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Pa ge 5 2 T hu rs da y, S ep te m be r 2 4, 2 01 5 - T he IF P - H al to n H ill s - w w w .th ei fp .c a 312 GUELPH ST., GEORGETOWN 905-877-2296 www.georgetowntoyota.com Sat. Oct 10, 2015 7:30 pm at Mold-Masters Sports Plax Georgetown Raiders vs. Buffalo Jr. Sabres SPORTS 'Quoteunquote' 'In the immediate future I want to put ev-erything I can into this series.' -- Gary Klutt, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series driver Halton Hills Gymnastics Centre putting Trillium grant to work The Halton Hills Gymnastics Centre has big plans for the $137,100 grant they received from the Ontario Trillium Foundation in November of 2014. Samantha Gemmell, one of the Hal- ton-Peel Program Managers with the founda- tion, met with the HHGC recently to present a plaque to celebrate the two-year grant. Funding from the grant will enable persons including those with physical disabilities to en- joy a barrier free access to the facility. It will, additionally, provide a much-needed third washroom, one that is wheelchair acces- sible and has a change table to accommodate all members. Notable programs such as the "Men with Autism" will receive additional support and consultation and a new illuminated HHGC street sign is expected to be installed soon. Dan Stainton, co-ordinator of the Commu- nity Living North Halton's Men With Autism program, said the partnership with the HHGC has been in place for the past 14 months has been beneficial to a dozen of its users. "We at CLNH support approximately 130 residents with various disabilities in a residen- tial environment, but more specifically, we have the 12 gentlemen in our Specialized Sup- ports Division who I work directly with," Stain- ton said. "Most of these men have Autism, and what we have been pioneering over the last year is programming where we have been structuring the day right down into 15-minute segments, and keeping the guys actively engaged, which has greatly reduced behaviors, in turn enabling a much improved quality of life for the men. This is where a facility like yours is so valuable to our program because for one hour per week, we can come into a safe environment, where we can use a huge variety of equipment, have fun, and burn off energy." The HHGC also held an open house to cele- brate the arrival of the Trillium grant at its Arm- strong Ave. facility, with Pan Am Games silver medalist Maegan Chant of Waterdown drop- ping by to meet with young local gymnasts. Race car driver Gary Klutt revved up about future Representing Halton Hills, Gary Klutt placed sixth overall at the 2015 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series in terms of overall points. Klutt achieved this ranking after finishing 11th in the final race of the series, which was held at Kawartha Downs & Speedway near Peterborough last weekend. The series began in May and the 11 to- tal races were held at multiple racetracks in both Ontario and Quebec, as well as tracks in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and featured more than 50 individual racers. The 23-year-old Klutt fell just short of breaking the top 5 due to accidents he ex- perienced mid-series, but he and his team still came away from the series with numer- ous awards, and this is a landmark for Klutt and his team because 2015 is the first year he completed the full NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. Klutt (pronounced 'Kloot') competed in a few of the Canadian Tire Series races last year, but did not complete the whole circuit. "The first race that a couple of the guys were at, we won," he said, talking about his pit crew's reaction to their first race together. "A few of those guys, that was the first race they'd ever been to. It was just incredible. "It's one thing to practice behind the shop every night," Klutt continued. "Until it hap- pened they had no idea how loud and ob- noxious it is at the track. We're racing against guys who are professional race car drivers. For some of them, it's their 30th year racing." Klutt attributes some of the team's suc- cess to crew chief John Fletcher. Fletcher has several decades of experience on the race- track, so his role as an anchor for the team was critical this season. "He' a smart kid, and he sure can drive. That's a pretty good combination," said Fletcher. "It's been a lot of fun, because he is very capable. He's got a bright future in whatever he decides to do." Klutt has spent his entire life working with cars at his family's shop, the Legendary Mo- torcar Company, located on the Fifth Line in southwest Halton Hills. In addition to racing their own cars, 'Leg- endary Motorcar' also rents vehicles for customers to race on their own and Klutt became interested in professional stock car racing after one of these customers unex- pectedly cancelled at the last minute. This happened when Klutt was 16. "It just so happened that I fit perfectly in the car," Klutt said about the no-show cus- tomer incident. "I hopped in it for one race. I'd only raced go-karts up to that point, but I knew we had potential." Klutt isn't satisfied with placing sixth, but he's treating 2015 as a training year and he plans on competing in the 2016 series. "In the immediate future I want to put ev- erything I can into this series," he said. For updates, check out Klutt's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/garylegendary- motorcar By Neil McKenzie-Sutter Special to the IFP The Halton Hills Gymnastics Centre recently held an open house and was presented with a plaque from the Ontario Trillium Foundation for its 2014 grant of $137,100. Pictured above (from left) are: HHGC head coach Florin Chivu, HHGC board of directors president Michelle Mortimer, board VP Patrick Nellis, Ariana Varas, Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette, Ruby Boles. Photo by Eamonn Maher Halton Hills resident Gary Klutt signs some autographs after a recent NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race. The 23-year-old feels he can improve on his sixth-place overall finish for next year's series. Submitted photo