Randy Pascal

Randy Pascal previews another SDSSAA high school football season, starting with teams 4-6

Advertisement 1 Share this Story : That Sudbury Sports Guy: Pascal Prognostications, Part 1 That Sudbury Sports Guy: Pascal Prognostications, Part 1 Randy Pascal previews another SDSSAA high school football season, starting with teams 4-6 Article content It honestly will not surprise me in the least if the 2024 SDSSAA senior boys football final standings show no undefeated nor winless teams this fall. Advertisement 2 Article content That Sudbury Sports Guy: Pascal Prognostications, Part 1 Back to video That's not what I am predicting — but it won't shock me at all, such is the parity that could easily see some flip-flopping between the slots that I will be presenting this week. Lively Hawks (2-3) It starts with the very first team that we examine. There are a few givens with the Hawks for as long as Reg Bonin remains as head coach, ably assisted by a glut of real good football men in this city: – The Hawks will get steadily better over the course of the year; – The Hawks will pretty much always get every last drop of potential from the roster they have to work with; – They are the one underdog team no one wants to face in the playoffs. The 2024 version of the squad does not deviate a whole lot from the above. A mix of some experienced talent with credentials in both summer ball and the senior high school circuit as well as some incoming juniors who are more than ready to take the next step means the big question is just how quickly all of the above can mesh. Advertisement 3 Article content Quarterback Ian MacDonald has a year of senior ball under his belt and is ready to reunite with the receiving trio of Kaden Broomhead, Aiden Fauteux and Koen Palmquist. Running back Sladen Gajdemski might not be an immediate replacement at the standard of graduated SDSSAA Offensive Player of the Year Owen MacDonald, but the junior standout has shown he is ready to step in and contribute at this level. Throw in the skill sets of Alex Vildis, Logan Downey, Cam MacIntosh and Joel Palys and it's clear Lively will feature a more balanced approach offensively than last year. While the offensive and defensive lines are a little thin, the return of Ethan Fleury, Keelan Bennison and Nico Frattini complemented with OFSAA throwing talent Torance Gorman and the summer experience of both Spencer Duff and Brendan Speck allows line coach Dan Yoisten some flexibility to manoeuvre his chess pieces around. Advertisement 4 Article content The Hawks linebacking group is clearly above average with all-stars Nathan Drolet and Nik Charbonneau both returning (the latter slides back from playing DE last year), along with veteran Andrew Dore and 2023 junior Defensive Player of the Year Mateo Frattini. Ironically, it's the 2023 recipient Cyrus Paerdens who anchors the Hawks secondary unit, with Ryder Dodge-Barbeau also showing well in camp. Paerdens is expected to also see time on offence, that double-duty theme also likely with some of the skilled guys on O who will assist at corner and halfback. If it all comes together before the Hawks take a two-game winning streak into the playoffs, this will be a team to avoid in the semis. St. Benedict Bears (1-4) Advertisement 5 Article content There are a great deal of similarities between the duo that rounds out my 2024 predictions, beyond the fact that the tandem both represent the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. Both St. Benedict and St. Charles are loaded with Grade 11 talent, notably at some very key positions — which means that I see both teams as one year away from potentially jumping into the top three. With multi-talent standout Paolo Grossi having made the move to an American prep school this fall, the stage is wide open for several very skilled teens to step in and grab the spotlight at the home of the Bears. Offensively, QB Phoenix Marks is back under centre, with Noah Conde and Lukas Coufal in the backfield and the quartet of Dylan Nelson, Bradley Cothill, Michael Folino and Dylan Bertin all available to either carry the ball on sweeps and counters, or to make their way downfield as receivers. Advertisement 6 Article content Returning trench-men Will Elliott, George Crawford, Justin Okatola and Carter Gagnon are expected to be leaned upon heavily, allowing Ronan Bardswich and others to acclimatize to senior football. Thankfully, numbers remain solid enough at the south end school that coach Junior Labrosse may not need his linemen to play both sides of the ball, with defensive bigs Sullivan Smith, Ajani Rubic Yinusa, Mateo Bedoya and Noah Garber all making the jump from a junior team that went undefeated in league play last fall, but was upset by Lively in the final. The linebacking trio has a bright future, with veteran Andy Hernandez-Diaz joined by first-year seniors Keegan Adair and Adam Haslam, while the secondary will rely on Junior Spartans U18 starters Hayden Liinamaa and Nolan Hnatiuk to direct traffic for Grade 11 prospects Desmond Whitmore and Ahmeed Adeleye. Advertisement 7 Article content With the number of potential returnees in this lineup and the likes of Junior Spartans U16 quarterback Evan Demarchi and others ready to make the jump next fall, this year should serve as a foundational step towards bigger and better things. St. Charles College Cardinals (0-5) At one time, it might have been considered sacrilege to predict a winless team at SCC, but with this season marking the first as head coach for Cardinal alumnus Chris Kohut (he has served on the football staffs at the school for past four years) and with this being a very first-year senior laden roster, the circled game from the Scarlet and Grey might well come on Sept. 27 versus St. Benedict. Junior Spartans running back Hayden Walsh moves back to signal caller for the senior Cardinals, a position in which he earned MVP honours last fall at the junior level. Walsh will be comfortably familiar with 2023 teammates David Idehen at running back and Moyo Olusola-Kuteyi at wide receiver, but will not take long to become acquainted with the returning receiving trio of Daine Kutchaw-Taylor, Great Origbo and Braxton Ragogna. Advertisement 8 Article content Like St. Bens, St. Charles can boast decent depth on both lines, with a good number coming off the boost that is provided by summer football, whether that be at the U16 or U18 age bracket. On offence, look to Blake Beaudoin, Nicholas Shakes, Josh Daniels and Kayden Hasner to protect Walsh in the pocket while the defensive troika of Michael Imbeau, Carson Bisschops and Jacob Leblond hope to make life miserable for the opposing QBs. The battle at linebacker was still taking place at tryouts last week, though returnees Chinedum Kingsley and Daniel Mott-Cornejo seem sure to be pencilled in when the Cardinals open play Friday against in an all-New Sudbury showdown against the Lasalle Lancers. The secondary could well be in tough in week two when Steven Sola brings the Knights' aerial highlight show to town to face a grouping of Brody Mabbott, Gavin Stuart, Cohen Lavoie and Kevin Lopez, all but the latter having suited up with the junior Cards last fall. Randy Pascal is That Sudbury Sports Guy. Look for the second part of his Pascal Prognostications column, featuring his predicted top three finishers, in print and online later this week. Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : That Sudbury Sports Guy: Pascal Prognostications, Part 1 Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake Featured Local Savings

Randy Pascal previews another SDSSAA high school football season, finishing with teams 1-3

Advertisement 1 Share this Story : That Sudbury Sports Guy: Pascal Prognostications, Part 2 That Sudbury Sports Guy: Pascal Prognostications, Part 2 Randy Pascal previews another SDSSAA high school football season, finishing with teams 1-3 Article content Well, this is awkward. Advertisement 2 Article content That Sudbury Sports Guy: Pascal Prognostications, Part 2 Back to video Having selected winners for each and every game in the SDSSAA senior football league season, I've hit the finish line with three teams sitting at 4-1 — perhaps the first time in the long and storied history of these predictions that I have encountered such a confluence at the top of the standings. Given that I did not go so far as to predict game-by-game scores (which would be required to resolve the three-way tie, were this to actually occur this fall), I opted for a more practical tie-breaker for this column. Below are the top three ranked teams (IMO) based on which one is most likely to potentially run the table and produce a 5-0 record: Lo-Ellen Park Knights (4-1) I may very well regret this selection by the time the championship game rolls around on Nov. 1. Advertisement 3 Article content Heck, I might regret this pick by the time Confederation and Lo-Ellen go toe to toe on Sept. 27, but it simply strikes me as being completely disrespectful not to give the three-time defending champions their due. The Knights return not only more all-stars and individual award-winners than any other team in the circuit, but also boast the top two game-breakers in the form of quarterback Steven Sola and wide receiver Quin Mazzuchin. That said, they also return fewer starters elsewhere on the field than either of the remaining contenders — thankfully, at a school that has the resources to backfill pretty well. While there remains a battle in the backfield, the truth is Sola might have more carries by the end of the year than all other Lo-Ellen runners combined. Still, it's through the air where the Knights distance themselves from the pack, with the likes of Jack Centis, Jonah Gibson and Byron Nelson all helping to spread the field enough to allow Mazzuchin to his thing. Advertisement 4 Article content Michael Smith is the only starter to return from either side of the line, likely to be joined on the offence by Junior Spartans standout Joseph Vaanholt and newcomer Kai Koskela. Turnover is rampant on the defensive side, as well, with the likes of Cale Prpic, Lucas Hodder and Cameron Shelp needing to accelerate the learning curve if Lo-Ellen is going to have a shot at the No. 1 seed entering post-season play. Returnee Jacob Hulisz has shown he is more than ready to move into a starter's role at middle linebacker, though it will surprise very few in the all-star secondary tandem of Niki Sola and Adam Scott join him in leading the team in tackles this year. Confederation Chargers (1-4) Chargers head coach Shane Hutchison thought he had a team that could contend this time last year, before they went 1-4 in regular-season play — in fairness, I also had them at 3-2 in my predictions. Advertisement 5 Article content This year, however, it will be shocking if the Valley crew is not sitting top three on Oct. 19. There is simply too much depth right across the board, most notably on the lines, to see Confederation as a group that will win less than three games. The Chargers could, quite easily, enter the playoffs undefeated. Though Braeden Beggs is dealing with a late-season Junior Spartans injury, the gifted senior is resilient enough and talented enough to give Hutchison and staff the option of utilizing him at QB or RB. If it's the latter, expect either King David Igiehon or Tyson Vitali to be taking the snaps, then handing quickly to either Beggs or backfield beast Evan Doyle, who is also coming off an outstanding summer football campaign. Advertisement 6 Article content Owen Blay, Cam Quesnel and whoever is not under centre will provide some solid receiving options on a team that should be able to allow their signal-caller to enjoy just a little extra time for wideouts to get open. All-star Zach White moves from centre to guard and is joined by Owen Parro, fresh off a strong showing at Team Ontario tryouts, and Braxton Clarke, a transfer student who played summer ball with the Huronia Stallions. Throw in Kiki Olufowobi and Crawford Wiebe, just for good measure, and you have easily the most impressive O-line the Chargers have featured in a while. The D-line is good with the likes of Boston Bobbie, Josh Vis and Owen Purvis, but takes another step forward when Confederation inevitably rotates some of their offensive standouts through for two-way play, when necessary. Advertisement 7 Article content Colton Savage, AJ Harris and Dan Leduc give the team that has not won a city title since 2003 a more-than-solid linebacking corps, which is more than sufficient given a secondary that features Quentin Harris, Nathan Nadeau, Tucker Lalonde and Dylon Desrochers. Lasalle Lancers (4-1) While this pick will surprise many who ignored summer football altogether, Lasalle mirrors Confederation in many ways — including the fact both teams can boast upwards of 15 or more athletes who enjoyed fairly significant playing time with one or the other of the Junior Spartans squads over the past few months. Quarterbacks Riley Warton and Ryder Kirby still need to show they are ready to really step into the spotlight, but in running back Colton Cooke, who tore it up at the junior level last fall, and ball-catchers Derek Idehen, Jude St. Michael-Leblanc, Dash Kamal, Adam Clement and Rashaun Asare-Corbiere, they have a whole lot of help as the Lancers look to put points on the board. Advertisement 8 Article content It certainly won't hurt that lineman Jack Vincent, John Armstrong, Landen Cousineau and Jake Henri can open gaps for the Lasalle offensive weapons with the best of them. Defensively, the line duo of Jaden Brennan and Cole Preston is a really, really good place to start, with linebacker Dalton Wilcox, Kurtis Werbowsky and Xavier Osawamick ready to ensure that the Black and Orange swarm to the ball on each and every play. And when the better passing attacks in the league come to town, few secondary units match up as well as a group that finds Sylas Asare-Corbiere, Micah Taylor, Harper Chartrand-Ferrier, Logan Manela and Carson MacNeil all fully capable of taking that game-changing pick-six the other way to the house. About the only concern in the land of the Lancers might be the fact that following their SDSSAA banner winning year in 2010, .500 records or better have been few and far between — and it sometimes takes teams a year to learn how to win. Head coach JJ McKnight is hoping to fast-track that process to mere months. Randy Pascal's That Sudbury Sports Guy column runs regularly in The Sudbury Star. Part 1 of his Pascal Prognostications appeared online earlier this week and in print on Tuesday. Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : That Sudbury Sports Guy: Pascal Prognostications, Part 2 Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake Featured Local Savings

Either there are an awful lot more Sudbury and area curlers who are kick-starting their season of play much earlier than was the case some 20 years

Advertisement 1 Share this Story : Randy in the Rings: Burns rink among early birds on bonspiel circuit Randy in the Rings: Burns rink among early birds on bonspiel circuit Article content Either there are an awful lot more Sudbury and area curlers who are kick-starting their season of play much earlier than was the case some 20 years ago, or I am simply far more aware of who all the Sudbury curling connections are these days who are strewn across the province. Advertisement 2 Article content Randy in the Rings: Burns rink among early birds on bonspiel circuit Back to video Actually, both of these statements are quite likely true. That would explain why, as temperatures hover around the 30 C mark as we enter just the second Saturday of September, the number of rinks with some form of notable Sudbury flavour who have already enjoyed bonspiel play is quickly nearing double digits. The Krysta Burns foursome, in its current incarnation with Jestyn Murphy, Sara Guy and Lauran Masters, is now in Year 2 together, seriously looking to take that next step. “I think we are going into this season with more confidence, more confidence in each other, more confidence in thinking that we can actually win provincials,” noted Burns, the 28-year-old Marymount Academy graduate and skip of the team that dropped a 6-4 decision to the Krista McCarville powerhouse in the Northern Ontario Scotties final last January. Advertisement 3 Article content “Each year, we've gotten a little bit better — and last year was super close. We're less concerned about getting to know each other now and we can focus more on the technical and strategic aspects of our game.” Given that Team McCarville has 10 NOCA banners to its name since Northern Ontario was granted provincial status in the national Tournament of Hearts structure in 2007, that kind of improvement will be critical — as will be overcoming any kind of mental block when going up against a team that has continually proven to be a legitimate playoff contender at Canadians, despite playing in far fewer high-calibre bonspiels than many of the other teams on hand. “We're excited about all of the bonspiels this year and really excited for provincials,” Burns said. “In previous years, I think we always had that voice in the back of our heads: can we really beat Krista McCarville? That voice isn't really there any more.” Advertisement 4 Article content Like the McCarville rink, Team Burns has opted for a very healthy life-curling balance, adding just one bonspiel to the schedule for 2024-25. “We have all agreed to put a cap on that because we all have full-time jobs and are more focused on our careers, in that sense,” Burns said. “We all agreed that we are not going to be one of those teams that plays every other weekend. Some of us have other priorities in our lives that we are just as passionate about.” Still, they walk a line, going toe to toe with the bulk of the top teams in the province in an effort to strive for even more consistency in their game. Earlier this month, Team Burns was part of the 24-entry field participating in the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard, a bonspiel that was captured by the Swiss rink led by Xenia Schwaller. Advertisement 5 Article content The local quartet representing the Northern Credit Union Community Centre, formerly Curl Sudbury, posted a 1-3 record without the benefit of any practice time whatsoever, beaten 13-3 by Sayaka Yoshimura, then edging Lauren Mann from North Bay 5-4, before losing to both event finalist Kayla Skrlik of Calgary, 7-3, and Laurie St. Georges of Montreal, 9-2. “It didn't go amazing, but it was our first time out with no practice, which is not the same for a lot of those teams,” said Burns, who suggested consistency at a higher level is the one “must-add” for her group to match up better against the truly elite. “That can be the most difficult thing when you're not playing as often as everyone else.” Regardless, Burns has no intention of losing site of her end goal. Advertisement 6 Article content “I really like what my priorities are in the game,” she said. “A lot of people go hard for the win — that's what they want. That's what I want too, but for me, it's really about enjoying it. That's the reason I do this.” “You're always told when you're young to “have fun, have fun” — and it's kind of hard when you're a kid to really get what that means,” Burns continued. “Now I know that I have to enjoy myself — or what's the point.” Team Burns is back in action at the Stu Sells Toronto Tankard on Thanksgiving weekend, just as ice will be ready for play at her home venue. Horgans split to start A good chunk of local talent is currently in Cornwall, site of the AMJ Campbell Shorty Jenkins Classic that gathers 24 men's teams and 18 quartets on the ladies side of the draw. Jake and Tanner Horgan have teamed up this year with veteran skip John Epping and previous teammate Ian McMillan, splitting their first two outings this week. Advertisement 7 Article content Now considered a Toronto-based rink, Epping and company bested Xiao Ming Xu 8-3 in Game 1, but was clipped 7-6 by the James Craik Scottish rink in Game 2. A more Canadian-based women's lineup (10 of 18 teams, versus 10 of 24 for the men from Canada) is littered with Sudbury-trained curlers — including defending world champion Tracy Fleury, who is back with Rachel Homan, Emma Miskew and Sarah Wilkes. Also in attendance are Kira Brunton, serving as vice-skip to the Danielle Inglis Ottawa crew this winter, as well as the aforementioned Laura Mann Northern squad, with College Notre Dame graduate Stephanie Barbeau at lead. Early start for Sudburians Locals were actually up and running by late August as Megan Smith, Jamie Smith and Lauren Rajala joined skip Emma Artichuk at the U25 NextGen Classic in Alberta, reeling off five straight wins before being eliminated in quarter-final action. Meanwhile, the mixed doubles tandem of Kira Brunton and Jake Horgan mirrored that performance at the same bonspiel, running the table in round robin play before being sent packing by the Edmonton duo of Zoe Cinnamon and Johnson Tao. Randy Pascal's curling column, Randy in the Rings, is back for another season. It runs every other week in The Sudbury Star. Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Randy in the Rings: Burns rink among early birds on bonspiel circuit Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake Featured Local Savings

With three wins in their first three games — 4-0 versus Fleming, 2-1 over Durham and 2-1 against George Brown — the Cambrian Golden Shield women's

Advertisement 1 Share this Story : That Sudbury Sports Guy: Cambrian back end busy as first-place Colts come to town That Sudbury Sports Guy: Cambrian back end busy as first-place Colts come to town Article content With three wins in their first three games — 4-0 versus Fleming, 2-1 over Durham and 2-1 against George Brown — the Cambrian Golden Shield women's soccer team entered play on Sunday sitting in second place in the OCAA East and ranked fourth among the 18 provincial entries this fall. Advertisement 2 Article content That Sudbury Sports Guy: Cambrian back end busy as first-place Colts come to town Back to video Unfortunately, their opponents that afternoon came in the form of the Centennial Colts, also 3-0, but ranked second in the loop thanks to even more impressive victories over St. Lawrence, 8-0, Loyalist, 5-0, and Fleming, 14-0. And for as much as a 2-0 final score in favour of the Colts might speak to a game that was pretty much always in doubt — Elenna Nastos netted an insurance goal for Centennial in the 86th minute — this contest certainly did not feel that way. In fact, were it not for the heroics of Cambrian netminder Emily Levesque, as well as a few lucky breaks for the home side, the final score might have tripled the actual outcome. “I can appreciate a game like that, where I get to show off my skills,” suggested Levesque, a graduate of St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School who entered her second year of heavy equipment studies this month. “I can't say I love the result of the game, but it is always good to have a game where the competition is high. Advertisement 3 Article content “Once in a while, it's good to really have to work for it.” For perspective, consider that OCAA game stats show Centennial directed 27 shots towards the Cambrian goal — compared to three at the other end of the pitch. None of this came as a huge surprise to Levesque or her teammates, though it did not help matters that Shield midfield maestro Hulie Occhipinti was not available for this match-up. “I have played against these girls before, played against some of them in competitive (soccer) before I got to college, so I knew a little of what to expect from them, Levesque said. “We watched film, but they are going to adjust to how we are playing, so you can't predict everything.” The Cambrian backline, which featured rookies Molly Watson and Chelsea Kennedy, as well as sophomore left fullback Makayla Bertrand, was put to the test early and often, even as their keeper starts to familiarize herself with that last line of defence. Advertisement 4 Article content “When the teams send a through ball, I don't know yet if they are fast enough to catch up or not,” Levesque said. “Once I get to know them, I will learn to trust them, to know that they will get there in time and what they will do (once they are there), but it takes a little bit. “I know they are going to be there to always have my back if I make a mistake — like Molly did today, with two saves on her birthday.” By no means one of the more vertically impressive goalies in the OCAA women's league, Levesque has learned how to compensate thanks to numerous games at her post between the posts. “I would love it if I was taller. If I was four inches taller, it would make life so much easier,” she laughed. “But I tend to be quicker on my feet than some other keepers, which is an advantage. I can beat players to the ball if I need to. But usually, I have to stay a little closer to my line, just so I don't get chipped. Advertisement 5 Article content “I can't quite reach the top corners if I am too far off my line.” One of two Sault Ste. Marie natives who made their way to Cambrian as first year defenders this fall, Kennedy benefitted from a solid youth competitive background in her hometown — at least to start. “When I was younger, we had the (Sault) Civics program,” explained the 19-year-old graduate of Korah Collegiate who is enrolled in civil engineering technology. “At one point, we had two teams for my age group; so many kids that wanted to play. But over the years, it kind of dwindled out. “We got down to one team, then we had to combine age groups to form a team.” In fact, this past summer honestly did little to ready the pretty much life-long centre back for what she was about to face in the OCAA — especially opposite the likes of the Centennial Colts. Advertisement 6 Article content “The league I played in was not intense at all,” Kennedy said. “It was way too slow to just be playing that and come to this. I started going to the gym more and running a lot more because I knew that this was going to be a lot higher pace.” Blessed with natural instincts that complement the likes of Levesque and her D partners, Kennedy can draw upon likely a hundred games or more of experience in understanding her role on the pitch. “I can see the whole field from where I am at (centre back),” she said. “I've always been more defensive. I don't like to go up and not be able to come back. I like to be one of the last people to try and get the ball back up the field.” And on this day, her defensive skills were clearly put to the test. “I thought we did a decent job of marking our man,” Kennedy said. “They always had one person who was kind of swinging in and out — and they weren't always marked. But I thought we did a good job of marking our player and still watching them.” A single-point weekend — 3-3 tie versus George Brown on Friday followed by a 3-1 loss to Centennial — leaves the Cambrian men sitting at 1-2-1, good for four points and fourth place in the eight-team East Division. Both Golden Shield teams are back at home this coming weekend, hosting the powerful Algonquin Wolves from Ottawa on Saturday and up against the St. Lawrence Surge from Kingston the next afternoon. Randy Pascal's That Sudbury Sports Guy column runs regularly in The Sudbury Star. Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : That Sudbury Sports Guy: Cambrian back end busy as first-place Colts come to town Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake Featured Local Savings

Many have been the Air Blastoff training social media posts that have displayed workouts that were a bit … unconventional, let's say. Article content

Advertisement 1 Share this Story : That Sudbury Sports Guy: Capping off a track season of fun — Jamaican style That Sudbury Sports Guy: Capping off a track season of fun — Jamaican style Article content Many have been the Air Blastoff training social media posts that have displayed workouts that were a bit … unconventional, let's say. Advertisement 2 Article content That Sudbury Sports Guy: Capping off a track season of fun — Jamaican style Back to video Typically, these videos have also been teeming with smiles galore and loads of laughter from the young contingent under to tutorship of Olympic gold medal-winner Robert Esmie. Given the varied and eclectic background of the athletes under his watch, this approach likely makes a great deal of sense — not to mention keeping things loose and different as teens and pre-teens devote several hours a week to better themselves in a whole array of track and field pursuits. A year-end gathering this past weekend at the home of the affable Jamaican-born sprinter who bolted through the leadoff leg of the 4×100-metre relay in Atlanta in 1996 provided a wonderful opportunity to catch up with this wonderful array of talented Sudbury athletes. Advertisement 3 Article content Amanda Syncox isn't the first hockey player to transition to track — and certainly won't be the last — even if the ties that link her two passions are a little outside the norm. “I've always been fast on the ice, fast on skates,” said the 15-year-old Grade 11 student at Lo-Ellen Park who competed in no fewer than five separate events as she made her way from SDSSAA to NOSSA and eventually OFSAA championships last spring. “I've been running since I was three or four, so it's transferred over a lot. “As I have gotten older with more muscle, I tend to perform better in track than hockey.” While Syncox is more than competent in the shorter sprints (100 and 200 metres — lead runner with LEP junior team that ranked ninth in 4×100 at OFSAA), it is in the 400 that she emerged as city champion, tackling an event that is as tough as they come when run well. Advertisement 4 Article content “I tend to take my first 50 metres as a full-out sprint, as fast as I can,” said the forward with the U18 BB Lady Wolves. “For the 150 metres along the back, I tend to get into a rhythm, get a pace going. When I hit the 200-metre mark, I try and pick it up — but honestly, it is almost a full out sprint, from start to finish. “By the end, I will be tired. It gets difficult at the end, for sure.” A few years younger, Mackenzie Roy benefitted from extending that distance somewhat, settling in to the 1,200-metre event that is contested as part of Legion Track and Field series and shaving nine seconds off her time this summer. To boot, she has noticed the difference when she takes to the ice as a top-end figure skater, still her sport of choice these days. Advertisement 5 Article content “Track really helps my skating, just my overall strength,” said Roy, having just started her Grade 9 year at St. Charles College. “I am getting so much height on my jumps now. I used to under-rotate everything and now I can rotate my jumps.” Targeting a sub-2:30 800-metre time next summer, Roy has quickly taken to the team environment within the Air Blastoff squad, in this her first summer of competition with Esmie and company. “We all support each other and it's just so much fun being with all of them.” The younger brother of Laurentian sprinter Naomi, Kobe Palmer experienced that feeling quite young, attending workouts with his sister before teeter-tottering between basketball and track for the next several years. Advertisement 6 Article content A Grade 12 student at St. Charles, Palmer has returned to his roots as he looks to cap off his high school career. “I started track pretty young but took a break from it to focus a lot on basketball,” he said. “But now, I am pursuing track more. I just think there are more opportunities for me in track than basketball.” Interestingly enough, while his early days with Blastoff were often geared towards sprints, Palmer has now added the throwing events to his repertoire, including his favourite in the form of the discus. “It seems more natural, just the way that I throw it, the way that it feels coming off my hands,” he said. “You're focusing on stability, getting as low as possible, maintaining your form and trying your best, throughout the entire throw.” Advertisement 7 Article content Should he need any lessons, he can always tap into Grade 9 thrower Blaire Rickard, a young woman who has always kind of leaned in this direction, especially with both the discus and the hammer throw, of all things. “I've always been really good with spinning and my spatial awareness,” noted the freshman at Lasalle Secondary School. “Making it to nationals when I just started in the hammer is special.” Certainly the performances of both Ethan Katzberg and Camryn Rogers in Paris, gold medal-winners in the hammer throw for Canada, did nothing to dissuade the local product from following her dreams. “It definitely gave me some more ideas, but I had found a love for the hammer before the Olympics,” Rickard said. “They just inspired me to try even harder.” Advertisement 8 Article content Nadia MacDonald got all the motivation she needed from her performance at the Legion District H Meet in Sudbury in mid-June, setting the wheels in motion for a memorable few months of competition. “I think the rest of the summer was amazing for me, probably some of the best track experiences I have ever had,” said MacDonald. a 15-year old at Lo-Ellen who captured three gold medals at the Minor Track Association Outdoor Championships in Markham in July. “In my mind, the long jump is definitely the strongest (5.08 metres, a personal best), but I think Robert sees a lot of different things in me, that I can do a lot of different events.” It's a sentiment the energetic coach also shares with those who are even closer to him on the team — such as his 11-year-old son, Nehemiah Esmie, who cited the 150-metre sprint and javelin as his two favourite events. Advertisement 9 Article content “I like that they are so different,” said the Grade 6 student at Churchill Public School who confirms that basketball remains his true passion at the moment — though he sees similarities when he throws. “When I play basketball, I like the way the ball flicks off my fingers — and I also like the way it flicks off my fingers with the javelin,” young Esmie said. “And I throw pretty far.” It was a summer of personal bests for many an Air Blastoff representative, including former gymnast Brooke Wylie, who finished in a dead heat with two other sprinters behind Melina Doiron in the junior girls 100-metre final at cities in May. “I feel like I am doing a lot of the same main conditioning (from gymnastics), but more focused on legs,” said the grade 11 student at Esc l'Horizon. “Gymnastics was more full body. I also need to focus on my arms (when I race) because they are kind of all over the place.” She need not look a whole lot further than club teammate Doiron, an incredibly technically sound sprinter who cranked out a personal best time of 12.04 seconds in the 100 metres while competing at Legion Nationals in Calgary in July. “That was a great way to end my season,” Doiron said. Well, that and all of the fun that was the year-end party at Chez Esmie on Saturday evening. Randy Pascal's That Sudbury Sports Guy column is featured regularly in The Sudbury Star. Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : That Sudbury Sports Guy: Capping off a track season of fun — Jamaican style Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. 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