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16- PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, August 25, 1998 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" Srorz PORT PERRY Pp PORT PERRY STAR 4 ORTS CHRIS HALL / PORT PERRY STAR CONCENTRATION: While showers threatened overhead Sunday, Hazel Gray lined up a shot at the Port Perry Lawn Bowling Club's annual Grace Love Cup tournament. The annual event is a way to introduce club members to competitive tournament play and to involve them in other activities. 'Tis the Season Port Perry MoJacks get set for their 27th Junior C hockey season starting Sept. 8 By John B. McClelland Port Perry Star How do you know that summer is just about over? That's easy. The Ex is open in Toronto; 'back to school" ads fill the newspaper pages, and the Port Perry ModJacks are getting ready for another training camp. That's right; another season of Junior C hockey 1s just around the corner and to start getting ready for it the MoJacks will open training camp Sept. 8 at the Scugog Arena. Traditionally, the club can expect to see anywhere from 40 to 60 hopefuls take to the ice the first night of camp, all of them trying to impress; all trying to catch the eye of the coaches in the hopes of landing a spot on the 20-man roster. Those who come out that first evening (Sept. 8) at 9 p.m. can expect two hours of mostly skating, guaranteed to make all of them wish they had done more running this summer rather than golfing or soak- ing up the rays with the girls at the beach. For those who survive that first two- hour workout, they can do it all over again Sept. 10, same time, same place. And the following three nights, Sept. 11, 12 and 13, the hopefuls will get to actually show what they can do in game conditions as the Modacks play three pre-season matches in a row. Sept. 11, they travel to Georgina; the next night they are in Little Britain, and the third game on Sunday, Sept. 13, is home at the Scugog Arena where Georgina will be the opposition. Game time for that one is 7p.m. and ModJdacks fans who want to get an early look at this year's squad are more than welcome. For the ModJacks this coming season, it 1s going to be 'something new and some- thing old.' The latter is the coaching staff. Head coach Tom Thornbury makes his debut with the team. He's a Woodville native who enjoyed a fine playing career in Canada, the United States and Germany, that included a part season with the NHL Penguins. Signing on as assistants are Tom's s younger brother Sam, a high scoring forward in his playing days; and Scott Pinkerton, who has worked with the club in various capacities the past few seasons. Director of hockey operations, Murray Parliament, told The Star the coaches are "really eager; they can hardly wait to get the camp and the season started." The 'something old" could be a veteran Modack roster for the coming campaign. There are 14 players off last year's team eligible to return this season, and the team has had strong verbal commitments from a dozen of them. That is unusual as most years the coaches are fortunate if six or eight players return from the previ- ous year. To have 12 or 14 with at least one season of Junior C experience makes for a very strong nucleus to build a team around. "We are optimistic 12 of them will be back," said Mr. Parliament in a recent interview with The Port Perry Star. And he said the club has had "strong commit- ments" from several top players from the local and surrounding minor hockey sys- tems. He said the club should remain strong along the blue line with several guys back for another year and the fact that head coach Thornbury was a defenseman and likes to stress the value of playing well in your own end of the rink. "We would like to pick up some scoring, but I think we are going to be stronger offensively," said Mr. Parliament. Written invitations went-out to many players to attend camp; the eligible returnees from last year were notified by phone when camp opens, but Mr. Parliament said training camp is open to any player. Those who were not contacted, but would like to come out to camp, should notify the club ahead of time, he said. After the three pre-season games in a row, camp resumes with a workout Sept. 15. Two nights later, Bradford Bulls will be in town for a pre-season match at 8:15 p.m. and the ModJacks will travel to Bradford for a game on a date still to be Turn to Page 18 ~ Sure-fire signs summer's ending Large... Port Perry's Todd Healey takes a look at today's world of sports I saw an absolutely, sure-fire sign that fall and hockey season are on the way; sure as the first robin announces spring, this sign can mean only one thing: Sunday morning hockey is just around the corner. Frost on the pumpkin? Nah, too obvious. The geese moving to the corn at nightfall? Nope. I have more conclusive evidence than that - I saw Bill Bridge out riding his bike, getting his hockey legs in shape. [tis time. I wish I could force myself to do the same but seeing one of the best, if not the best player in the league training for a new season makes an out-of-shape, third-liner like me simply shudder and crawl back onto the hammock. With talent like mine, actually getting in shape to play hockey would be like taking Viagra and a cold shower at the same time. What's the point? I didn't always feel this way. I remember a time when [ couldn' wait for hockey season to start, to lace 'em up and feel the smooth sensation of metal meeting ice, legs moving as naturally as if they had just played yesterday and not last spring. But at some point, and I have no recollection of when, the first time back on skates in the fall became just that; a fall. Many of them. Initially, this clumsiness would last for maybe the first two or three games and then I'd be back to normal, but every year the process took longer to correct itself until last year when it never went away and I spent the entire season feeling like a new-born calf on skates. A permanent "speed wob- ble" cays my nephew. I know where the problem lies. I'm getting older. Not old: mind you, but older and I need to play more, not less in order to get the rhythm back. Of course, it's not as though I was a world-beater even in my prime - the only Scouts that ever came knocking on my door were selling apples - but I was at least adequate. When | got the puck, I knew what to do with it, and had the time and space to maneuver in order to do it. Now, even if I do get the puck, which is rare, I don't seem to have time to do anything brilliant with it. And, taking it one step further, given ample time and room, my mind writes checks that my body can no longer cash. My mind says, "fake left, cut across the slot and go top shelf, glove side," and my body says "Huh?" I suppose what hurts the most about getting older and slower is that I'm not the only one who notices. Each vear, my league stats and ratings go down. | score less and therefore, get less ice time with the good players, who naturally want to play with linemates of equal ability. It's a merry-go-round that I now know will never stop. But maybe theres still hope. Maybe the last few years of my hockey decline are just a blip on the screen, and this year I'll strap the blades on and be magically trans- formed into the player that used to live in my body. But then again, maybe that guy doesn't exist anymore. All | know is that if it's true what they say about grown men playing out childhood fantasies through sports, then maybe I'll have to lower the bar. In hockey terms, my Sandra Bullock will have to become Minnie Pearl. When Minnie in turn becomes Lassie, I'll hang 'em up. But only then.