42 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2007 Third-seeded Repic wins provincial u12 tennis title By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Evangeline Repic couldn't be accused of taking an easy route to victory. Repic knocked off the top two seeds to win the under-12 provincial girls' indoor tennis title last week in Burlington. The 11-year-old defeated top-seeded Erin Routliffe of Caledon 7-5, 7-6 in the final. "When she hit that last ball out, my heart just dropped," Repic said of the provincial title-clinching point. "It was awesome." "When she hit It was a sweet victory for Repic, that last ball out, who had lost to Routliffe 6-2, 6-3 just a week earlier at the under-14 my heart just championships in London. Repic dropped. It was took what she had learned from awesome." that match and applied it to turn the tables. Evangeline Repic "I tried to be consistent and not go for too much," she said. "I tried to use spin and hard shots against her." The Grade 6 student at St. Andrew School won five straight matches to claim her first provincial singles title. Repic, the tournament's third seed, opened with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Toni Ormond, followed with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Yana Smaliuk and then topped the sixth seed Maria Patrascu in the quarter-finals. Repic dropped her only set of the tournament in the semifinals against second seed Carol Zhao in a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 triumph. Repic and Zhao also teamed up to claim the doubles title, defeating Routliffe and Arti Mathakumarin 8-6. Repic began playing tennis recreationally, hitting balls ASHLEY CAMARA / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Eleven-year-old Mackenzie Haining is concluding her most successful season as a figure skater, one that included a bronze-medal win at the Skate Canada BMO Junior Nationals last month. Young skater enjoys the big stage Coming off her most successful season, Mackenzie Haining has many challenges ahead of her -- but nothing her coach thinks she's incapable of handling. "Mackenzie thrives on challenges," said Shelley Barnett, who has coached Haining at the Burlington Skating Centre since Haining's family moved to Oakville from Calgary two years ago. The most immediate test will be a move from the juvenile level to pre-novice. Then again, skating at the juvenile level for the first time did nothing to deter Haining. The 11-yearold Oakville skater racked up gold medals at all but two competitions this year, capping her season with a bronze medal at the Skate Canada BMO Junior Nationals last month. While it was her first time skating in front of a crowd that size, Haining wasn't nervous at all. Instead, she looked forward to her opportunity to shine. "I feel really good skating in front of a lot of people," said the Grade 6 student at Joshua Creek Public School. That came as no surprise to Barnett. "She rises to the occasion and skates beyond what she does in practice," said Barnett. "Most skaters have about a 20 per cent drop (in performance in competition). She goes up." Haining's long program opened with a three-jump combination double Lutz/double toe loop/loop jump and she was very happy to skate a clean program. It's the hours of practice that laid the foundation for her strong performances this season, which included a gold medal at the Western Ontario sectional. Barnett said gains in speed and power have improved Haining's jumps. In the past year alone, she added four double jumps -- a Lutz (her favourite), flip, loop and Salchow -- to her repertoire. Haining took up skating at the age of four but had never considered competing at a national level. "When I came to Ontario, my coach said I had a lot of potential," said Haining. "I knew that she had natural ability and she had the right spirit," Barnett said. "She's a great competitor and you add that natural talent and it serves her very well." -- Herb Garbutt See Confidence page 44 SOCCER REGISTRATIONS Outdoor Recreational Senior Men's 35+ Saturday, March 31 - 11:30 am-2:30pm Oakville Sports Centre 1333 North Service Rd. W Contact Frank 416-807-3664 frank@soccerweb.ca Oakville Men's Soccer Club www.soccerweb.ca Join Us For Golf This Season! Limited number of memberships available! Associate Membership.................................................$299.99 Weekday Membership ...............................................$2,499.99 Weekday & after 1:30 on weekends Membership ..$2,899.99 Full Introductory Membership................................$3,899.99 · 36 Championship Holes · Home of the Canadian Open Qualifier · Complete Premier Practice Facility · Golf Clinics, Jr. Golf Camps & Private Coaching taught by Qualified Professionals · Best Golf Pro Shop in the Area! Pro Shop Now Open! Course Opening Soon! (905) 336-3660 Visit Us Online: www.hiddenlakegolf.com