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Oakville’s Chris Pridham was a second-round loser in the Benson and Hedges Open tennis tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, Wednesday. Pridham, No. 99 in the Association of Tennis Professionals computer rankings going into the event, lost to fourth-seeded Jaime 'Yzaga of Peru, 6â€"2, 3-6, 7-6 (7â€"4). DOWN UNDER Pridham, preparing for the Australian Open, knocked off Stephane Simian of France in the opening round, 6-2, 6â€"2. He was coming off a semi- final finish at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last week, losing to eventual winner Richey Reneberg of the US. HE'S A SISKIN Not pleased with his ice time with the Waterloo University team, former Oakville Blades defenceman Jason Honchar has signed with Waterloo Siskins of the Mid-Westem Jr. B loop. Honchar played the last two seasons with the Blades. Anyone interested in playing in an Oakyille winter touch foot- ball league should contact Mike Luyks at 842-0361. Registrants should be at least 21 years of age. - -â€"- Amsmz comma SERIES 33 EXCLUSIVE CARDS INClUDING 6 HOlOGRAMS A m 1?. â€"-â€" “v” A new Thursday night ball- hockey league is in the works for this summer at Oakville Arena. Interested teams should call Dino Germano at 827-6850. MONDAY: High school has- ketball: Oakville Trafalgar at Loyola. TUESDAY: OCAA basket- ball: Fansh’awe at Sheridan. 8 pm. at Porter Athletic Centre. High school hockey: T.A. Blakelock vs. Loyola. 3 pm. at Glen Abbey. WEDNESDAY: High school volleyball. T.A. Blakelock at White Oaks. FRIDAY: Central Jr. A Hockey: Mississauga vs. Blades, 8 p.m., Oakville Arena. TIQ £75 ARM LE SPORTS McDonald's ANDREGREAnLN By TOM MICHIBATA Oakville Beaver stafi‘ ghey don’t view themselves as women’s : liberation types or headlineâ€"getters. It’s 1‘ _ strictly for the love of the sport. For the first- time in Oakville the traditionally allâ€" male domain of high school wrestling has been cracked by the female of the species. White Oaks students Elaine Sheppard, 15, Preena Chauhan, 15, Lora Thomson, 15, Erin Saunderson, 15, and Jenn Wilson, 16, are getting their noses dirty and elbows banged up along GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS: Lora Thomson puts a strangle-hold on Jenn Wilson during a recent practice. The pair are among five White Oaks Secondary School girls who have cracked the male-dominated sport. (Photo by PelerMcCusker) The captain and assistant captain arrived at the rink just 10 minutes before preâ€"game warmup. The team receives a minor penalty for not having the players on the we coinciding with the starting line- up indicated on the game sheet An attempt to pull the goalie for an extra attacker in the final minute results in a tooâ€"manyâ€"menâ€" onâ€" â€"theâ€" ice penalty. You get the idea. It wasn’t the Oakville Blades night Thursday when they visited Brampton Capitals in a Central Ontan’o Junior A Hockey League match Blades dropped a 5- 4 verdict to drop further back of the West Division’s elite group. Entering Friday’s game with Georgetown, the Blades (15-18â€"0) were 12 points back of fourth- p-lace Caledon. And general'manager Murray Walker is flabber- gasted at the team’s lack of mental preparation and Brampton gives Blades the baunce AKVILLE BEAVER J Not officially sanctioned at the Halton or provincial levels, the fab five have been relegat- ed to attending practice and the occasional exhi- bition match. with the guys. “It’s different and it’s fun,” said Thomson. “1 look at it as a challenge.” “It’s a lot of hard work,” Saunderson said. “You have to use your brain more than pure physical strength. You have to be thinking all the time.” To the uneducated, wrestling could be viewed as dangerous and un-ladylike. But those fears can “We didn't come to play until about the 13-minute mark of the second period,” Walker said. “There was just no spark. Too many 'Oh well it’s just another game (attitudes)" commitment. With the Jan. 10 deadline past,.Walker agrees the team's brass has its hands tied â€"â€"but there are ways around it. “We won’t go with four lines if guys aren’t going to play," he said. "They can sit on the bench and watch the world go by...They’ve got to be thinking and eating hockey when they get to the rink." Matt anek, Steve Smillie, Ryan Foster, Roger O’Toole and Chris Stoner scored for Brampton, which held period leads of 2-1 and 4-3. Krystian Stringer, Justin Ball, Matt Interbartolo and Jeff Saranko, with 2:49 to play, replied for Oakviile. Brampton outshot Oakville 33-31. © 1992 MtDonald's Restauranls Of Canada limitedr Upper Dark and the (ad/hologram combination are trademarks of the Upper Dark Company. © 1992 fire Upper Derk (ampany‘ All rights reserved LIMIT 5 PACKS PER VISIT WHILE SUPPLIES LAST Starts Friday January lst. Female high school students break the wrestling barrier be rest put to rest. First they’re getting plenty of technical expertise from coâ€"coaches Nick Daniels and Wayne Terry and their male teammates. They have support from their parents and they have thick skins. They don’t care what others may think. As for negative comments about femininity, Thomson says, “I know I’m a girl.” “Some people don’t believe you because it’s still considered a guy’s sport,” Saunderson said. “You ignore them; they’re going to say that stuff anyway.” Daniels SUNDAY, JANUARY 17,1993 PAGE 17 is fully supportive of his female conâ€" tingent. “They’re on the cutting edge of the sport,” Daniels said. “I figure there are about 100 of them across Ontario and they are quite serious. They work as hard, if not harder, than the guys. “I don’t teach them anything difâ€" ferent (although some) things might or might not work because of the dif- ference in strength and flexibility." Queen Elizabeth Park coach Geoff Sheppard is fully behind what’s going on at.WOSS. He says the girls have to be serious about it in order to deflect the natural extra attention they’ll attract. Both feel it’s only a matter of time before girls wrestling will become sanctioned at the Halton and OFSAA levels. “I anticipate it will happen in the next few years,” Daniels said. “I’d like to see a whole women’s division set up. In the Olympics, they have women’s judo. Wrestling is not too far removed from it.” But in order for integration to be successful. it will take a great deal of cooperation from the male side, Geoff Sheppard says. “It’s a no-win situation for the boy. If he loses he’s a sissy. If he wins, people will say he beat up a girl.” The girls admit it took courage to consider the idea when sign-ups were announced by the school. But through further encouragement of veterans Dave and Mike Elder, they tossed their hats into the ring. “At first I didn’t know if I’d like it and stay with it," said Saunderson. "But it got better. Now I think other girls should come out.” “I’m quite comfortable with it now,” said Thomson. “I’ll come back next year and see how it is. I’m not planning to become the champion of Canada or anything} *4 And their male teammates are just as keen about the girls‘ involvement. “I tell them not to quit,” said Mike Elder. “I figure you should get as many out (for wrestling) as posgible boys or girls.” Thomson, Saunderson and Chauhan got their first taste of com- petition last weekend.Thomson was the only one to win a match (against two losses), gaining a bronze at 103 pounds.