SportsXpress Windsor Nov/Dec 2018

/WindsorSportsXpress @windsorsportxpress

Check out our new athlete profiles!

Border City Athletics Club Shane Topalovic - Elite Trainer www.nxlathletics.com • 519-984-6607 • shane@nxlathletics.com

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sportsfiles

Learn to play while getting educated

Students across Windsor-Essex now have the chance to pursue their passion by devoting their attention to their sport of choice while earning their education.

Launched in the fall of 2014, the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board now operates sports academies that will be offered in Windsor at Central Park Athletics, Aikido Canada, the Vollmer Complex in LaSalle, at the Atlas Tube Centre in Lakeshore and at the Kinsmen Recreation Complex in Leamington. We offer students from grades 7 through 12 the opportunity to develop their skills in hockey, soccer, baseball, basketball, dance, gymnastics and volleyball.

One on One with Melynda Outram Gymnastics expert at Corpus Christi SXP - What is your philosophy of coaching and its relationship to education?

MO - My philosophy of coaching is to get the kids to be passionate about gymnastics. I don’t want to burn the kids out at a young age but to love the sport. If I can instill commitment and hard work, they can carry that over to their school work.

SXP - What is your vision for the Academy?

MO - I would love to see the program grow and reach out to other athletes.

Gymnastics is a sport that will benefit any discipline- hockey, soccer, baseball.

SXP - What do you feel is your greatest strength that you bring to the Academy?

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MO - I would have to say my patience is a pretty good strength. I also have a gift to work with kids with different needs, whether it be mental or physical.

SXP - What is the most rewarding aspect of coaching at the Academy?

MO - Seeing results and the progress that the kids make and to see them physically getting stronger.

SXP - What would you like to see the kids to take away from this experience?

MO - I would love for them to take away life skills. For example, time management, problem solving, hard work, commitment, determination, team work and the list goes on.

SXP - How do you see your role as a coach?

MO - If anything, they will see that patience and self-control will get you places. That is something you can take with you in life. I have a pretty calm personality and I’m pretty positive and optimistic and real.

SXP - Who has had the greatest influence on you as a gymnast /coach?

MO - I would have to say Shannon Miller’s coach Steve Nunno. I remember watching the Olympics and she had a rough event and Steve was so patient, compassionate and caring. Other coaches dismissed the girl’s feelings with anger, and when you work that hard for one moment, you need to have some kind of compassion.

thelineup

November/December 2018 Windsor/Essex Edition

sportfiles

health&fitness

Entertaining, informative and engaging articles on local athletes, sports and teams.

Informative articles on sports health & fitness.

06 | Community Profile: Aaron Boose

02 | Learn to play while getting educated 10 | Full Steam Ahead: Express Enter Their 7th Season

08 | Secrets to ultimate gym success

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12 | Windsor Valiants Basketball 14 | Athlete Profile: Skylar Forrest 15 | Athlete Profile: Lexi Pollard

teamprofiles Profiling community sports in words and photographs.

05 | Windsor Minor Hockey Association 07 | South Windsor Skating Club

editor’s note Welcome to SportsXpress, a magazine all about local sports — the players, teams, families, volunteers and fans. We publish real life stories on the full range of community sports and include all ages and skill levels. Every fan, parent, and sports enthusiast can participate by sharing his/her experiences with other fans.

We want to make SportsXpress your magazine and www.Windsor.SportsXpress.ca your website, by sending in your comments, story ideas, opinions, articles and photos. Get in the game with us and be connected with your local community sports!

Give us a call at (519) 972-3999 or email us at linda@windsorsportsxpress.ca - from the SportsXpress team

Check out our website at www.windsor.sportsxpress.ca

November/December 2018 PUBLISHERS Linda Miklas

linda@windsorsportsxpress.ca 519-972-3999

EDITOR Linda Miklas GRAPHIC DESIGN Chris Lemieux

CONTRIBUTORS

Dean Lapierre, Windsor Minor Hockey Association, Shane Topalovic, Next Level Athletics, Josh Leeman, Windsor Valiants, SportFest, Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board, Melynda Outram, Windsor Express, Ian Shalapata, Kurt Downes, Border City Athletic Club, Lexi Pollard, Koonar Physiotherapy, Mike Koonar, Aaron Boose, South Windsor Skating Club, Skylar Forrest and various local sports enthusiasts.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTORS

Dean Lapierre, Windsor Minor Hockey Association, Shane Topalovic, Next Level Athletics, Josh Leeman, Windsor Valiants, SportFest, Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board, Melynda Outram, Windsor Express, Ian Shalapata, Kurt Downes, Border City Athletic Club, Lexi Pollard, Michael P. Hall, Peggy Johnson, Kevin Jerrold, Koonar Physiotherapy, Mike Koonar, Aaron Boose, South Windsor Skating Club, David Forrest, Jennifer Forrest, Windsor Hoops and members & fans of the local sports organizations.

Windsor SportsXpress is independently owned and operated and is member of the sportsxpress networkmt

Editorial Contributions: Submissions are welcome from writers, photographers, athletes, coaches and individuals. Please contact the publisher. We assume no responsibility for unsolicited material. Contributors are responsible for obtaining all approvals for publication of photos and content prior to submission. All submissions may not be used. We may edit, publish, reproduce, distribute and archive submissions in any form or medium without any compensation. We are not responsible for lost or damaged submissions. Contents copyrighted. All rights reserved.

Reproduction or transmission of any article, photograph or artwork in any form or by any means without permission from the publisher is prohibited. Windsor SportsXpress is published six times per year. Windsor SportsXpress is committed to protecting your privacy as our customer. We may collect personal information only if it is required for the proper functioning of our business and only share this information with our business partners. The editors and contributors who write for Windsor SportsXpress attempt to provide accurate and useful information and commentary.

However the editors, contributors and Windsor SportsXpress cannot and do not guarantee the accuracy of this information. We assume no responsibility for any actions or decisions taken by any readers based on the information provided.

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teamprofiles

Windsor Minor Hockey: Active in the community

Another hockey season in the Windsor MHA has started and it looks like all the players are having a great time!

The WMHA is going to be busy during the months of November & December • The annual WMHA Purple Tape Day, where we support Woman Abuse Prevention is on November 4th. Wear Purple to show your support!

• Look for the WMHA in the Annual Santa Parade on December 1st • The Novice Christmas party Can/Coat Drive is on December 2nd • The 9th Annual Bob Probert Tournament takes place December 15th & 16th

All this information and other needed info can be found at www.wmha.net

On behalf of the Windsor MHA Board of Directors, Have a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

Keep Hockey Growing!

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health&fitness Community Profile: Aaron Boose CAT(C), RMT, SMT(cc), R.Kin commitment to a multidisciplinary approach to rehabilitation therapy.

Having this comprehensive knowledge of musculoskeletal mechanics, circulatory, and nervous system function allows Aaron to accurately treat acute/chronic sport and work-related injuries and manage other physical problems caused by illness or disease

Aaron Boose was born and raised in Windsor where he completed a Bachelors of Human Kinetics in 2007. His passion for sports led him to Sheridan College where, in 2010, he completed a Bachelors of Applied Health Science, specializing in Athletic Therapy. Four years later Aaron decided to expand his rehabilitation skills and went on to complete an advanced diploma in Massage Therapy. After spending nearly a decade in post-secondary school, Aaron now carries the title of Certified Athletic Therapist, Registered Massage Therapist, Sport Massage Therapist (Certification Candidate), Registered Kinesiologist, and Certified First Responder. These accreditations are a testament to his

Aaron is the Head Athletic and Massage Therapist for your twotime NBLC Champions, the Windsor Express. He has been fortunate enough to watch the progression of sports in Windsor and the surrounding areas being the Head Athletic and Massage Therapist for the Windsor Express Basketball team for seven seasons, working alongside the head Athletic Therapist for the Windsor Spitfires Hockey team for eight seasons, as well as being the Head Athletic Therapist for the Windsor Stars Soccer team and the Essex Ravens Football team. Aaron has also had the privilege of being part of the medical team for the FINA World Diving and World Swimming Championships held here in Windsor.

Aaron shares, “I am constantly impressed by the ever increasing talent of our city’s athletes and with all of this bar-raising talent comes the need for progressive and multidisciplinary treatments to prevent injuries, facilitate rehabilitation and support optimal functioning. Rehabilitation therapy should never be one dimensional”.

He maintains, “Everyone has different circumstances requiring very different demands on their body and this is where I find my passion; in the individualized nature of therapy”.

Whether you are on the court or in the stands, on the field or in the rink,

if you are suffering from an injury or limited by a disability, whether you have a physical job or work in an office, Aaron stresses the importance of having this type of therapy available and he is excited to tell you that it IS available to you!

In January, 2018, Aaron began working out of the new Koonar Physiotherapy location at the Lakeshore Oasis Town Centre. The clinic consists of a full gym, state of the art equipment and private therapy rooms. The owner, Mike Koonar, has worked together with Aaron as the official rehabilitation therapy providers for the Windsor Express since 2013. Aaron is thrilled to join Mike’s team to provide Athletic and Massage Therapy services to their ever-expanding clientele.

Don’t be sidelined by injury and see what a comprehensive treatment plan can do for you by contacting the Lakeshore office at 519-727-4455 to book an appointment today!

Lakeshore Oasis Town Centre 480 Advance Blvd. Suite 280

Tecumseh

519-727-4455

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teamprofiles

South Windsor Skaters Train to Perform with Holiday Exhibition Right Around the Corner Skaters at the South Windsor Skating Club (SWSC) compete year round and are kicking into high gear with the most important competitions of the season forthcoming in the next few months. Depending on the level of the skater, there are different intervals throughout the year when they should be training specific skills sets. One skill that is required amongst all levels is the ability to perform, and what a way to refine this skill but by

skating in a holiday exhibition?

skating talent. The opening number will be performed as a group by their STAR 6-Gold skaters and the rest of the evening will feature a variety of soloists with levels ranging from first time performers to National and International competitors.

On Monday, December 10th, 2018, at 6:20pm, SW skaters will be showcasing their talents to their family, friends, and young CanSkaters (those registered in SWSC’s learn-to-skate program).

Admission to the event at Capri Pizzeria Recreation Complex is FREE and this year, SW is extending the invitation to anyone in the community who is interested in watching local

SWSC looks forward to inspiring young athletes to fall in love with the sport of figure skating and hopes to see new spectators in the stands for this year’s show.

Congratulations!

• Cathy Lynd and Kaitlyn Cohoe were Gold medallists in their events at the 2018 International Adult Figure Skating Competition in Vancouver!

• Jake Ellis was selected by Skate Canada to compete in the International Summer series!

• Rian Cocchetto, Maia Iannetta, Kieran Thrasher and Jake Ellis, all qualified to the Skate Ontario Sectional Championships! These skaters will be aiming to qualify to Skate Canada Challenge in Edmonton, Alberta.

For more information on how you can learn to skate with provincial, national, and international level skaters and coaches, visit www.swskatingclub.ca or email southwindsorscinfo@gmail.com SWSC offers Pre-CanSkate, CanSkate, STARSkate, Powerskate, AdultSkate, and Adult PowerSkate programs. Registration is ongoing for all programs.

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health&fitness

Secrets to ultimate gym success

First, do this for YOU and YOU ONLY! I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been contacted by potential clients saying they have three weeks until this, or that my spouse doesn’t look at me the same way anymore, and sometimes I hear things like, “I want to do this so I can show so and so that I’m not this or that”. These are all what I call motivators. To me motivation may jump start us, however, in my experience, it does very little to keep us in the space we need to be in to be successful.

Motivation is great in the short term; however, habit

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Ok, so here we go, another article claiming that someone has a secret or the magic formula if you will, to get you into the best shape of your life by only doing this one little thing. Well the title was just the bait to get your

attention! Sorry if you feel like I have tricked you. I am about to redeem myself by sharing some of the things that I’ve learned throughout my journey as a strength and conditioning coach which will help you get to your summit.

and consistency are what are going to get you up the fitness mountain in the long run. You will develop the habit if it’s important to you. If you find the value in your health and physical fitness, you will do it on the days that are hard; you will do it on the days that you are tired, stressed, hungry, overwhelmed, happy, sad, or whatever else because you value the way you feel. Once you have determined that working out is now a habit for you, success will find you.

That’s a guarantee.

see or understand the benefits of some other areas in our lives.

Secondly, what you do outside of the gym is just as important as what you do inside of the gym.

A week has 168 hours in it and if you work out for an hour a day for 7 days, that is still less than 5% of your week. Think about that for a second. Less than 5% of your time can make the other 95% of your life so much better.

However, we do not always

Food, for instance, is one key factor that we seem to think; hey, I worked out so it is no big deal to eat refined or sugary foods. WRONG!!

These just flat out suck for us. One great piece of advice that a mentor told me was to keep it simple; if it does not walk on or grow from the ground or swim in the sea, you should probably try not to eat it. The topic of food can go into much greater detail, but I always loved the simplicity of that.

health&fitness Now, the other thing that we neglect is sleep. Sleep is so important but a lot of us put it off because we have more important things to do like lay in bed and play on Facebook and Instagram. The blue light

and get some more sleep.

been shown to help alleviate stress are journaling, doing breathing exercises or even trying to meditate. When we feel overly stressed, the brain releases the hormone cortisol and too much of that can lead to weight gain and poor immune function, among other things.

Here is the big one nobody wants to talk about. Stress.

I am not talking about stress on your body after a workout.

I’m talking about that life stress. We all have it in varying degrees however, some of us are better at handling it than others. Some things that have

from your phone can affect your brain’s ability to produce melatonin which we need to help us sleep. We only truly recover when we are sleeping.

So if you’re not losing any weight or you feel sore and lethargic all the time, try to get a good bedtime routine down

Summary At the end of the day, there are many, many factors outside the gym that might cause us some resistance to get the results we want. I decided to pick these reasons specifically, as they are something you can change right away. They may seem like difficult tasks, but once you get into a good groove of things, you will smash through those pesky gym barriers.

Meet Shane Topalovic from Next Level Athletics

Shane Topalovic is the owner of Next Level Athletics and is the University of Windsor men’s soccer assistant coach as well as the head strength and conditioning coach for the Windsor Express of the National basketball league of Canada.

For more information, call 519-984-6607 or email shane@nxlathletics.com

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sportsfiles Full Steam Ahead: Express Enter Their 7th Season Article and photos by Ian Shalapata

On the brink of the 7th National Basketball League of Canada season, the Windsor Express have been quietly preparing for battle since the summer months. Head coach Bill Jones and his network of scouts have been identifying players from across North America to bring a competitive team to the floor of the WFCU Arena.

Express point guard Maurice Jones, another player close to the hearts of Windsor fans.

Beginning shortly after the end of the 2017-18 season, Jones et al have scouted players at camps, combines, and tryouts in conjunction with receiving reports from agents and player reps. The team also hosted a number of tryouts in the United States culminating in a mini-camp on the eve of the 2018 NBLC Draft Combine at the end of August.

For the second straight year, the Express was trusted by the league to plan and execute the Draft Combine weekend. With the type of dedication which has become the standard for General Manager Erin Basterfield, the reviews from the league and participating teams were full of praise and appreciation.

Notable Departures The Express will be missing the services of two major starters from last year. For the past two seasons favourite forward Logan Stutz, a former NBLC Player of the Year, plied his trade for the Express to the delight of those who watched his prowess on the court. Over the summer, Stutz was named the General Manager and head coach of the expansion Sudbury Five.

Once ensconced in his new job, one of his first moves was to trade Sudbury’s 1st overall pick in the draft to Moncton in exchange for the rights to Juan Pattillo. He was later traded to the Express for the rights to Grandy Glaze.

As part of a deal just a week earlier, Glaze was acquired from the St. John’s Edge in return for the rights to

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return to the Windsor lineup of Seattle shooting guard Ryan Anderson. A member of the second Express championship team in 2015, Anderson has played the last three seasons for the Highway 401 rival London Lightning. He started 38 of 48 games last year and averaged 15.6 points per game and almost 90 per cent from the free throw line.

“We are glad to have him back,” said Jones. “Ryan is one of the best three-point shooters that has ever played in our league. He’s a leader and a competitor and we’re glad to have him on our team as we compete for a championship.”

Summer Signings

Returning To Windsor Another Draft weekend trade between Windsor and Sudbury saw guard Braylon Rayson head north to the Five for Sudbury’s first pick in the second round of the draft. With the selection Windsor brought home native Miroslav Jaksic. A 6’ 10” 225 lb centre, Jaksic earned a bronze medal as a member of Team Canada’s U16 squad at the 2011 Americas Championships. At WF Herman, Jaksic averaged 10 points and 10 rebounds per game.

In August, Jones announced the return of Anthony Ottley Jr for the 2018-19 season. The Toronto guard returns to the Express after appearing in 42 games for Windsor last year, when he averaged 12.3 minutes per game and accumulated 125 rebounds.

“We are excited to have Anthony Ottley Jr back with the Express,” said Jones. “He’s a dependable player and provides much needed depth to our team.”

Much fanfare was made at the

Californian Luke Cochran, a 6’ 10” 235lb centre from Loomis, CA, comes to the Express by way of the NCAA D-II Sonoma State Seawolves. He is solid defensively, making 21 steals and 21 blocks in 29 games in his senior year, as well as 94 defensive rebounds. Up front, Cochran can handle the ball, completing 28 assists for the Seawolves. He is looking forward to hitting the court for the Express and can’t wait for the start of the season.

“Obviously I was very excited,” Cochran said from his home in California. “I heard a few good things from some coaches of mine and a few of my trainers. They told me a lot of good things about the program.”

Another summer signing by Jones was Horace Wormely from Pasadena, CA. The 5’ 7” 165lb point guard played college ball at Vanguard University before spending time with the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA G League.

“I am extremely looking forward to coming to Windsor. Every time I’ve played against Windsor, it’s been a crazy battle,” Wormely said from his off-season home. “I’m excited to see what kind of plans (Coach Jones) has

sportsfiles for myself, what kind of plans he has for the team.”

Wormely is expecting a large contingent of his family from Detroit to make the trip to Windsor to watch him play. Recently, he played professionally in Venezuela and Colombia and has been with the St John Riptide since 2016-17.

Last season, Wormely played in 44 games for the Riptide, averaging 13.3ppg and was ranked 4th overall in the league after accumulating 300 assists.

His premier basketball trait is knowing his teammates’ preferences and getting them the ball in the best position for them to drive the hoop or have a clear look for three.

“It starts with the point guard,” Wormely explained. “If we share the ball, everybody will get the best shot

possible.”

“We’re extremely pleased to have Neal join the Express’ coaching cadre,” said Jones. “He’s already been hard at work at the Combine and now we are preparing for the regular season.”

Jones is looking forward to having Wormely suit up for the Express.

“He is one of the league’s quickest guards who also has a lot of veteran leadership qualities we can count on both on the court and in the locker room,” he said.

The regular season for the Express will begin on November 17 when they host Stutz and the Sudbury Five at 7pm. As part of a partnership with the Windsor Lancers, prior to the Express tipoff the Lancers men’s team will welcome the Western Mustangs at the WFCU Arena.

Express ticket holders receive free access to the 2pm premier OUA matchup.

Addition to the Coaching Staff In August, Coach Jones announced the addition of Neal Foreman to the coaching staff for the upcoming 2018-19 NBLC season. Most recently, Foreman was coach of the South Windsor Warriors, and spent over four years as coach of the boys and girls varsity basketball programs at Academie Ste-Cecile International School. Foreman is a graduate of Henry Ford College in Dearborn and is currently enrolled at Athabaska University.

Express tickets can be purchased by calling the WFCU Centre Box Office at 1-866-969-9328 or online at www.windsorexpress.ca

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sportsfiles

Valiants hold annual free skills clinic 5th Annual Blenheim Basketball FREE Developmental Skills Clinic Purpose: • Encourage Blenheim youth to keep fit and remain active.

• Promote Blenheim’s youth interest in and the development of elite basketball skills.

The Developmental Skills Clinic will emphasize the development of fundamentals and game play. The Clinic will help participants become a better basketball player by developing and refining basketball-specific skills and athletic ability. Players will leave this Clinic with improved skills and a better understanding of the game.

An elite coaching staff will run teaching sessions. The Clinic will feature fundamental teaching sessions, skills competitions and prizes. Each participant will have the opportunity to use specialty equipment such as weighted balls, ‘d-man’ cone work, defensive pads and more. All participants will receive a Valiants’ logo item.

Coaches: Josh Leeman

Assistant Coach – University of Windsor Women’s Basketball 2008-2014, Valiants’ Head-Coach/Executive Director

Valiants JUEL/Prep Teams Women’s Junior Elite teams playing in Canada’s only

Provincial Basketball League, and representing the region of southwestern Ontario Location: Date:

Blenheim District High School Saturday - December 8, 2018

Sessions:

Open:

(A) 9:30 to 11:30 (B) 12:30 to 2:30 to all ages grade one and higher

Registration: Name, Age and Session request to joshhleeman13@gmail.com For more information about the Valiants, please visit us at www.windsorvaliants.ca

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WWW.WINDSORHOOPS.COM

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sportsfiles

Athlete Profile – Skylar Forrest - A dream come true took me to the States for the last 5 seasons to every practice, game and tournament, allowing me to play and train at the highest level.”, she notes.

“If it won’t matter in five years don’t spend more than five minutes on it!”

Skylar Forrest is a 17 year old St. Anne’s High School student playing as a Centre Midfielder for the Michigan Hawks, ECNL. Soccer has always been a big part of Skylar Forrest’s life. She began playing at the age of 5 and has spent the last five years playing in the U.S. at elite level clubs. Skylar manages to find a balance among travelling to Michigan 3-5 times per week, keeping up with school and having a social life, but she claims she would not change a thing. She states, “Being able to travel all over the U.S., playing soccer at the highest level has allowed me to realize my dream of playing soccer at a D1 University”.

On November 14, National Signing day, Skylar officially committed and will attend UIC (University of Illinois at Chicago) in the fall of 2019.

Preseason starts August 1, 2019.

Why UIC? Skylar explains, “I visited several universities and I choose UIC for its high academics and their soccer program. The head coach was so easy to talk to, especially about the game of soccer which we are both so passionate about.

Chicago has so much to offer me as I pursue my future goal to become a Physiotherapist.”

Skylar credits her father as her inspiration; both athletically and academically. “He is the one who

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Skylar has had the opportunity to work with amazing coaches and trainers in the Windsor area over the years who have all been instrumental in her journey. Skylar is currently training with Shane Topalovic at Next Level Athletics as she prepares to play at the next level. When asked about her most memorable moment, Skylar readily answers, “Realizing my goal to play D1 soccer, I’ll never forget the day I accepted the verbal offer from UIC. It was so exciting and my coach’s reaction when I told him I was committing to UIC was amazing. I recently spent a weekend at UIC, with my future teammates, and it was everything I have ever wanted and all I have been working for. I cannot wait for pre-season to start”.

Athletic Accomplishments • Michigan Hawks Mid. West Conference Champions 2017 • MVP Cross Country 2016 • OFSAA Cross Country (Provincial) 2016 • SWOSSAA Cross Country Bronze 2016 • WECSSAA Cross Country 2016 • OFSAA Sr. Girls Soccer 2016 Semi Finalists (Varsity) • SWOSSAA Sr. Girls Soccer Gold 2016 • WECSSAA Sr. Girls Soccer Gold 2016 • Rookie of the Year Track & Field 2016 • OFSAA Track Regional qualifier 1500m/800m 2016 • SWOSSAA 1500m Silver 2016 • OFSAA Cross Country 2015 • SWOSSAA Cross Country Silver 2015 • WECSSAA Cross Country Bronze 2015

sportsfiles

Athlete Profile – Lexi Pollard – A winning attitude Achievements

Lexi Pollard is a junior, right side attacker with the University of Windsor Women’s Volleyball Team.

She is currently in her third year in Human Kinetics, majoring in Sports Management.

Lexi started out at the age of 13 in a smaller, less competitive club volleyball team, and when she decided volleyball was going to be a huge part of her life and set playing post-secondary as a goal for herself, she switched at the beginning of grade ten in high school to a more competitive team for the last three years of her club volleyball career.

“Teamwork is the most important thing, because when you have a group of girls who are playing for each other; playing hard and playing together, that trumps talent any day.”

Lexi lived in a very small secluded farm town, not really recognized for a lot of competitive volleyball. The switch in clubs resulted in an hour and a half commute one way to practice, twice a week for eight months straight. She claims, “I just wanted to get better.

I had so many things I wanted and needed to work on if I wanted to play post-secondary”. So, she then started attending VCCE (Volleyball Canada Center of Excellence) programs that

worked strictly on individual athletes.

Lexi attended the program on Mondays and Thursdays where she headed to downtown Toronto at Ryerson University from 6am to 8am, on top of her regular club practices. This required a 3:30 am wake up, a day full of school, to wind up driving another hour and a half to club practice and back that night with her head hitting the pillow by 12am by the time she got back home.

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Received OUA All-Rookie team in 2016-2017.

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Nominated for University of Windsor’s Rookie of the year in 2016-2017.

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Received OUA Second-Team All Star in 2017-2018 season.

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Nominated for University of Windsor’s Super Sophomore in 2017-2018.

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Co-captain for 2018-2019 season.

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Currently 3rd in Ontario for overall Kills, 21st in USports Rankings

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Currently 7th in Ontario for Kills per set, 15th in USports Rankings

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Currently leading her team with 49 kills to open the 2018-19 season.

“The little things make big things happen.”

Lexi states, “It’s tough to say as a teenager in high school I had absolutely no social life when I realized what I wanted to do with volleyball, but I wouldn’t change any part of it looking at where it has brought me”.

When asked about her most memorable moment, Lexi claimed it happened during this years’ home opening weekend win against the previously nationally ranked McMaster Marauders. She asserts, “This win proved to us that we’re able to compete and win against the top teams in the conference, and we need to bring that mentality and confidence into every game that lies ahead of us”.

The goal for Lexi this year is OUA final four, “anything that follows after is just the cherry on top”, she proclaims.

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Sports Injury? Start Feeling Better Today!

Koonar Physiotherapy is the official rehabilitation provider of the Windsor Express. Our dedicated team of Physiotherapists and Massage Therapists have the expertise to treat not only the professional athlete but the weekend warrior and young aspiring athletes as well.

With an experienced staff, comprehensive detailed assessments, hands on treatment and state-of-the-art technologies, we are here to get you back in the game!

Services: • • • • • • • • • •

Physiotherapy Massage Therapy Athletic Therapy Hydrotherapy Sports Medicine Services Custom Bracing & Orthotics Acupuncture & Cupping Theralase Laser Therapy WAVE Vibration Exercise & many more service options!

Treating: • • • • • • • • • •

Sports Injuries Pre & Post-Surgical Rehabilitation Low Back & Neck Pain Shoulder & Rotator Cuff Disorders Knee Pain & Instability Running & Overuse Injuries Tennis & Golfer’s Elbow Ankle Sprains Arthritis Pain & many more conditions!

Call Today to setup your assessment.

With extended hours for minimal wait times, our professionals are here to help!

Two locations to serve you better.

2525 Roseville Garden Drive, Suite 200 • 519-974-9997 • Windsor 480 Advance Blvd, Suite 280 • 519-727-4455 • Lakeshore Visit our website at: www.koonarpt.com 16

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