SportsXpress London May/June 2015

LondonSportsXpress @SportsXpressLON

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The Boys of Summer are Back!

Connect Sports taps into top notch facilities for rec sports Catch the Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills and more...

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Get in the Game!

MAY/JUNE 2015 London & Area Edition

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climbing...............................................pg 8-9 contests.................................................. pg 9 baseball ...........................................pg 10-15 soccer...............................................pg 15-19 golf.................................................. pg 21-22 aquatics........................................... pg 23-27 basketball........................................pg 28-29 volleyball......................................... pg 30-31 gymnastics . ......................................... pg 32 cheerleading....................................pg 33-34 dance.................................................... pg 35 lacrosse................................................ pg 37 football................................................. pg 38 sailing................................................... pg 39 rugby.................................................... pg 40 running............................................ pg 40-41 ringette................................................. pg 42 fitness..............................................pg 43-44 hockey.............................................pg 45-54 downhill biking..................................... pg 54 Fan Pass - Fan Deals.............................. pg 55

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Special thanks to Wayne Brown - Browns Photos, for supplying the cover shots.

Be a part of the SportsXpress Team!

SportsXpress is a grassroots media provider dedicated to the community sports lifestyle. We’re all about the athletes, coaches, their families and fans.

We publish real life stories and include all ages and skills.

BEST. GIFT. EVER!

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Road trips from London & Area to watch Pro Sports!

Since 2008, we’ve grown to over 20 community publications across Canada. We are looking for sports-minded entrepreneurs to build new publications throughout the country.

Upcoming Road Trip Destinations Toronto Blue Jays

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Contact SportsXpress at: 1.877.588.8856 or email Sales@SportsXpress.ca Or visit www.sportsxpress.ca for more information

PGA Golf Tour Detroit Lions Buffalo Bills Road trip details available on page 10 or at

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London

Adult Rec sports never looked so nice!

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Sports Connection

London • and Area

MAY/JUNE 2015 Check out our website at LondonSportsXpress.ca

Submitted by Connect Sports London PUBLISHER

Summer is around the corner and we are preparing for a fun-filled sport season!

Connect Sports London will be running a number of co-ed sports, including Soccer, Flag Football, Beach Volleyball, Soccer Baseball and Ultimate Frisbee. All leagues start in May and range from 12 to 15 weeks in length. Sign up solo, with a few friends, or a team. As always, win a league, pick a charity and we will donate!

Where We Play We are looking to upgrade the perception of adult rec sports by using some of the best facilities in the city. London is a sports city and we are looking to offer the public some fantastic leagues to play with friends and meet new people. Using great facilities, offering affordable and fun sport leagues is what differentiates us from the pack.

Register & Win Leagues are starting to fill up, and we always like to add a prize for members as a bonus for registering.

This summer we will be giving away a pair of great Toronto Blue Jays tickets to one lucky member. League space is limited, so sign up today and get in on the action!

Greg Matthison GregM@SportsXpress.ca 519–619–6029

EDITOR WEB GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Someone is going to dominate on the ice this season – WILL IT BE YOU? Now is the time to unlock your hidden potential and transform your strength, speed and stamina. We will lead you step-by-step through the process using our training methods, which have been proven by World, Olympic and Stanley Cup Champions!

Flexible Schedule and Guaranteed Results.

Phone or email today to schedule your FREE tryout session and see if it’s the right fit. Programs for Goalies and Skaters.

519-645-6161, info@revolutionconditioning. com, www.RevolutionConditioning.com

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PHOTOGRAPHERS

Cam Vassallo, Derek Berg Photography, Todd DeSilva, Kyle Montgomery, Brandon VandeCaveye, Kathy Brekelmans, Sandra Dufton Photography, Greg Matthison, Connect Sports London, The Batter’s Box, London Badgers, London Majors, Devilettes, Runners’ Choice, London Knights, Dance Extreme, CheerStrike, London Volleyball Club, AG London, St. Thomas Shock Basketball, Middlesex Swimming, The Little Gym of London, Forest City Diving Club, Junction Climbing Centre, Fanshawe Sailing School, London Junior Mustangs, Puckstoppers, St. George’s Rugby Club, Ball Hockey International, Power Cheer Gym, London Lakers Hockey, MEC, London Lynx Ringette, St. Thomas Soccer Club, Sportmax Nutrition, Team Warner, London Junior Golf, Supreme Courts, London Minor Lacrosse Association, City of London Municipal Golf, Twist London Gym, Line-X London, Richmond Diamonds, Progressive Hockey Development, London Aquatic Club, Elgin Middlesex Chiefs, Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Kids Learn and Play, Garry Robbins, the SportsXpress Team, various sports group photographers and community sports fans.

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7 on 7 Co-ed Wednesday Night Flag Football at Western

Britt Cobean Tyler Schepens, Coleen Dalton, Richelle Hirlehey, Allie Boddy, Phillip Millar, Elgin Middlesex Chiefs, EBBA, Runners’ Choice, London Knights, FC LONDON, The Little Gym of London, REV3K, Forest City Diving Club, Junction Climbing Centre, Fanshawe Sailing School, London Nationals, London Lakers Hockey, London Lynx Ringette, St. Thomas Soccer Club, Supreme Courts, London Minor Lacrosse Association, London Junior Mustangs, Power Cheer Gym, St. Thomas Shock Basketball, Middlesex Swimming, St. George’s Rugby Club, Ball Hockey International, CheerStrike, Puckstoppers, London Volleyball Club, City of London Municipal Golf, Twist London Gym, Progressive Hockey Development, Western Mustangs, Western Sport Management, Connect Sports London, Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, The Batter’s Box, London Badgers, London Majors, Nor’West Soccer, London Aquatic Club, Dulux London, London Lightning Basketball, Kids Learn and Play, Team Warner, the SportsXpress Team and local sports enthusiasts

Spring REC Ball Hockey is underway at Easter Seals Camp at 2311 Oxford St. West

Revolution Sport Conditioning ATTN: Serious hockey players

Jim Taylor

CONTRIBUTORS

6 on 6 Co-ed Sunday Beach Volleyball at North London Athletic Fields

www.connectsportslondon.com

Todd Devlin

Ajax/Pickering Brampton Chatham/Kent Halton Region Kingston London Niagara Oshawa/Whitby Peterborough Swift Current Windsor

Belleville/Quinte Brant County Guelph Hamilton Lloydminster Mississauga Oakville Ottawa Sarnia/Lambton Waterloo Winnipeg Contact SportsXpress at: 1.877.588.8856 or email Sales@ SportsXpress.ca

NATIONAL & REGIONAL SALES

Amy Knowles AmyK@SportsXpress.ca

PRESIDENT/CEO

Walter Browning walter@sportsxpress.ca

VP OPERATIONS

Clint Szakacs clint@sportsxpress.ca

Mailing Address 50 Ottawa St. South, Unit 110, Kitchener, On, N2G 3S7 519–208–9302 or 1-877-588-8856

7 on 7 Co-ed Thursday Night Soccer at Western

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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.

Moving and learning Submitted by Kids Learn Play Is there such a thing as an educational sport? At Kids Learn and Play, we say yes!

The practice of at least one sport is essential for children’s healthy body, healthy mind development. This is a process that starts with the development of fundamental movement skills from an early age. Simple and fun repetitions like balancing, kicking, throwing, catching and many more are essential movements that children start developing even before they start walking!

We are born to move! Some of the benefits of movement for our bodies include: “a better brain, better muscles, better bones, a better heart, a better social life and better psychology, as well as a lower burden on healthcare and more productivity.”

(Sherman, Chris. Parks and Recreation Ontario & Canadian Sport4Life, February 2015).

At Kids Learn and Play, we believe that by helping children develop those fundamental movement skills at our sport skill development programs, participants will be able to learn one sport or more, practice it and feel confident and successful doing it!

It is also Canadian evidence-based research-proven that children that acquire progressive mastery levels in a sport tend to stay active for life!

Kids Learn and Play is leading the Some of the 2014 Outdoor Children’s Soccer Development Clinic Physical Literacy – stay ACTIVE For participants along with Coaches Arvid Pérez, Juan Pablo Pérez and three Youth Leaders in Training at the clinic Youth Soccer Field Life crusade in London, where the

average time a Canadian child spends in front of screens in general is around 7.5 hours each day. Moreover, 1 in 3 children and youth, and 2 in 3 adults in London, here, today are overweight or obese. We all can do better to start reversing these trends.

For more information about our Physical Literacy based programs like Quality Children’s Soccer Development Clinics, MOVE IT! PA Day Camps and ACTIVE! Summer Day Camps, contact us today by email: info@kidslearnandplay.ca. By phone: (226) 926-3261. Limited Spaces Available.

KidsLearnandPlay.ca

located on 133 Southdale Rd. W. Wednesday evening classes.

@SportsXpressLON

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sports@school

Mustangs Supremehonoured Courts? at annualthat?

Awards Gala What’s

Submitted by Western Mustangs Athletics and photos by Brandon VandeCaveye

By David Cameron-Arthurs, Supreme Courts Supreme Courts features more than 19,000 square feet of

Men’s wrestler Steven Takahashi and Supreme Courts is London’s women’s track and field athlete premiere Caroline volleyball venue.

Ehrhardt were recognized for their outIn operation the summer of standing careerssince on April 7 as the Western 2013, Supreme Courts a hidden Mustangs held the 74this Western Athletic gem. Nestled theLondon southeast corner of Awards Gala atinthe Convention London, just off the 401, Supreme Courts Centre. has quietly been building a permanent Takahashi finished his five years at home forby London’s volleyball Western becoming the 76thcommuwinner nity.

Featuring over 19,000 square feet of the Dr. Claude Brown Trophy, while of playing surface, across six full-sized volleyball courts, athletes are competing on our state-of-the-art VersaCourt sports flooring.

Ehrhardt wrapped up her five-year playing space, including six full-sized volleyball courts on A uniquecareer sports for of the state-of-the-art VersaCourt sports flooring Mustangs asprogram the 59th winner kids (and not just volleyball) F.W.P. Jones Trophy. Both awards are prefloor hockey, martial arts, and dance.

Supreme happyto have made sented to anCourts athleteisjudged Families will now one place and one to announce the introduction of the the greatest contribution to intercollegiate Justin Scapinello andhave Kelly Campbell were named program all their children’s Sharkidswithin Sportsthe Academy (SSA).

Thetheir Western’s for Athletes of the Year after sporting their stellar athletics university during seasons around the activities. No 2014-15 more running Academy will teach children from all time at Western. city.

No more taxi service! he competed). backgrounds and orientations skills Few have ever dominated OUAthe and CIS With Fall corner, Along withjust hisaround successthe at the university of seven sports – not just wrestling as Takahashi hasvolleyball. during his time Supreme Courts will once again welcome level, Takahashi is also a standout on Using a comprehensive approach aimed with the purple and white, winning a total thousands of players each week.

We are the global stage, representing Canada at developingofsocially conscious atheight gold medals in OUA therefore making some excitingthe changes in a number of events including letes, the SSAand offers classes CIS indoor competition (hein to the facility improve experiUniversiade astowell as thethe 2011 Pan soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball, claimed the top spot in his ence of our players continued and spectators, with on page 7›› weight class each year that project completion dates set for the end Rowing: Brett Duncan (Lightweight) Team MVPs of 2014. Men’s Women’s Rowing: Kathleen Morrison (Heavyweight) Men’s Badminton: Bryan Jok Women’s Rowing: Jilland Moffatfollow (Lightweight) ‘Like’ us on Facebook us on Women’s Badminton: Adrianna Giuffre Men’s Rugby: Armin Gurdic Baseball: Tommy MacDonald Twitter for exciting announcements about Women’s Rugby: Lori Josephson Men’s Basketball: Greg Morrow Men’s Soccer: Andrew Walton upcoming tournament and community Women’s Basketball: Caroline Wolynski Women’s Soccer: Jessi Couto Men’s Cross Country: Kevin Blackney events. For Softball: bookings, please ourCox (co-MVPs) Shannon Davidson visit and Stacie Women’s Cross Country: Amanda Truelove Men’s Squash: Cory Shannon Men’s Curling: Nathan Gonsalves website: supremecourts.ca.

Women’s Squash: Holly Delavigne Women’s Curling: Chantal Allan Men’s Fencing: Andrew Kennel Women’s Fencing: Vivian Poon Field Hockey: Katelyn Roganowicz & Megan Duffy (co-MVPs) Figure Skating: Christina Liao Football: Daryl Waud Men’s Golf: Harris Bundy Women’s Golf: Jessie Mercer Men’s Hockey: Steve Reese Women’s Hockey: Kelly Campbell Men’s Lacrosse: Matt Spanger Women’s Lacrosse: Jesse Porter and Tenyka Snider (co-MVPs) Ringette: Michelle Coppens Men’s Rowing: Adam Rabalski (Heavyweight)

Men’s Swimming: Gamal Assaad

www.supremecourts.ca Women’s Swimming: Paulina Bond

Steven Takahashi and Caroline Ehrhardt were awarded the Dr. Claude Brown Memorial Trophy and FWP Jones Trophy, respectively, for their outstanding careers

Men’s Table Tennis: John Malik Women’s Table Tennis: Rongge Zhang Men’s Tennis: Alex Low Women’s Tennis: Josie McCann Men’s Track and Field: Isoken Ogieva Women’s Track and Field: Caroline Ehrhardt Men’s Volleyball: Justin Scapinello Women’s Volleyball: Kelsey Veltman Water Polo: Jared Webster Men’s Wrestling: Steven Takahashi Women’s Wrestling: Madi Parks

wwwtttttttttttttttttttttttt

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‹‹continued from page 6 American Games where he earned a bronze medal.

One of the greatest track and field athletes in Mustangs history, Ehrhardt leaves Western in possession of both the OUA and CIS Championship records in triple jump, the latter of which broke a milestone that had lasted for 22 years.

Ehrhardt (Espanola, Ont.) has been stellar in university competition, claiming a total of 18 OUA and CIS medals, including seven provincial and four national gold.

If her success at the university level wasn’t enough, Ehrhardt has captured the Canadian triple jump title for the past four seasons, and is a former three-time Canadian Junior triple jump champion and two-time Canadian Junior long jump champion.

Along with the Brown and Jones trophies two Mustangs were selected as the Male and Female Athletes of the Year.

The Female Athlete of the Year Award is a repeat winner, as Kelly Campbell was honoured for her outstanding play this season. Campbell was nothing short of phenomenal this year, leading the OUA with a .954 save percentage and 16 wins, earning OUA First Team All-Star and CIS First Team All-Canadian status en route to helping lead the Mustangs to their firstever OUA and CIS titles (she was named CIS Championship Tournament MVP).

Justin Scapinello was named Male Athlete of the Year. Scapinello was one of the best players in the country this season, placing in the top ten in a wide variety of categories, and leading the OUA with 315 kills, 31 service aces, 367 total points and averaging 4.7 points per set. For his efforts he was named an OUA First Team All-Star.

Also presented were the prestigious Purple Blanket awards, which are given to student-athletes, usually in their graduating year, that are judged to have made an outstanding contribution to Western athletics.

This year 12 Purple Blankets were handed out with six going to major award nominees Caroline Ehrhardt, Kelly Campbell, Lori Josephson, Steve Reese, Steven Takahashi, and Marc Addison.

Other winners included football’s Brian Marshall, men’s rugby’s Ade Ojo, women’s rower Sara Matovic, women’s golf’s Jessie Mercer, women’s cross country and track and field’s Amanda Truelove, and women’s squash player Holly Delavigne.

The sport nutrition experts

By SportsXpress Team They’ve been a constant in the community since 2001, and yet they’re as passionate as ever about providing optimal nutrition for the athletically-minded person. Sportmax Nutrition is much more than a ‘health food store’. The company, located at the corner of Wonderland and Sarnia Rd. for over 13 years, caters to people living athletic lifestyles.

Sportmax Nutrition is committed to providing the products, information and services (at competitive Kevin DeLuca lives what prices) for cushe preaches at tomers looking Sportmax Nutrition

to achieve their physique, sport and nutrition goals. They specialize in protein (powder and bars), amino acids, greens, healthy fats, pre-workout drinks, creatine and more, and they make arguably the best tasting protein shakes in the region.

Kevin DeLuca, along with his staff at Sportmax Nutrition are the experts.

They’re knowledgeable and dedicated to providing their customers with the right information and the encouragement needed to achieve their health and fitness goals.

Sportmax Nutrition believes in the ‘work hard, play hard’ mentality, and they’re committed to building fitter, healthier bodies. Give them a visit if you are too.

www.sportmaxnutrition.com

www.westernmustangs.ca @SportsXpressLON

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Summer Camps at the Junction Submitted by Junction Climbing Centre

Junction Summer Camps

Bring a sense of adventure to your summer! The Junction Climbing Centre is accepting registrations for summer day camps. Each week-long camp will be filled with adventure, learning, activity and lots and lots of climbing!

The Junction is London's stunning new indoor climbing gym, with more than 100 different climbs at all levels of difficulty.

Soaring 35 feet high in a bright, clean, airconditioned environment, it has become the hub of a vibrant community drawn to the challenge, fun and physicality of indoor climbing.

Indoor climbing is unique among sports because it allows all participants to enjoy Indoor climbing the sport equally, rebuilds confidence and gardless of their level

July 6 to 10 July 13 to 17 Aug. 10 to 14 Aug. 17 to 21 Cost: $225 including tax

unique skills

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of ability. Because they are challenged by the wall (and not other campers), participants develop camaraderie as they celebrate each other’s achievements.

Climbers will gain confidence and skills under the guidance of our friendly staff.

Each day will be a combination of climbing, learning, team-building games, and outdoor activity. All climbing equipment is provided. The Junction is centrally located at 1030 Elias Street.

Day Camp is available for participants aged 8 to 13 and runs Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm. Drop off is from 8:30 to 9am, and pick up is from 4 to 4:30pm. Early pickup and drop off is available for an additional charge.

Please email john@junctionclimbing.com and ask for a summer camp registration package.

www.junctionclimbing.com

LondonSportsXpress

At Junction Climbing, participants develop a camaraderie with their fellow climbers as they celebrate each other’s achievements

@SportsXpressLON

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Baseball is back for Badgers Submitted by the London Badgers Summer is finally here, and like all other diehard baseball players, the Badgers are ready and eager to get on the field and play some ball.

The Badgers are coming off another successful season by going to Nationals with two separate teams, earning a bronze medal and having both minor and major midget teams winning the OBA Championships.

You can watch our young Badgers compete weekly at our newly upgraded Stronach #3 diamond, while our Bantam players are at beautiful Aldridge field just behind Fanshawe College.

Our featured four-time National Championship Major Midget team can be seen playing Wednesday evenings against London's top senior players and Saturdays against some of Canada's top baseball draft prospects. All games are played at Canada's Favourite Ballpark, Labatt Park.

For all schedules, please visit the Badger.

www.londonbadgers.on.ca

BEST. GIFT. EVER!

After a long winter, London Badgers players are thrilled to get back out on the diamonds this summer, at Labatt Park, Aldridge Field, and the newly upgraded Stronach #3 diamond

Road Trips from London and Area to watch Pro Sports May 9 May 10 May 29 Jun 6 & 7 Jun 14 Jul 1 Jul 18 Jul 25 Jul 26 Aug 8 & 9 Aug 15 Aug 16 Aug 30 Sep 13 Sept 20 Sept 27 Oct 11 Oct 18 Nov 8 Nov 26 Dec 3 Dec 27 Dec 27

Boston Red Sox at Toronto Blue Jays Houston Dynamo at Toronto FC (Home Opener) Canada vs England in Hamilton (Women's Soccer) The Memorial Tournament, Ohio (golf) Nascar Sprint Cup Series, Michigan Int'l Speedway Boston Red Sox at Toronto Blue Jays PAN AM Games, Toronto PAN AM Games, Toronto Canadian Open, Oakville (golf) World Golf Championships, Ohio New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays Nascar Sprint Cup Series, Michigan Int'l Speedway Detroit Tigers at Toronto Blue Jays Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills * New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills * Denver Broncos at Detroit Lions * Arizona Cardinals at Detroit Lions Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills Philadelphia Eagles at Detroit Lions * Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions * Dallas Cowboys at Buffalo Bills * San Francisco 49ers at Detroit Lions *

Road Trips include game ticket, motor coach transportation, videos, games and prizes along the way.

CAN vs ENG $70, Blue Jays & Toronto FC $99, Canadian Open $139 (all plus hst) PAN AM Games $125 (plus hst, includes one event ticket) Michigan Int‘l Speedway $169 (includes taxes) World Golf Championship $369, The Memorial Tournament $459 (US golf road trips includes one night accommodation and all taxes) NFL road trips $199 regular game, $229 premium game (includes taxes) (NFL road trips include all you can eat/drink tailgate party) Special youth rates may be in effect for golf/racing/PAN AM - see website for details Some conditions apply. Gift cards available.

Limited space available. Book Now! Ask Us About: - Group rates - Executive road trips - Fundraising opportunities

Road Trips are a fun way to: - Reward staff - Recognize valued customers - Boost to contests and promotions

Road Trip Sponsors

Minimum $60 (before tax) in-store purchase.

1 coupon per family. Expires 08/01/15

* indicated premium game

$25

Off anything in store with this coupon

See website for additional road trip information.

Big Game Road Trips is a London based sports travel business and is a division of ELLISON TRAVEL & TOURS LTD. Gift cards available for Mother's & Father's Day, birthdays, fundraisers, & more.

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TICO # 2392471

@BigGameRdTrips

Toronto Blue Jays Road Trips:

Big-Game-Road-Trips BigGameRoadTrips@gmail.com

Boston Red Sox May 9 & Jul 1,

This feature is proudly sponsored by

Saluting Canadian Baseball Submitted by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s fifth annual ‘London Salutes Canadian Baseball’ fundraising breakfast is set for Friday, June 12 from 7:30am to 9:00am at the London Convention Centre. Come out and join the Hall of Fame as we celebrate Canadian Baseball with inductees Carlos Delgado, Matt Stairs, Corey Koskie and Felipe Alou, as well as special guest Fergie Jenkins.

The morning will include a Q&A with the stars, as well as a live auction and draws. Then, on Saturday, June 13, The Baseball Family Street Festival will take place in come out to St. Marys for downtown St. Marys on Saturday, June 13, followed by the a whole day of baseHall of Fame Induction Ceremony ball! In the morning, the Baseball Family Street Festival will take place in downtown St. Marys, and at 1:00pm the 2015 Induction Ceremony for Carlos Delgado, Matt Stairs, Corey Koskie, Felipe Alou and Bob Elliott will take place at the Hall of Fame.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call the Hall at 519-284-1838 or email: baseball@baseballhalloffame.ca.

www.baseballhalloffame.ca

London Salutes Canadian Baseball When: Friday, June 12 (7:30am to 9:00am) Where: London Convention Centre What: Fundraising breakfast, Q&A with Hall inductees Job #: 34416-35

Color(s): 4

Branch: 343 London

Pub: Sports Xpress

Guests: Size: 7.375" xCarlos 3.125" Delgado, Bleed?: N Matt Stairs, Corey Koskie, Felipe Alou, Fergie Jenkins

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WE SERVICE ALL MAKES AND MODELS, 24/7 © 2015 Service Experts LLC. Service Experts and the Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning logo and design are registered or common law trademarks of Service Experts LLC. Offer not valid on prior purchases and cannot be combined with any other offers. Some restrictions apply. *With approved credit; see ServiceExperts.ca for full financing terms and conditions. Interest rate is calculated at 8.95% APR on a 5-year term amortized over 12 years. Offer valid on qualifying equipment purchased between April 1 and May 31, 2015. **Potential savings may vary depending on age and condition of equipment, personal lifestyle, system settings, equipment maintenance, and installation of equipment and duct system.

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EBBA eager to start season Submitted by EBBA and photo by Todd DeSilva The snow has barely melted, but the young baseball players of EBBA are already hitting the fields. May marks the start of the 61st season of Eager Beaver Baseball. From a small group of players 12 to 15 years old, EBBA has grown to a league of over 400 players ranging in age from 4 to 22.

Registration numbers have varied over the years, and the most recent growth has been in the young age divisions.

The Little Slugger division (ages 4 to 5), particularly, has grown from two small groups that meet on Saturday mornings at Mornington Park to three large groups that demand all the co-ordination skills of the convener, Lindsay Schofield.

“Organizing almost 100 four and fiveyear-olds is challenging, but very rewarding,” Schofield said. “The older competitive teams come in to help run the skills stations, and one of our junior players, Ben Flesher, runs the warm-ups and helps keep station rotations organized. It

really is a team effort.”

The Tball division has also experienced tremendous growth and will be fielding 16 teams of 6- and 7-yearolds this season. The teams meet on Saturday mornings at Mornington Park on fields across from the Little Slugger field. At any given time on Saturday mornings, there are over 100 youngsters throwing, catching, running the bases and having a great time. League president, Rick Peters, is at the field every session overseeing all the activities and often running the concession booth.

“Watching the players learning the skills required to play baseball and seeing them enjoying it makes all the hours of planning worthwhile,” Peters said.

The growth over the years in the two youngest divisions has trickled up to the Rookie and Mosquito divisions, as the Rookie division (players aged 8 and 9), consists of five teams this year.

Mornington Park is also their home

Rookie and Mosquito players catch their breath at a preseason clinic while Coach Ryan Legros grills them on baseball knowledge

field, and away games introduce players to fields in nearby neighbourhoods.

Mosquito teams of 10- and 11-year-olds also call Mornington Park home, and this is the first level that players get the opportunity to pitch. The Peewee division calls Mornington home as well, and ensures that bats are swinging at all fields every weeknight.

The Bantam and Midget teams have home fields at Kiwanis Park, and the Junior division plays at CityWide. With the number of players moving up the ranks, EBBA may soon be looking for more fields to call 'home'.

Some divisions may still have openings. Please check the website for further information.

www.ebba.ca

Warner a Jumpstart ambassador Submitted by Team Warner Warner, who still trains in London financially disadvantaged families get London native and Montcalm High under the direction of his high school involved in sports and recreation.

School graduate Damian Warner reWarner is also sponsored by Nike and coaches Gar Leyshon and Dennis Nielsen, cently joined an elite group of athletes as well as Western University’s Vickie a group of London-based supporters, inwhen he was signed by the Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC) to represent the Crowley, joins Sidney Crosby, Jonathan cluding Rob Kelland, Michael McDonald, Toews, Steven Stamkos and Kyle Lowry Dennis Devos, FBC, London City Chrysler Canadian Tire and Sport Chek brands. as CTC/Sport Chek sponsored athletes. and David E. White Clothiers.

Warner, an Olympic decathlete, burst For more information, please visit: onto the scene after minimal training Specifically, Warner will be an ambassador for the Jumpstart program, which to finish 5th at the London Olympics in www.damianwarner.ca 2012. In 2013, he was 3rd in the IAAF is a national charitable program that helps children from World Championships and was voted the CBC People’s Pick for Athlete of the Year.

In 2014, he won gold at the Commonwealth Games, and he will be the face of the Pan Am Games in Toronto this July. He also has his sights set on a poDamian Warner poses with his three coaches, (left to right): Dennis dium finish at the Rio Nielsen (teacher at Montcalm and his former high school coach), Warner and Jeff Fischer present Pat MacEleney, VP of Canadian Tire, Summer Olympics in Vickie Crowley from Western University, and Gar Leyshon (also a with London artist Scott Kish’s composite painting of all of Damian’s 2016. teacher at Montcalm and current coach) events

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Toronto Blue Jays Road Trips:

Boston Red Sox May 9 & Jul 1,

sportsfiles

Camping with The Batter’s Box Submitted by The Batter’s Box London's newest indoor baseball facility, The Batter's Box, would like to thank all those teams, organizations and individuals who have decided to improve their game by training at our facility.

Your support and dedication to the sport of baseball is truly inspiring and is the reason that our facility was so successful in year one.

This summer, The Batter's Box will be offering a weekend Spring Camp at the end of May and four-week long summers camps during the month of July. Our camps provide an atmosphere of fun and competition while your player develops his or her skills. Coach Lumley and his college instructors focus on skill development in hitting, pitching (basic tech-

niques), catching, outfield play, infield play, bunting and throwing mechanics.

Batting cages, ‘hot box’ games, throwing relay competitions, and super kid baseball mini-tournaments are all guaranteed to make your player have a fun-filled day!

There will also be an hour of swimming each day.

www.thebattersbox.ca

Camp Dates and Locations Spring: May 30-31 (Stronach Diamond #3)

Summer: Week 1: July 6-10 (Stronach #3) Week 2: July 13-17 (Emslie Field - St. Thomas) Week 3: July 20-24 (Stronach #3) Week 4: July 27-31 (Oakridge Upper Diamond)

Park Locations: Stronach #3: 1221 Sandford St., London, ON St. Thomas: 95 Elm Street, St. Thomas, ON Oakridge: 825 Valetta Street, London, ON Fee: $165 + HST (includes camp t-shirt) Ages: 6 to 13 years old Time: 9:00am to 4:00pm Free early drop off (8:30am) and late pick-up (4:30pm) The Batter’s Box, which is a facility dedicated to providing space for ballplayers to enjoy the game and improve their skills, is excited to offer summer camps this year

New York Yankees Aug 15,

Detroit Tigers Aug 30 (details on page 10)

For more info and to register, go to www.thebattersbox.ca.

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14

Toronto Blue Jays Road Trips:

Boston Red Sox May 9 & Jul 1,

sportsfiles

Brownlee, Lytwynec back, Perez coming Submitted by the London Majors Roop Chanderdat, co-owner, general manager and field manager of the London Majors of the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) announced this spring the signing of the team’s first import player of the season: Oscar Perez.

The Venezuelan-born right-handed pitcher was signed by the Boston Red Sox in 2008 as a catcher and spent six seasons within their organization. After four years as a catcher, he was converted to a pitcher in 2013.

The 23 year-old Perez, who currently resides in Miami, FL, appeared in 33

Roop Chanderdat coaching record

YEAR RECORD 2006 21-15 2007 15-21 2008 27-9 2009 21-15 2010 18-18 2011 22-13 2012 21-15

2013 26-16 2014 23-13 Overall 194-135

WIN % FINISH .583 4th .417 7th .750 1st .583 5th .500 5th .629 2nd .583 2nd .619 2nd .639 2nd .590

Key Majors Home Dates Home Opener - May 15 Canada Day - July 1 Siftons ‘Pack the Park’ - June 21 Purple in the Park - June 10

New York Yankees Aug 15,

games over two seasons as a pitcher and hurled 70 innings in the minor leagues.

Chanderdat has high praise for the 6-foot-1, 185-pound pitcher, who is expected to join the club in the coming weeks.

“Perez is coming to the Majors to be one of our starting pitchers,” said Chanderdat. “He has a very live arm and I’m expecting him to be a top end guy in the IBL this summer.”

Fan favourites Cleveland Brownlee (1B/ DH) and Paul Lytwynec (SS) also agreed to contracts for the upcoming season.

Brownlee enters his sixth season in Majors pinstripes. He hit .257 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs in 2014. The perennial home run leader and fan favourite is now residing and working full-time in London.

“It’s great to have Cleveland back for another summer,” Chanderdat said.

“He’s one of the top power hitters in the league, and he has developed into a good all-around hitter during his years with me.”

Lytwynec returns to the shortstop position for the Majors in what is hoped will be a strong defensive infield. A local player who grew up playing minor, university and now college baseball in London, Lytwynec hit .279 in 2014 with 34 hits

Detroit Tigers Aug 30 (details on page 10)

and 20 RBIs. With the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) season just around the corner, Chanderdat is approaching the 200-win plateau for his career at the helm of the London Majors.

This will be Chanderdat’s 10th year as bench boss of the club. In nine seasons to date, he has amassed 193 wins and a winning percentage of nearly .600 while taking the Majors to the IBL finals three times during that span.

Including winning the league pennant in 2008, Chanderdat has finished either first or second in five of the nine seasons he has managed the team.

Returning to the Majors in an assistant coaching capacity will be Casey Pulham, as third base coach, and Max Escrogin as first base and pitching coach.

The London Majors’ home opener is set for Friday, May 15 at 7:35pm when they will host the Hamilton Cardinals at historic Labatt Memorial Park.

www.londonmajors.com

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sportsfiles

Elite players take on Europe Submitted by Phillip Millar Building on the recent crowning of the 2002 Boys team as Ontario Champions, AG London embarked on an ambitious trip to Europe. Our boys departed for England and Belgium in March to play ‘actual’ professional soccer academies affiliated with ‘actual’ professional clubs.

Our goals included exposing young, elite Ontario soccer players to the realities of professional soccer academies, providing them with an opportunity to play against top talent to determine where they stand compared to more developed soccer nations, and introducing them to the prospects of potentially playing in Europe one day if they desire.

Our trip started in London, England, where the boys played Reading, Fulham, Watford, Leyton Orient and Tottenham in a whirlwind of friendly training scrim-

mage matches. The result was some surprising success against these clubs.

It took our boys a little while to make the adjustments. For instance, the referees let much more go, the players were bigger, and the games had significantly more body contact.

Technically, though, our boys were equal to or better than the players they faced. We learned that we had to step up the physicality of our game, and the boys did just that. We expect that their play back in Ontario will be seen as much tougher. We left England bruised, but confident and much improved.

The second phase of our operation took us to Belgium, where our head coach, Garrincha, played professionally. He played and coached there, and he maintains many great contacts with

The AG London boys pose with Tottenham Hotspurs Academy after a thrilling friendly, which was held at Enfield, England’s premier training facility

Upcoming Summer Leagues • Co-Ed Adult – Tuesday nights • Women's Rec – Wednesday mights • Women's Masters (30+) – Sunday nights Leagues run May to August Late registration is available Visit www.BMOCentreLondon.com for details

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professional clubs and academies in Belgium.

Although technically our boys could compete against most of the teams, we were quite far behind our Belgium opponents in game intelligence and transitional play.

The beauty of the trip is that we started strong and got tougher, but then realized that soccer is much more than just being physical. The Belgium players were exceptional. We left Belgium after having played FC Brugge, Top Sport Academy (a collection of academy first team players), and Waregem Academy.

The experience was transformative for our players, as it opened their eyes to an inspiring approach to soccer. We knew we had established the foundations of truly amazing soccer, but the Belgium experience instructed us as to what we need to focus on to take our game to the next level. Speed of play, anticipation and transition are facets of our game that need to be addressed in order to compete internationally.

Our intention is to build on our lessons learned and ensure that our training curriculum exploits our strengths and weaknesses so that we can continue to build complete footballers able to play at the highest level.

www.aglondon.com The BMO Centre has many services to serve the community including Meeting/Banquet Rooms: Two rooms available to rent 288 person room: $125 60 person room: $75

Catering options: ranging from $3.00 to $15.00 per person Breakfast, snacks, lunches, or full course meals

Birthday/Team/Company/Receptions/Parties:

Summer Indoor Field Rentals

Use the indoor playing fields and/or meeting rooms to create a fun event Field Rentals: Full, or 1/4 mini fields available by reservation

Best Deal in the city! $100/hr for full field rental (starting May 1)

For more information call 226 289 2838 www.bmocentrelondon.com

LondonSportsXpress.ca

LondonSportsXpress

sportsfiles

FC Roster revealed Submitted by FC LONDON and photos by Cam Vassallo The schedule is set, and the competitors have been identified. The 2015 USLPremier Development League (PDL), which FC LONDON won in 2012, is a showcase of local and international soccer talent, and FC LONDON CEO Ian Campbell and Head Coach Martin Painter are lining up some excitement -- both on and off the field -with a team that will be primarily made up of Canadian and French players this year.

“We always look internationally as the roster comes together, as the Europeans bring an extra flair to the field,” said Painter, FC LONDON’S head coach. “The mix of culture and talent from around the globe is what continues to make FC LONDON one of the strongest teams in North America.”

Several Canadian players are rejoining the team from the 2014 squad, including keepers Mark Haynes and Scott Shewfelt.

After the end of the 2014 PDL season, Haynes anchored London Marconi men’s team to a national championship.

Other Canadian players returning include Londoners Quinn Duncan, Matt Cattalano, Conner Mcfall, Tyler Hemming and Younan Samra. Denver

Spearman has been an anchor with the team since joining in 2012 to contribute to the North American Championship that year, and Aaron Schneebeli from the KW area will anchor at the back. Another notable returnee is Hamilton’s Sandro Rajokvic, who stood out in Plenty of excitement is in store for FC LONDON fans this midfield for the squad in 2014 be- summer, who will enjoy watching a talented roster made up of a mixture of Canadians and Europeans fore suffering an injury mid-season that put him out of the lineup for the Danny Deakin and Alejandro Pastor, a remainder of the year. playmaking striker who Painter expects “I’m coming in healthy and looking to will mesh well with the striking power of make a difference in our results this year,” Italian Pucci. said Rajokvic. “I’m excited to be back on On the business operations side, charthe field with both some of my 2014 team- ity events, sponsorship, staffing, venue mates and some new talented players.” and equipment selection are all under way Those talented players include James as FC LONDON looks to continue its repuPucci, who racked up 10 goals and 3 tation as a high-quality entertainment opassists in 13 games for FC LONDON in tion within the London sports landscape.

2014 to earn a sixth-place finish in North “This league never fails to impress, American points and a first-place finish and the new affiliations with MLS teams in shots with 46. His 79th minute bicycle is something that brings a new level of kick versus the Pittsburgh Riverhounds competition to the field,” said CEO Ian U23 in London last year still gathers hits Campbell. “Between the college successon YouTube. That, combined with his excit- es, professional signings and the continuing personality, certainly make Pucci a fan al growth of the sport across the country, favourite. it couldn’t be a better time for FC LONDON Another notable international returnee to bring Soccer Saturdays as a component this year is French defender Aurelien of top quality soccer and sports entertainNorest, while the team has added other ment in the city.”

French Internationals, including midFor more information about FC LONDON, fielder Pierre Mangold and defender check out www.FCLONDON.ca.

Jeannin Takumi. The international roster www.fclondon.ca is rounded out by returning Englishman

@SportsXpressLON

LondonSportsXpress.ca

17

WHAT IS GRASSROOTS SOCCER?

Soccer!

Soccer!

Soccer for 7-­‐12 year olds!

We believe in WHAT IS GRASSROOTS SOCCER? Grassroots WHAT IS GRASSROOTS SOCCER? 7-­‐12 year olds!

Soccer fSoccer or 7-­‐12 for year olds!

Soccer!

WHAT IS GRASSROOTS SOCCER? Soccer for 4-12 year olds!

Grassroots soccer is not about the amount of trophies you win.

It’s about the difference you make to a young person’s life.

THE GOALS OF GRASSROOTS SOCCER Ÿ To ensure this first experience is fun and enjoyable and revolves

around child-friendly soccer. Most of all, it is to have them fall in love with the game. Ÿ To provide an opportunity for players to use their imaginations, be

creative and learn through trial and error. Mistakes are OK. Ÿ To offer age and stage appropriate development activities with

improved playing formats such as 5v5, 7v7 and 9v9 with ball, goal and field size appropriate to physical and cognitive stage development. Ÿ To educate coaches so they will make the soccer experience a

challenging, positive and nurturing one for all young players regardless of ability, that leads to Soccer for Life.

YOU ARE ON TRIAL! The very thought of attending a trial puts fear into most of us adults. Think how you feel when you go for a job interview. Can you imagine what a child feels?

One of our guiding principles in Grassroots Soccer is that there are opportunities for all. We want all children to be allowed access to programs that they have decided that they want to join. During their Grassroots Soccer years, if a child decides that they want to be a part of a development program and the family can meet the added time, financial, travel and practice commitment, they should be allowed to. If they want to be the best that they can be, then allow them to be that. Don’t deny children opportunities to participate in programs.” Lets include as many children as possible in our Development programs. They want skills, lets give them skills.

For more information visit www.ontariosoccernet/grassroots

“Grassroots is the most important part of the player pathway. This is where we give children their first experience in soccer. Ensuring that this experience is fun and enjoyable and revolves around child-friendly soccer (LTPD) is essential. The coaching objective here is simple: have them fall in love with the game.”

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LondonSportsXpress.ca

LondonSportsXpress

sportsfiles

Vipers tackling new challenge in ‘15 Doug Tarry Homes is a proud supporter of St Thomas Soccer Club

Submitted by St. Thomas Soccer Club The past four years have seen a group of talented girls born in 2002 compete for St. Thomas in the London and District Youth Soccer League (LDYSL). Along with

league play, the team has travelled to Ottawa for the Gloucester Invitational and Montreal for the Brossard Challenge.

The team was also fortunate to be the flag bearers for the national anthem at a Toronto FC game last year.

This year, the team embarks on a new challenge that will see them compete in the newly formed Inter-District division of the Western Ontario Youth Soccer League (WOYSL). This is the highest level of play that the Ontario Soccer Association presently offers to this age group of players in this area.

“This year, the team embarks on a new challenge that will see them compete in the newly formed Inter-District division of the Western Ontario Youth Soccer League (WOYSL).”

The St. Thomas Vipers will be competing in the WOYSL Inter-District League this summer.

Front Row (left to right): Klara Lattanzio, Emily Parish, Kayla Caeiro, Haylee Vlasman, Aviva Fournie, Faith DeVries, Halle Szabo, Macy Wismer. Back Row (left to right): Morgan Cook, Taylor Snyder, Marlize Rupple, Rianne Neill, Serena Vanderwyst, Ashley Niville, Emily Arn, Amber Safadi. Missing from photo: Sadie Waite, Olivia Caines

The St. Thomas team is made up of many multi-sport athletes who compete in competitive hockey, basketball and volleyball over the winter months.

To keep a touch on the ball during the soccer indoor season, the team has been training once a week at Centrefield Sports. The Vipers will be competing against Cambridge, Waterloo, Kitchener, North London, Byron and Windsor in their WOYSL division.

The team is transitioning from playing 9v9 to playing 11v11 and will get their first opportunity to adapt to the full-sized pitch when they compete in the Guelph ‘First on the Turf’ tournament the weekend of May 2-3. That will be followed by the WOYSL Kick Off Cup on May 16-17 and then the St. Thomas Soccerfest tournament May 30-31.

Coaches Gerry Safadi, Nelson Caeiro and Paul Jeffery anticipate this to be a season filled with excellent competition, and they foresee the girls striving to improve their technical and tactical skills.

www.stthomassoccer.com @SportsXpressLON

LondonSportsXpress.ca

19

sportsfiles

Proudly sponsored by

MEC gets you moving Submitted by Allie Boddy and photos by Garry Robbins In 1971, a group of west coast mountaineers made a decision to do business differently. In doing so, they turned an unconventional retail model into a thriving business. Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) inspires and enables everyone to lead active outdoor lifestyles. They do that by selling outdoor gear, clothing, and services. These areas include camping, cycling, watersports, running, winter

sports, climbing and everyday outdoor commuting. MEC promises to match their members with gear that suits their needs. But they also offer more than just products – they offer passion, expertise, experience, and enthusiasm.

MEC is a retail co-operative here in London but they offer something very unique to the community. Not only do they provide the gear for outdoor activities, but

the opportunity to participate! They host a series of five running races throughout the City of London in both trail and road options. These races are priced at only $15 for a fully supported, chip-timed race!

The races are a great opportunity to get out there and explore the different parks around London. If you are not a runner but a cyclist, there is an event for you too! Each summer, MEC London hosts a Century Ride. This year it will begin and end at a local brewery with great post-ride comradery. This 60K or 160K course is fully supported and only $35!

MEC really does inspire and enable everyone to lead active outdoor lifestyles!

For more information, contact: Allie Boddy – Outreach Coordinator allie.boddy@mec.ca/519-668-6657 ext. 263

www.mec.ca

MEC hosts a series of five chip-timed running races throughout London in both trail and road options. Sign up today!

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843 Wharncliffe Rd S, London (519) 685-7070

216 Wellington Rd, London (519) 432-7127

675 Fanshawe Park Rd W, London (519) 660-0533

561 Southdale Rd E, London (519) 681-2007

© 2014 PPG Industries, Inc. All rights reserved. Dulux is a registered trademark of AkzoNobel and is licensed to PPG Architectural Coatings

1163 Highbury Ave N, London (519) 452-3760

885 Dundas St, Woodstock, 519) 539-7465

1018 Talbot St, St. Thomas (519) 633-7711

© 2014 PPG Industries, Inc. All rights reserved. Dulux is a registered trademark of AkzoNobel and is licensed to PPG Architectural Coatings Canada Inc. for use in Canada only. The Multi-Colored Swatches Design is a trademark of PPG Architectural Finishes, Inc.

20

PGA Golf Road Trips:

The Memorial Tournament June 6 & 7,

Camps and competition coming up

By Tyler Schepens

Summer PGA Junior Golf Camps Your junior will experience a week of fun while developing movement and golf skills. This industry-leading program provides juniors with multiple games during morning development sessions and afternoon on-course play. With a low golfer-to-coach ratio, your junior gets private direction while experiencing the game with other golfers.

U22 and U17 athletes – Front row: Luke Flynn, Brianna Kunder, Cam Kellett, Logan Sullivan and Tatiana Hulan. Back row: Jack Dawson, Russell Kelly, Ryan Trocchi, Tyler Schepens and Samantha Currie. Absent: Cason DeThomasis and Olivia Brock

Available for 2015 are half day and full day programs. For full details and dates, visit us online: www.londonjuniorgolf. com

Team London ready to compete Team London juniors have completed a winter season and are ready for the 2015 tournament schedule. The winter season was full of opportunities to hit shots at

U15 athletes (left to right): Ben Urbshott, Kevin Frehner, Quinton Cosby, Josh Adams, Felicia Moyer, Julia Davis and Mackenzie Mercer. Absent: Carter Buck, Simon Buck, Gabrielle Harrison, Mike Lucier, Spencer Mackenzie, Maya Oliver, Ben Secco and Ethan Secco

the Virtual Golf Academy, complete mental exercises and develop physical skills.

This season, all Team London juniors had the opportunity to train in London Both half and full day programs are at BoFit. Led by available at this summer’s PGA Junior Golf Camps head trainer Bo Parsons, the juniors progressed through movement patterns addressing the keys to playing golf at the highest level, while also focusing on personal areas for improvement.

Coach Brian Gallant is proud of all of the players’ efforts and is looking forward to a great season.

www.londonjuniorgolf.com

Sports & jewelry...a beautiful combo

By SportsXpress Team They sell diamonds – the jewelry variety, not the baseball kind. But with their passion for sports, they could certainly be in the business of sport.

Lachlan Laurie and Brad Brown, who are

co-owners of Richmond Diamonds, are sports fanatics.

So when you come to the store (located at 428 Richmond Street), be sure to leave a few extra minutes to talk sports…

Do you agree with Brendan Shanahan's strategy to blow up and rebuild Lachlan's beloved Toronto Maple Leafs?

Is Eli Manning a premier NFL quarterback?

And can Brad's New York Giants get back to the Super Bowl?

Laurie and Brown do plenty of debating back and forth, but one thing is for sure: they make a great team. They have many years of experience Richmond Diamonds co-owners Lachlan Laurie and Brad Brown share two passions which include providing exceptional jewelry and being sports fanatics. in the jewelry industry,

Canadian Open July 26,

World Golf Championships Aug 8 & 9 (details on page 10)

and they’re thrilled to have launched this new partnership on Richmond Row. “This location brings in the right people that we want to connect with, which was the main reason we chose Richmond Row,” said Brown.

‘Love It, Own It, Wear It’ is one of the taglines of Richmond Diamonds, and they have a wide selection of engagement rings, fine jewellery and fashion pieces (from custom jewellery creations to oneof-a-kind in-house items). They also do repairs, cleaning, appraisals, insurance claims, estate evaluations, watch batteries, and more, all while priding themselves on providing their clientele with extraordinary personalized service.

If you’re downtown and in the market for jewelry, check out the sports fans at Richmond Diamonds!

www.richmonddiamonds.ca

21

sportsfiles

Why is Junior Golf important?

Submitted by City of London Municipal Golf Golf is a sport that boys and girls can play at a young age and enjoy for the rest of their lives. When golfing at the City of London Municipal Golf Courses, juniors meet new friends, enjoy the health benefits of physical exercise, learn to manage their emotions, set personal goals, improve their concentration, and learn valuable communications skills, all while having fun outdoors. Golf helps shape the lives of juniors by teaching them the following key life values: • Responsibility and Respect • Honesty and Integrity • Courtesy and Perseverance • Sportsmanship and Confidence Our Municipal Golf System promotes junior golf through summer camps, free weekly leagues, free Club Championships, free golf at Fanshawe’s Parkside 9 and by offering low, affordable membership

BARCODE 267194 267195 267196 267197

START DATE END DATE July 7 July 10 July 14 July 17 July 21 July 24 July 28 July 31

packages and green fee prices for golfers aged 7-18.

2015 Junior Camps This program is designed for juniors who wish to learn the basics of golf so they can enjoy the game for the rest of their lives.

Instruction is provided by PGA of Canada Golf Professionals in a fun, stress-free environment. Junior golfers are introduced to a proper grip, stance, basic swing mechanics, short game skills (chipping and putting), as well as rules and etiquette. This is a 4-day morning camp that takes place from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. There will be a 9-hole fun golf tournament followed by a barbecue lunch on the final day. Juniors should provide their own clubs. Proper footwear is required. $99 for residents, $104 for non-residents.

There are so many benefits to junior golf, including exercise, meeting new friends, goal-setting, and learning many key life values.

www.london.ca/golf

DAY Tues – Fri Tues – Fri Tues – Fri Tues – Fr

TIME 9am – 12pm 9am – 12pm 9am – 12pm 9am – 12pm

LOCATION Thames Valley Golf Course Thames Valley Golf Course Thames Valley Golf Course Thames Valley Golf Course

One Amazing Membership 5 Great Courses

Register online today using Spectrum Interactive at london.ca/golf or call 519-661-5575.

Free Saturdays & Sundays! – Any adult golfer paying a guest or member green fee can bring one junior: • Ages 9-14 for a FREE round of 9 holes on the Hickory 9 at Thames Valley on Saturdays and Sundays in June, July and August.*† • Ages 13-18 for a FREE round of 18 holes at any Municipal Golf Course on Saturdays and Sundays in June, July and August.**† * This promotion runs all day on Thames Valley’s Hickory 9 Course only. ** This promotion runs every Saturday & Sunday after 3 p.m. † Must book tee times in advance to take advantage of this promotion.

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www.crumlincreek.com | 1720 Crumlin Side Road, London | 519-659-7070

22

PGA Golf Road Trips:

The Memorial Tournament June 6 & 7,

sportsfiles

Masters medal at provincials Submitted by Middlesex Swimming The Middlesex swimmers were at it again this spring, claiming numerous medals at the Ontario Masters Championships at the Etobicoke Olympium in Etobicoke, ON the weekend of April 2-4. In total, the Middlesex team took home 40 individual medals (18 gold, 14 silver, eight bronze), as well as seven relay gold medals. That showing earned the team a 12th-place finish out of 64

teams, an improvement from its 17thplace finish in 2014.

Sara Little (25-29) was the leading woman among the Middlesex swimmers, capturing an impressive five gold medals (50m, 100m, and 200m breaststroke, as well as 200m and 400m individual medley), and one bronze (50m freestyle).

Sheila Treleaven (40-44) also dominated, coming away with four gold medals of her

It was a successful weekend for Middlesex masters swimmers on April 2-4 at the provincial championships, as the team claimed 40 individual medals and placed 12th overall.

Canadian Open July 26,

World Golf Championships Aug 8 & 9 (details on page 10)

own (100m, 200m, and 800m freestyle and 50m fly), while Terri Macdougall (50-54) claimed gold medals in the 50m, 100m, and 200m breaststroke events, and silver medals in the 50m and 100m freestyle and 50m fly events.

Brooke Heath, meanwhile, impressively broke the Ontario record for the 100m breaststroke event in the 30-34 age group, posting a time of 1:16:78.

On the men’s side, Ben Hedley (40-44) took home gold in the 50m and 100m freestyle events, as well as bronze in the 100m individual medley. Johnny Hewerdine (35-39) claimed silver medals in the 100m fly and 100m individual medley events, in addition to three bronze medals (100m backstroke, 100m breaststroke, and 50m fly).

Bernard Volz (45-49), the former 1984 Canadian Olympian in the 1500m freestyle, earned a silver medal in the 100m freestyle event and a bronze medal in the 100m backstroke.

Middlesex masters swimming is an adult program for all levels 18 & over.

New swimmers are welcome any time.

Participation is the name of the game, regardless of speed or experience.

www.middlesexswimming.ca

23

sportsfiles

Diving in internationally

This feature is proudly sponsored by

Submitted by Forest City Diving Club The Forest City Diving Club (FCDC) has sive training, both on land and in the astounding results, each landing on the had some extraordinary recent success. water. Practices in the gym are used for podium, with many achieving personal In early March, five Elite Tier I divers and strength and conditioning, as well as best scores and qualifying National stantheir coach traveled to Victoria, British dard scores. preparation of new dives through repetiColumbia to compete at the 2015 Marc An impressive six divers (Al'x Pierre, tive motions. Competitive Divers train up LePoole's Speedo Sting.

Brittany Haskell, Jordan Fulawka, Camryn to nine times a week.

This year, top divers from all over Our strong Learn to Dive program is Hughes, Julia Parybak and Katelyn Fung) Canada came to showcase their skills on a recreational program that introduces headed off to Cuba. The head coach, 1m, 3m and Platform in hopes of securIoana Marinescu, a 1992 Barcelona children/adults to the sport of diving in ing a spot on the 2015 Canadian team, Olympian, was the lead coach for this a safe and fun environment. Come and which will travel to Dresden, Germany training camp and competition, which check out our Summer Camps that run to represent Canada at the annual Youth weekly through the months of July and took place April 19-26.

International Diving Meet on April 23-26.

August. To see what diving is all about, Ioana and Luda have been training The FCDC team was comprised of Faith visit us at the Canada Games Aquatic high-level athletes here in London since Zacharias, Joshua Inglis, Anika Holland, Centre on June 13/14 when FCDC is host2003 and 2009, respectively. The conJamie Dutz and Al’x Pierre. Under tinued success of the divers and these ing the Tier II Provincial Championships. the watchful eye of their coach, Luda For more information, visit www.forestcoaches shows that London has made Zakharenko, all five finished in the top citydiving.com or call 226-289-5504. a mark on the map for producing high 12. performance divers. www.forestcitydiving.com FCDC was proud to announce that Faith Diving is a sport that requires intenand Joshua, with their gold medal wins on 1m and 3m, secured two of the 12 coveted spots to represent Team Canada.

And their coach, Luda, was chosen as one of three Canadian coaches to accompany the Canadian team to Dresden.

Meanwhile, during the March break, the Jr. and Sr. Tier I team traveled to Thunder Bay, Ontario to compete at the Spring Provincial Championships, hoping to earn one of the 12 spots to attend an elite training camp and international The Forest City Diving Club (FCDC) is a high-performance diving club in London. Recently, several of the competition in Cuba. The divers had club’s divers had great success and traveled to compete internationally

24

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LondonSportsXpress

sportsnews

LAC swimmers migrate to Florida Submitted by the London Aquatic Club Seventeen of the top age group swimmers at the London Aquatic Club spent the March Break in Florida in preparation for the next phase of the 2014-15 swimming schedule, the ‘long course’ swim season.

The competitive swim season is broken into two phases. The first, which takes place from September to March, is known as the ‘short course’ (or winter) season.

At this time, competitions are held in 25-meter pools. From March to August, the ‘long course’ season takes place, with the majority of competitions held in 50-meter, or Olympic-sized pools.

LAC is extremely fortunate to have access to three Olympic-sized swimming pools within the city, but sometimes we

offer a unique training opportunity in a sunny location. This year, LAC returned to beautiful Plantation, Florida for seven days of swimming, sun, sand, and surf!

These warm weather training The Florida training camp served as a great way to camps are a great way for the club’s transition from the ‘short course’ season to the ‘long coaches and swimmers to transition course’ schedule, which now runs through August from the winter (‘short course’) to Pentathlon, with excellent results posted the summer (‘long course’) seasons. by the club’s 170 participating swimmers.

Getting out of the home environment not Also on the near horizon is LAC’s 24th only provides a much-needed break from annual Hollandia Invitational Swim Meet, ‘Old Man Winter’, but also allows for dediwhich is set for May 8-10 at the Canada cated work on swimming technique and fitness, as well as teaching the valuable life Games Aquatic Centre.

For more information on our growing skills of responsibility, independence, and program, visit us online: www.londonateamwork. quaticclub.ca or phone 519-857-SWIM. LAC swimmers usually participate in Our coaches are always looking for young these unique training camp experiences children who love the water and who have once every two years, although their popuperhaps climbed as high as they can larity is such that those who have recently through the swim lesson programs offered participated clamour to go again the next by the City. The LAC offers no-charge, noyear! obligation two-week trials.

LAC has already hosted its first long

www.londonaquaticclub.ca

course competition, the Good Friday

LEADING • ACHIEVING • COMPETING

SINCE

519-857-SWIM Top LAC swimmers enjoyed a week in Plantation, Florida, where they enjoyed working hard in the pool as well as some sun, sand and surf

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What you don’t know about Synchro Submitted by London Synchronized Swimming Club With the Pan American Games just 9. Glitter and bling.

5. No touching! Athletes must swim in around the corner, it’s a good time to Team suits are deep water and continuously tread water shine some light on an Olympic sport intricate and beautiabove and below the surface. Even durthat is more than just ‘water ballet.’ Here ing tricks and lifts, the swimmers must ful. Embellished suits are often made by are some finer points about synchronized never touch the bottom. hand, with sequins, beading and glitter. swimming that will prepare you for watch- 6. The longest time a swimmer will hold Swimmers complete the look with matching this amazing sport: ing headpieces, which are most often her breath is just shy of one minute.

1. The sport features teams of up to 7. Strength! Swimmers are exceptionally pinned or sewn into the hair to ensure eight athletes swimming in extremely strong to incorporate movements and they don’t fall out. After all, most of what close proximity. Duets and solo events lifts out of the water. Athletes work to de- you see is above water so the headpieces are also part of the discipline. velop their core strength, allowing them need to shine!

2. Teams are judged on technique 10. Watch for stars! The Canadian to tread water with their shoulders out of (athletes must execute required moveNational Synchronized Team will be comthe water. Since routines are two and a ments and positions) and creativity. peting at the Pan Am Games during the half minutes long, the strength required Underwater speakers allow the athletes first week of July. They’re stars in their in an athlete’s legs and core must be to continuously hear the music -- both exceptional. own right, and we’re sending wishes for under the water and above. gold!

8. Practice makes perfect! Teams must 3. Deck work! Before every routine, athpractice together (there are no alternates www.londonsynchroclub.ca letes perform choreographed movements or substitute swimmers). This is the before entering the water. Although not ultimate team sport. Athletes practice judged on deck work, it sets out the creup to 4 -5 times per week from 12-16 ative piece needed for competition. hours a week.

4. Nose clips and hair gel! An athlete needs plenty of nose clips since many movements are performed underwater. Clips are sometimes accidentally kicked off by another swimmer, and many athletes keep an extra pair tucked in their suit. To see clearly, the athletes must keep hair away from their face.

Synchronized swimming is much more than simply ‘water ballet.’ It’s time to learn more about this amazing sport Gelatin is used to smooth back before the 2015 Pan Am Games the hair and is waterproof.

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teamprofiles

And starting for Team Dulux London is…

Why girls’ hockey is great!

Submitted by Dulux London

Story and photo by Coleen Dalton There is nothing like the excitement friendships that last a lifetime. The of watching your daughter take the puck atmosphere in the dressing room is full down the ice for the first time and score of music, chatter and laughter while the her first goal! Cheers from the fans in girls prepare to play together as a team! the stands, a wave to parents from the What does it mean to be part of this ice, and a smile that could light up the team? Most recently, a group of my eldest now 21 and 22 and have been apart for a few years. What amazed me watching arena are what follows that amazing daughter’s teammates were brought this group was the ease with which their moment. Teammates hug and fist bump together through a sad and difficult “sisterhood” instantly returned. They on the bench, coaches are so proud of situation – the passing of one of their have been through amazing wins and diftheir athletes, and the player has gained long-time coaches. Many of these girls confidence knowing that she is part of an played hockey together since they were 6 ficult losses together. They have cheered Christian Leggett, Guzi London-Fanshawe location: Ron Diehl, Wellington location: Scott Davison Loughlean together location: and cried together.

TheyJodie have incredible thing – a team! or 7 years old until they wereCate 18 and get- Wharncliffe and Matt Deschenes Linda Dillman and Fred Anjema and Paul Masters always had each other.

They will always Playing girls’ hockey helps create ting ready to leave for university. They are be a team!

There is something incredibly strong and unique about girls being able to be part of a girls’ hockey team. The confidence they build, the friendships, and the memories, which they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Do you want more information on how to get your daughter involved in the great game of hockey? Check out the London Devilettes website: www.londondevilettes.com. The Devilettes are dedicated ® to the growth and development of female hockey players!

Discover the Dulux Difference www.londondevilettes.ca

Highbury location: Dave DeGroot, Chuck Peacock, Southdale location: Ayman Abdul-Karim, Alex Nelson and Kelly Webster Tyler Moass and Amanda Baily There is something unique about girls’ hockey and the friendships and memories which will last for a lifetime

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Offseason training with the Lightning Submitted by the London Lightning and photo by Kyle Montgomery This summer, the London Lightning are pleased to offer a series of camps for youth in the London and surrounding community.

Starting in July, the Lightning will offer full day camps for campers aged 6 to 12 through the YMCA of Southwestern Ontario. Campers will be given the chance to brush up on their basketball skills with some of their favourite Lightning players.

YMCA day camp is the best way to play, build relationships and start to develop a healthy lifestyle like no other day camp in London. This camp will offer many of the same skills that helped take our local team members to a professional level of basketball.

The YMCA London Lightning Basketball Camps will be offered on the following dates: • July 27-31 at St. Thomas YMCA • August 4-7 at the official Lightning gym

• August 10-14 at the official Lightning gym • August 17-21 at Centre Branch YMCA • August 24-28 at Centre Branch YMCA For more information or to register, visit www.ymcawo.ca or call (519) 453-8858.

Lightning Dance Pack The London Lightning Dance Pack will also be offering Training Camp this summer through Elan Dance Arts. Dancers aged 9 to 14 can take part in Junior Training Camp, and those aged 15 or

older can participate in Senior Training camp.

Dancers will work on their jazz, hip hop and freestyle techniques.

Both training camps will be instructed by Lightning Creative Director Shawna Kwan and members of the Lightning Dance Pack at Elan Dance Art’s new state of the art facility!

For more information or to register, please call: 519-652-3433.

www.lightningbasketball.ca

The London Lightning Dance Pack will be offering a Training Camp this summer for Juniors (9 to 14) and Seniors (15+) through Elan Dance Arts

Tanner da Silva Power Cheer Gym Tanner da Silva is the epitome of a hard worker. The 16-year-old has been cheerleading for nine years with Power Cheer Gym, and he still comes in early and stays late, putting in extra time in gymnastics to strengthen his game.

The friendly teen, who lives in London and attends Mother Theresa high school, is looking forward to post-secondary school in the future. Outside of his own athletic endeavours, da Silva is a volunteer coach with a special needs team, and he assists David-Lee Tracey, head coach and owner of Power Cheer Gym, with many tasks around the facility.

Impressively, the 16-year-old has overcome a variety of health issues in his young life, and he has come away stronger as a result. An ‘all-around wonderful kid’, da Silva is a worthy scholarship winner.

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sportsfiles

Impressions is proud to support minor sports.

Proudly sponsored by

Shock seeing success Submitted by St. Thomas Shock Basketball Since 2003, St. Thomas Shock Basketball has been providing St. Thomas youth with the best fundamental and skilldeveloping basketball program around.

They have done this by providing both a development and competitive program that offers basketball to all youth, from beginner to advanced.

Shock Basketball is a not-for-profit organization that relies on volunteer coaches and high school students to teach today’s youth the fundamentals, basic skills and knowledge of the game. All volunteers are dedicated to improving basketball in St. Thomas and surrounding area.

The development program is based on an 8-week clinic for boys and girls in grades 2 to 8. The clinics run from October to December on Friday nights and Saturday mornings for an hour and a half for each age group (groups are based on Ontario Basketball classifications).

Each participant receives a basketball, t-shirt and many other prizes throughout the 8 weeks. FUN is the fundamental word

233 Edward Street, St. Thomas, Ontario N5P 1Z4 Phone 519-633-1580 Fax 519-633-8531 www.impressions-printing.com

that the clinics are based on and each week a basic skill involved in the game of basketball is taught. Using a combination of drills, scrimmages and games, the coaches teach and review fundamental basketball skills. All that is required from the participants is a clean pair of running shoes and a desire to learn and have fun!

The competitive side of the program is built around the clinics, as travel teams are developed using tryouts from the participants who attend the clinics. The travel season runs from October to April depending on the age group and number of tournaments that each team decides to attend. St. Thomas Shock believes that practicing twice as much as you play, even at the competitive level, allows for youth to develop basic skills and a team concept at a quicker rate.

Exhibition games and tournaments are scheduled throughout the season and practices can run from once a week to twice a week depending on the age group.

Travel teams are coached by volunteer

The St. Thomas Shock Major Bantam Boys were 2014 OBA Gold Medal Champions

FUN is the fundamental word that Shock Basketball clinics are based on, and each week a new skill is taught

coaches who must attend Coaching Clinics in order to attain the level that is required by the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) in accordance with the Coaches Association of Canada and Ontario Basketball Association.

The Shock currently has six travel teams. The main focus is not winning, but to continue the development of the fundamental basic skills and increase the knowledge of the game of basketball to youth in order to enhance their love for the game.

While winning is not the primary focus, the players have had great success over the last four or five years, bringing home eight Ontario Basketball championship gold medals and three silver medals at various age groups. The program’s main goal on the competitive side is to make high school basketball in Elgin County as strong as it can be to compete at the TVDSB level and also the provincial level.

St. Thomas Shock is a proud supporter of PGC Basketball, and many of our beliefs are built around this program. PGC Basketball (www.pgcbasketball.com) was founded by Dick DeVenzio, one of the top 50 Duke basketball players of all time, and is now run by Owner/President Mano Watsa. Shock President Rhonda Dawdy had an opportunity to meet Rick Torbett, the founder of Better Basketball (www. betterbasketball.com) and the Read & React offence. Since that meeting, they have implemented the Read & React system throughout their competitive teams.

The partnership with PGC Basketball and Better Basketball allows the club to continue to offer that high level basketball experience and learning, as well as maintain the fun side of an amazing sport that is reaching its peak in Canada.

Rick Torbett and Cindy Torbett from Better Basketball meet with Shock President Rhonda Dawdy in Oklahoma

Impressions is proud to support minor sports.

233 Edward Street, St. Thomas, Ontario N5P 1Z4 Phone 519-633-1580 Fax 519-633-8531 www.impressions-printing.com @SportsXpressLON

www.shockbasketball.com

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Almost time for LVCamp!

Submitted by London Volleyball Club The London Volleyball Club (LVC) is thrilled to announce three exciting weeks of camp this summer (July 27-31, August 3-7 and August 10-14). Last summer, in our first year, we had over 200 athletes aged 5-18 join us, and we hope you join us too!

Athletes are taught the basic fundamental skills and introduced to tactical and psychological tools that will help them become excellent volleyball play-

ers. We are bringing back the same core group of coaches (nearly all CIS and CCAA head coaches!) and will once again organize "stations" to allow each athlete a chance to be trained by each coach in their area of specialty.

LVCamp will once again be hosted by Supreme Courts Volleyball, Ontario's only volleyball-specific facility, which is located here in London. The camp will be run by LVC Director, Patrick Johnston,

At LVCamp, athletes are taught the basic fundamental volleyball skills (by top-notch coaches), as well as the ‘tactical and psychological tools’ that will help them become excellent players

10 locations to serve you in Southwestern Ontario

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who will use each on-court session to combine fundamental skill-training followed by focused game-play to help all of our athletes accomplish our two main goals: learn the game and love the game.

To sign up or to learn more about LVCamp, head to www.londonvbcamp. com. Sign up soon, as Session #1 is already 75% sold out! See you in July! #lovethegame

www.lvcfire.com

sportsfiles

Summer fun at Supreme Courts Submitted by Supreme Courts It has been an awesome winter volleyball season, and we are now ramping up our summer programming. We have some new additions to our programs this summer that are going to get you running in to Supreme Courts Sports Centre!

Summer Camps We will be running our popular multisport summer camps for most of the summer. Near the end of the summer, we will be offering a volleyball specific camp for all you serious volleyball fans out there.

During the evening, we have developmental leagues for boys and girls aged 6-8 who love the game of volleyball and are interested in developing their skills.

Knocker Balls (Bubble Balls)

ing and fun that not a lot of scoring is going on! You can sign up for a game, party or event with the Knocker Balls.

For more information on any of these programs, contact: tara@supremecourts. ca or call 226-667-9900.

We have added Knocker Ball games to our programming. Knocker Balls put a unique twist on sports. You wear a big protective bubble to play a contactfriendly sport game. The whole family can get involved. It is safe for ages 8 and up. Exhilarating knocks and rolls that will keep you coming back for more!

Organizing a Knocker Ball game is truly a blast, but we will warn you: organized games generally result in so much laugh-

supremecourtsvolleyball.com

Parties, Parties, Parties Due to a number of requests, we have added birthday parties, end-ofseason parties, end-of-year parties, and anytime parties. You have your choice of multiple sports games and fun activities, and then end your day with lunch and cake. All you have to do is show up! We take care of the rest.

Knocker Balls (Bubble Balls) are truly a blast, as they offer sports games while wearing a contact-friendly protective bubble

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Make fitness a family affair!

Submitted by The Little Gym of London Habits can be very hard to break. That can be a very good thing, however, when you are talking about the kinds of healthier habits that parents can help their children develop right from the start. The key to getting those healthy habits to ‘stick’ is to make certain that they are rewarding and enjoyable for your children.

What can you do?

long run.* There is a strong link between physical activity and development of the part of the brain that controls ‘executive functions’ like mental multitasking and concentration. These are the thinking skills that have the strongest influence on your child’s academic performance.

Children like to play.

That’s why making physical activity fun is the best way to encourage children to become and stay active.

Programs at The Little Gym focus on fun-filled ways for kids to burn off energy and make new friends while developing self-confidence in their physical abilities.

And that’s a great start on a lifetime habit that pays

dividends in both physical and mental health!

For more information, visit: www.tlglondoncan.com or call 519-642-0660. * http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pubmed/25266425

www.tlglondoncan.com

As a parent, you pass down more than your genes; you pass down your habits too! If you make healthy choices, your children are likely to do the same. If you make fitness part of your everyday family life, your kids are more likely to regard being active as fun (and not a chore).

Here are some things you can try: 1. Incorporate physical activity into the family routine with a nightly family walk or bike ride 2. Train as a family for a charity run or walk 3. Celebrate special occasions -- like birthdays – with something active, like a hike, soccer game or a party at The Little Gym! Helping develop healthy habits early in life may even help your children to be better in school over the Getting children active early in life has many benefits, not only for today but for their whole lives!

Happy 4th Birthday Jack!

Contact us to learn about our special birthday packages www.tlglondoncan.com

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London’s Royal Family…of Cheer!

Submitted by CheerStrike score) title for our Junior Level 1 team.

On April 10-12, we traveled with all six of our teams to compete at the Cheer Evolution Canadian National Championships. It was a very exciting weekend, and all our athletes had strong performances, supporting each other and bringing home some serious hardware! The team came away with two 2nd-place finishes, two 3rd-place finishes, one 5th place and one 8th place.

We are now gearing up for our third season and are excited to be offering nine competitive teams at all levels, as well as recreational classes, tumbling lessons, birthday parties and camps!

There is truly something for everyone.

We will be holding our 2015-2016 team placements from May 19-22. For more information, visit us online.

The CheerStrike Royals are a competitive cheer club located in Northwest London, currently in our second year of operation. This season we offered six

In their third season, the CheerStrike Royals will offer nine competitive teams at all levels, as well as recreational classes, tumbling lessons, birthday parties and camps

competitive teams for athletes ranging in age from 3 to 14 years old. In October, we moved in to our own facility (our Royal Palace), offering our teams the opportunity to train in a dedicated cheer gym with a fully sprung full-sized cheer floor.

This year, we saw all of our teams and athletes grow together to achieve great results at competitions.

Our club earned our first Ontario Championship Titles (Mini Level 1 and Junior Level 1), CheerStrike earned its first Ontario as well as our first Championship Titles (Mini Level 1 Grand Champion and Junior Level 1) this past year (highest overall

www.cheerstrikeroyals.com

Calendar of Events

To promote your event contact London@SportsXpress.ca

May 9

June 5-7

June 19-21

July 17

London Sports & Activity Expo, BMO Centre

London Badgers Tournament, Headquarters – Stronach Sports Complex

Beer & BBQ Show, Western Fair District

Barking Frog Summer Night 5K, Barking Frog

May 10

June 6

Stars on Ice, Budweiser Gardens

Boys & Girls Club - Race for Kids, Boys & Girls Club of London

May 16-17

June 7

June 20 UFE Showdown - Natural Fitness, Centennial Hall

July 18

June 20

July 18-19, July 25-26 & Aug 8-9 Slo-Pitch Super Series, Slow Pitch City & Dreamers

5K Foam Fest, Boler Mountain

Play On! 4 On 4 Hockey Tournament, Victoria Park

Rock the Road 10K, Masonville Place

London's Corporate Challenge, Robarts School

May 22-24, May 29-31

June 10

June 21

July 19

8th Annual Cardinal Classic Tournament (baseball), Doug Tarry Sports Complex

2nd Annual KidSport London Golf Tournament, The Oaks Golf Course

Runners' Choice Father's Day Walk/Run, TD Waterhouse Stadium

Running the District Series: I Run for Ice Cream, Western Fair District

May 23-24, June 6-7 & June 20-21

June 11-13

June 22

July 25

Slow Pitch Ontario Superseries, London Area

Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Celebrity: Game, Golf & Induction Ceremony, St Marys

Lexus of London Golf Classic, The Oaks Golf Course

Rug-Rat Back Pack Beach Volleyball Tournament, Port Stanley

May 23 Fanshawe Yacht Club Annual Open House, Fanshawe Park

May 24 Kids Tri 4 Kids, Carling Heights Community Centre

May 30 MEC London Race Three: 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Springbank Park May 30-31 London Pickleball Tournament, Carling Heights Community Centre

May 30-31 & June 27-28

June 12-14 London Badgers Tournament, Headquarters – Stronach Sports Complex

June 13 The Wild Ride, Wildwood Conservation Area Trails

June 13 Fanshawe Dragonboat Festival, Fanshawe June 14 Run Ingersoll - 10K & 5K Road Race & 1K Fun Run/Walk, Ingersoll-Harris Heights School

June 19

St Thomas Soccerfest, Athletic/Cowan Park, St Thomas

Run for Hope, London City Centre

May 31

June 19

Run the District Running Series: Chuckle Run, Western Fair District

Run the District Running Series: Run to the BBQ, Western Fair District

June 26-28

July 25-26

Mopar Nitro Jam Nationals, Grand Bend Motorplex

Rona MS Bike Tours, Grand Bend to London

June 27

Sep 11-13

London Bicycle Festival 2015, Springbank Gardens/Wonderland Complex

2015 NHL Rookie Tournament, Budweiser Gardens

July 1 Embro Highland Games, Embro

July 3-5 Slo Pitch Ontario Eliminations, Slow Pitch City

July 5 MEC London Century Ride: 60K/100K/160K, Railway City Brewery

July 6-10 ScotDance Championships, London Convention Centre

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Power Cheer turning it up Submitted by Power Cheer Gym The spring season is maximum competition time for cheerleading, and the Power Cheer Gym Vipers have been busy on both sides of the border. Close to 100 athletes and family members from the Junior and Senior teams were in Myrtle Beach, S.C. for the ‘Battle at the Beach’ in March. This event hosts a huge field of competitors and draws from the elite clubs along the eastern seaboard.

Meanwhile, the ICU World Cheerleading Championships has two of PCG’s senior staff members, Kurt Ford and Kaitlyn Harvey, competing for Team Canada in the highest level of competitive cheer. Gym owner and longtime Western University Cheer Coach, Trace, is also back for his second year coaching the 24-member Coed Canadian team at the World Championships.

Back in Ontario, the Mini (ages 5-7) and Youth (ages 7-11) Vipers were on the road recently to the Ontario Cheerleading Federation Provincials in Brampton in preparation for the OCF Nationals in April. The traveling squads that were in South Carolina, meanwhile, then turned their attention to the Cheer Evolution Nationals in Niagara Falls to cap off their season.

Power Cheer Gym staff firmly believe in the value of having athletes be involved in multiple sports and school activities.

As such, once the cheerleading competition season ends, athletes are encouraged to participate in other sports, summer leagues and camps. The unfortunate norm in the cheer industry (as well as a lot of other youth and school sports) is to lock the kids into 11-month schedules

Power Cheer Gym athletes and family members traveled to Myrtle Beach, S.C. for the ‘Battle at the Beach’ in March, which featured elite competition from along the eastern seaboard

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and year-round training. At PCG, kids are encouraged to be kids, and families are encouraged to enjoy liberal ‘off-season’ timeframes.

Aside from the brief Spring Tryouts and Team Placement period (May 20-25), all members are free to enjoy a very light ‘off-season,’ which for some teams means four open months. Overtraining does NOT produce better athletes, and PCG feels that its athletes greatly benefit from having the freedom to enjoy their childhood and not be tethered to the gym.

It is never too late to get involved with a team at the Power Cheer Gym, and the fully credentialed, friendly and fun staff and coaches are always available to introduce new athletes to competitive cheer. Parents will love our comfortable elevated parents’ lounge and reading room overlooking the newly renovated gym area. Check us out online: www.PowerCheerGym.com or call: 519-667-0565.

www.powercheergym.com pcgvipers

@PCGVipers

sportsfiles

Learning the Art of Teaching Submitted by Richelle Hirlehey for Dance Extreme Dance Extreme offers an assistant teaching program that provides our dance students with training that is a step up from their technical training.

This program is for all those dancers who are interested in developing experience working with young children and teaching dance.

Through this program, students gain teaching skills and discipline techniques that will further them if they decide to pursue teaching down the road. It is also an excellent way for students to gain high school volunteer hours and develop childcare skills in a supervised environment all while learning to teach dance.

Our dance students truly benefit from assisting in our recreational classes, and many go on to assist with our Summer

Camp programs and our younger competitive classes.

Former Dance Extreme dancer and assistant teacher Maggie Kennedy shares her insights: “I was part of Dance Extreme's assistant program for four years, and it was such an amazing opportunity for me.

It gave me the experience and knowledge I needed to go on and work as a dance teacher for The City of London's Spectrum program, and be a substitute teacher at Dance Extreme. It gives dancers an opportunity to be leaders and, more importantly, role models for younger dancers. There is no greater feeling than having a student that you taught come up to you at the end of the year and say that they really appreciated every-

thing you did for them and how much you influenced their lives.”

We require that our assistants are enrolled in multiple class disciplines, and they can begin assisting dancers as young as 11 years old. Our faculty guide and mould our assistants through positive feedback, empowering them to take the lead in portions of the class, and through a formal evaluation process.

This guides our assistants to develop and improve upon their teaching skillsets. It is a wonderful opportunity, and we know that many students will continue to join the program as they become eligible.

www.danceextreme.com

Dance Extreme’s assistant teaching program offers student teachers the chance to assist in recreational classes, and many go on to help with Summer Camp programs and younger competitive classes

RICHMOND DIAMONDS F I N E J EWE L L E R S

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Jr. ‘Stangs back in action Submitted by London Minor Lacrosse Association With the snow barely off the turf at Citywide fields, the London Jr ‘Stangs field lacrosse teams started their 2015 season in late March. Eager to get back in action, approximately 70 registered players were all smiles despite the chilly temperatures.

In Ontario, the spring field lacrosse season is fast and furious! With only a few practices on the agenda before the April 11 season opener, the Jr ‘Stangs were hard at work brushing up on their outdoor skills. While there are many aspects of field lacrosse shared with the indoor box version, there is no confusing the two very different sports.

Based on the ancient Aboriginal game, field lacrosse is the oldest team sport in North America in contrast to indoor box lacrosse, which only came to be in the 1930s. Field lacrosse was an Olympic sport over 100 years ago, with recent

London Jr. ‘Stang defense and goalie (2014 OMFLL Fall Ball)

efforts aimed at returning it to the 2024 games.

Field lacrosse continues to be a major sport in North American colleges and universities, including our own Western Mustangs which run very successful men’s and women’s programs. Canadian minor club teams are also becoming more prevalent in U.S. tournaments, allowing the more dedicated Canadian players to continue their seasons once temperatures drop here at home.

Unlike the more

popular indoor ‘Toronto Rock style’ lacrosse, the field game is played on outdoor fields (110 yards by 60 yards).

The 6-foot square nets are placed 45 feet within the end line, allowing for a large playing area behind the net. Ten players take the field at a time; three defenders in the defensive end; three midfielders free to run the whole field; and three attackers, whose job is to score goals in the offensive end.

The brave goalie faces the hard rubber ball (which can reach speeds of up to 160km/hr) with minimal protective equipment, relying mainly on their stick to stop shots. Field defensemen carry extra long (up to 6 feet) sticks or ‘crosses’, which they use to check the ball carrier.

Boys’ minor field lacrosse is a full contact sport, even in the minor age groups, which include U9 to U17 as part of the Ontario Minor Field Lacrosse League.

In Ontario’s spring league, nearly 200 teams meet for weekend games during the short season, culminating with qualifiers for the older age groups and a Provincial Championship weekend in late May (at which time box lacrosse gets into full swing across the province). London also enters teams in the smaller Ontario fall field league, which runs from early September until Thanksgiving weekend.

Good luck to all of our 2015 field lacrosse teams!

London Jr. ‘Stangs U17: Ontario Spring Field Lacrosse ‘C’ Champions (2014)

www.londonlacrosse.com London Jr. ‘Stangs U16: Ontario Fall Field Lacrosse ‘C’ Champions (2014)

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Entering a new era Submitted by London Junior Mustangs some time,” said Tsioros. “There is a lot of responsibility that comes with donning the most recognized logo in CIS sports, and we do not take that lightly. We represent our city and the Western University when we travel and play provincially, and I feel that we completely understand what that represents.”

The affiliation is natural, as there are already many Western Mustang football players and coaches participating in the London Jr Mustangs football program. For Western football, they’re able to teach at the grassroots level, helping mould the young players, and most importantly grow the sport in the London community.

Together, we will be running camps, clinics and football operations that will benefit everyone. This is a work and progress, but nothing but positive things can come from this.

On the field for the spring, the teams will practice and play at TD stadium.

“We want our players, even at the youngest level, to get used to coming up to the University and TD stadium, as its turf fields are considered some of the best in the province,” said Director of Football Jay Kenemy.

Now in their fifth year of competition, the Junior Mustangs are Another exciting wrinkle

The London Junior Mustangs’ spring season kicks off later this month and this year promises to be something special. This will be the club’s fifth year of competition, and we feel that we will have legitimate chances at winning in all five of our spring levels in the provincial arena later in the summer.

“Our goal was always to review our program in year five, and we like what we see,” said President Bill Tsioros.

And what’s not to like? The London Junior Mustangs football program has had an unofficial affiliation with the Western Mustangs university team since its inception, but this spring the Jr Mustangs have officially partnered with Western University Athletics and will be changing over their entire program to fall under the direction of the University.

“It has been a fantastic month for us and we have wanted to do this for quite

Players at even the youngest levels within the Junior Mustang program will have the opportunity to practice and play at TD stadium this year

this year is a partnership with Rogers television, and the Junior Varsity and Varsity games will be telecast live. Part of the Rogers package also includes two half-hour pregame shows.

“These will be special, as the early show will do a complete wrap up and highlight package with interviews of the Atom, Peewee, and Bantam games played earlier in the day and then turn the attention to the games coming up,” said Mike Valenza, head of media relations for the London Junior Mustangs.

Come out and support the program this year! Most of the home games will be played on Saturdays. Since beginning in 2011, the Junior Mustangs have won five provincial or league championships. To learn more, visit us online and follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

www.londonjuniormustangs.com Upcoming Home Games Sat. May 23 vs. Mississauga Warriors Sun. May 31 vs. Hamilton Ironmen Sat. June 13 vs. Niagara Spears Sat. June 27 vs. Brampton Bulldogs

primed for an exciting 2015 season

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Buffalo Bills &

Detroit Lions Road Trips (see page 10 for details)

sportsfiles

Fanshawe Sailing a family affair

Proudly sponsored by

Submitted by the Fanshawe Yacht Club and Sailing School Sailing is a sport for all ages. Whether you're looking for intense thrills and excitement, competitive racing, educational courses, or relaxing cruises, you can get that experience right here in London, Ontario at the Fanshawe Yacht Club and Sailing School on Fanshawe Lake.

And sailing can be a family affair. Take the Beukeboom family, for instance.

Siblings Jacob and Mark Beukeboom have both taken the Canadian certified sailing lessons offered at the Sailing

Besides racing, the Fanshawe Yacht Club offers afternoon pleasure sailing, social gatherings and peaceful sunset cruises

School, and each has progressed over the course of several summers. Jacob and Mark both sail at an advanced level and have raced competitively at regattas held in London and across the province.

As not everyone chases the high speed thrill of racing, London's Fanshawe Yacht Club also offers countless opportunities for afternoon pleasure sailing, social gatherings and peaceful sunset cruises.

The Sailing School is the perfect place to learn how to sail.

Classes are available for both youth and adult students and are taught by certified instructors in a friendly and welcoming environment, with boats, life jackets and all necessary equipment provided. Jacob and Mark Beukeboom, in fact, had no previous experience before enrolling at the Fanshawe Yacht Club and Sailing School, and yet both are now capable of handling multiple types of boats in strong winds and challenging conditions.

Come out and experience the pure excitement that is sailing on May 23 & 24, 2015 at the Fanshawe Yacht Club's Open House! Free admission and sailboat rides. Located inside the Fanshawe Conservation Area.

www.londonsailing.ca

Mark Beukeboom hits the water with friend Karnikaa Katyal

Want to work in sport?

By SportsXpress Team and photo by Greg Matthison Do you have a passion for sport and want to pursue it as a career? Western University might just have the program you’re looking for. As part of the Honours Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology program, students are eligible to pursue a specialization in sport management, which prepares them for all sorts of jobs in the sports world.

Professor Alison Doherty has been teaching sport management for 25 years and is just as passionate as her students.

She takes pride in preparing young students for exciting careers in sport.

“Our students have a passion for sport and everything around it, and [the program] gives students a chance to follow their dream of having a career in sports,” Doherty said. “Our program and field experience [which consists of 50+ hours] gives them a variety of experiences.”

The sport management specialization includes courses in 2nd, 3rd and 4th year

Buffalo Bills &

of the Honours Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology, and may be complemented with courses in nutrition, sport psychology, fitness appraisal and athletic therapy, to name a few. There are typically 20 students per year (mostly from across Ontario), and the students get a sport management degree. There are prerequisites leading up to the Capstone field experience course, which is the final culmination of the degree.

Doherty, who was an invited lecturer to the Master’s in Sports Administration program at the Russian International Olympic University in Sochi, Russia, says graduates are often in high demand from companies.

“Many times, employers are looking

Detroit Lions Road Trips (see page 10 for details)

Sport management students Dan Zytner and Varun Singh, shown here with Professor Alison Doherty (middle), are recent graduates of the program

to hire students with a sport management background even if their business doesn’t involve sports,” Doherty said.

“It’s because of the quality and preparation of candidates that come through sport management programs.”

Varun Singh and Dan Zytner are recent graduates of the program, and their field experience involved playing key roles in the planning and execution of the first London Sports & Activity Expo, which is set for May 9 at the BMO Centre.

www.uwo.ca/fhs/sportmgt

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sportsfiles

Give St. George’s rugby a try Submitted by St. George’s Rugby Club The 2015 season looks to be an exciting one for London St. George’s Rugby Club! Based out of the St. George’s Society fields next to the Trails End Market, the club will field three senior teams, five junior teams, and again offers its successful Flag Rugby program for kids aged 6 to 12.

Both Men’s and Women’s teams are always keen to welcome new players of all experience levels! The Senior Men’s team, led by its strong core of Ontario Blues players, returns to the top division of Ontario Rugby, having won the Marshall Provincial Division and appeared in the McCormick Cup Consolation Final last year. Their season kicks off on May 9. The Women’s side will again feature battles against perennial rivals Stoney Creek and Guelph in the Niagara Rugby Union A League, with play set to begin on May 23.

The Girls’ Junior program looks to build on a strong season in 2014, which culminated in a bronze medal at the Ontario Championships. On the boys side, we will again field U18 and U16 teams (the U16 boys were Niagara finalists last season). The boys’ teams compete in the NRU League with league play beginning at the end of June.

St. George’s Rugby Club is also looking to add an U14 team (for kids born 2001 and 2002). Rugby is a great way for kids to remain active and to learn sportsmanship and respect in a supportive team GER BIG TIER environment. If your child TAS #LdnW ineFood is looking to try a fastBIGGER growing new sport, please TIER TAS #LdnWineFood check out our website for details on how to take advantage of this exciting Adult $15 ADMISSION opportunity.

(19+ event) The Flag Rugby program Adult $15 continues to grow rapidly (19+ event) Please show I.D. +19 years, no infants or children (it was founded in 2012). The U18 Girls squad takes on Waterloo County in a match last season. Photo Please show I.D. London St George’s offers

by Kathy Brekelmans +19 years, no infants or children Purchase sample tickets inside a house league structure for kids aged 6 to 12, with league play on Friday eve$1 eachsample tickets inside Purchase nings. Players can also take part in tournaments during $1 each the summer around Southwestern Ontario. Flag Rugby is JUNE 19 TH JULY 19 TH fun, fast and affordable! Don’t hesitate to contact us for registration details.

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St. George’s also offers Flag Rugby, which features a house league program (kids aged 6 to 12) on Friday evenings. Photo by Sandra Dufton Photography

sportsfiles

Gearing up for the Distance Series Submitted by Runners’ Choice This summer marks the 11th year of the June 21 and will be expected to once Runners' Choice London Distance Series. again showcase the deepest 1,500m Hosted by the London Runner Distance field in the country. The London Series Club, Athletics Ontario officials, and finale will take place on June 28. volunteers, these track meets feature Parking and admission is free for all middle and long-distance running events RCLDS meets - spectators are always that have become a staple for local welcome! For more information, including athletes and competitive runners across tentative schedules, visit: www.lonOntario and beyond. dondistanceseries.ca.

Each meet will take place on a Sunday www.runnerschoice.on.ca evening at TD Stadium, and will feature races ranging from 800m up to 10,000m.

The series kicks off on May 10 with the London 10,000m, which will act as the Ontario and Canadian 10,000m Championships.

The May 10 event will be preceded by a community 3k Fun Run, at the low cost of $3, after which participants can watch some of the fastest men and women in Canada compete for their respective national titles.

Other annual events in the Distance Series include the Forest City 5,000m on May 17 and Trackie Mania on June 7. Another event, 1,500m Night, which is one of the most popular meets This year’s Runners’ Choice London Distance Series kicks off on May 10 at TD Stadium with the in Canada, is scheduled for London 10,000m event, which will serve as the Ontario and Canadian Championship for that distance.

FOR AN IN-HOME DESIGN CONSULTATION CALL 519 661 - 6895 @SportsXpressLON

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sportsfiles

Expansion a success Lynx Ringette Roundup

By Steve Nancekivell

Submitted by London Lynx

The 2014 season, our 26th overall, saw the continued resurgence of London London Lynx Ringette had a very sucLightning Fastball.

It was another major cessful year with teams winning medals expansion year,provincial with Lightning Fastball at the regional, and national adding another two teams to bring the levels. total number of girl’s fastball At the regional level,competitive the Lynx had 11 teams competing to six. teams at the year-end Regional Novice Blue tournament (U14), in their Championship in second Guelph on season and led by head coach Chris March 27-29. Seven of those teams came Askew, entered three tournaments.

The home with medals (two gold, two silver, girls always played hard and earned the and three bronze), which made for not respect of the top teams. only a highly successful weekend but “I'm very proud of the hard work my also a great culmination to a fun year of players displayed this year,” Coach ringette.

Askew said.

The LynxRed hosted the Provincial Novice (U14), led by head AA coach

Woods and the London Lightning Bantam Blue (U16) began theirthis year, Championships. After an impressive 8-0 Championships (March 12-15) inaugural seasonteams with acompeted bang, winand four London at the record in round robin play, they went on ning five games at thecame season event.

Twoofofsix those squads away to win their quarterfinal and semi-final opening tournament and continued Junior/Intermediate as champions -- the U14AA team and the games before finally team losingcoached to Team by Bill Blue (U16) did a lot of winning in 2014, including their winning waysteams for most ofon theto com- Bantam U16AA team. Both went Manitoba in the final.

The Lynx came out a 3rd place finish at the Port Perry tournament year,as earning a third-place finish at the on the wrong end of an exciting 6-4 conpete Team Ontario at their respective Port Perry tournament in June.

National Championships. test, but they went home with a national Bantam Red ledwent by head Sword.

Having played in the Tri-County The U14 Team(U16), Ontario to Moncton, silver medal. coach Tim Burden, competed in four league, the ladies had a fun and successNew Brunswick for the Eastern Canadian www.londonringette.com tournaments, including one in Canton, ful first season.

Championships, and placed 4th overall afMichigan. The team won bronze in the 'A' London Lightning Fastball would like ter a very successful round robin. division at a tournament in Barrie in June, to thank all of our head coaches, asThe U16 Team Ontario team and won silver at the Provincial Qualifiers sistant coaches, parent volunteers and, traveled to Fort McMurray, Alberta in the Tier II division. of course, our sponsors for their supto compete their Canadian Long-timeinLondon Lightning Fastball port and commitment throughout the Darren Walz, picked up where last player, coach, association member and 2014 season. Open workouts/tryouts year's team left off, winning one gold, newly-appointed Fanshawe Falcons are scheduled for early September for two silvers and a bronze medal during fastball coach Catherine Arthur and her squirt (U12) ages and up, and our winter tournament play this season. The Novice Midget (U18) team had a successful year workouts will take place in the January – Red team also accepted an opportunity moving up to the Tier I division. They March timeframe. Check out our website to head to White Rock, B.C. to compete competed in Brantford, Humber College, for more details. at the Canadians in the Tier II division in Port Huron and the Motor City tournalondonlightningfastball.com. early August. ment in Canton, Michigan. The team The London Lynx U16AA team, which represented Ontario in the Canadian Championships, The U14AA Lynx traveled to Moncton in March for the national finished 7th in Ontario. came home with a silver medal after an impressive showing in Fort McMurray, Alberta championships and came away with a fourth-place finish.

Head coach and LLF President Terry This was the first year for the LLF

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Training for individuals or an entire organization Focused training that takes days, not years

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Training led by industry experts

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Discounted tuition for corporate members

Customized to your organizational strategy

Learn more about our Corporate Training Program w: wcs.uwo.ca e: corporatetraining@uwo.ca t: 519.661.3658

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LondonSportsXpress

WCS.UWO.CA

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT

·EMPOWERS YOUR WORKFORCE

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Coming spring: REVKIDS! 2014-15 this Junior Hockey pre-season update

Submitted by REV3K

Rev3k is excited to begin children’s fitness programming this spring on Submitted William Hurl Sundays forby kids aged 7-12.

Children will explore fitness through Junior B update games and short workouts designed to getWith themthe moving. learn foundastart ofThey the will GOJHL season just around the corner, all four local teams -- Strathroy, St.Thomas, St.Marys and London -- are in the process of finalizing their rosters. The always competitive Western Conference is tough to predict, according to Assistant GM of the London Nationals, Tim Simmons.

“We have very few returning players, as do most teams in this league,” Simmons said. “We hope to have a competitive team and finish somewhere in the top four and make a good playoff run. The teams to beat will probably be Leamington and Chatham. Both are

tional fitness movements and get lots of exercise while they are at it!

Classes are held at REV3K on the mount begin 12-1pm on Sundays for alwaysand tough.” children 7-9, and 1-2pm for children aged Last season saw the Nationals make a 9-12. decent playoff run, after winning a championship the year before. The team has made minor changes in bench personnel with the hiring of Steve Benedetti as an assistant coach. All home games will still be played on Wednesday nights at Western Fair.

The program runs for 10 sessions and kids are welcome to drop in any time.

For more information, please call: 519-474-2871. season in which all Junior C leagues com-

peted for the Schmalz Cup and crowned a www.rev3k.com true provincial champion.

The parity in the league was outstanding with the top four teams being separated by only 11 points and the majority of the teams finishing with winning records.

With the start of the current season just around the corner, the league is hoping to build upon the successes of last year. The last three seasons have seen Dorchester, Lambeth, and Thamesford battle it out for top spot, with all three teams winning one league title during that span. Dorchester represented the SOJHL in the Schmalz Cup last season and will clearly be the team to beat this year, a position they have come to enjoy since joining the league two years ago. The team is ready to make another run for the provincial finals with the goal of ending as the best Junior C team in the province.

Junior C SOJHL update The 2013-14 hockey season marked a new beginning for the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League and for Junior C hockey in the province. It was the first

The Dorchester Dolphins, who represented the SOJHL in the Schmalz Cup last season, look like the team to beat in 2014-15

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sportsfiles

Off-season camps with TWIST and TAG! Submitted by Twist London Gym This is not just another hockey camp.

This is an elite camp that WILL change you into a completely NEW player.

Whether you are going through a biomechanical assessment in the gym, an on-ice explosive skating session, a specialized hockey-specific strength workout, nutrition planning, 1-on-1 sport psychology mentoring, or learning how to correct an inefficient movement pattern from one of our conditioning coaches, our team will ensure that you are GETTING BETTER each and every day.

Today, there are many choices for offseason hockey training. What truly makes Twist Hockey Training unique is the focus on individual, long-term development for every player. This includes Twist’s active coaching philosophies, individualized programming, a unique integration of on and off-ice program progression, the inclusion of movement assessments and

athlete evaluations, nutrition and meal planning, mental training, and recovery/regeneration, all within a culture of energy, excellence and the drive to GET BETTER.

For more information, email: info@twistlondongym.com or phone: 519-914-2682

www.twistlondongym.com

The Twist Hockey Training team ensures that players get better each and every day. This is the Junior Knights AA PeeWee team. Team members are Aidan Long, Justin Sanders, Riley Miszczyk, Taylor Elgersma, Michael Elliston, Brandon Jensen, Sean Aitken, Ashton Smith, Joey Stimac, Adam Cebalski, Joey Studnicka, Alex Tidd, Josh Short, Alex MacLeod and Reece Davidson.

Line-X an industry leader

By SportsXpress Team Sport is a natural fit for Line-X London.

After all, brothers Dan and Dave Jenken, who have co-owned the company for

20 years, are bigtime hockey fans and former players, each competing in minor hockey and junior hockey in the region.

And now that their playing careers are over? You can find them at the arena as fans, coaches, and sponsors of local teams.

The story of Line-X is one of hard work and perseverance. Now the nation’s leading provider of spray-on protective coatings, the Jenkens brothers grew the company from a small shed on their parents’ dairy farm to a large and successful operation in London.

Maybe you’ve seen the cool Line-X sticker logo on trucks in the area. The Front: Alyx Pitter, Val Speck, Todd Beekman, Jon Knott company has sprayed

Back: Dave Jenken, Damon Caughill, Nathan Roberts, Dan Jenken

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hundreds of pick up trucks, automotive racking and parts, toolboxes, vacuum trucks, and tankers. Their products are used in numerous applications, including commercial, industrial, agricultural, and military. Specialized equipment is combined with the right materials and product knowledge at Line-X to produce sprayable elastomeric coatings.

The Jenkens brothers are proud of all of their accomplishments, and they’re excited to continue expanding their customer base in the London area. With hard work, patience, and understanding from their families, they have truly built a strong business. And they’re happy to give back to the community, as well, through sport and particularly through their favourite game of hockey.

Looking for the best in service, products and support? Check out Line-X Coatings London, a true industry leader.

www.linexlondon.com

sportsfiles

Join the ball hockey craze!

Submitted by Ball Hockey International BHi London is an outdoor ball hockey facility located at the Curinga Italian Canadian Sports Club on the corner of Clarke Rd. and Hamilton Rd. BHi London offers organized ball hockey leagues year-round for all ages and genders.

Our facility is also commonly used for rentals and birthday parties, and as a dry land training component that allow teams to focus on drills prior to going out on the ice. This allows the teams to use the full hour of ice time to implement drills previously taught on the ball hockey rink. Also, it is great for team-building exercises, having fun, and staying in shape.

BHi London offers a wide range of divisions for participants, which are geared to their respective skill levels and competitiveness. Typical divisions

include: Men’s & Ladies, as well as Youth divisions for the following age groups: 4-6 years, 7-9 years, 10-12 years, 13-15 years, and 16-17 years. In recent years,

involved in various divisions and skill levels. The league activities become social within BHi’s club-like setting.

The team and/or player registration fees are minimal with negligible equipment costs. With the continued rise in costs of other sports, ball hockey is a proven affordable recreational alternative.

BHi London operates four seasons per year: Spring (March to May); Summer (June to August); Fall (September to November); and Winter (December to February). Teams play a 12game regular season schedule plus playoffs. Teams consist of a minimum of 11 players each and all teams qualify to participate in the playoffs.

Register now for the Summer Season!

“Ball Hockey is an attractive sport to just about any person who can walk or run. It is common for entire families to be involved in various divisions and skill levels.” a Co-ed division on Friday nights for men and women has also become very popular.

Ball Hockey is an attractive sport to just about any person who can walk or run. It is common for entire families to be

@SportsXpressLON

london.ballhockeyinternational.ca

LondonSportsXpress.ca

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sportsfiles Since 1988

ONE OF THE LONGEST RUNNING GOALIE SCHOOLS IN THE WORLD

Puckstoppers producing top talent Submitted by Puckstoppers Puckstoppers Goaltending Development, which has been professionally training goaltenders for nearly three decades, is one of the longest running goalie schools on the planet. Having operated schools on three continents, worked with students from 18 countries, and employed instructors from six countries, Puckstoppers certainly offers a wealth of experience.

The organization’s philosophy and methods are different from other goalie schools, says Puckstoppers President

Kwinten Kool, 15, only started playing goal at age 11, but now he is receiving offers from Junior and NCAA hockey teams

Chris Dyson. The focus is on mastering the Core Essential Goaltending Skills and expanding the students’ ‘level of compete’ while at the same time ensuring that the students are having fun.

Over 85% of Puckstoppers students advance to higher levels after attending private lessons or a camp. This is due to the player’s newfound technical skills development and improved mental approach to the game, coupled with the understanding of how much more they are actually capable of achieving.

Puckstoppers is extremely proud of its students’ achievements, and this is what really motivates the instructors.

Kwinten Kool, an exceptionally motivated Puckstoppers student, only started playing goal four years ago at age 11, but is now entertaining offers from Junior and NCAA teams. This is the kind of success that Puckstoppers absolutely loves to see.

The mission for Puckstoppers this summer is to teach coaches how to work with their goaltenders through the new Goaltender Trainer Certification Course, which has been very well received.

@SportsXpressLON

Goalie Schools and Private Training Become a Certified Goalie Trainer

puckstoppers.com

Goalies, Video Analysis, E Consulting:

goaliegenius.com

Player Program - Score MORE Goals, Guaranteed:

scoringgenius.com

Upcoming News • Daily, private goalie lessons year round GOALIE SCHOOLS – Aug 2-6 • High Intensity: Elite Goalies • Intensity Prep: Competitive goalies • Essentials: All ages and skills • Fundamentals: For ages 7 to 11 • Personal Guru: One on one custom program • Scoring Genius: School for players Aug 31 - Sept 4 • Fundamentals: For ages 7 to 11 • Scoring Genius: School for players COACHES – Aug 1 - 4 • Certified Goaltender Training Course for all Minor Hockey Coaches and Parents

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sportsfiles

PHD program delivers talent Submitted by Progressive Hockey Development (PHD) PHD Head Instructor Mike Ellis has developed a 3-on-3 cross ice game and specific skills rotation that keeps the focus on translating the learned core skills from the neutral zone into the tight area 3-on-3 game. The idea is to create a training session where the player is blending skillsets and using them in a fast-paced, tight area game scenario. His structurewill teach each player to make quicker decisions on a regular basis.

“My goal as an instructor is to improve every skater’s ability to recognize the opportunities within the 10-foot game in front of them. This development series will provide the repetitions of these game type occurrences to help each player improve rapidly.”

- Mike Ellis PHD Head Instructor

BREAKDOWN 2 x 15-minute Periods 1:30 shifts in-game, followed by 1:30 second skills and shooting zone before playing next shift.

PHD instructors will be in each game zone, including in the Neutral zones, Puck Protection, Puck control, passing and shooting Techniques.

Once a week for 8 weeks (June 29 August 19)

AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT: Skating techniques Puck control skills Stick Handling Shooting Tight area game skill development Balance, stability and core Agility and speed Explosive movements Heads up game play Fast-paced Quick decision-making Goalie Instruction

BENEFITS: The goal of PHD is to improve a player’s skills, and improve them rapidly

More puck touches More passes More shooting More shots for goalies More skills development More directional changes More puck battles

DIVISIONS:

This practice structure creates an environment for high skill repetition which is then easily transferred to game play.

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Monday Evenings: Novice (2007 & 2008) Monday & Tuesday Evenings: Atom (2005 & 2006) Tuesday & Wednesday Evenings: PeeWee (2003 & 2004) Wednesday Evening:

LondonSportsXpress

The PHD 3-on-3 program focuses on translating the learned core skills from the neutral zone into a tight 3-on-3 game, which translates to quicker decision-making

Bantam (2000 - 2002) All Ice times are 5-8pm. Dates & times are subject to change.

REGISTRATION: $225 plus HST PER PLAYER Space is limited, register online: www. progressivehd.com.

Progressive Hockey Development's Summer Development Series: Progressive Skating Techniques: (Ages 2004 - 2007, 2000 - 2003, 1999 & Older) Puck Control Skills & Shooting: (Ages 2004 - 2007, 2000 - 2003, 1999 & Older) PHD Dryland Training PHD Track / Beach Speed Training PHD Track / Beach Power Training PHD Hockey Yoga

www.progressivehd.com

teamprofiles

Worrad headed to Clarkson U Submitted by the London Nationals and photo by Derek Berg Photography The road running through the London Nationals to NCAA Division I hockey has re-opened.

It had been well over a decade since a player on the Nats roster had received an NCAA scholarship, but Drew Worrad, the team’s 17-year-old leading scorer, changed that this past March. After re-

ceiving numerous offers and visiting various campuses, the 6-foot, 173-pound Worrad (Birr, Ont.) accepted a scholarship to play for the Clarkson University Golden Knights beginning in 2016-17.

Clarkson is located in Potsdam, NY and competes in NCAA Hockey’s ECAC Conference against the likes of Harvard,

Princeton and Yale.

The Nationals have made it a focus to provide information about College hockey programs to their players and to market them to interested teams. The feeling within the club is that the Worrad commitment is a sign of things to come.

Management held two separate information sessions this season for local players and their parents. The latest was in conjunction with the NCAA’s College Hockey Inc. The club had over 20 Division I schools scout their games this year, and the belief is that they are on the right track to re-establishing the London area as a destination for college recruiters.

With returning players such as Justin Murray, Colin Wilson, Tanner Ferreira and Derek Di Iorio also garnering interest south of the border, the road that has re-opened could get quite busy in the coming years.

londonnationals.pointstreaksites.com

Drew Worrad, 17, is the first London Nationals player in over a decade to receive an NCAA scholarship. He’ll attend Clarkson University starting in 2016-17

@SportsXpressLON

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fromthesidelines

2015 CITY OF Chiefs welcome new coaching staff

LONDON MUNICIPAL GOLF MEMBERSHIP PROMOTION!

Submitted by Elgin Middlesex Chiefs

Organization. Kennedy has coached at As tryouts wrap up and rosters are finalized for the 2015-2016 season, every level from Minor Pee Wee AAA to there are some new faces in the Elgin Minor Midget AAA, and he was the head Middlesex Chiefs’ organization -- both on coach with the 2001 age group in London for the last three seasons, and off the ice. The Chiefs are excited to posting an impressive 189-21-14 welcome James Kennedy, the new Minor Midget Head Coach. Joining James on the record. That team won a number bench, meanwhile, are assistant coaches of tournaments, including gold at the Ontario Winter Games in 2014.

Brendan Heffernan and Aaron Dartch, They were also the first Alliance along with trainer Jon Sims. team ever to win Ontario Provincial “We’re really excited to have James 2015 CITY OF LONDON MUNICIPAL GOLF MEMBERSHIP PROMOTION! Gold at the Pee Wee AAA level in and his staff onboard for next season,” 2014. said Randy Mclinchey, Vice President of Hockey Operations.

“James has a proven Kennedy says he’s ready for his on September 15th and Purchase your 2015 Golf Membership starting first set of tryouts with the Chiefs’ track record of success, and we are lucky enjoy its privileges organization. and benefits for the rest of the 2014 Golf Season to have them.”

(Green fees apply to certain memberships) “Try-outs are something we take Kennedy, along with assistants Brendan Heffernan and Kennedy is no stranger to the Chiefs, very seriously,” the coach said. having spent the last eight years coachAaron Dartch and trainer Jon Sims, have their sights set on “My staff can and Ibe dopurchased our homework. ing in the archrival London Jr. Knights winning the Alliance and qualifying Municipal Golf Memberships in person or over the phone at for the OHL Cup this season through We getGolf as much information Thames Valley, Fanshawe or River Road Course.

Memberships are also available on the players trying out (519) as 661-5575 City of London Customer Service have a model set up as to what we want possible. We watch any video that to work on.” is available, and we talk to past The Minor Midget Chiefs coaching staff Call one of our golf courses atand (519) 661-4450 coaches players duringfor try-more information have set their goals high and expect to outs.www.london.ca/golf We want to do our best to or visit win the Alliance and qualify for the OHL ensure that the top 17-18 players Cup this coming season, although they are selected. know it will be a different environment “Research is key and knowledge than what they have faced in London is power,” continued Kennedy. where there is a larger talent pool to “In preparing for a season, we choose from. will make a list of goals. And we Good luck in the coming season!

James Kennedy is set to take over the reins this season as want the players to be prepared www.elginmiddlesexchiefs.com head coach of the Elgin-Middlesex Minor Midget Chiefs and have their own list as well. We

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Devilettes hardware at provincials Ready forearn a REVolution?

Submitted

By Rev3K by Coleen Dalton

Congratulations to the London Devilettes Bantam AA and Senior AA teams for bringing home provincial gold

medals, as welland as the Pee Wee AA team margin. Many of a reset period is folfor winning bronze at the provincial the players on lowed by a nutritionistchampionships!

After a long, hard fought this Senior team designed diet plan that weekend, have been with teaches optimal eatingall three teams were victorious in their final the Devilettes habits. games of the season. The organization from Novice all the way to Then the particiThere’s a revolution happening down Devilettes Novice competitive Senior. Their successes on and off the pant takes part in REV3K at REV3K. Actually, it’s happening at team, meanwhile, also had ice are great examples of the benefits of classes while receiving two locations now (On the Mount - 435 1-on-1 coaching, an a successful championship playing girls hockey!

Windermere Road, and At Hyde Park individual workout plan, weekend, finishing in 4th Another team that had a highly suc1175 Hyde Park Rd). And the movement unlimited gym access, place! cessful provincial championship weekis changing bodies and lives. and weekly check-ins.

The Devilettes Bantam AA end was our PeeWee AA team, coached REVolution is a six-week alljust before they competed in the Does this sound team like played strong defen- REV3Kbyteam Rick Wouda.

After finishing firstRock in the inclusive workout program that lets the Road race in August something your body needs?

The sively throughout the entire their pool in round robin play, the team participant set his/her own goals while next REVolution starts Oct.weekend, 15, and alchampionship won hard fought game against Stoney that a the units include three exercise receiving all the tools necessary to Jacob Henry,lowing co-owner of REV3K, promonly two goals over six Creek in the quarterfinals.

This successcategories: weight lifting, cardio, and achieve them.

TheL to program begins with Peewee AA: First Row R: Bella Van Oirschot, Cassidy Heckman, Ellasupport along the journey. ises full games!

From goaltending to ful weekend ended with the girls winning performance specific.

“My goal is for our Vande Sompel, Cassie Whiteye, Taylor Meloche and Sierra Brown. Second “Alldefence of our coaches are all dediclients to see themselves as the athletes to offence, playprovincial bronze!

Row L to R: Andie Wittland, Gabby Mackintosh, Amber Foster, Gabby catedDevon to helping you with your Kohut, Cierra Troyer, Meaghan Chittick, Kiera Min, Nicole Gosling, they and to bring health into their ers played hard all personal weekend Theare, Devilettes novice competitive REVolution,”tosaid Henry, a former comStanton. Third Row L to R: Maddy Day, Alyssa Wouda. lives and livesprovincial of their families.” contribute to the success team had the a great tournament petitive swimmer who himself lost over Workouts can range–anywhere of the team. For many of the as well, finishing 4th overall losing a 50 pounds thanks to REV3K. from 15 and Bantam players, it was their close 4-3minutes contest to in 45 theminutes, bronze medal Based on the principals of include a wide variety of equipment, second provincial title in as game! Most players on this novice team CrossFit and Olympic Lifting, REV3K ofincluding Olympic barsyear and of platforms, many years! The Devilettes were playing their first competifers modern circuit training classes and kettle bells, Their dumbells, rowing machines, are very proud of this hardtive hockey. development on the programs. Each program is based on spinover bikes, plyo boxes, medicine balls, working and talented group ice the year was amazing to watch.

3,000 seconds of high-impact exercise and more. of players.

Equally wonderful were the friendships that work every major muscle group.

REVolution is a lot things,as The Devilettes Senior that developed between theofplayers Each day, participants experience an Henry says, but perhaps more than anyteam had an incredthey truly became a ‘team’. entirely newAA routine.

No class is ever thing, “it’s a commitment to yourself and Congratulations to all of our Devilettes repeated. ibly successful provincial a commitment to success.”

Novice team: from Left to Right top row: Katelyn Malaniuk, Emma Strano, championship weekend, provincial medalists and finalists!

“We’ve designed individual Reagan Nolan, Madeline Min, Ella Casson, Jaden Ashby, Hannah Lave. outscoring their opponents From left to right bottom row: Kaley Speer, Tessa Gardiner, Jayden units Zister, to give you a full body workout that www.londondevilettes.ca Check us out on facebook Kassandra Periversoff, Camryn Ryall, Sam Ballantyne (goalie), Jessicaschedule,” by an impressive 31 noting to 7 fits your said Henry, Goodman, Rhylyn Wehring, Kylee Rae Strano

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318-005 02-27-2015

Behind the mask Submitted by the London Knights Amongst a sea of uniformly dressed players on the ice, and with thousands of fans glued to the action, a goaltender’s mask can easily stand out. For some goalies, their mask is just a mask. But for others, their mask means more. It’s their brand, their entity. It’s them.

Tyler Parsons, at the young age of 16, entered the 2014-2015 season with the London Knights Hockey Club as a free agent. As a rookie, he knew that he needed to do something that would make him stand out, and give the people of London a chance to get to know who he really is.

To honour the late Ian Jenkins, a former 2nd round draft pick of the London Knights who passed away tragically, Parsons has a special memorial design on the right side of his mask

“This is my first painted helmet ever,” said Parsons of his mask. “It’s something that everyone sees, it’s almost like a tattoo.”

And to those who say it’s ‘just a mask,’ Parsons explains that it means so much more.

“Some people just have a regular mask, and some people have things that are meaningful on them,” he said. “You know, my mask is pretty meaningful to me. It’s not just a mask.”

On the top of his mask sits the 50th anniversary logo of the London Knights.

Being a small part of the Knights’ rich hockey history was important to Parsons, and honouring the organization with the logo right on top of his mask seemed fitting to the youngster. Look a little further down the mask and you’ll find the American and Canadian flags.

On the left side of his mask, meanwhile, Parsons requested the skyline of Detroit to represent his roots. And on the right side is a memorial for Ian Jenkins, once considered a top goalie in American minor hockey and a member of the Belle Tire U16 team from Detroit. He was a 2nd round pick of the Knights in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection and tragically passed away just a month later.

“I’ve got a memorial of Ian Jenkins because I knew his family and knew he

@SportsXpressLON

A mask is much more than just a mask for Tyler Parsons, who is looking forward to even more designs next season

was supposed to be here [in London],” said Parsons. “He was an awesome kid and a great goalie and had an awesome family, and I just wanted to do a memorial for him.”

It’s his favourite part of the mask.

If he had to choose his favourite helmet in professional hockey, Parsons says it would be the one worn by Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathon Quick.

“He’s always been my role model,” said Parsons. “It would be pretty cool to have a helmet like his. He always has a great design on it every year.”

Without giving too much away, Parsons says that London Knights fans can expect even more artwork next season.

“This year, I had three meaningful things on my helmet,” he said. “In your first year, you may not really know what you want to put on it and you don’t know how much you can get away with. But definitely, I have a couple more things in mind for next year.”

www.londonknights.com

LondonSportsXpress.ca

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sportsfiles

Lakers launch nears Submitted by the London Lakers

London Lakers Jr. A Hockey Club The London Lakers are a first-year franchise in the GMHL JR A Hockey League this season. The team is owned by Cornerstone Sports Group (CSG), which also owns the Cambridge Bears (www. cambridgebearsjrahockey.ca) and Halton Ravens (www.haltonravensjrahockey.ca).

CSG saw great success this season, as the second-year franchise Halton Ravens went to the league semi-finals before losing to the eventual champs in Game 7. Lakers GM Hayden Maass says the Lakers will be striving for that same type of success.

“Even as a first-year franchise, we expect to build a competitive team,” he said.

Lakers management is no stranger to high level hockey, having been involved in Junior and Prep School Hockey for many years. The Club is assisted by the Bedford family (Wayne and Lyle), who owned the original Lakers club and Senior Hockey Team with great success. The local management is important to CSG, and the Bedford family has been a local fixture for over 25 years.

New Lakers Coach Jeff Zehr is looking forward to the first set of tryouts. The first set of Spring Tryouts for the club will be held May 3 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Full details are available at: www.londonlakersjrahockey.ca.

The Lakers are currently taking applications for host families for the 2015/16 season. For more information, including how to apply, contact Mark Hetherman (Owner): mark.hetherman@cornerstonesportsgroup.com.

London Lakers Summer League CSG is also pleased to welcome another great year of 5-on-5 London Summer League, which has been operated since 1994 by Wayne and Lyle Bedford. This season, the league will move to London Sports Park and be rebranded as the London Lakers Summer League.

Lyle Bedford will be GM of the league, and Wayne Bedford will assist in league operations. Please visit the Summer League website at: http://londonlakerssummerleague.ca.

You can enter as an individual, play as a small group of friends, or enter as a team.

Contact Lyle by phone: 519-769-2209 or by email: lbedford@londonlakerssummerleague.ca.

Blyth Academy Bruins Cornerstone and Conacher Athletics are also pleased to announce the launch of a new U18 Blyth Prep School Hockey Team. The London area team joins already established Blyth Prep Hockey teams with U18 and U16 teams operating out of Burlington, and Westwood arena in Toronto.

The team will be managed by Total Package Hockey (TPH), who will also provide team training and development. TPH is the official Development Centre of the London Knights OHL team and will provide the highest quality of training for Blyth players. Players are not required to attend Blyth Academy full-time, however the team does recommend it because of the high standards of academics at Blyth and the school’s willingness to work with the hockey team to ensure that players have the best opportunity to succeed athletically and academically.

The team plays a number of showcase tournaments in Canada and the U.S., which will provide players with opportunities to be scouted by NCAA, CIS and Junior Hockey coaches. Contact Dwayne Blais at TPH: dwayne@totalpackagehockey.ca or 519-933-8741 for more information.

Robbins a real talent

By SportsXpress Team If you’re looking for an exciting sport, look no further than downhill mountain bike racing. That’s exactly what Adam Robbins did at 12 years old, and the talented racer hasn’t looked back. The teenager has numerous race wins under his belt, and this year he’ll be competing in four Canada Cup races and two World Cup competitions, starting in mid-May in Mont Tremblant.

How did a youngster get involved in such a unique sport in the first place?

Having grown a bit tired of team sports, Robbins was introduced to downhill racing by a friend and neighbour. He tried it

54

LondonSportsXpress.ca

and had fun. A lot of fun. He loves the competition, and he loves the excitement.

Downhill races are often held at ski hills, and feature riders racing from top to bottom of courses that are filled with rocks, ruts and jumps.

Adam Robbins has quickly risen the ranks among downhill racers What’s clearly apparent is in the province that Robbins has a love for He’s already come a long way in a unique the sport, and the future is very bright for sport, but Robbins has his eyes set on the young high school student. even bigger accomplishments. Given That future may even consist of him his track record of success, it seems the competing regularly on the world circuit sky’s the limit. and really making a name for himself.

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