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T11E HERALD Wednesday July II Page IS 1989 HONDA CIVIC GEORGETOWN ESBEZIQQ St l0 cost SALES SERVICE 873 Sports and I Recreation DOWNTOWN FAX SERVICE Evenings Saturdays Too vounci Downtown Georgetown 8772761 The Plackett Family A truly sporting life By COLIN GIBSON Herald Sports Editor How gonne keep them down on the farm after theyve met the Answers Move the farm The Chapel Street family appear to exist in a state of happily con trolled confusion the likes of which most of us would envy In this writers view they are also fairly representative of Halton Hills families in their participation and outlook on sports and recreation within the community The titular head of the family Eddie 42 oversees with the sometimes grudging permission of wife Sally Louise Nick 15 and a menagerie of extended family members that includes Nibs the dog two Zebra Finches named and Busbie a guinea pig who embarrassingly answers to the moniker Lester a mat ched set of domestic Mallard ducks dubbed Quakers and Titch and Charlie the cat presently under house arrest for unconcernedly delivering a litter of five kittens with little if any thought to their future wellbeing Eddie a licensed structural and plate work fitter for Halton Steel Fabricators of Milton coaches a Bantam soccer House League team and has been involved in coaching for three years He is a member of the Georgetown Legion plays in the Legion Industrial Darts League enjoys tennis and prior to emigrating to Canada from England was a serious squash player He was also an avid amateur soccer player in his Hello again Hello As I See It Colin Gibson Sports Editor Begging indulgence from the reader I feet 1 can safely state that returning to a previous writing venue especiallysports writing is akin to chance encounter with a lover from ears past Wariness and a of trepidation hover like allencompassing humidity Memories long barricaded some even involuntarily rush to the Tore and threaten to torture the seases But the moment must be met With acknowledgement to that painter of songs Neil Diamond Hello Again Hello I was Sports Editor of the Herald from until mid1977 At that point I headed West and took on the position of Sports Editor with the Nanaimo Daily Free Press Ah but the Herald years The Intermediate Raiders playing the Old Arena on Mill Street With Battling Bob defending the locals if any outsider dared to either their honor or willingness to do battle on the frozen pond recall once Battling Bob even defended the water cooler in the lob by Byt thats another story The the Georgettes the first faltering steps taken our now ready to mature Junior hockey team the Raiders Centennial Schools excellent and unfortunatel demised wrestling program Georgetown and District Secondary Schools always impressive and at times formidable athletic accomplishments The list could go on ad nauseum or add names and teams choice While out West I was again privileged to view and also play a part in athletic excellence The Tier Junior A Clippers hockey team ended up as Provincial champions during my stay but faltered on the road to the Centennial Cup The team was coached by former NHLer Larry and included Barry Pederson Robertson and Greg Adams At last look all three were still registered on NHL rosters I also did radio color commentary for the Clippers senior High School boys basketball team won the Provin cial title and was ranked Number I in Canada during my tenure as Sports Editor Greg Kazanowski a member of that team went on to represent Canada Internationally I had the Distinct pleasure his words not mine of interviewing Howie Meeker But thats a moot point Come to think of it in human terms I think Howie Meeker is a moot point I met and interviewed the soccer playing brothers Bob and Sam Bob Is now vying for the position of Head Coach of Canadas National soccer earn Suffice to say I know sports and have covered sports nil levels I attended University in Sudbury where I majored in History arid minored in Political Science I also studied for a term at the University of Aberdeen Aberdeen Scotland I was enrolled in the Journalism course offered by Sheridan College Campus and attended Sheridan College Brampton Campus in the Law and Security Administration program am hoping to renew old acquaintances perhaps heal old wounds and of primary importance make myself available to those involved in all levels of sports and recreation in the environs of Hills To borrow from the wellworn phrase uttered by that luscious lady of and burlesque Mae West Come up and see me sometime lOSTSCIUPT For all you trivia buffs in Halton Hills You won your bet Im the same guy who survived being hit broadside by the train in my at the level crossing in Acton in Also one and the same whose MGB was lifted into the air with me in he car when the tornado hit downtown Georgetown in native England Sally who admits to coming from a very unsporting English family has made amends in that respect She became actively in volved with the Georgetown Figure Skating Club and is in her third year as a member of the clubs executive A seamstress she handles the figure skating clubs outfits and accessories re quirements through Sallys Skate Shop An enthusiastic crafts per son she is currently involved with painting on wood Louise is in her sixth year as a member of the Georgetown Figure Skating Club and for the past two years has skated with the Preci sion Skating Team the Ice Dreamers A secondyear Junior bowler she has played minor soc cer for three years and represented Stewarttown school volleyball Nick plays and referees minor soccer engages in competitive ten nis matches with Eddie and is the proud possessor of an impressive baseball card collection Eddie and Sally first chanced upon each other at the Nottingham nightclub Tudor Court The au dience was being royally entertain ed by singer Buster Blood Vessel Thecouples first dance together was a CanCan and while it wasnt exactly love at first kick romance did blossom Eddie was divorced and Sally had been a widow for months Louise and Nick are from her first marriage and still use their natural fathers name Hatton a practice Eddie encouraged from the outset of the marriage The decision to emigrate to Canada had already been made by Eddie to his courting of Sally She was- hesitant to leave England for the uncertainties of life in a new land However after two months of separation from Eddie she made the decision to pull up roots and join her future husband in Chatham The Placket moved to Georgetown in 1984 and now view themselves as solidly entrenched citizens of Hills The Placketts enjoyment of and honestly caring attitude towards youth shines through at every op portunity and is obviously reflec tive of their feelings towards each other It is safe to state that manyof the neighborhood children regard Ed die and Sally as virtual surrogate parents a responsibility the Placketts are aware of and handle accordingly Their attitude towards youngsters involved in athletic competition similarly reflects their views on children and life in Eddie became involved in coaching minor soccer because he felt he could share his knowledge of the game and also because I enjoy seeing kids enjoying themselves He stresses the fundamentals of the game and insists his charges be competitive but fair As Eddie succinctly puts it In life in general you learn about winning and losing and as far as Im concerned an important part of life is getting along with people Being a member of a sports team can be compared to a certain degree to training for life The might be viewed as slightly eccentric in some quarters Be that as it may The family is happy with their lot in life and in terms of critics dont really give a hoot er quack that is THE FAMILY The family home is a collection of humans and animals with each member rightfully accorded his or her rightful place in the sun Sharing this bit of sun Eddie Salty and Louise The extended Includes Nibs the dog Charlie the cat and her kit tens Zebra Finches and Busbie domestic Mallard ducks and Titch and of course Lester Piggitt the Guinea pig Ab sent when this photo was taken was Nick He was out a soc cer game Herald photo Raiders ready for title run By COLIN GIBSON HeraldSports Editor The gauntlet has been dropped and Georgetown Pontiac Buick Raiders President Dave Kentner is hoping those Junior B aspirants slated to attend the teams training camp at Gordon Memorial Arena will rise to the challenge We feel we are finished building the organization stated Kentner in a recent interview The steps have been taken This will be a great year we will be there I think I can safely say our coaching situation is stable the attitude and atmosphere within the organization is one of confidence and we have a strong nucleus of returning players The team must produce The six week training camp opens Aug 22 at Gordon and players have been extended invitations Kentner stated there will be a strong contingent of local players vyingfor positions with the team and this can only help to fan the competitive flame and heighten the in tensity level of those participating Kentner favorably compares the Raiders at this stage in their development to the New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers prior to their embarking on their respective NHL championship binges Thats not to say cakewalk to the Central Ontario Junior Hockey League crown is expected Far from it Burlington Cougars and are expected to once again ice strong teams with the Raiders and Milton knocking on the door If the team jells as expected in view the Raiders will be capable of break ing down the door and claiming the elusive coveted prize lying just over the threshold Defending league champion Capitals might be termed an unknown quantity at this point The team has just been granted per mission from the OHA to shift their base of operations to Brampton playing out of Brampton Memorial Arena but are without a coach or generalmanager Rick who held both positions last year for the Capitals has moved on to Milton All in all it should be an interesting year in the Central Ontario Junior Hockey League Made even all that more interesting with the prospect of a local championship contender