SportsXpress Niagara Mar/Apr 2016

Football Niagara Playing it Safe

Junior CLAX is developing lacrosse’s next generation

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sportsfiles

Amazing Grace to finish season as River Lions head coach By the SportsXpress Team

As a coach, you don’t get a nickname like “Amazing Grace” without having the respect of your players and peers. The River Lions newest NBLC Head coach “Amazing Grace” Lokole, a Welland native, has earned this opportunity based on his tireless work ethic and determination to see his team succeed.

Unfortunately, sometimes in professional sports there has to be disappointment to create new opportunity. The disappointment in this case was the 5 – 14 start that led to head Coach and GM Ken Murray being relieved of his duties.

Taking over as head coach is a huge responsibility for the 26-year-old rookie, but not a challenge that Grace is shying away from. To say that he has some big shoes to fill is an understatement, but every coach needs to get an opportunity and, for the former Niagara College Men’s Basketball

assistant, this is a chance to take that next step.

Many other coaches in the league have more credentials and experience but Grace will be making up for that lack of experience with his tireless work effort. The former OUA player and Notre Dame College School alumni has developed deep roots in Niagara through his work as director of the Rose City Basketball Development Program as well as his role as assistant coach of the Niagara College Knights. There is no question that Grace is dedicated to growing the game of basketball in Niagara.

Hungry to prove themselves in this league, it will be interesting to see how the players respond to the new direction in management — they beat first-place London in London in their first game with Grace at the helm. The rest of the season will be a

serious test for the River Lions as they look to improve their record as they head towards their first playoffs.

With average attendance ranking fourth so far this season, the River Lions are starting to make a positive impact in the community.

The team has a lot of home dates throughout March and April. Tickets available at Ticketmaster.ca, or by visiting the Meridian Centre box office.

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Sports Connection

Promoting physical thelineup activity through education sportsfiles

Heart Niagara is working to bridge the gap between knowledge acquisition and practical application through physical activity and education. Heart Niagara will be hosting a Physical Literacy Summit on April 27 using an experiential learning model to strengthen understanding and showcase practical tools to increase physical literacy in Niagara.

Heart Niagara is using kids as a vehicle to provide educators, recreation leaders and coaches with an experiential, practical and energizing physical literacy professional development experience.

This will be a full-day event during the school week, where students and teachers from local schools will be invited to participate.

Participants will “walk the talk” by arriving in a walking school bus to participate in this event. As of now, more than 80 kids, their teachers and principal(s) have agreed to participate in the day with educators, recreation leaders and coaches.

The Summit will begin with an energizing guest speaker to get the day started. It will be followed by various

demonstrations by leaders in the physical literacy community. The day will end off with a motivating presentation to ensure all of the key lessons learned from the day are reiterated in a memorable message.

The event will have vendors with products and resources that can aid in inspiring innovative ways to engage students and community members in physical activity. This professional development experience will support Run, Jump, Play every day for healthier kids.

Heart Niagara Physical Literacy Summit is on Wednesday April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There will be guest speakers, demonstrations, and plenty of vendors.

Lunch and snacks are provided.

The cost is $60 a person for professionals and $30 a person for students (plus HST).

If you are interested in registering please visit: https://heartniagara.com/ pls2016/

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

02 | Amazing Grace to finish season as River Lions head coach 06 | New Elite football academy coming to Niagara region 07 | Junion C-LAX League is developing Niagara’s next generation of stars 13 | IceDogs are hungry for playoff success

behindthebench

Tips, tactics and ideas are shared by athletes, coaches and fans.

09 | Top 12 tips for saving money on groceries

health&fitness

Information articles on sports health and fitness 03 | Promoting physical activity through education 04 | Minimize your participation risk 10 | KidSport Niagara ensures everyone can play 11 | Crossroads Corner

sportsnews

Up-to-date information on what is happening in the area.

12 | Niagara Falls Soccer Club and the Titans Center of Excellence 14 | Jordan Lions roar into the summer season

teamprofiles

Profiling community sports in words and photographs.

05 | Football Niagara is playing it safe 08 | Flag rugby — fast-paced fun without the contact

sportsbio

Information on local athletes and their achievements to date.

07 | Meet Niagara Lock Monsters prospect Jeff Wittig Niagara Sports Xpress is excited to bring you the local sporting news from around the region in our March/April edition! We are excited to promote our world of sports in this beautiful place we call home. The IceDogs and RiverLions have the Merdian Centre buzzing, a former world champion is skating in Thorold, a former CFL player is helping a great cause, and much more inside!

Meeting and telling the stories of our community’s sports leaders is what drives Sports Xpress to grow. We want to tell your stories!

Do you have an interesting story? Did your team just win a championship? Hosting an event? We are interested in promoting anything that promotes our local sports scene here in Niagara!

Call 289-213-4949 or email kevin@sportsxpress.ca

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health&fitness

Niagara

Minimize your participation risk

By Kirstyn Carruthers, owner of True North Training

Within the landscape of any sport, no issue is more important than the health of its performing athletes — in particular, the health of their brains.

Make no mistake; all sports are dangerous in some way and when you agree to play a sport, you are putting yourself at risk of being injured. Much like driving a car, going for a hike up a steep mountain or swimming in a lake, all sports present the risk of injury. With any of these activities, you must weigh the risk of injury versus the joy/convenience you get from performing the task (e.g., you drive a car to get somewhere faster even though car collisions are a leading cause of accidental death).

When considering this from a sport perspective, you need to assess the enjoyment you get from participating in the sport compared to how risky it is. It is the responsibility of the athletes (and parents of young athletes) to determine their personal boundaries. With this in mind, there are two things we can do to ensure we remain healthy while playing the sports we love: 1. Make sure the risks of the sport are well known.

Being aware of the protocol for dealing with

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March/April 2016 PUBLISHER NIAGARA SPORTS ZONE Kevin Erb Kevin@SportsXpress.ca 289-213-4949 EDITOR Gord Dearborn GRAPHIC DESIGN Wendy Ferris

a particular injury and the appropriate return-to-play guidelines will ensure the athlete is treated properly.

2. Limit the injury risks through a focused training program. With respect to concussion prevention, many techniques can be used to strengthen the neck and muscles surrounding the spine with the intention of reducing concussions.

Experienced strength and conditioning coaches can develop an appropriate strength-training program for you so you can maintain your total body health — including your brain.

In closing, the instances of injuries and concussions in modern sports are an issue of great concern but we do not need to accept that it will always be this way.

Appropriate development, training and coaching will go a long way towards creating a safer sporting environment for the short and long-term health of all participants.

To learn more about how to prevent all injuries, contact Kirstyn at 289-2358088 or visit www. truenorthtraining.ca

CONTRIBUTORS Kirstyn Carruthers, Shari Crickmore,

Football Niagara, Jordan Lions Minor Softball, Caleb Smith, Mark Danecker, Heart Niagara, Jeff Wittig, Niagara Lock Monsters prospects, Niagara Falls Soccer Club, Trevor Van Nest, Royal Imperial Knights Football Academy, various sports enthusiasts and the SportsXpress team.

PHOTOGRAPHERS Local minor sports fans and various sports enthusiasts.

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Football Niagara is playing it safe Submitted by Football Niagara

Football Niagara is the leading organization in the region offering youth the opportunity to play the great game of football. The league is home to five wonderful organizations that reside in St. Catharines/Thorold (Sea Hawks), Fort Erie (Long Horns), Niagara Falls (Lions, Argos), West Niagara (Steelers, Falcons), and Welland/Port Colborne/Wainfleet (Tiger Cats). Football Niagara also administers the Niagara Generals, an entry in the Ontario Varsity Football League. The Generals have teams in atom, peewee, and bantam. As the league enters the upcoming 2016 season, player safety, as always, is at the top of the list for league organizers, coaches, parents, and players.

Throughout their respective communities, these teams play an important role by providing a safe and fun environment and developing healthy, active children.

Football Niagara is making sure that it is a leading organization in all aspects of safety by paying attention to detail and keeping abreast of new practises and procedures.

This year, extra attention is being placed on equipment to ensure that all players have the best protective gear on the market including shoulder pads, football pants and upgraded helmets. The league recently purchased over $60,000 in Riddell Speed Helmets to protect each player’s greatest asset, his/her head.

to playing on the line and cannot be designated ball carriers. To keep current in all aspects of safe play, selected volunteers regularly attend professionally conducted seminars, (the next is in Pittsburg on March 4 and 5), who then facilitate local seminars for all team coaches.

Football Niagara has implemented a “When in doubt, sit them out” policy. The process removes an athlete with signs of an injury from play and ensures that an appropriate healthcare professional, with the knowledge of the player’s parents or guardians, evaluates the player. The athlete is prohibited from further participation until he/she is assessed to be symptom free.

Football coaches are required to complete Safe Contact training in the latest safe blocking and tackling techniques. Safe Contact teaches a safe tackling technique that emphasizes making contact with the front shoulder and/or chest rather than the head. It emphasizes a blocking technique that stresses making primary contact with the hands and no open-field blocking below the waist. As well, players are taught to brace themselves for contact. The helmet can never be used as a battering ram.

Coaches are trained to look for any unusual symptoms and signs of distress and proceed with the appropriate response.

To view a list of warning indicators, recommended procedures and more information, visit: www.footballniagara.com.

Additional safeguards are provided by having players in the atom and peewee divisions that weigh over 115 pounds and 145 pounds respectively, wear helmets marked with an “X.” They are restricted

Safe block

Safe tackle

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sportsfiles

New Elite football academy coming to Niagara region Football in Niagara will be taken to the international stage with the introduction of the Royal Imperial Knights Football Academy. Part of Royal Imperial Collegiate of Canada, this prep school football program aims to attract Canadian, American, and international students who want experience and exposure playing top U.S. competition rather than their local high schools.

Directing this program is former Hamilton Tigercat Jeff Brown, who also played in the NCAA and CIS. Brown has been coaching high school and youth football for 15 years, and also owns and operates a training company called The Gridiron.

The school itself is located in the former Merritton High, and has just finished over a year of extensive renovations throughout the classrooms and boarding facilities. Now, renovations are currently being undertaken to improve the athletic facilities for the American football program. A state-of-theart fitness centre has just been completed, and the next phase of work includes the addition of an athletic therapy room, complete with hydrotubs.

The goal is to create an environment where student-athletes can be totally immersed in their sport, without any

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compromise to receiving a quality university-preparatory education.

By providing an intense offseason training program and access to high-quality athletic facilities on-site, plus getting an early start on summer training camp, the Royal Imperial Knights hope to be competitive against top American teams, showcasing that students do not have to attend school in the U.S. in order to receive the level of development and exposure needed to earn a scholarship.

With its proximity to the U.S. border, Niagara makes an ideal location for a prep program geared at playing American competition. The team plans to travel across the northeastern United States, playing schools in New York, New Jersey, Ohio, and Connecticut, among others. While the Knights will usually travel across the border to compete, the hope is to work with the City of St. Catharines as the program grows in order to eventually host home games at the community park in Merritton. Future plans also include utilizing the other surrounding facilities; for example, the arena could be used by a girls’ ice hockey team.

Day students are encouraged to apply for admission to the school and football team.

Academic scholarships may be available for students who live locally and would like to attend the school.

For more information on the Royal Imperial Knights, prospects are asked to contact Coach Jeff Brown at jb@royalicc. com or 905-906-2331, or to visit www. knightsfootball.ca.

For more information on the Royal Imperial Collegiate of Canada, please visit www.royalicc.com.

sportsfiles

Junior C-LAX League is developing Niagara’s next generation of stars Special thanks to Jeff Wittig and the Niagara Lock Monsters prospects

Junior C-LAX is changing the level of winter lacrosse offered here in Niagara.

This unique league is attracting up-andcoming lacrosse players that are very serious about the game — players that are focused on the game of lacrosse and getting to the next level. Many of these prospects go on to earn NCAA scholarships, have great junior, major junior, pro C-LAX and even NLL careers.

C-LAX is well known in the communities of the five franchise cities where they operate professional teams: Niagara, Durham, Ohsweken, Paris and Barrie. The Pro league helps former junior players, as well soon to be NLL

players, develop and maintain high-level game shape. The league specializes in winter box lacrosse and holds most of their games on the weekends in highintensity tournament formats. Here in Niagara, the games are played at the Meridian Centre on the same court used by the Pro Niagara Lock Monsters.

C-LAX operates leagues starting at the U-9 level and features opportunities at U-12, bantam, midget and prospect levels as well. Each registered player receives a jersey, shorts, insurance, and free access into all C-Lax Pro games! The season runs from January until the March school break.

sportsbio Meet Niagara Lock Monsters caught up with Niagara Lock prospect Jeff Wittig SportsXpress Monsters prospect Jeff Wittig who is currently playing with St Catharines major junior A Athletics

Interview with Jeff Wittig SportsXpress: Where did you first hear about Junior C-LAX? Jeff Wittig: I first heard about the league when it was at the Seymour Hannah Centre, I went out and watched a few games and when I was old enough to get drafted I was selected by the Barrie Blizzard.

SXP: What is the difference between Junior C-LAX and other leagues that you have played in before?

Jeff: The game is a lot faster; goalies use the short stick. This allows for faster transitions and changes off the bench. It is also a great way to stay in game shape throughout the winter, furthering my development.

SXP: What is your goal for your lacrosse career and is C-LAX helping you to achieve that goal?

Jeff: Well my goal is to (one-day) play in the NLL, which is every lacrosse player’s dream. This league helps me to keep a stick in my hand in the winter, giving me that opportunity to put up the points I need to in summer league and get to that next level.

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teamprofiles

Flag rugby — fast-paced fun without the contact

By Caleb Smith

Fun, inclusive and fast-paced are the words that come up most often when discussing sport of flag rugby. When you ask children what they think of the game, they often bring up the strong teamwork that is developed and the friendships they have gained.

Niagara Flag Rugby was founded in 2009 and has multiple teams in Niagara Falls, Stevensville, St. Catharines and Grimsby.

Children participate in three age groups: junior kindergarten to grade two, grades three to five and the oldest for those in grades six to nine. Boys and girls play on the same team and learn to support each other in this highly aerobic sport. The season starts in mid-May, ends in mid-August, and includes five local tournaments. The cost to register is $90.

Like traditional rugby, flag rugby advances play by passing the ball backwards and running forward. Unlike traditional rugby, there is no tackling or body contact. Instead, players wear Velcro belts that have two long

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flags hanging from the players’ hips. When a flag is pulled, play does not stop. Instead, the ball must be passed within three steps or three seconds to a teammate.

Niagara Falls player Kerim Mostic had this to say about flag rugby, “You have to think outside of the box and think about what the other team is going to do. Develop strategies to get the ball to the other end of the field.”

Sterling Ryan, 13, has been playing flag rugby since he was seven. “I like running with the ball and passing it,” said Sterling.

“I like practicing as a team and traveling to places to play with other teams.”

Meryem Alibegic, 12, started participating in flag rugby when she was in grade two and really likes the game. “It is fun. The competition is fun because it is nice to see how people play and the different strategies,” said Meryem. “I like learning new stuff and meeting new friends!”

To get in on the fun, check out Niagara Flag Rugby at www.niagaraflagrugby.com.

behindthebench

Top 12 tips for saving money on groceries Most people think that groceries is a fixed household expense. Not true. Here are my top 12 tips on how to reduce the cost of feeding your family.

#12: Shop at more than one grocer. This is easier said than done for most busy folk, but even a monthly run to your Giant Tiger, No Frills or Valumart will save you a lot.

#11: Look at flyers even if it’s only the front pages. If you want to save 50 percent (or more) on your meat purchases stick to the rotating meat deals found on the front pages of your local flyers each week.

#10: Bulk up on “for sale” items. For those who shop without a list, or who are open to shopping beyond the list, there are deals to be had.

#9: Use your leftovers (creatively). If you typically prepare more food than you eat, save the leftovers; Tupperware was made for

By Trevor Van Nest, B.Comm.(Hons.), CFP®, Money Coach

this purpose.

#8: Try the no-name or store label brands before you reject the idea of them. Some products just may not be to your standards but others are essentially the same ingredients as the name-brand product at a 25 percent discount.

#4: Don’t shop when you’re hungry. You’ll buy more, rush, miss out on opportunities, and probably buy more things on impulse.

#7: Always look at the price per unit (e.g. dollars per gram) to make sure you are getting the best value. Often the mediumsized packages are the best value (vs. the largest). Don’t ask me why!

#3: Don’t be tempted by the items

#6: When buying fresh fruits and

#2: Don’t shop on credit. If you are

displayed at the register. Pop into your local Dollar Store and get your gum, flashlights and batteries at half the price.

vegetables, try to buy them in-season; in-season produce is tasty and easy on the wallet. If not in-season, buy them frozen.

extending payment on a credit card, don’t use that card to buy groceries as it will add another 19 percent to your grocery bill.

#5: Take advantage of grocer guarantees or,

#1: Watch your shopping frequency. Try to

even better, check out the Flipp app for the ultimate one-stop shop for local coupons.

hold to one large and one small shopping trip a week; you’ll simply spend less!

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health&fitness

KidSport Niagara ensures everyone can play

By Shari Crickmore

Fitness is a problem for our kids. Obesity, some say, is at epidemic levels. Childhood diabetes and other diseases are increasing at alarming rates. Our kids are at risk. The couch, computer, smartphone or shopping malls are sometimes the only activities available.

Keeping kids off the streets and involved in healthy activities will help to build a better future for them and for our community.

Families once relied on the extra-curricular sports at school to keep their kids active, however those options are dwindling. At the same time, the numerous teams, leagues and clubs offered away from school are numerous but, for many families, financially out of reach.

That’s where KidSport Niagara comes in.

We are a community-based, volunteerrun regional chapter of KidSport Canada, a nationally registered non-profit sports organization. KidSport™ provides support to children and their families in order to remove financial barriers that prevent them from playing virtually any organized sport that they want.

Applications are open to school-age children across the Niagara region and it’s easy to apply. Visit www.kidsportniagara.ca and click on the “How to Apply” link to download an application form or contact us and we’ll send

Pre-K to Grade 12

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you one. Complete the application carefully, then scan and email, fax or mail it to us. Be sure to include proof of financial need, a letter of reference, a completed sports registration form and an equipment quote (if required).

The grant helps with the costs of registration fees and equipment up to a maximum of $250.

Organized sports and healthy physical activity doesn’t just make us healthy — it makes us better prepared for life. KidSport knows that fitness activities have a positive impact on the body and on the mind. Active kids are healthier, stronger and typically develop better social skills and self-esteem.

As well, healthy kids make our Niagara Region a better place to be!

KidSport Niagara receives funding through some fantastic corporate national partners but also relies substantially on donations from generous individuals and local community groups based right here in the Niagara Region. Are you part of a service group, team or company that would like to focus your fundraising efforts on getting our kids into the game? Please let us know.

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KidSport Niagara believes that no kid should be left on the sidelines; all should have the opportunity to experience the positive benefits of organized sport. Help us in our mission — contact Shari today at 905-7087364 or email shari@ kidsportniagara.ca

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health&fitness

Crossroads Corner

By Mark Danecker – BA, BHSc PT, Member of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association

Speed – Strength – Endurance – Agility

Make no mistake, development of these physical attribute constitutes the foundation upon which athletes of most every discipline build their competitive careers. We as teammates, competitors, coaches and sports fans revere the fastest, strongest, quickest, and most enduring athletes. However, several other physical attributes remain unappreciated as critical building blocks to an athlete’s success.

Flexibility is the very cornerstone upon which all other aspects rely.

Whether we analyse John Daly’s massive uncoiling drive, Odell Beckham Jr.’s acrobatic overhead catches, or Patrick

Roy’s spectacular split saves, it is obvious that the supreme flexibility of these athletes allows for their superhuman performances.

It has been my observation through my Physiotherapy practice that the single most important fitness component in prevention of athletic injury is sport-specific flexibility. Undoubtedly, the flexibility of one’s body as a system is essential for both maximal performance and longevity of one’s athletic career. A daily stretching regime, utilizing a combination of progressive static and dynamic sports-specific movement patterns, needs to be performed as routinely as brushing one’s teeth.

Many Gifted athletes have been sidelined by a muscle strain occurring just prior to a critical tryout, scouted tournament, pivotal training camp or championship game. The injury often results in the athlete being passed over by an attending coach, scout, or university recruiter.

Absolutely critical, the pre-competition warmup and post-competition cooldownstretching regimes should never be avoided. A knowledgeable team trainer, athletic therapist, or physiotherapist will build a custom tailored program specific to your physical requirements and sport demands.

Unit 3, 1st Floor, Corporate Centre 3550 Schmon Parkway Thorold, ON

Maximizing and maintaining one’s flexibility is, without a doubt, the ‘keeper of the flame’ for every athlete and is truly the fountain of youth for us all. Work hard to achieve it, and then never, ever let it go.

Remember, “Rust never sleeps.”

905-682-5500 CROSSROADSPHYSIOTHERAPY.CA

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sportsnews

Niagara Falls Soccer Club and the Titans Center of Excellence This past summer the NFSC Titans, through Head Technical Coach Charles Ivanov, rolled out their newest programming, the TITANS CENTER of EXCELLENCE or, as they have coined it, “T.C.O.E.” This program is designed to improve the overall skill, technical and tactical development of the Titans Rep/ Festival players through an en mass session run once per week, seasonally, in addition to their team practices.

Lead by the NFSC technical team (coaches Charles Ivanov, Vince Stranges, James Kryger and their assistants along with the teams’ head coaches), the activities focus on the individual players for the LTPD teams (U9 to U12) and on positional training for players on the U13 and up teams.

All of the sessions are based on the four corners of development: technical/ tactical, physical, social/emotional, and psychological/mental. The program rounds out the Club’s pathway of growth (Player, Coach, Referee, and Club) as outlined in the NFSC’s vision statement presented to the membership last year.

With this, the Club hopes to continue to grow and remain strong within the Niagara community as it has for 57 years!

Upcoming events Upcoming T.C.O.E. clinics: April 4 to May 11, running Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Please contact your coach for assigned dates and times.

T.C.O.E C Summer Sessions will run Monday nights.

Jr. Titans Academy spring session is being run on Friday nights, June 3 to June 29, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at EE Mitchelson Park.

Jr. Titans Academy summer camp dates are July 11 and July 12, (1/2 day sessions) from 9:00 a.m. to noon at EE Mitchelson Park.

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NFSC 2016 OUTDOOR HOUSE LEAGUE REGISTRATION NOW ON! Offering Soccer programs for Girls and Boys, U3 and up!

NFSC has been providing soccer to the Niagara area for over 55 years and teaching generations of families not only the game but the love and passion of soccer as well!!

Our programs are 13 weeks in duration with games running on Saturdays, beginning May 28th until the end of August.

U3/4 Kinderkicks and U5/6 Minis 1hr in length per week = 1/2 hr of skills and drills and 1/2 hr game U7/8 and up 2 hrs per week =1 practice on a weeknight and 1 game.

Registration fees include the full uniform (jersey, shorts, socks) and a ball.

Please visit our website or call the office for hours.

Office and Field location: EE Mitchelson Park (behind St. Paul High School) 3800 Springdale Ave. Niagara Falls, ON 905-374-4040 www.nfsc.ca nfscoffice@gmail.com

sportsfiles

IceDogs are hungry for playoff success By the SportsXpress Team

The IceDogs are starting to make OHL playoff hockey a tradition here in Niagara.

Since making the move to the region from Mississauga in 2007, the IceDogs have qualified for the postseason in each of the nine seasons the team has called Niagara home. The success of each season’s playoff run has varied with a few deep runs including a trip to the final in the 2011/2012 season. That magical run ended with a 4 –1 series defeat. That year’s IceDogs team included standout players like brothers Freddie and Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Strome and Brett Richie — all future pros. The biggest similarity between that year’s team and the current roster is their stability between the pipes; the 2011/12 team had Mark Visentin in goal while this year’s team has Alex Nedeljkovic.

For any level of success in the OHL playoffs, a team must have a rock solid goaltender who can handle the tough playoff schedule. Since breaking into the league with the Plymouth Whalers three seasons ago, Alex Nedeljkovic has become a junior hockey workhorse. Alex started this season with the Flint Firebirds putting up a 9 – 7 – 2 record with a 3.21 goals-againstaverage. His numbers weren’t “off the chart” to start the year but they were good enough on poorly performing Flint team for the IceDogs to make a move. Right after the trade, Alex really started to show his worth and the IceDogs lost him to team USA for the Under-20 World Junior Championships, where he really proved that he belonged with the elite prospects for his age group. The

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Serbian-American puck stopper went 4 – 2 in six games and had numerous highlight-reel saves en route to posting a 1.66 goals-against-average and a .943 save percentage against the world’s to junior hockey teams including Canada.

Alex is full of personality, a natural born leader who would be wearing a “C” on his jersey if he wasn’t a goalie.

As a leader in the room, as well as on the ice, Alex hopes that he can be one of the reasons Niagara makes it back to the OHL final.

Let’s go IceDogs!

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Jordan Lions roar into the summer season The Jordan Lions Minor Softball Association (JLMSA) is excited to be offering another summer of softball fun for kids residing in (and around) the Niagara region.

The league offers an opportunity for you to register your child (ages 5 to 25) and join the over 250 players that form over 20 teams playing in six different divisions.

The affordability of the fun summer pastime is helping the organization grow. For a full season of fun, costs range from $50 to $90 — a very affordable price for a summer full of fun!

from joining the JLMSA program.

So, if you are looking for something to keep busy this summer, softball in Jordan may be the right fit for your family!

The league operates out of the Jordan Lions Park, located right next to community arena. The park includes four full baseball diamonds along with a pool, splash-pad, pavilion, and a concession booth. It’s a unique park nestled between the beautiful vineyards of the Jordan community.

• Friendship

Softball has been played in our local community for a long time — JLMSA itself was founded back in 1970. Players see many benefits

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The benefits of softball include: • Improved balance, coordination, strength and stamina • Healthy weight management • Motor skills development • Social skills development • Self-confidence • Sportsmanship • Fun and enjoyment • Games are played on weeknights

Divisions include: Senior Bantam Division: ages 19 to 25 (born 1991 – 1997) Junior Bantam Division: ages 15 to 18 (born 1998 – 2001) Pee Wee Division: ages 12 to 14 (born 2002 – 2004) Squirt Division: ages 9 to 11 (born 2005 – 2007) 5-Pitch Division: ages 7 to 8 (born 2008 – 2009) T-Ball Division: ages 5 to 6 (born 2010 – 2011)

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