops and strategy for their decline in the second half of this season. “We have lost positions in about 10 races or even more,” Petrov said. “Even without a fast car we could have gained good points, we could have finished with points if we had had a good strategy.” Renault have scored only six points in eight races since the German Grand Prix in July, a spell that also saw experienced former lead driver German Nick Heidfeld ousted and replaced by Brazilian Bruno Senna. The team’s slide has left them struggling to hang on to fifth place in the constructors’ standings with 72 points, 87 behind fourth placed Mercedes on 159 and only 15 ahead of sixth-placed Force India on 57. Renault’s fall has left many paddock observers puzzled, if not stunned, as it is only five years since they completed a championship double with former ace, Spaniard Fernando Alonso, who took the drivers’ title in 2005 and 2006.
His mediocre, if not poor, performances in the second half of the year means he could be replaced next season as the team seek an all-new line-up to go with the Lotus re-branding. Frustrated Petrov’s outburst was his first against the team and many have interpreted it as evidence of a rift that could be terminal. It may signal that Petrov has learned already that he is not included in Boullier’s plans for 2012 and beyond. “Unfortunately I cannot say anything bad about the team -- it says so in my contract,” said Petrov. “But many things have already been written about (this) in the media. People say the team criticised the drivers, but -excuse me -- read my interviews. “I haven’t criticised the team despite what we have lost so many times (sic). How much have we missed at pit-stops? With strategy? “I couldn’t say in interviews that we lost it with the pit-stops, and I cannot talk about that now either, but I can’t keep silent any more - it is over. I can’t keep everything inside any more.” After a season of confusion, Renault and Petrov will head to the final race in Brazil hoping to stop the rot before the start of a new, and for Petrov a possibly uncertain, era. - AFP
Few of the team that helped carry Alonso to such glorious success Issue #5 – November 2011
V8 SUPERCARS
WHINCUP PUTS ONE HAND ON V8 TITLE ◊ BY GUY HAND
This year’s V8 Supercar championship is Jamie Whincup’s to lose. Holden’s Whincup goes into the final two races of the year in Sydney next month with a 188-point lead over Vodafone team-mate Craig Lowndes after victory at Sandown Raceway on 20 November. Whincup could secure the championship with fourth place or better in the opening race in Sydney on December 3, or simply by finishing ahead of Lowndes. Lowndes’s best hope of winning the title is by a race one catastrophe for Whincup. 150 points are on offer to each race winner at the Sydney Olympic Park street circuit. Whincup tightened his grip on a third V8 championship with a perfect day at Sandown qualifying on pole then controlling an uneventful race from the front.
And at the forefront of his mind was the same race last year, when James Courtney won at Sandown and eventually beat him to the title. “I believe this race won the championship last year with James Courtney, so it was an important race, I knew that,” Whincup said. “If there was one time I needed a good start, it was now, and I got off the line well.” From there, it was processional. Whincup had a fast car, a clear track and the most effective of his team’s pit strategies. Lowndes was forced to pit early under the alternative strategy and hope for a change in circumstances that never arrived as he finished fourth. Whincup beat Ford Performance Racing duo Mark Winterbottom and Will Davison for his 10th and most important race victory of the year.
The conditions were a far cry from Saturday’s rain-swept race won by Holden’s Rick Kelly. Whincup struggled to finish 13th and Lowndes produced a stellar drive for sixth from the back of the grid to keep his title hopes alive. Now Lowndes will have to play catch-up again but remained upbeat that the tricky Sydney streets could trip up his team-mate. We’ve maintained our gap to Jamie, so I’m not too disappointed,” he said. “We’ll see where we are overall, but Homebush could bring anything.” Whincup admits he feels more relaxed going to Sydney following the win, but remains wary of Lowndes who is aiming to win his first title in 12 years. “It’s still not over yet, but we’ve still got another fortnight to go. We’ll go away, have a rest, prepare the cars and come out firing in Sydney,” Whincup said. - AAP
Jamie Whincup of Triple Eight Racing celebrating his win in race 26 during the Norton 360 Sandown Challenge. Image: Edge Photographics, Mark Horsburgh - AAP
MOTOGP
SUZUKI PULLS OUT OF MOTOGP tsunami which devastated Japan’s northeast, and floods in Thailand have disrupted the global supply chain. Rizla Suzuki team manager Paul Denning, who had tried to encourage the company to continue racing in MotoGP, said on Twitter: “It’s now -- very sadly -- official. Suzuki is out of MGP for 2012/13. “I’m sorry for all the guys on the team, our partners, friends and fans,” he said. “Really thought we’d pulled it together -- silver lining is that Suzuki has expressed its clear intention to come back in 2014. Thanks to all.” Spanish rider Alvaro Bautista of Rizla Suzuki team. Image: Kerim Okten - AAP
Suzuki has pulled out of MotoGP because of economic problems, but the Japanese manufacturer might return in 2014. “This suspension is to cope with tough circumstances mainly caused by the prolonged recession in developed countries, a historical depreciation of Japanese yen and repeated natural disasters,” the motor company said.
Issue #5 – November 2011
“Having an eye to returning to MotoGP in 2014, Suzuki will now focus on developing a competitive new racing machine for that class,” it said in a statement posted on the official MotoGP website. Japanese motor companies, along with other manufacturers, have been hit by a shutdown or cutdown in production following the March earthquake-
Suzuki said it would “continue motocross racing activity and support of road racing activities using massproduced motorcycles, by obtaining FIM (International Motorcycling Federation) approval and cooperation with the supplier of its development racing kit parts.” The company had been expected to quit MotoGP, the world’s premier motorcycling racing, having already lost
its only MotoGP rider Alvaro Bautista to Gresini Honda for next season. The Spaniard, had finished the 2011 season in 13th place. The works Rizla Suzuki team had tested former Ducati rider Randy de Puniet of France at Valencia last week. Suzuki did not join Honda, Ducati and Yamaha in public tests on 1000cc bikes for next season, fuelling speculation that a withdrawal was imminent. Suzuki last won a MotoGP race in 2007 when Australian Chris Vermeulen took out the French Grand Prix. It produced five world champions since entering a works team in the premier world championship, then 500cc, for the first time in 1974. They were Barry Sheene (1976, 1977), Marco Lucchinelli (1981), Franco Uncini (1982), Kevin Schwantz (1993) and Kenny Roberts Jr (2000). Suzuki previously had a break from the premier tour for three years before returning in 1987. - AAP
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COMBAT
HENDERSON OUTLASTS RUA IN UFC 139
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, from Brazil, right, kicks Dan Henderson during the third round. Image: Jeff Chiu - AP
Dan Henderson celebrated his return to the UFC with a unanimous decision over Mauricio Rua on Saturday night in a light heavyweight fight.
One of the greatest fights of all time In what some industry professionals are calling one of the greatest fights of all time, the 41-year-old Henderson (29-8) controlled the first three rounds of the slugfest, then held on over the final 10 minutes when Rua (20-6) made a furious comeback. Both fighters’ eyes were severely swollen afterwards, while Rua’s white-and-green shorts were nearly entirely covered in crimson from the blood that flowed from each man. All three judges had Henderson winning 48-47 in the main event of UFC 139. That puts him in line for a possible title shot against champion Jon Jones. Henderson came out the aggressor, pushing Rua against the cage and going for a standing chokehold submission early in the first round. Rua escaped but Henderson came back with several right hands to the head that opened a cut over Rua’s left eye. Rua, who lost the light heavyweight title to Jon Jones in March, later had Anderson on the ground and landed several left hands before Henderson fought back with a left-right combination to Rua’s head. The pace slowed dramatically in the second round, though Henderson continued to score. He also bloodied Rua’s nose with a hard left uppercut that landed squarely in the middle of Rua’s face. Blood streamed down Rua’s face the rest of the fight. Still, the former UFC champ didn’t go quietly. 36
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After getting knocked to the floor following a hard right hand by Henderson, Rua was able to grab Henderson’s left foot and went nearly had a submission hold locked in before Henderson escaped. Rua later had Henderson against the cage and scored with several punches. Henderson missed on a rear chokehold early in the fourth and Rua nearly made him pay for it. He wobbled Henderson with a hard right hand then landed several left hands and right elbows after Henderson was down. Rua continued to control the pace in the fifth while Henderson simply tried to hang on. Rua got on top of Henderson while both were on the mat and landed numerous shots to the head, but neither fighter could sustain much of an attack at the end. It easily stood up as the fight of the night and likely will be the fight of the year as well.
The win now puts Silva back in line for a possible title shot after many thought his career to be over only four months ago following a 27-second knockout loss to Chris Leben. It was Silva’s sixth loss in eight fights and had UFC President Dana White suggesting the former Pride champion should retire Now Silva’s a part of the title picture once again. “It’s an amazing moment for me,” Silva said. The 39-year-old Le set the tone early in his UFC debut, landing a spinning backfist early in the first round that put Silva down. The Brazilian got to his feet then landed a hard kick to the left side of Le’s head. Silva couldn’t follow up but opened a cut over Le’s right eye. The two fighters exchanged punches in the second round before Silva took over.
Faber keeps fans happy Crowd favorite Urijah Faber, who grew up two hours north of San Jose in Sacramento, made short work of Brian Bowles, using a guillotine choke to make Bowles to tap out at 1:27 of the second round.
“I felt like I could go anywhere in this fight,” said Faber, in line for a title shot against bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. “Get ready Dominick. You can run but you can’t hide.” Faber (26-5) landed a hard right uppercut that stunned Bowles early in the second round then followed it up with a left knee. As Bowles fell against the cage, Faber closed in and landed a series of right hands and forearms then finished the fight off by getting Bowles (10-2) to submit. In a three-round welterweight bout, Martin Kampmann of Denmark won a split decision over Rick Story. Both fighters were bleeding from cuts over their eyes in the first round. Kampmann (18-5) also had a small cut on his forehead following a series of left jabs from Story (13-5) but came back to win the final two rounds for his first victory in more than 17 months. In the night’s first bout, Stephan Bonnar (17-7) scored a unanimous decision over Kyle Kingsbury (11-3) in the light heavyweight division. - AP
Silva defeats Le In the other main event, Wanderlei Silva got off the mat in the first round to knock out former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le at 4:49 of the second. Silva (34-11-1) stunned Le with a hard left and followed it up with a right jab to the chin and a stiff right foot to the side of Le’s head. Silva then moved in and hit Le with four knee shots to the head that dropped the San Jose native. Once Le (7-2) went down, Silva quickly pounced and landed several hard right hands before referee Dan Snell stepped in to stop it. While a battered and bloodied Le was helped to his stool, Silva pranced around the ring and jumped on the cage as the crowd at HP Pavilion roared.
Wanderlei Silva celebrates after beating Cung Le. Image: Jeff Chiu - AP
Issue #5 – November 2011
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Issue #5 – November 2011
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TECHNOLOGY IN SPORT: GPS
Jack Ziebell is fitted with a tracking device during the Kangaroos training session in Melbourne. Image: Julian Smith - AAP
It wasn’t long before word spread of the benefits of using GPSports. Sporting giants, Manchester United, Barcelona FC, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and the Wallabies, are just some of the leading sporting organisations which now utilise the apparent edge that GPSports provides. And if that isn’t enough, the QLD Reds, Manly Rugby League Club, Geelong Football Club and the Brisbane Roar all won their respective premierships while using GPSports tracking and monitoring equipment. The GPS epidemic in world sport is clearly evident and shows no signs of dissipating in the short term. But why do clubs now rely so heavily on a device that has only recently been available? The answer in a nutshell is list management. GPS provides real time accurate recordings on a player’s speed, distance, heart rate, muscle loading, recovery levels and much more. Fitness staff are able to plan training more effectively, focusing on strength and power activities, game specific programming and better player management leading to a decrease in injuries to key personnel. The fact is that GPS technology is able to maximise a club’s potential through scientific assuredness, taking the guesswork out of player welfare and overall list management.
CANBERRA COMPANY TRACKING THE WORLD’S BEST ◊ PETER MCGRATH
In world sport it is rare that a small business can have any influence on a club’s performance. For Canberra based company GPSports Systems, not only have they had an influence, they are reshaping the way which sport is played, taught and reviewed. I sat down with the company’s Managing Director Adrian Faccioni to get an insight on the effect GPS technology is having on the sports we love. GPSports provides sporting organisations with GPS devices which monitor and analyse an athlete’s or team’s performance. It sounds simple enough, but the real complexities are in interpreting the data and that is where the company has found its niche in an ever evolving market. Faccioni, a talented decathlete and a former University of Canberra lecturer, was coaching a National level cross country skier in 1999. During a chance meeting with the athlete’s boyfriend who was an engineer for a car GPS company, Faccioni had an epiphany. Over a short lunchtime conversation, he discovered that the engineer was using car GPS to track his speed on a windsurfer. Not surprisingly, this looked quite silly let alone impracticable due to the satellite dish on his head, the size of the unit and the quantity of wires hanging off him. Faccioni recalls his immediate thoughts. 38
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“If we could miniaturise this, add some heart rate, do some software, we could target the horse racing market, the sporting market…… I resigned from my university job a month later” The rest is history and GPSports was created in 2000. Unbelievably it only has a staff of seven. Instead of employing people all over the globe, Faccioni relies on his staff remotely interpreting the data of some of world sports’ biggest organisations from an office in Fyshwick. After the GPS unit’s basic beginnings as a small device which fits on the arms of athletes involved in individual sports, the unit grew into a harness type device able to fit on footballers in the most rugged of environments. Faccioni, who consulted as a running coach at the Adelaide Crows, was approached by the Australian Football League’s sports science guru and then Adelaide coach, Neil Craig. Craig asked Faccioni if his units could track the distance his players ran in a training session. It could. Craig was impressed and requested that the device become easier to use and provide data in real time. After further modifications Faccioni’s device was not only monitoring the Adelaide Crows, it soon became indispensible to the majority of clubs in the AFL.
A perfect quantitative example of the benefits that GPS provides is from one leading football club in the Australian A-League competition “They’ve been using GPS for the last 18 months and they’ve had a 62% decrease in the amount of soft tissue injuries in the last year and a 51% decrease in loss of revenue from players sitting on the sidelines” Faccioni said. The Geelong Football Club, one of AFL’s modern powerhouses, began the 2006 season with a number of bad losses. Some investigation with GPS units revealed that the players’ last training session before a match was particularly gruelling with players covering up to 11 kilometres of high intensity running
only a couple of days before a game. Geelong slightly altered their training regime and has not looked back, winning three of the last five AFL premierships. Chelsea FC has established their dominant position in the English Premier League with assistance from extensive use of GPS technology. “They’ve done an amazing thing, they’ve built what we call a real time infrastructure… a training facility with five fields with several installed antennas around all five fields which are able to monitor every player across the five fields in real time and send the data immediately to the coaching staff’s pocket PC’s, so that they are able to monitor first grade, reserve grade, academy kids and rehab players all at once with “flags” alerting coaching staff if players are over running, likely to get hurt, etc” The GPS benefit is not limited to people. Trainers of Australia’s leading racehorses are now receiving immediate scientific feedback. In the sport of kings, GPS is providing invaluable insight on a horse’s welfare, determining whether it is ready to race or whether there is a possibility of injury and the horse should be rested. GPSports’ latest project is one which could have a big impact on Rugby League. Since its inception, the ruling on a forward pass is often contentious and is almost always the centre of debate on the field by players, off the field by spectators, and replayed and debated by commentators and officials alike. However, through rapidly developing GPS technology at GPSports, this may soon change. GPSports is looking to work with the NRL and Steeden to refine GPS technology suitable to tackle this issue. One possible solution may be a small microchip embedded in the ball. Via GPS tracking and monitoring, video referees would have access to unheralded scientific measurements alerting them to a forward pass. “We are meeting with the NRL in December to confirm that this is the path they want to go down, we then need to talk to Steeden and say this is what we want to do…..hopefully 2013 we will roll it out, see how we go”. Businesses do not often get a pat on the back in the sporting industry. Play magazine congratulates this Canberra company on its outstanding work, ability to attract the world’s best and the unbelievable results it is helping achieve. Issue #5 – November 2011
FENCING
bean in Spence?
Pirates of the Carib
You may be surprised to hear there is a growing band of young swashbucklers regularly meeting to hone their fencing skills in the midst of Belconnen’s suburbs. Fencing is a sport that has a long and distinguished history but is increasing in popularity in the ACT in leaps and bounds. There are currently six fencing clubs in Canberra, up from only two just five years ago. One of the world’s oldest sports, fencing has its origins in training for the duel and is one of the very few sports to have been included in every modern Olympics. Modern fencing is actually three separate disciplines, each
one using a different weapon: foil, epee and sabre The Canberra clubs cater to different ages and localities around the Territory, with some aiming at specific attendance, such as the Defence Force Academy Fencing Club or the CDDC club which allows children under 10 years of age. Whilst the whole ACT fencing scene is currently experiencing a rapid expansion, it is a group of the youngest fencers (9-13 yr olds) who are starting to become regulars in the State and Regional fencing competition scene.
Youthful fencers from both the CDDC club and Engarde Club are now greeted by groans from other young competitors in Sydney and in regional areas (Wagga and Bathurst) when they arrive to compete against larger groups.
The foilists are not the only fencers performing magnificently. Jeremy Sadler from Engarde club recently scooped the Gold medal in the Under 11 Boy’s State Epee Championship in Sydney in October.
It is a rare occasion lately that does not see an Under 11 or Under 13 year old Canberra fencer medal or place in the top four in a foil or epee competition. Petra Showell from CDDC club recently took out the Gold medal for Under 13 Girls Foil at the Riverina Regional Championship in Wagga early October, and Bronze in the Novice Women’s Foil at the Central West Regional Competition in Bathurst in September, in addition to her Bronze in the Under 11 Girls Foil at the NSW State Foil Championship in Sydney in October.
Young people may like to try fencing as they are not required to be particularly sporty in the traditional sense. Fencing is becoming more popular with girls and women, as although it is physically challenging and requires the application of strategy. It is a sport that allows females to feel they can compete equally against males in a safe setting. Fencers are required to wear specific protective equipment and weapon safety is enforced by the coaches during both training and competitions.
She’s not the only CDDC fencer to do well. Hayden Trevenar has been competing in State competitions for some time and continually places in the top ten positions of the final place rankings. Hayden has also competed in competitions in Penrith and Sydney and mostly lately obtained the Bronze in the Under 13 Boys Foil at the Riverina Regional Championship in Wagga. Andres Leon, Daniel Abela and Juliet Sykes also attend State events and to their credit, often do much better than they expect, with Daniel previously garnering Bronze in the Under 13 Boy’s Epee in Sydney and Andres and Juliet placing in the top 10 places of their groups.
Not all the junior fencers feel they want to compete at a State level. Lots of children enjoy the group lessons, demonstrations and pirate fun. For more information or details on fencing clubs in Canberra, see the ACT Fencing Association website at www.actfa.org.au. If you’d like to come and see some fencing action, The Venezuelan Embassy is sponsoring an ACT junior fencing competition for U11, U13 and U15 fencers at Stromlo High School (Waramanga) on 27 November 2011 start time 9.00am. Come along and bring your budding fencers. The clubs are always happy to accept new members.
ONE GAME AT A TIME
Issue #5 – November 2011
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PAINTBALL Division 2 (Semi-pro) chases 3 points in 7 minutes and Division 3 (Amateur) chases 2 points in 5 minutes. Leading in to the final round of the series on 26 and 27 November (Round 4, ‘the Masters’), Canberra has teams well placed on the series leader boards of all 3 Divisions, an indication of the growing strength of the sport locally.
S PAINTBALL SEASON DRAW TO A CLOSE Canberra’s Apocalypse break out at the start of a recent 5 man tournament in Canberra. Image: Sonja Newcombe
For competition paintballers, November traditionally signals Round 4 of the Australian Super 7s series and the business end of a long season. For some Canberra players though, the month started with the opportunity of a life time, with American professional paintball icon, Todd Martinez of San Diego Dynasty and Los Angeles Infamous fame, visiting to conduct a coaching clinic on November 5. Martinez made the Infamous number 2 jersey his own and in 2011 has stepped back from playing to coach Infamous at PSP and NPPL events and to concentrate on managing his Golden State paintball stores and his RAZA paintball and casual clothing line, and to conduct training clinics around the world. The full day clinic, held at the tournament field at Paintball Sports ACT at Fairbairn Pines had 25 attendees ranging from novices to seasoned veterans of the sport. The weather turned it on, with a warm day and clear blue skies, testing the stamina of all. There was little time for introductions with Martinez getting straight into warm ups and a few quick laps and some good stretches, with 25 enthusiastic paintballers ready for what ever he had to throw at them that day. Martinez explained that he liked to go back to basics of the sport, so for the players just beginning it meant starting with the right habits and for some older players, the chance to try and break old habits. The clinic covered various techniques and skills such as stance, holding the paintball marker, movements and drills such as snap shooting, where the players stand behind a bunker unable to see their “opponent” (which was a cone elevated on a pole some distance away). This taught the players to visualise and then 40
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quickly engage their opponent before returning for cover behind their bunker. A variety of 2 v 2 drills encouraging movement and aggression to eliminate opponents followed, then game like situations with different scenarios of 3 v 5 or 3 v 4 with one team always being a player down. The day wound down with a 2 v 2 knock out competition. Martinez randomly selected the teams and 2 novice players managed to beat professional and semi professional ranked players to be crowned champions for the day. Events like this are few and far between in Australia and are opportunities which shouldn’t be missed. It is a great achievement for the sport locally and a huge step for Canberra paintball. We hope to see more of these sort of events in the future. A huge thankyou goes out to the team at Paintball Sports ACT for making this happen and also to Todd Martinez for spending the day with the Canberra paintballers in the hot conditions. Indeed, as the paintball scene locally grows, Canberra teams are now showing strongly at major interstate tournament series which attract teams from around the country and even overseas. The largest tournament series in Australia is the Australian Super 7s Series hosted by Action Paintball Games at their extensive facilities in the west of Sydney. The series attracts teams from Queensland, NSW, Victoria, Western Australia and even New Zealand. Teams comprise 5 players on the field and 2 or 3 reserves, with matches lasting between 5 and 6 minutes (depending on the division), with the game format requiring teams to score points by eliminating their opposition and pressing a buzzer. Division 1 (Pro) plays a ‘Race to 4’ format across 8 minutes of game time, while
In Division 1 (also known as Pro division) Canberra’s Apocalypse is in 4th place with a slim chance of finishing 3rd for the season if a few more results go their way. Indeed, at Round 3 they beat their Divisional winner convincingly but could not maintain consistency. The Masters will pit them against 7 teams from New Zealand, Victoria, NSW, QLD and WA. A few American pro players are also expected to make the journey, guesting for local teams hoping to find that edge and a podium finish.
As a prelude to the Masters, a State of Origin mini-series is being held on Friday 25 November, with players representing their State, drawn from those attending the Masters. The State of Origin format involves 10 man teams on the field, making for hectic and entertaining play. Teams are expected from NSW, QLD and Victoria and the ACT. The ACT ‘Pornstars’ with players from X Fighters, Apocalypse and Uprising are hoping to improve on previous years and bridge that elusive gap to the final. A report on the Masters tournament will follow in the coming weeks, as part of a planned regular coverage of Canberra’s tournament paintball in the future. For those interested in learning more about the Super 7s series, check out http://www.super7spaintball. com/ and https://www.facebook. com/pages/Super-7s-PaintballSeries/202208353151177.
In Division 2 (Semi-pro) Canberra’s Uprising holds a narrow lead at the top of the series table while Thundercats is in third place 4 points behind. The two teams are close rivals and Uprising will be looking to maintain its point edge and must finish at least one place higher than Thundercats at Masters to take out the series championship. A series win would see Uprising move in Todd Martinez gives some one-on-one instruction to Jeremy Arbaut-Zaalen. Image: Cate Ruth to the top Division in 2012. Competition will be fierce though with 10 teams For local paintball fields contact Paintball contesting the division and a full round Sports ACT (62588238), Predator expected to be played, testing all to the Paintball (0420580834) or Adventure limit. Teams are also attending from New Paintball (62624242). Training sessions Zealand (2), Victoria, NSW and QLD. at Paintball Sports happen most Sundays during the season (February In Division 3 (Amateur), Uprising B has through November). Once Predator a firm grip on the divisional title with a gets its compressor installed and new 10 point buffer to the 2nd placed team. competition training field built over the Other Canberra teams in this Division coming summer, Sunday training should are Notorious (4th), the all female Divas also be a regular feature there. (7th) and the latest team to jump to this level, Deathsquad which placed 9th at their first major tournament and are 11th overall. Uprising B has the goods to take out the series title and earn promotion to Division 2 in 2012, if they can maintain form and avoid lapses in concentration. Nine teams are contesting Division 3 at Masters.
For more information on the tournament paintball scene in Canberra, email inquiries can be sent to act-paintball@optusnet.com.au.
Issue #5 – November 2011
A WORD FROM OUR ADVERTISERS: IF THE BOOT FITS ◊ BY STEVEN BINGLEY
When it comes to boot camps, how do you know you’re getting what you pay for and not some cheap imitation knock-off? In an industry, which is highly unregulated, too many fitness providers are jumping on the bandwagon and offering boot camp because of its growing popularity. The reality is these are usually nothing more than an outdoor circuit class in camouflage. Authentic boot camps are military inspired outdoor fitness programs that utilise discipline based motivational techniques to continually challenge you, without asking more that you are physically able to do. Thus ensuring no matter how long you train with them you continue to improve. Contrary to popular belief you don’t need to be fit to join boot camp. A good boot camp will have a system to benchmark your current fitness level so that 1) your trainers are aware of your physical ability and 2) you have a way to track your improvement. At the end of the day you are paying for boot camp to get results. You shouldn’t settle for any less.
Real boot camps get results through the application of training methods like the tabata protocol, plyometrics, calisthenics and other metabolic conditioning techniques. In other words, intense interval training, fast explosive exercises, team based sessions with and without equipment and a strong military influence. The physical benefits of boot camp include rapid weight loss, increased aerobic output, lean muscle mass, speed, agility and endurance. Not to mention the effects to your self-esteem, clarity, productivity and social life! Studies conducted by the University of Essex concluded that just 5 minutes of outdoor activity could reduce the risk of mental illness and improve a sense of well being, imagine what 30-60 minutes could do. Local woman, Nicole Burke has participated in boot camp for over a year and says, “Friends that I have made at boot camp have been raving about the results and outcomes achieved. With improved cardiovascular fitness and body tone as well as the mental benefits of completing a high intensity boot camp class, I come away from each session with an overall sense of
achievement. I have managed to lose 10kgs, become fitter and stronger and feel back in control of my life.” It’s that sense of camaraderie and accomplishment that many people choose to join boot camp for, similar reasons people choose to play team sports. In fact boot camp and sports are a match made in heaven. Boot camps can provide an athlete or weekend team player the competitive edge over their opponents. You will be able to run quicker, take more hits, recover faster, be lighter on your feet, kick further, throw harder and last longer than your competition. Done with your teammates boot camp will improve team dynamics, unit cohesion, leadership and intestinal fortitude.
online forums and social networks e.g facebook. Remember if you aren’t getting the results you want speak up or change providers. Boot camps are there to meet your needs and not the other way around!
In choosing the right boot camp for you, think about: What experience and qualifications does the trainer have? What reputation does the bootcamp have in the community? What is the make up of the group? Do your research before committing - Set up a free trial, seek recommendations and referrals, search
About Steven Bingley A former Australian Paratrooper with 3RAR, Steve is the owner and lead instructor for ORIGINAL BOOTCAMP TM in Canberra. Steve has trained a broad variety of individuals from the elite athlete to ex-couch potato. His unique training methods guarantee serious results, seriously fast.
MARATHON
the Guinness Book of Records as the first person to ever achieve the feat. While running such a distance in one spot may seem boring to some, he doesn’t think the monotony of it will be an issue. “I think that the view will be spectacular, [plus] the cause that I’m running it for and then setting a first time event world record will be totally enjoyable,” he said. He will complete the sea event by lapping the running track on a cruise ship on the Pacific Ocean on December 22. HEALTH AND WELLNESS, A TOP PRIORITY During the event series, Mr Ginnivan will raise money for the Heart Foundation FOR A LOCAL RUNNING ENTHUSIAST and hopes to raise awareness for better ◊ BY ANTONY PERRY health and wellness. and Sea event series. Having run his first marathon in 1990, He may be 46 years of age, but Rob Having already successfully completed and having since run 18 marathons on six Ginnivan says he feels like he’s 25. the land event – the Casablanca continents, Mr Ginnivan is an avid long Marathon in Morocco on October 23 – He is indeed taking advantage of the distance runner. But the founder of the Mr Ginnivan is happy that the series is way he feels. Mr Ginnivan is aiming to health and wellness global community underway. become the first person to run on land in tidytemple.com has not always been a the Casablanca Marathon, in the air by “In my mind it’s one down, two to go and running a half marathon on a treadmill in it just gets more exciting as we get closer lean running machine. At 34 years of age, Mr Ginnivan was a hot air balloon, and at sea by running to the second,” he said. overweight, unhealthy and at risk of his an ultra marathon on the deck of a The series’ second event is the air life ending prematurely. cruise ship. component. If Mr Ginnivan is successful Mr Ginnivan will complete each leg as in his attempt to run a half marathon on a “I went to the doctor and had part of the Run For Your Heart; Land, Air treadmill in a hot air balloon, he will enter dangerously high blood pressure and was
told I needed to do something, otherwise I’d be on a path to destruction,” he said. “That’s when I started running again, bought a pair of running shoes and off I went, just like Forrest Gump.” While running is merely a hobby for many, Mr Ginnivan says it triggered a “life change”, brought on by his decision to live a happier and healthier life. “Running happened to be the vehicle [for a healthier life], so rather than a hobby it’s a way of life,” he said. There are no signs of Mr Ginnivan’s marathon adventures ending soon. He has plans to run an underground marathon in Germany next year and to complete a marathon underwater. His ultimate goal, though, is to be the first person to run a marathon in space. “It’s certainly a wild dream but I don’t think it’s completely out of reach,”he said. For more information on Mr Ginnivan’s Run For Your Heart campaign, visit http://www.everydayhero.com.au/ event/runforyourheart.
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LEFT OF CENTRE: BEER PONG Can you tell us about the event in Vegas? The World Series of Beer Pong is the largest and longest-running organised beer pong tournament in the world, created by beer pong players, for beer pong players. Last year the event drew nearly 1000 participants from all around the world, and was held over 5 days at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino. The event kicks off on January 1st, has a $50,000 cheque for first place, gains all sorts of media coverage in the US and is announced by Bruce Buffer from the UFC which is pretty dope. We’re competing in the seventh annual event, and are the first known group of Australians to contest for the gold and the $50,000 prize money.
The Australian Beer Pong Squad is about to embark on a trip to the World Series of Beer Pong (WSOBP). WSOBP IV, is the largest beer pong tournament in the world. It is held in Las Vegas, Nevada, and has a $50,000 grand prize and attracts over 1,000 participants. The World Beer Pong Tour has stops in various cities and cash prizes as well.
manages to stand out though, he just has that ability to stand out of a crowd, even those of us who’ve known him all our lives are surprised by the things he does sometimes.
We caught up with a few of the squad member to get some info on this popular American past time.
There are blokes over there that take it pretty seriously and make regular money from the sport so we’ll have some pretty stiff competition. There are a few blokes competing in their seventh world series compared to this being our first, but hopefully our natural talent and ability to sink amber ale will make up for that! We love the fact we’ll be seen as underdogs and as typical beer drinking Aussie blokes – hopefully we can do ourselves and the nation proud and come home with fatter wallets to boot.
How did the Australian Beer Pong Squad come about? Basically a couple of the boys had heard of the sport in our travels through the USA and a few of us started trawling on the web for details on how we could play here in Australia. When we found the official website in the US, we bought a few tables and ended up stumbling on the World Series details and it all rolled from there with some hard work and dedication to the cause. We have been practicing the art of pong for a few years now with the intention of going over to play, but the youngest member of the squad in Big Nasty only turned 21 in September and we weren’t willing to go without him. Once that legal drinking age barrier was out of the way, we realised that a group of Australians hadn’t gone before, so we held trials and got a few like-minded individuals together and we haven’t looked back since!
The american have been playing Beer pong for a long time - how do you like your chances over there?
Theres a few different techiques in beer pong, can you give the readers a run through? There are many techniques for a shot and most of them come down to personal preference but the more standardised shots like the lob, the bouncer and the dart shot are most common. A few of us have our own styles and routines. Basically, as long as the ball is in flight towards a cold frothy cup of beer you’re in the clear!
Beer Pong is a game generally played in pairs of two, with teams standing at opposing ends of a table. Six or ten cups are formed into a triangle at each end of the table. The players attempt to toss or bounce ping pong balls into their opponent’s cups. When a player gets a ball into a cup, the opposing player drinks the contents and removes the cup from the table. The team that is able to clear all of the opposing team’s cups is the winner... this is a basic run down of a game that has many variations. Want to join in? Get down to the Lighthouse Pub on 3 December and sign up for the tournament. Places are limited so get in fast. Contact: www.facebook.com/theaustralianbeerpongsquad
What quailties do you need to become a successfull beer ponger (or pongist?)? Patience, persistence and passion are the personal traits needed, plus a good team mate always helps. The ability to handle your beers is important, a bit of hand-eye coordination helps, and we have a pretty strict training schedule involving regular schooner curls and the like to keep us in pristine condition. The ability to have a laugh at yourselves and others always helps too, if you can’t have a bit of fun and enjoy yourself it’s not worth playing. Whos the star of the Aus Beer Pong squad? None of us and all of us are the stars of the squad, we party together, drink together and pong together so our skills are pretty evenly matched – you’re only as strong as your weakest link, only as fast as your slowest player and always as drunk as your partner. Honkytonk somehow 42
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Any tips for someone starting out in beer pong? No tips on getting started, just get amongst it and have a go! There are a heap of websites around which can put you in contact with players in your area (including us for advice) so do some research and you’ll be right! Get down and pick up some REDDS cups, some official equipment from www.BeerPongAustralia.com.au, some non-slip thongs from Willi Footwear and some ice cold frothy BROO or Carlton Dry and you’re already half way to playing like The Australian Beer Pong Squad! (Shameless sponsor plugs there haha) Issue #5 – November 2011
Standing by the love of your life Difficulty rating: 1/10 Mountain biking 5,000km on the BNT from Cooktown to Canberra in only 3 months Difficulty rating: 10/10 Living with an acquired brain injury Difficulty rating: 15/10 In May 2010, former Brumbies Coach, Andy Friend had his world crumble around him, when his wife Kerri suffered an acquired brain injury in a mountain bike accident. This forced Andy and their sons to face extraordinary challenges they never expected. Since the accident, Andy, Kerri and their boys continue to work tirelessly for her recovery. Now they face a new challenge, a challenge you can be a part of, as Andy attempts to conquer the Bicentennial National Trail.
Visit www.andyfriend.com.au to find out more. Difficulty rating: 0/10 Your support will help Andy Friend raise funds to assist people with acquired brain injury.
Proudly supported by Ideas & Directions www.ideasanddirections.com.au Issue #5 – November 2011
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FITNESS WITH BRANI ZEC
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SINGLE ARM ROW Holding a dumb-bell in your right hand, place your left hand and knee on a bench. Your right arm should be straight and hang just in front of your shoulder. Keeping your back flat and your right elbow close to your body, pull the dumb-bell up and back toward your hip. Pause, then slowly lower the weight. That’s 1 rep.
14 Improve your conditioning and give all your muscles a full on workout with current State Kick Boxing Champion (East Coast) Brani Zec. Brani has been involved in Martial Arts for 25 years and has learned a thing or two about getting fighting fit. Brani will take you through a great muscle building and toning workout so you can be fighting fit for summer.
KEY: Weight, reps and sets 8 reps = 1 set Try to do 3 sets per exercise Your weights should suit your fitness level. DO NOT start too heavy! Special Thanks to Anytime Fitness in Dickson for hosting our workout!
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ELEVATED-FEET PLANK Place your feet on a bench and assume a pushup position; bend your elbows and rest your weight on your forearms instead of your hands. Your body should form a straight line from shoulders to ankles. Contract your abs as if you were about to be punched. Hold this position for the recommended time. 10 seconds followed by 10 seconds of rest. That’s 1 rep.
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BARBELL ROW Grab the barbell with an overhand grip that’s just beyond shoulder width, and hold it at arm’s length. Set your feet shoulder-width apart. Let the bar hang straight down from your shoulders. Keeping your lower back naturally arched, bend at your hips and knees and lower your torso until it’s almost parallel to the floor. That’s 1 rep.
Issue #5 – November 2011
SPORTS CROSSWORD 1
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Birds from the West Coast? (6)
8 Where the 1896 Olympics were held (6)
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2 Overly high opinion of one’s self (7)
10 Sport played by the Diamonds (7)
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3 Reward for Olympic success (5)
11 Nathan ___, of the 9 dn (5)
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4 Host city of the 1996 summer Olympics (7)
12 Highest level of competitive cricket (4)
5 Australian city which traditionally hosts the Third 6 dn 12 ac (5)
13 Aussie golfer Adam ___ (5) 12
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17 ‘The King of the Mountain’, Peter ___, who died in a car crash in 2006 (5)
6 Cricket’s burnt bails of contention (5) 9 New Zealand cricket team (5,4)
18 The Old ___, Celtic and Rangers (4)
14 Target sport (7)
22 Overhead shot in tennis (5)
15 Unretired F1 driver ___ Schumacher (7)
23 Penrith rugby league player? (7) 24 Traditional rowing rival of Cambridge (6)
16 West Indian paceman Curtly ___ (7) 19 British Royal race meeting (5)
25 Men’s grass court tournament which precedes Wimbledon (6)
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Wayne ___, successful rugby league coach with the Broncos and the Dragons (7)
20 In cricket, an unplayable delivery (5) 21 Former English fast bowler ___ Fraser (5)
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Last issue’s solution
NUTRITION Across AND HEALTH
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liquid Down meal supplements, sports bars, high carbohydrate gels or powders. Of course, these are more expensive than Clue 1 Nofoods, everyday so it is important to justify cost against convenience. 2 No Clue A sports dietitian can help you to identify situations in which these 3 No Clue supplements can help you to meet unusual or challenging nutritional goals. No Cluea dietitian can advise 4 importantly, Most you of the right supplement to use at the No Clue 5 time. right
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Fuelling ClueBody 6 No your
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PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SUPPLEMENTS
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◊ WWW.NUTRITIONAUSTRALIA.ORG No Clue 18
Surveys across the board show that
22 aboutNo 50%Clue of athletes report taking
supplements, though what is defined
No Clueis not clear. What is as a supplement 23
clear is that although many top athletes
take supplements, No Clue supplementation 24
is not a prerequisite for being the best
in yourNo chosen activity, or even for Clue 25
reaching your personal best, since the other 50% of athletes don’t use them!! Never the less, some supplements (such as vitamins and minerals) can play a valuable role in a winning diet.
Issue #5 – November 2011
Scientific studies have failed to find any benefits associated with the majority of supplements used in health food stores, muscle building magazines and gyms. However some supplements might be useful in your sports nutrition plan. Some supplements are very sport specific or training/competition specific, as opposed to more general supplements that can be taken daily. Specialist advice is required. There are a number of products which contain everyday nutrients, but in a more practical form than everyday foods. These include sports drinks,
The fuel requirements for events of up to about 90 minutes Cluein duration can be met 9 No by the normal muscle glycogen stores of individual. (Glycogen is Notrained Clue 14a well the body’s ready source of energy stored in muscles.) To fuel up, all you need Clue 15the No is 24-36 hours of rest or lighter training, and a higher carbohydrate diet. Although 16 No Clue a high carbohydrate diet should already be on your menu, you may like to 19 NotheClue reinforce focus on “fuel foods” on the day prior to competition.
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What is carbohydrate loading? Clue 21 No Who needs to use this strategy? Carbohydrate loading is a special strategy used to “superload” muscle glycogen stores before events of greater
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than 90 minutes duration that are performed at high intensity with little scope for eating and drinking during the event – for example, a marathon or Ironman triathlon. By extending your refuelling techniques to include 3 days of rest/taper and high carbohydrate eating, you may be able to increase your muscle fuel stores to 150-200% of their normal levels. This extra fuel may be needed towards the end of these prolonged events to stop you from “hitting the wall”. However, there is no advantage to having higher levels of fuel stored if your activity does not demand it. Furthermore, your activity may not allow or require a 3 day taper. So, despite the widespread recognition of carbohydrate loading as a sports nutrition tactic, it is really only useful for a number of endurance and ultra-endurance events. Unfortunately some people equate carbohydrate loading with overeating, particularly with high fat favourite foods such as chocolate, rich cakes and deserts, and pastries. This approach is not sensible and can result in a bloated feeling and excessive weight gain. Instead, stick with fluids and carbohydrate foods that are low fat and nutrient rich. CANBERRA.COM.AU
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Issue #5 – November 2011