SportsXpress Guelph Mar/Apr 2014

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MARCH/APRIL 2014

Guelph & Wellington County Edition

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editor’snote Respect in Sport By now most of us have heard about the incident in Manitoba in February where two players started a skirmish, a referee stepped in and fell taking a player with him. No sooner did they hit the ice when a man came off the bench and went after the ref with parents in the stands yelling obscenities. We see this every year and not just in hockey. Football, soccer, baseball and a variety of other sports endure their fair (or unfair) share of violence off, or on, the playing surface.

It is situations like this that has prompted the Ontario Minor Hockey Association to make it mandatory for all team officials, on-ice officials, on-ice volunteers and parents to take a Respect in Sport course starting in August of 2014. There is one for coaches and officials and a separate on for parents. Is it a money grab (it costs $12 per person)? Probably. Is it necessary? Most definitely. This is also a certification program so you do not have to do it for every sport your child participates in as long as it is from the same program.

The Respect in Sport parent program is an on-line course that will offer parents with insights on encouragement and support as well as insights into the role that coaches and officials play. As written by the founding organization Respect Group Inc.,“The Respect in Sport Parent program empowers parents to ensure their child’s safety, encourages positive and effective communication, and creates a standard of respectful behaviour for all parents of active kids.”

This is a great first step by a prominent sport association but it is only the start. Other sports associations need to take the same initiative, to create an environment worthy of our children’s participation.

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~ from the SportsXpress team

sportsfiles

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

05 | Dudley Hewitt Cup 06 | Guelph Youth Basketball Association having busy year 07 | Guelph Synchro’s youngest swimmers vie for a spot at Ontario Winter Games 09 | Guelph Figure Skating Club helps athletes develop a love for skating

behindthebench

Tips, tatics & ideas are shared by athletes, coaches and fans.

11 | The art of hitting off a tee; nobody likes it - every pro does it

teamprofiles

Profiling community sports in words and photographs.

10 | Team of Month – Elora Fergus Edge U9 Ringette

sports@school

Highlighting all school sports and athletes.

12 | Gryphones host ‘Do it for Daron’ in support of youth mental health 14 | Gryphon Camps help kids get active

fromthesidelines

Fans, parents and sports groups share their opinions & experience 13 | A gift in kind

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Get in the Game!

MARCH/APRIL 2014

Check out our website at www.GuelphSportsXpress.ca PUBLISHER

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Your Community Sports Report

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sportsfiles

Dudley Hewitt Cup

By Doug Robinson and Don Cotton, Tournament Co-ordinators Photos by OJHL Images (www.ojhlimages.photoshelter.com) The Dudley Hewitt Cup is named after George Dudley and W.A. Hewitt, two pioneers of amateur hockey in Ontario.

The first Dudley Hewitt cup was awarded in 1971 to the Detroit Jr. Red Wings of the Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League. The tournament is now played in a round robin format between the champions from each of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, the Superior International Junior Hockey League and the Ontario Junior Hockey League and a host team from one of those three leagues. The winner moves on to

represent Central Canada to compete for the Junior A National Championship, the Royal Bank Cup. The Wellington Dukes have a storied history of success and dedication in the OJHL. That success has been evident in many ways but more so over the past 10 years, winning the Dudley Hewitt Cup twice and advancing to the Royal Bank Cup. For those closely involved with the organization, aspirations of one day hosting the tournament began in Fort Francis in 2003 and became even more of a dream in Huntsville 2011.

Having successfully won the bidding to host the 2014 Dudley Hewitt Cup, the Host Committee has been formed and plans are underway. The tournament will take place from April 29th until May 3rd. Ticket packages are available online now.

Please visit dudleyhewittcup. wellingtondukes.com for more information.

With the dedicated staff, executive, volunteers, super supportive community and fan base, along with the greatest facility in Ontario, we believe we are poised to put on a tournament that will make the league and ourselves extremely proud.

On behalf of the Dukes organization, the tournament committee, and the County of Prince Edward we thank you for your support and encouragement. There is much work to do, so enjoy the season and mark the dates on your calendar.

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sportsfiles

Guelph Youth Basketball Association having busy year Article by Steve Marshall, Photos by Guelph Youth Basketball Association It has been a busy year for the Guelph Youth Basketball Association so far. The association has already hosted two of its four Phoenix tournaments and is getting ready to wind up another great year of Hustle Basketball.

The Guelph Phoenix Rep program has had some great success already this year in the Under 10 novice age group with both the boys and girls teams winning two medals each. The novice girls won bronze at the Guelph Phoenix tournament in January and then followed that performance up with gold at the Guelph CYO tournament a month later. The boys also won bronze at the Guelph Phoenix tournament and a month later won silver in the Ancaster Magic tournament. These young boys and girls are showing great potential and proving that hard work pays off.

The Guelph Phoenix P3 program has definitely been a great assistance in developing these kids. P3 is a skill development program that is being run by Karen Bremner. The program is all skill based and is offered for free to Guelph Phoenix Rep players. Guelph Youth Basketball members are looking forward to a great finish to the younger kids’ season while high school age kids get ready to start.

The Guelph Hustle program has had another great year of providing kids with a fun place to learn the game of basketball, with a Hustle 3-on-3 Night, the Hustle Olympics and, soon, the season ending banquet.

The children of the Hustle 2013- 2014 season would like to say a special thank you to all coaches and convenors for helping to make the program the best! GYBA is looking forward to another amazing season and hopes to see everyone come back in October 2014.

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sportsfiles

Guelph Synchro’s youngest swimmers vie for a spot at Ontario Winter Games Article by Louise McIntyre, Photos by Steve Brooks Photography

The Guelph Synchronized Swim Club would like to say thank you to all of the parents, friends, high school students and swimmers, who volunteered their time January 24-26 for the three-day synchronized swim competition at the Victoria Road

Recreational Centre’s Victor Davis Pool.

The event was a huge success and it could not have taken place without their support, commitment and dedication.

The Ontario Winter Games Qualifier for the Central, North and West regions of Ontario was held on the final day of this meet. There were 12 teams in the 11-12 age category and 16 teams in the 13-15 age group, from 12 different synchro clubs, all vying for a spot to compete at the Ontario Winter Games February 27 to March 2, 2014 in Muskoka. Guelph Synchro had great performances in each age group, but unfortunately did not qualify for the Games. Guelph would like to congratulate the swimmers/ teams from Granite, Toronto, Mississauga, KW, Waterloo, London and Sudbury synchro clubs who did earn a spot to at the Games.

They will be joined by Nepean and Durham synchro clubs from the East region.

Guelph Synchro is very proud of its swimmers as they continue to train for the numerous upcoming competitions. The coaches

are pleased to see continuous growth and development from every young female athlete as they prepare both physically and mentally to compete. Winning ribbons and medals is only a part of a competition; many life-long skills such as respect, teamwork, discipline, self-esteem, confidence and positive body image are developed by participating in synchronized swimming.

For more information about Guelph Synchro’s programs, visit www.guelphsynchroswim.ca .

Guelph Synchro sponsors •

Standard Brass, Guelph • Valentini, Hair Design & Spa • Curtis Villar Chartered Accountants • Jeffery & Spence Insurance • Laidlaw Carrier Van LP • Spartan Electric • Wellington Chiropractic & Wellness Group • Blue ID • Westmount Animal Hospital • Southend Dental • Investors Group, Janice Jurus CFP • Brad Butts, AACI, P. App. Wellington Appraisal Interested in being a sponsor?

Please contact Guelph Synchro at president@guelphsynchroswim.ca

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sportsfiles

Guelph Figure Skating Club helps athletes develop a love for skating Article by Melinda Whitaker, photos by Guelph Figure Skating

News • The Learn to Skate program was re-vamped this year, and the feedback from both skaters and parents has been incredibly positive. The instructors use very creative and innovative techniques to teach, including lots of games to play while learning to skate.

• Preparations are underway for the club’s 58th Ice Show on Sunday, April 6, at 1 p.m. in the Sleeman Centre in downtown Guelph. This show is professionally choreographed to showcase the club’s talented skaters. The enthusiasm for the show starts during practices for the skaters; it is a must see show.

• The club’s competitive skaters had a busy and fruitful season. They attended nine competitions and came home with 21 medals. Congratulations to all skaters.

We are proud of you.

Guelph Figure Skating Club members had another great year, bringing home 21 medals from competitions in the 2013-2014 season.

The Guelph Figure Skating Club is a proud member of Skate Canada, the largest skating body in the world and the national governing body for the sport of skating in Canada.

The Guelph Figure Skating Club has over 400 skaters and all lessons are provided by a team of Skate Canada certified professional coaches who are supported by volunteer program assistants (of skaters aged 10 and over). The club’s mission is to promote the recreational, artistic and competitive aspects of figure skating and its coaches are

dedicated to providing its members with the training necessary for achieving their individual goals and to develop a love for skating.

The Guelph Figure Skating Club is not exclusively for those who prefer competitive figure skating. In fact, the club’s mandate is to provide a variety of innovative skating programs for community members. The programs run eight months out of the year, offering Learn to Skate instruction for children as young as 2 to adults, as well as pre-power skating programs.

Spring registrations are underway.

For more information, please visit www.guelphskating.ca The Guelph Figure Skating Club’s office is located upstairs in the Exhibition Arena, 70 Division St. in Guelph.

The club office can be contacted directly through guelphfigureskating@bellnet.ca.

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teamprofiles

team of the month

Congratulations to the Elora Fergus Edge U9 Girls Ringette team who won gold at both the Waterloo Winterfest Tournament in January and the Guelph Ringette Tournament in February.

Team members are (front row from left) Kate Youngphans, Ella Curtis, Grace Ashdown, Emma Mason, Louise Bowley, Jaden McCracken (middle from left) Ella Zwep, Sarah Conroy, Emma Wilson, Maddie Broderick, Kayla Wilson, Abbey Hales, Josephine Richardson, Allie Oelschlagel, Ashleigh Campbell, Samantha Lebert. In back are coaches Ashley Kirby, Joe Bowley, Jessica Sealy and manager Jana Lebert.

Elora Fergus Edge U9 Girls Ringette team

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behindthebench

The art of hitting off a tee; nobody likes it – every pro does it

By Cortney Patteson and Andrew Karkoulas, owners of Peak Performance Athletics Training Facility The tee is often known as the most despised piece of training equipment in a baseball coach’s repertoire. It is boring. It is almost never fun. Yet, it is the greatest tool to improve your swing and become an

offensive force.

The reason why the tee gets a bad wrap is because of the way that it is used; set up down the middle, waist high and never moved, often smack dab in the middle of the

plate. This can sometimes be more harmful than helpful. Taking 100 quantity swings is far less effective than 25 quality swings.

Here are some tips to help you utilize the tee to improve your batting performance.

Rules for hitting off a tee 1. Move it around -- Contact points for hitting an inside pitch or an outside pitch are different, therefore the tee should be moved according to the pitch you are working. Make sure that in a swing session you work the inside pitch (the contact point is three inches in front of the inside corner of plate) middle pitch (set up at the middle white front edge of the plate) and outside pitch (set the tee up on the outside back corner of plate).

2. Change the plane – Pitchers are constantly working on locating pitches in the top and bottom borders of the strike zone.

As hitters, let’s start practising hitting these pitches. Make a point in your swing session to adjust the tee to mimic both the top and bottom of the strike zone.

3. Visualize - No hitter in the history of baseball has ever stepped in for an at bat with their eyes firmly planted down on the plate. Start with eyes out and visualize the pitcher. Motion a proper load drop of the eyes. Spot the ball and hit it. If there is one commonality between all successful athletes it’s that they all visualize.

4. Double down - Using two tees at once can help expose mechanical errors. Set up two tees, one in front of the other. The back tee should be slightly lower than the front. Set up a ball on the front tee and swing aggressively avoiding the back tee. If you see the back tee move, you can start to pinpoint mechanical errors in the upper body. This is great when there are no coaches around.

5. Mix it up -- Why is the tee boring?

Routine. Most swing sessions are the same. Start with tee, then go to underhand pitching, then go to live pitching. Do not be afraid to “check” your swing every so often. Checking your mechanics before, during and at the end of a swing session will help you notice any inconsistencies as you get tired.

If want to improve your batting average this season, tee it up.

Want to be a sports journalist?

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Volunteer/intern as a: • reporter • writer • photographer • videographer • events/promotions coordinator

Apply online at sportsxpress.ca/volunteer

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sports@schools

Gryphons host ‘Do it for Daron’ in support of youth mental health Article by Amber Paxton, photos by University of Guelp The Guelph Gryphon men’s hockey team hosted the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks for their first annual “Do it for Daron” (DIFD) night on February 6. The event was created to support the DIFD foundation that raises awareness for youth mental health. DIFD was created in honour of Daron Richardson, daughter of Luke and Stephanie Richardson, who took her own life in 2010.

The Richardson family turned the tragic event into a movement that has inspired young people across Canada. The Gryphon men wore the signature purple heart, Daron’s favourite colour, on their helmets to stand in solidarity with the cause.

“Regardless of the disease, whether it’s physical or mental, it can happen to anyone,” says Gryphon centre Philip Teri. “It’s important that they know that you’re there with them no matter what.”

The Richardson family believes that no one should suffer from mental illness alone and so the “Do it for Daron” initiative was born, with the main purpose of destroying

Michael Landsberg (right) is a supporter of mental health causes and attended the game as a special guest. Here, he’s presented with a Gryphons jersey from Guelph men’s hockey coach Shawn Camp.

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Michael Landsberg of TSN’s Off the Record show, drops the puck as part of a ceremonial face off as part of the Guelph Gryphon men’s hockey team’s Do it for Daren night to raise awareness of mental health. In between him are Dan Broussard, of Guelph, and Ryan Lopes of the visiting Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks.

the stigma that surrounds mental health and encouraging conversation within communities. “If you’re feeling funny or feeling sad, we can talk about that,” says Stephanie Richardson. “That’s what DIFD has done: It has really brought it mainstream and that it’s OK to talk about it.”

Being a part of a team is a strong foundation for the Gryphons and is the same foundation that the DIFD movement is built around. Secondyear Gryphon player Nicklas Huard believes that being part of a team helps promote positivity. “You have 20 good friends all trying to achieve the same goal. You’re never alone if you have any issues because they’re always by your side.”

Special guest Michael Landsberg, from TSN’s Off the Record, was in attendance for the ceremonial puck drop and an intermission feature. Landsberg stands with the DIFD movement and encourages the sharing of mental health experiences. “Every university has challenges with mental illness, and every university has kids that are considering taking their lives. You can do something about this if you share with someone,” Landsberg said.

The Guelph Gryphons donated $1 from every ticket sold, in addition to profits made from the merchandise and raffle tickets sold on the night. The funds came to $985 with the number still rising. To find out more about the DIFD movement, and the story of the Richardson family visit www.DIFD.com .

Every university has challenges with mental illness, and every university has kids that are considering taking their lives. You can do something about this.”

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fromthesidelines

A Gift in Kind Guelph couple brings supplies and sports equipment to Dominican children Article by Guelph Sportsxpress, photos by Pam Clemens

Baseball is a passion in the Dominican Republic, but many young players rely on donations of equipment to play the sport they love.

Most of us think of a vacation as an opportunity to get away from the grind, to forget about the pressures of work and life while absorbing a different culture or just relaxing on a favorite beach. For some a vacation is about all that and just a little more.

Pam and Neil Clemens from Guelph have been travelling to the Dominican Republic for a little break from our Canadian winters but what is different about them is not the destination but the content of their baggage.

Since 2006 Pam and Neil have been taking down school supplies, clothing and used sporting equipment to the Dominican to help underprivileged kids. With the help of an employee at the resort the Clemens were introduced directly to the Dominican people that would benefit from their generosity.

The opportunity to meet the people directly offered the opportunity to see the positive effect their simple gesture had for a lot of

kids and families.

The Clemens have received a lot of help from people in the Guelph and area community. From a co-worker’s two daughters that donated their Christmas money to help buy used baseball gloves, the airlines that offered a break on the extra baggage as “humanitarian goods” to the employees at the resort that act as their guide and translator. As Pam will tell you “this is bigger than the two of us, a lot of people are responsible to make this happen”.

This journey that Pam and Neil gladly participate in has helped many underprivileged kids in both school and sport while building very special relationships that will last a life time. This year, with the help of many people including Guelph Minor Baseball who donated several sets of catchers equipment Pam and Neil have several large bags full of sports equipment and school supplies for

“this is bigger than the two of us, a lot of people are responsible to make this happen.” this year’s trip in February. If you would like to help for future trips with supplies or used sports equipment you can contact Guelph Sportsxpress at pauls@sportsxpress.ca, we will put you in touch or collect your equipment donations and deliver to the Clemens.

So check your basements and garages for sports equipment, soccer - cleats and balls, baseball - cleats and gloves, you don’t want and it can make a child very happy in a very underprivileged environment.

Many young baseball players in the Dominican Republic are benefitting from the equipment donated by Pam and Neil Clemens and their supporters in the Guelph community.

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sports@schools

Gryphon Camps help kids get active Article by Amber Paxton, photos by University of Guelph

The University of Guelph athletics department offers amazing programs for the active kids in our community. These programs include award-winning camps, as well as the extremely popular Learn to Swim program.

Did you know?

• Gryphon Camps employs approximately 95 full-time camp counsellors in both the Activity and SportSpecific camps. These positions provide amazing leadership opportunities for the students on campus and in our community.

• Gryphon Camps has been the Diamond winner in the Guelph Tribune’s Readers’ Choice Awards every year since 2010.

• In 2013, 3,600 campers participated in Gryphon Camps.

• Aquatics employs approximately 60 part-time student staff to lifeguard and teach swim lessons. These are extremely valuable leadership opportunities for students.

• The university’s Learn to Swim lessons are extremely popular in our community due to the high quality of instruction. The school has many repeat

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clients, and a waiting list that is longer than the registration list.

• So far this year, the camps have had almost 1,200 children register in the Active Kids programming, which includes Swim lessons.

• The university offers all levels of swim lessons, in a group, semi-private, and private format.

One of the reasons these programs are so popular is because of the extraordinary leadership shown by the counsellors and instruc-

tors. Most counsellors and instructors are university or college students, graduates, and in some cases varsity athletes. Some

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of the camp staff are older high school students who work closely with senior staff.

Part of the mission of the athletics department is to contribute to the education process of students by providing opportunities that help them build healthier bodies and stronger minds, which will lead to enhanced academic performance, personal growth, empowerment and development of the whole person.

Leadership opportunities in the workplace are very important, as it employs more than 500 part-time student staff in several units including events, fitness and recreation, facilities, and client services.

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