SportsXpress Chatham/Kent May June 2017

YOUR COMMUNITY SPORTS CONNECTION

Chatham-Kent & Area Edition

May/June 2017 Volume 4 Issue 3

Jessica LaBelle to Run 200 Miles @CKSportsXpress

Chatham Thunder Finish Perfect 35-0 Season www.facebook.com/cksportsxpress

sportshistory

Chatham-Kent

Your Community

CKPL Book of the Month Submitted by Kate McCullough

.ca

Sports Connection

Magazine • Web • Sports & Event Marketing

MAY/JUNE 2017

www.ckpl.ca

The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports by Jeff Passan Join the thousands who have read this New York Times bestseller and discover how Major League Baseball spends over a billion dollars on pitchers each year. Healthy arms win championships and small injuries can be career ending. Learn more about this fine balance and pick up your copy today. Available at a Chatham-Kent Public Library branch near you or through our website, www.ckpl.ca.

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See you this summer at Chatham-Kent Public Library.

For more information, visit your local branch or online at

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Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cksportsxpress Read Us Online PUBLISHER Rebecca Reimer 519.436.4990 rebecca@cksportsxpress.com EDITOR Lauren Perry GRAPHIC DESIGN Debbie Dunmall ddunmall@gmail.com CONTRIBUTORS Shay Ireland-Heidt, Don Hector, Ian Avery, Cindy McFadden, Mark Phelan, Naomi Fehr, Sharon Smith, Fred Osmon, Dr. Brian Sides, Chatham Sports Hall of Fame, Kris Young, Gary Patterson, Rebecca Reimer, SportsXpress Team and other sports enthusiasts PHOTOGRAPHERS Shay Ireland-Heidt, Ryan Labelle, Road2Hope Marathona Photographers, Don Hector, Cindy McFadden, Sharon Smith, Chatham Daily News, Diane Guenther and Shooters Sports Photography, Blake and Pat Harding, Dr Sarah Ytsma, Megan Fox-Butler, Pixeltree Digital Design, Gerry Gillis, Cassiah’s Dance Company, SportsXpress Team and members of various local sports organizations and community sports fans AFFILIATES Cambridge Chatham-Kent Guelph & Wellington Kingston KW & Stratford London Mississauga Oshawa/Durham Peterborough Windsor Editorial Contributions: Submissions are welcome from writers, photographers, athletes, coaches and individuals. We assume no responsibility for unsolicited material. Contributors are responsible for obtaining all approvals for the 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. SportsXpress is published six times per year. For detailed circulation information, contact Sports Express Media Inc. Sports Express Media Inc. 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 Sports Express Media Inc. attempt to provide accurate and useful information and commentary.

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

thelineup

MAY/JUNE 2017

Chatham-Kent & Area Edition

letterfromthepublisher Happy Spring! May and June are exciting months, we honour our parents with Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day, and celebrate the successes of our students with graduations, and then finally summer vacations begin. Our public pools and splash pads will be opening soon for hours of family fun!

Thanks to your support, CK SportXpress is continuing to change and grow. This issue we are so excited to tell you that we are now printing locally! We are partnering with Chamberlain/Mercury Design & Print in Chatham to bring you a high quality publication that supports our local economy.

I would like to welcome FixAuto, Haute Pink, Blazin BBQ Ribhouse, Chatham Ringette, Neurotone and TJ Stables to the SportsXpress family. I am so excited that you have chosen to partner with us and confident our readers will support you!

You as our reader are incredibly important to SportsXpress. If you see an ad in our magazine and visit that business, please let them know that you saw their ad in our magazine. It shows them that SportsXpress is creating buzz for their business.

Our July/August issue will be our biggest one yet! Canada’s 150 anniversary coincides with our 3rd anniversary so we are bringing back four covers! Submit your photo for a chance to be featured on 2500 magazines.

As always, we are here for you Chatham-Kent! If you have an organization or event that needs promoting, we are confident we can help you reach the community. If you are looking to grow your business, our knowledge of the community and it’s 55,000 sports fans is an asset beyond compare!

We look forward to building new partnerships in the coming year and sharing more of your stories!

Rebecca Reimer, Publisher | 226.996.9100 | rebecca@cksportsxpress.com

sportsfiles

fromthesidelines

04 | Hope Johnston, Chatham Gymnastics Thrives at Provincials 10 | Ringette 12 | Blazin BBQ’s Jessica Labelle to Run 200 Miles 14 | Staples Spotlight Life Lessons on the Basketball Court 15 | Haute Pink 19 | Dresden Sports Hall of Fame Banquet Reflection

07 | Dresden Sports Hall of Fame 16 | Gary Patterson 19 | YMCA 19 | Magnum Signs Sprint Series

health&fitness

sportshistory

09 | Parents Share Their Expertise with Students as CCS 18 | Major Beneficial Projects Occurring in Dresden

02 | CKPL Book of the Month 05 | Canadian Intermediate Lacrosse Champions – 1904 06 | Chatham Coloured All-Stars Featured in Website

CHATHAM THUNDER 2017-17 LEARN TO SKATE TIMBITS

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13 | Local 55+ Competitors Gearing up for Games in August 17 | NHL Player Helped by Brainwave Optimization

behindthebench

14

asktheexpert

08 | Icing: Good or Bad

Chatham-Kent SportsXpress • May-June 2017

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sportsfiles

Hope Johnston, Chatham Gymnastics Thrives at Provincials Story and photos by Shay Ireland-Heidt Chatham Gymnastics Centre is proud to announce that one of our elite athletes, Hope Johnston, has competed in the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics level six Provincial Championships on April 9th. She placed 7th on vault, and 15th overall. Her hard work earned her over nine points on every event.

Hope is the first athlete to represent the Chatham Inspire Gymnastics Team at this high level.

She has been part of our team since its inception September 2014. Hope has 26 top eight finishes and has reached the podium 17 times.

It has taken a lot of practice to get to this level of success. Hope trains 14-16 hours every week.

Her favourite part? She loves the variety that comes with gymnastics, “It teaches you a lot of different abilities and it’s fun to do different things throughout your practice.”

Hope would like to thank her parents, coaches, and teammates for helping her do so well in competition. She has learned that “what you practice, is what you compete!” To our readers she says, “Don’t give up on your dreams!”

We are proud of Hope and looking forward to helping her grow as an athlete!

Bounds and Sports Strengthening will be making their debut this year.

Want to improve your cheerleading? Learn to stunt tumble and jump this July! August brings a tumbling camp, open to all who would like to strengthen and build their tumbling and acro skills. Register online today at chathamgymnastics.com Do not forget to like and share our teams and Facebook page, and as an added bonus, enjoy our team competition videos on YouTube.

Looking for something for your child to do this summer? We are offering both full and half day camps. Our new summer programs Leaps and

Chatham Gymnastics Centre 20 Currie St, Chatham-Kent 519-354-9722

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sportshistory

Canadian Intermediate Lacrosse Champions – 1904 Submitted by Fred Osmon

A lacrosse team was born in early March of 1904 named the Chatham Tecumseh’s. They entered the year in the Intermediate class of the Canadian Lacrosse Association (CLA), with Frank Babcock as manager.

Following a successful regular season against District #1 opponents, the Tecumseh’s defeated St. Thomas to win the District #1 championship.

The Tecumseh’s then defeated Mount Forest, champions of District #2, in a very rough final played at the Fair Grounds in Chatham. The Tecumseh’s were then champions of District #1 and #2, putting them in a final round against Orillia, champions of District #3 and #4.

The first game ended with a 3-3 tie. In the second game, Chatham won 1-0. However, Orillia challenged the win, declaring the whistle had blown before Chatham scored their goal. As a result of the protest, the CLA decided that the game will be played over in neutral territory, at Galt, Ontario where the teams will battle for Dominion honours. On September 21, 1904, the Chatham Tecumseh’s defeated the Orillia Terriers 2-1, to win the Canadian Intermediate Lacrosse Championship, before 2,500 fans.

This was the first Canadian Championship that Chatham won. The second was the 1960 Chatham Sr. Maroons winning

the Allan Cup over the Trail (B.C.) Smoke Eaters 5-4 to win the National title. The third was the 1973 Chatham Peewees. On loan to the Peewees was a 12-year-old pitcher from Brantford, Wayne Gretzky. The Peewees defeated Sydney, Nova Scotia to win the National title. The games were played in North Battleford, Saskatchewan.

Chatham Daily News – Sept 6, 1904, Intermediate Champions of Canada Chatham Daily Planet – Sept 6, 1904, Dominion Championship Chatham Daily Planet – Sept 17, 1904, Winning Dominion Championship

We need your organization name, leaders names and years served. Lets get all our organizations in the book titled “Our Town, I Remember, I Remember,” which is currently being produced. This book will list service clubs, IODE, K of C, Churches, Legions, Ladies Aux., Zonta, Jaycees, Stamp club, Car Clubs and many more. Be a part of it.

Email your info to Fred at osmonre39@gmail.com or phone 519 436 9873. Mail to: Box 793, Chatham, ON, N7M 5L1

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sportshistory

Chatham Coloured All-Stars Featured in Website Submitted by Chatham Sports Hall of Fame, Photo courtesy of Blake and Pat Harding

519-683-6266 Dan VanMoorsel, Manager

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Few Canadians are aware of the Harding and the Chatham Coloured Allremarkable story and achievement of the Stars. The Chatham Sports Hall of Fame Chatham Coloured All-Stars, a baseball joined the project, and together they team in the 1930s from Chatham, received funding from the Ontario Trillium Ontario. They became the first black Foundation to create a website, “Wilfred team to win a provincial amateur league ‘Boomer’ Harding and the Chatham baseball championship. Founded in Coloured All-Stars.” The website, which 1932, the group of friends from the east will be launched on June 10, features the end of Chatham, and nearby Buxton and digitized scrapbook, including photos, Windsor, started by barnstorming around newspaper articles, and documents southern Ontario, playing exhibition about Harding and the team. The site games to earn a little extra money in will also include oral history interviews the tough days of the Great Depression. from family members of the Chatham Often encountering racist taunts, and Coloured All-Stars who shared their denied entry to some restaurants and stories and memories. Teachers hotels, the team nevertheless began interested in introducing this story impressing crowds with their skills and to their students can use curriculum talent. In 1933, a local representative materials provided on the site by Ms. with the Ontario Baseball Association, Shantelle Browning Morgan, a teacher Archie Stirling, got them to join the with the Greater Essex County District Chatham city league. Just a year later, School Board. With this website, the in 1934, the Chatham Coloured All-Stars group hopes to keep this important story went all the way to the finals, beating a alive for generations to come. team from Penetanguishene to claim the All are welcomed to attend Ontario Intermediate B the public launch of the championship. website on Saturday, June Nearly two years 10, 1:00-3:00 at the W.I.S.H. ago, several groups Centre in Chatham. A short came together to create programme will begin at a website to tell the 1:30, followed by light important, yet littlerefreshments. known story of the The link to the site, which Chatham team. It began will go live on June 10, is: with a set of scrapbooks http://cdigs.uwindsor.ca/ compiled by Pat Harding, BreakingColourBarrier/ daughter-in-law of the late Wilfred “Boomer” Harding, one of the team members. Boomer Harding was also a barrierbreaker in hockey, becoming the first black player in the International Hockey League in 1946 (playing with the Windsor Staffords, a Detroit Red Wings farm team). Pat and her husband Blake Breaking the Colour Barri approached Miriam Wright er: Wilfred “Boomer” Hard ing and the Chatham Colo ured All-Stars and Heidi Jacobs from Open House and Website Launch: Saturday June 10, 2017 the University of Windsor about making a website on

Chatham-Kent SportsXpress • May-June 2017

fromthesidelines

Dresden Sports Hall of Fame Banquet Reflection

Chatham-Kent Ministries

Submitted by Rebecca Reimer, Publisher CK SportsXpress As a writer, I get to attend many sporting events throughout the year. One of those events is the Dresden Thank you to Bob Everett (pictured with DSHoF board Sports Hall of Fame Banquet. member Dave Cameron) for your support of Dresden Maybe it is sports. Your stool will because I am remain empty and you from the small will be dearly missed! town, or the great food served by Mark Childs and the team from the Black Goose, but I find myself looking forward to the event and learning something new every time.

Andrew Jackson, President of Jackson Events, finds the speaker and memorabilia for the event each year. “A lot of thought goes into who to bring in, one of this year’s inductees (Chinnick) played against Brad Park when he was in London. I thought it was a good fit.” The event is a favourite for him, “I had a choice tonight to go to about four different events, but I wouldn’t miss Dresden.”

Greg Dreveny, Male Athlete of the Year, credits the community of Dresden for his success, “In the award they recognize me, but I see that as a community award because it took my whole community to make that happen.”

Brian Chinnick shared memories of playing hockey in Dresden at a time when the losing team had to clear the ice after a game because there was no zamboni.

Holly (Law) Dodd, Female Athlete Inductee, also gave homage to Dresden, “I bought my first pair of skates from Clarks

Hardware Store for 50 cents. Coming from a small town was huge, I was exposed to every possible sport I wanted to play.”

She noted how far women’s sports have developed.

Proof of just that is Lauren Nicholson who was honoured as the Walt McFadden Memorial Award Winner as Athlete of The Year. As an honours student in high school, she continues to shine on and off the ice at Ryerson University.

The Builder category honoured educator, Bob North, who taught in Chatham-Kent for many years, working his way up to administration, and then chose to go back to teaching for his last year. Although he has been retired for some time, his passion for teaching is still evident. His advice to athletes today: “Steve Nash has said, ‘The most important practice in your life is the day after you played the best game in your life’. Never stop improving!”

The event also honoured Bob Everett who passed away in February. Bob’s support for Dresden youth sports was second to none, he will be dearly missed.

As I spoke to the various people being honoured, I discovered a common theme, if you want to be successful, you have to eat, breathe, sleep, and live whatever your passion is. The second theme thankfulness. In the words of inductee, Greg Dreveny, “This is a community award, because it took all of Dresden to make my success happen!”

May we take that message to heart and give back to our community, your coaching, fundraising, and cheerleading efforts are building the next generation.

To nominate worthy athletes or teams into the Dresden Sports Hall of Fame, send a short letter with their accomplishments to: Dresden Sports Hall of Fame, PO Box 580, Dresden ON, N0P 1M0

Giving Hope Today

DONATE TODAY! Help Needed to Fill Every Plate in Chatham-Kent

For more information: Chatham 519-354-1430 Ridgetown/Blenheim 519-674-3765 Wallaceburg 519-627-8257 www.cksalvationarmy.org/

Chatham-Kent SportsXpress • May-June 2017

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asktheexpert

Icing: Good or Bad? Any time there is an acute injury, the first response is to limit the inflammation with ice. This has been the standard in sports medicine for decades. New research, even dating back to 2014, shows the detrimental effects of icing an acute injury.

Most importantly, ice causes vasoconstriction which decreases blood flow to the injured tissue. The entire

healing process is based upon getting the necessary materials to the injury site via the blood. Therefore, restricting the blood flow would limit that process and actually delay the healing process.

But what about limiting inflammation?

Inflammation sounds menacing, but in reality, it is very beneficial. It is the trigger for the healing process.

By minimizing the trigger, the healing effects are then minimized, which leads to slower healing time, and in some cases, improper healing mechanisms.

Ever wonder why you continue to have

Submitted by Dr. Brian Sides, D.C. issues with the same area, such as an ankle or knee? Look back at how much time you have probably applied ice to that area. Chances are, the first few days post-injury were spent with an ice pack wrapped around it.

Instead of using ice, try switching to heat to help improve blood flow to make sure the area is getting the required materials to heal properly.

Increased blood flow also helps the injured area to flush out inflammation and other by-products that can delay healing.

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behindthebench Parents Share Their Expertise with Students at CCS Submitted by Sharon Smith, Photo credit Sharon Smith The students at Chatham Christian School are thankful to have parents share their expertise and passion with them in various ways throughout the school year.

Brian Roffel, father of two CCS students, became interested in gymnastics when his girls started to participate at the age of four. A few years later, Brian obtained portions of his NCCP certification in Artistic and Trampoline Gymnastics.

Recently, Brian led a couple of CCS gym classes, teaching the students the fundamentals of gymnastics before a class trip to the Blenheim Kent Golden Eagles Gymnastics Club. At the gym, the students had a chance to try several different gymnastic apparatuses with Brian’s help as well as staff, Crystal Warren.

Brian says he wanted to provide an opportunity to expose the students to a, “Sport some might not have the chance to do.” He also wanted his kids’ classmates to see how much fun gymnastics can be. Judging by the smiles and excitement bursting out of the students, he succeeded.

The Grade three teacher, Trudy Rintjema, was thrilled with Brian’s leadership. She noted that while at the club, it was very encouraging to see that many students could do, “Things that they were scared to do at first.” It was amazing to see their improvement in that short time. Trudy said, “[They] were ex-posed to new ways of exercise and training through lots of fun and exciting activities…they were chal-lenged to think and exercise at the same time.” Brian that a benefit of gymnastics is how it,

“Teaches fundamental movement skills that are easily transferable into other sports.”

It seems like a win-win-win… teachers love the help, kids love to see their parents crossing over to the class, and the students enjoy the new challenges and opportunities. Stay tuned for future articles that speak of volunteers sharing their expertise.

Chatham Christian School www.chathamchristian.ca 519-352-4980

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sportsfiles

Chatham Ringette Teaches On and Off the Ice Written by SportsXpress, Naomi Fehr & Rebecca Reimer, Photo credit Diane Guenther & Shooters Sports Photography Cold air rushes past your face and fills your lungs, adrenaline pumps through your’ veins and you move forward leaving your crystal breaths behind. The crowd cheers but the noise around you fades; all you are aware of is the players around you, and the net in front of you. With two minutes left in the second half you approach the crease. You lift your stick and the ring glides past the goalie.

For over forty years The Chatham Ringette Association has made it possible for people of all ages in the Chatham area to get their turn on that ice. From September to March they run multiple programs, each designed to help players progress to the next level.

The

The Learn to Skate programs offers students two hours a week to develop their skills on the ice. The students in this program have shown remarkable skill development, Coach Penny McCullough comments that, “The children started by falling the first night but were standing at the end of the lesson. They continued to develop into greater skaters. They will be an asset to their new teams next season!”.

Coach Amanda Tope reaped the benefits of the Learn to Skate program with the U8 Bunnies this season.

“The Chatham Ringette U8 Bunnies represented our association very well at 3 tournaments this season, and everyone had fun at house league nights. As always with this age group there was a big learning curve, as our future ringette stars graduate from Learn to Skate and move onto learning the fast paced game of ringette.”

Chairperson Margie Van Oirschot says Ringette is about so much more than the ice, it’s about working hard, encouraging one another and working together.

Coach Heather Badder agrees, “Our U9 and U10 played together on a U10

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Travel team and went on to win the Regional Title. But what many do not see is the strength and leadership that they develop at this young age during their house league play.” The U12 Victory Ford Chatham Thunder went undefeated this year with a 35-0-0 record (see cover photo). John Haggarty writes that this group will be remembered for the effort they gave day in and day out. You can see all of the season’s updates at www. chathamkent.sportsxpress.ca.

Ringette offers ice time from Mid September through March. Each program teaches skills to help the players progress

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Chatham-Kent SportsXpress • May-June 2017

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sportsfiles Division

Year of Birth

UG Learn to Skate U7/U8 Bunny U9 Minor Novice U10 Major Novice U12 Petite U14 Tween U16 Junior U19 Belle 18+ Open

House League Registration

HL/Travel Registration Travel Registration

2012-2013 $400.00 n/a 2010-2011 $400.00 n/a 2009 $450.00 $700.00 2008 $450.00 $700.00 2006-2007 $450.00 $700.00 2004-2005 $450.00 $700.00 2002-2003 $450.00 $700.00 1999-2001 $450.00 $700.00 1998 or earlier $275.00 n/a Goales selected to a U12 Travel team and above are 1/2 registration fee for the 2017-2018 season.

n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a $650.00 $500.00 $450.00

All returning players that register with a minimum $100 deposit are entered into a draw for a rebate on registration: Register before May 2: $200 rebate | Register before June 2: $150 rebate | Register before July 2: $100 rebate

New to Chatham Ringette? Only pay half registration fees for your first year! Ask about family discounts!

every time they get on the ice. House Leagues practice once a week and play once a week. Travel teams offer twice as much ice time.

Starting May 1st at the Thames Campus

the Chatham Ringette Association is offering an opportunity for adults test their determination and skill. The Adult Springette League will play May 1, 4, 8, 15 and 22 at 9 pm. Interested in playing on a team that pushes you to challenge yourself? Come on out and give it a try!

With a diverse selection of programs for every skill level, from new skaters to former OHL players, the league has a place for everyone.

Ringette is an intense team sport, breathtaking and exhilarating, but it’s also so much more. It’s about working as a team, about being dedicated, working hard and never giving up.

Ringette is about challenging yourself

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to develop new skills; Douglass Deneau perhaps sums it up the best, “The lessons ringette teach will become part of their life’s understanding that hard work and working together pays off in everything you do.”

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sportsfiles

Blazin BBQ’s Jessica Labelle to Run 200 Miles Interview by SportsXpress

Name: Jessica Marie Labelle Hometown: Chatham Why did you start running?

Running has always been something I’ve enjoyed. I fell in love with the freedom it gave me. I enjoy the challenges.

What kind of races do you compete in?

I ran my first race (half marathon) in 2013. The running communities have been amazing and such a wonderful experience to find.

What has been your favourite race so far?

It would be between my very first one, The Legend Half (My over excited family made the experience amazing!) or Sulphur Springs in Hamilton, for my first ultra marathon. I’ve been running that even since 2014.

How far is an ultra marathon?

An ultra marathon is any race greater than a marathon distance (26 miles 385 yards). I’ve competed in 50 km races to

100 mile races. I am attempting my first 200 mile race this May 25th.

What is your motivation to do that?

Haha, lots of people of people ask that question. 100+ miles is more about the journey than anything. It’s knowing going in, that not every moment is going to be pretty. Everything is exposed. Real.

No better feeling than giving it your all across that finish line. I want to know exactly what I’m capable of, setting no limitations.

What does it take to get to that point?

It takes a lot of training. Trial and error.

Figuring out what works best for you. It takes balance to keep up with daily life and training. It also takes a great deal of mental preparedness. It can be scary running into the woods in the midnight hours, storm starting overhead. You can’t give up on yourself.

What do you have to say to thosewho say “I could never do that!”? No one is going to know what they are

Road2Hope Marathona Photographers

capable of until they try. It’s scary moving out of one’s comfort zone, but it’s worth it. One step at a time. It’s not about beating anyone, just becoming a better and stronger version of yourself every single day.

I ran a 5k with my little brother because he said he could never do it. But he conquered it …and crushed a goal of his!

Is there anything you’d like to say to Chatham-Kent? Thank you for the continued support. Chatham-Kent has always been a wonderfully supportive community. You can’t really stop moving when you have support like that!

You can follow Jessica on her 200 mile race on May 25th by going to: www.burlingtonrunners.com/ races/sulphur-springs-trail-race/

Help Jessica get to the 200 mile race! Blazin BBQ is holding a meal fundraiser for Jessica on May 18th. Tickets can be purchased at Blazin BBQ. Any extra funds raised will go to the Big Brother and Big Sisters of Chatham-Kent.

Blazing BBQ has helped raise over $150,000 for Chatham-Kent teams and organizations!

Ask us how we can help with your next fundraiser!

(519) 380-0106 | 435 St. Clair St., Chatham |

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Chatham-Kent SportsXpress • May-June 2017

Blazin BBQ Ribhouse

health&fitness

Local 55+ Competitors Gearing up for Games in August Submitted by Don Hector, Photo credit Don Hector After competing in the two day Provincial 55+ Winter Games in Cobourg this past February, local competitors are beginning a series of playdowns in hopes of participating in a one day Regional 55+ games event being offered in the Sarnia/Lambton area on August 16.

Gold Medal CK Winners from 2017 Provincial 55+ Games (left to right) Marg Rheault, Penny Croteau, Jan Liberty, and Elaine Lowther.

Events are already underway for the Regional games qualifiers with five-pin bowling, pickleball, lawn bowling, floor shuffleboard, golf and tennis being offered during May and June.

Lawn bowling will be offered at local lawn bowling clubs in Tilbury and Ridgetown during late May.

The 55+ games series offer events for fun, friendship, and fitness throughout the year in the spring and fall periods.

For more information on upcoming local events and registration forms, go to: www.ckseniorgames.com or contact: Don Hector, Chatham-Kent 55+ Games Coordinator Email: ckseniorgames@gmail.com • Telephone: 226 881-2453

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sportsfiles

Staples Spotlight Life Lessons on the Basketball Court Story and photos submitted by Cindy McFadden, Special Populations Coordinator “I’M HERE!” yell each player of the CK Special Populations Shoot for the Starts bas-ketball program as they enter the Gregory Drive Public School every Wednesday night. Each night as players arrive, they run up to Coach Lorri with their homework from the previous week, ready to get their stamp and with an excited attitude about learning new basketball skills. Coach Lorri has only three rules when it comes to playing basketball: we don’t say “I can’t”,

respect yourself, others, and the coaches, and have fun!

This program is designed to give each individual an opportunity to grow, learn, and play a sport they enjoy. It is a fun and relaxed environment where they are able to learn ball handling, dribbling, shooting, passing, and other skills.

Each night, Coach Lorri breaks down the drills into small achievable steps so that success it achieved.

We want the players to learn the fundamentals of basketball, have fun, and have the opportunity to make friends.

When the players were asked what their favourite part of the program was, they commented that they enjoyed playing with their friends, scoring

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baskets, and playing an actual basketball game. Parents and support staff enjoy watching the smiles on the individ-ual’s faces as they achieve something they did not think they could.

“To me there is one player that particularly sticks out when thinking about how each player has improved.

When we began this program, one individual did not like to fol-low the first rule, no saying, “I can’t,” but as she learned and improved. She went from say-ing, “I can’t” to saying, “I can”. Now not only is she able to dribble, pass, and shoot the ball, she also tries her hardest to steal the ball from others when playing a game” explains Coach Lorri.

For more information about the CK Special Populations program, you can contact (519) 352-7354 ext. 4226, Find us on Facebook or email at cindymc@ chatham-kent.ca

Staples is a proud supporter of the Special Olympics.

Join us for our “Give a Toonie, Share a Dream” fundraiser May 6-28!

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Chatham-Kent SportsXpress • May-June 2017

fromthesidelines

Haute Pink Profile – Cassiah’s Dance Company Interview by SportsXpress, Photo credit Cassiah’s Dance Company

We recently had a chance to chat with Cassiah Pegg, check out the conversation!

Locations: 2 studio locations, one in Leamington, and one in a newly renovated 5000sq foot facility in Chatham.

Why did you start a dance studio?

Teaching dance is something that I have always loved to do, and owning my own dance studio was always a dream of mine. When I was little I used to put signs out front of my house by the road that said “Dance Lessons” hoping that someone would come and want to take lessons from me. I decided to open my own studio so I could teach the lessons and values that I thought were important in dancer’s lives.

What kind of programs do you offer?

We offer both recreational and competitive programs. Our classes include Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Acro, Lyrical, and Musical Theatre. We also have specialty ‘Exam Prep’ classes where dancers can work towards passing their dance examinations in Tap, Ballet, Jazz and Acro.

We are known for putting equal effort into both the recreational and the competitive dancers in each program, and strive to make sure each dancer is being challenged and pushed to their full potential.

What is the mission of your dance studio? Our mission is to nurture a dancer’s love for performing by giving them an outlet to express their passion.

My goal with my dance company is not only to provide high level training

to all of our students but to also create a safe environment where students are able to build confidence and learn life lessons for years to come.

What would you like CK to know about dance? I think that it’s important for the community to know that dancing is so much more than cool costumes, and trending dance moves. It teaches children discipline, coordination, and social skills. Dance helps to improve physical health, increase a child’s range of motion, teaches responsibility, and improves self esteem. Dance taught me so many important life lessons that helped guide me throughout my life, it is really inspiring to see the same life lessons being passed on to the students that I teach now!

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Chatham-Kent SportsXpress • May-June 2017

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sportsfiles

Keep Your Eye on the Rising Fox Submitted by Gary Patterson, Photo credit Megan Fox-Butler If you thought Connor McDavid, Connor Brown, or Austin Matthews were the most exciting players to watch the hockey season then you did not catch a Missouri Mavericks game.

Thamesville’s Dane Fox was once again a force to be reckoned with as he rushed the East Coast Hockey League.

Let’s look at the stats…Fox led his Mavericks in all the major categories including goals, assists, points, and penalty minutes….ya that’s right penalty minutes.

According to the Mavericks website the 23-year-old centreman piled up 34 goals, 42 assists for 76 points with 138 penalty minutes. He also led the team in power play goals (9) and shots on net with an unheard of 368 shots. The NHL leader in shots on goal was Brent Burns with 320.

The logical next step for Fox is the AHL after ripping up the ECHL on a team that did not make the post season. The scouts in the A must be falling over themselves to sign the Dresden Minor Hockey product.

His career

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has been one of steps as he has dominated everywhere he has played once he settles in.

In the OHL, he led the league in goals with 64 back in the 2013-14 season as well as being named a first team all-star and also winning the Leo Lalonde Memorial trophy as the overage player of the year with the Erie Otters.

Fox has suited up in two AHL games, one with the Utica Comets and one with the Carolina Checkers, then later, he suffered a knee injury, knocking him out of action.

Fox’s game is intense and exciting as a power forward who will score a highlight reel goal one minute and then the next minute he will be dropping the gloves to stick up for a teammate.

Dane Fox is not only an intense hockey player, he is also a smart hockey player as he knows everyone who is on the ice at all times with both teams, knowing who he has to throw a hit on or finding that third line player he can blow past for a sweet goal.

Fox’s pedigree indicated he should be a hockey player as both his mother and father played the game, as did both of his maternal grandparents and his paternal grandfather.

Uncles on both sides played junior hockey and his cousins are future stars as well while his kid brother, Trent, is with Mississauga of the OHL. You might say that he is born into hockey or that he is a natural but whatever the case, Dane Fox will make the next step to “A” where he will dominate and then he will get a shot to play where he belongs, the NHL.

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Chatham-Kent SportsXpress • May-June 2017

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NHL Player Helped by Brainwave Optimization Submitted by Kris Young, Photo credit Pixeltree Digital Design Both physical and emotional trauma can cause imbalanced brain wave activity, negatively affecting our well-being. NHL All Star Defenseman, Kurt Sauer, knows how a physical head injury can alter life.

He spent nearly two years looking for help after a whiplash concussion forced him to give up professional hockey. Lack of energy, poor sleep, and headaches made it difficult for him to even play with his kids at home.

Kurt eventually learned about Brainwave Optimization® technology and decided to give it a try. After some sessions, he had a big improvement with his headaches, sleep, and fatigue.

“The technology is phenomenal. The biggest change for me is waking up in the morning. I have way less of a headache, a lot less where now it’s easy to wake up. I even got to play football yesterday with my little boys and I didn’t feel like it knocked me out at all. That was the first time in two years, so that was great.” – Kurt Sauer NHL player, Geoff Courtnall, and NFL player, Bubby Brister, are some of the other professional athletes who have found this technology helpful following concussions. Their testimonials can be found on YouTube along with Kurt’s.

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Clients commonly report improvement with post trauma issues, sleep, stress, mood, focus, learning, and overall performance.

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Chatham-Kent SportsXpress • May-June 2017

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behindthebench

Major Beneficial Projects Occuring in Dresden Submitted by Ian Avery Photo credit Ian Avery

The Lambton-Kent Community Sports Field, located at L.K.C.S. in Dresden, is set to be a busy place this spring with the return of Dresden Minor Soccer, LKSSAA athletics, as well as Elementary Central Conference soccer and track and field.

This is not the only good news, phase two construction of the multi use recreational trail, complete with outdoor fitness equipment and a sun shelter, will be completed this spring in time for the 50th anniversary celebrations of the high school to be held on June 17th!

Phase three construction of a much needed baseball diamond is slated for

the summer/ fall of 2017.

This will relieve some of the diamond pressure created by ten Dresden Minor Baseball teams and six slopitch teams that Dresden will see take the field this summer.

Projects such as this do not occur without tremendous community support and partnerships. Many thanks to the Lambton-Kent District School Board, Municipality of Chatham-Kent, and

the Dresden Community Development Association for all of their time and efforts, as well as donors large and small from all over North Kent!

Please consider dropping by the Progressive Ford Drive One, hosted by the L.K.C.S. Booster Club and the Dresden Agricultural Society, which will take place on Trerice Street East this June 17th in support of the new baseball diamond at the Lambton-Kent Community Sports Field.

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Chatham-Kent SportsXpress • May-June 2017

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Attachment "A

Lambton-Kent Composite School Recrea

fromthesidelines

Magnum Signs Sprint Series Grows to Three Tracks

Submitted by Mark Phelan, Photos submitted by parents of racers

The Magnum Signs Sprint Series has grown from 1 Micro Sprint Kart testing out the track four years ago to almost 20 racers this season.

The only race series involving this style of sprint kart in Ontario, the series has expanded with races to be held at the 5150 Speedway, South Buxton Raceway and Ohsweken Speedway this season.

This year the Rick Watters Memorial Series, in memory of micro racer Rick Watters, will be held over three races at all three tracks this year, July 13, 18 and 23.

“The sport has a great family atmosphere”, says racer Mark Phelan, “Kids as young as 5 years old can join the Junior Sprint division and can move up to different classes of racing as they get older and more experienced.”

Safety is important and all drivers use a 5 point safety harness and race seats to ensure racers are protected. The karts run on a 440 fan cooled motor and can go 60-70 kms/hr.

For more info or to sponsor the series, check out the Facebook page @Magnum Signs Sprint Series or contact Mark Phelan at 519.359.8337 or mark@magnumsignsinc.com

fromthesidelines YMCA Makes Sure Every Family Can Access the Facilities Submitted by SportsXpress

Every year the YMCA Strong Kids campaign raises funds to help the YMCA offer programs and services to low income families to help them live healthier, happier lives. The program helps subsidize YMCA memberships, giving a hand up to those who would not otherwise be able to access the facilities.

Chris Prince, Community Engagement Coordinator for CK YMCA says, “It allows people to pay what they can, taking away barriers that would stand in the way of families being active. The YMCA is a place where the whole family can get active and healthy together. Beyond people getting healthy, one of the biggest impacts of this campaign has been giving children the chance to take swimming lessons at their local YMCA. They’re learning a life skill, it’s something that helps them gain

confidence, and could save their life.”

According to Chris, one in five of the children in this program would not be using the YMCA if it was not for CK’s generosity. “In a way our donors are paying it forward, influencing the next generation!”

One generous donor is TekSavvy, a telecommunications company with local roots who donated $15,000 to kick off this year’s campaign.

Fraser McNaught, VP Marketing of TekSavvy, says, “The YMCA has always been community focused, and TekSavvy believes in supporting the regions that we are in. The Strong Kids campaign is helping kids do more. Starting with kids builds a great community and that has

always been at the heart of our CEO, Marc Gaudrault.”

Jim Loyer, chair of the Strong Kids campaign, is hoping to reach a the goal of $110,000 this year. “This is something myself and other volunteers personally believe in, many of us donate to the campaign ourselves.” Loyer is proud of this initiative and what it does for lower income households, “When you walk into the Y, everyone is equal, you will never know who uses this program because we are one big family.”

Chatham-Kent SportsXpress • May-June 2017

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