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22 Independent & Free Press,Thursday, July 28, 2011 SPORTS & LEISURE Renton is a work in progress By EAMONN MAHER Staff Writer A shoulder injury last fall caused a bit of a setback in the progress of Georgetown's Tyler Renton, but the 17-year-old remains one of Canada's top prospects in the javelin throw. Renton, who trains with the York University Track & Field Club, represented Canada at the recent World Youth Championships in Lille, France, and while he wasn't thrilled about his 14th place finish with a toss of 61.90m, he says he'll be better prepared to take on the planet's best the next time around. "You're always looking at the results of the top guys in the world and it was interesting to get to see them in person-- who they are and how they throw," said Renton. "I enjoyed going over there, but I didn't throw my best. In April, I wasn't sure if I'd even make the (qualifying) standard, but my shoulder felt good before my first meet in May, 100 per cent healthy. It was just the training I missed and I wasn't in the best of shape. My throwing isn't back to where it should be yet." The Grade 12 Christ the King student would appear to be rounding back into form, however. He set a new personal-best throw of 67.85m at a twilight meet on Tuesday at York and won the Athletics Ontario youth division (17 & under) championship last weekend in Toronto. Renton also competes in shot put and is ranked third in Canada for his age group, but it's the javelin that carries the greatest potential for him to become an elite-level athlete. Athletics Canada has targeted the 6-foot-3, 200pound Renton as one of its long-term development projects, with his selection to the national team this year as just the first step in a process that could play out until his mid- to late-20s, when javeline throwers are typically in their prime for winning Olympic medals. "Tyler's got all of the physical tools to be successful and that's why it was disappointing that he missed those four months of valuable training time, especially at his age when he's beginning to learn the technical aspects of throwing the javelin," said his coach with the York club, Richard Parkinson, who has competed internationally and overseen the development of several national team competitors. "The future's definitely bright for him. Had he not hurt his shoulder, I projected him to be among the top five in the world right now, with a personal best around the 75-metre range. But that was with a thousand practice throws a week and that's where he needs to get to." Renton became interested in track & field as a student at Silver Creek Public School, then caught the attention of Athletics Ontario with a bronzemedal showing for CtK at the provincial high school championships as a Grade 9 in the midget category. After joining the York club under Parkinson's direction, Renton competed in several events last year, highlighted by a fourth-place finish at the national junior championships in Moncton in the 19and-under age group. "A lot is going to depend on how mature he becomes as a young adult because these kids have a lot on their plate with school and other commitments, and he'll have to block all that out to be a world-class athlete, making those sacrifices to stay on top of his workouts," Parkinson added. "It's his choice how he applies himself. If the moon and stars align and he stays healthy, we could see this lad in the Olympics in 2016. It usually takes eight years of training to get there and he's just in his second full year of being coached. He's got the right tools and the right environment at York, and I think he can do it in six years." Renton is now tuning up for the Legion Canada Youth Championships in Ottawa next week. He plans to return for a fifth year at CtK and see where the javelin takes him from there. "I want to go to the States for university. My main goal is to compete in the NCAA," he said. "I'll probably come back for a victory lap here, compete another year at OFSAA, raise my marks and open up some more options." Mustangs host Ontario Cup tourney The Georgetown Soccer Club hosted a regional round of the Ontario Cup for the under-12 girls' division last weekend at Cedarvale Park, involving five teams including the hometown Red Lemon Hair Salon Mustangs. Pictured above, Georgetown striker Meghan Hector (left) battles for possession against the Brampton Brams 99 Rebels during one of the round-robin games Sunday, won 5-0 by the eventual champion Brams, who'll move on to the Ontario Cup quarterfinals. Georgetown's under-12s tied their other three games on the weekend, 2-2 with the Vaughan Devils, 0-0 with the Richmond Hill Raiders and 1-1 with the Etobicoke Energy. Katie Sell scored twice for the Mustangs and Cassidy Korhonen had the other. Photo by Gary Kirke Send us your sports scores TYLER RENTON To submit game results or tournament reports to appear in our monthly Scoreboard section, please send them to the Independent & Free Press's sports department via e-mail, emaher@theifp.ca or call us at 905-873-0301 ext. 249. $ 2012 Civic. There's one for you. 0 Down per per month month NEXT GENERATION 2012 CIVIC SEDAN** $ 0 Security Deposit $ 25091* **Vehicle may not be exactly as shown. *60 month lease @ 4.49%. First payment registration due on delivery. O.A.C. INCLUDES: · Auto Transmission · Power Windows & Locks · Air Conditioning · Blue Tooth · Cruise Control www.georgetownhonda.ca Serving Georgetown for over 30 years! 316 Guelph Street, Georgetown 905-873-1818 905-874-3021 HONDA