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Sports Oakville Beaver By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2007 27 Former Oakville coach helps Canada to bronze Disqualification of Mexico vaults Fallon, Canadian gymnasts to Pan Am medal As he walked around Rio de Janeiro under cloudy skies last Thursday, wishing he was lying on a sandy beach instead, Dave Fallon was not in the greatest of spirits. That all changed with a welcome tap on the shoulder from a member of the Canadian Olympic Committee. "Congratulations," the woman said. "For what?" asked Fallon, who had helped coach the Canadian girls' gymnastics team to a fourth-place finish at the Pan American Games a few days earlier. "There's been a disqualification in the team competition," the COC member responded, explaining that the Canadians had been upgraded to bronze medalists. As it turned out, the Mexican team that finished a mere 1.05 points ahead of Canada in the final standings had been declared ineligible due to a technicality, vaulting Fallon's team into medal position. Marisela Arizmendi Torres had been enrolled as a delegation official but participated as an athlete, causing the disqualification. "All the rules are very specific," said the 35-year-old Fallon, an Oakville native who attended Gordon E. Purdue and T.A. Blakelock high schools. "If you don't follow them to a T, there are grave consequences. They didn't accredit her formally, which meant they were competing with an illegal athlete, and that disqualified the whole team." A medal was the icing on the cake for the Canadian team, which had already exceeded its pre-Games expectations with the initial fourth-place finish. With many of the country's top senior athletes -- including local resident Alyssa Brown -- competing in national team trials this month, Canada sent a young quintet to the Pan Ams. Peng Peng Lee of Richmond Hill, Emma Willis of Sarnia, Charlotte Mackie and Brittany Rogers of Coquitlam, B.C., and Stephanie Desjardins-Labelle of Gatineau, Que., held first place after the first flight and were in medal contention throughout the competition. "We didn't have any expectations, so there was no pressure of having to perform," said Fallon, who is DesjardinsLabelle's personal coach. "For the most part, I think that helped the girls." Fallon formerly coached with the Oakville Antoinettes and Burlington Gymnastics Club before relocating to Gatineau, where he is currently the head coach of Les Gymelites. Born with club foot, a birth defect in which the foot is twisted in (inverted) and down, Fallon overcame the condition to compete in gymnastics at an early age. Though he only participated in gymnastics for a couple years, Fallon developed a passion for the sport, and became involved in coaching shortly after he stopped competing. "It's the purest sport that can be," Fallon said. "It's the base of all sports, with the flexibility and the strength. Once you understand that, and how difficult it is, you appreciate every movement and you find it fascinating. To be able to convey that and teach that to a young girl or young boy is fantastic." Lang, Matheson also bronzed Fallon was one of several with Oakville connections to participate in the Pan American Games, which will conclude Sunday. Kara Lang and Diana Matheson helped the Canadian women's soccer team earn bronze, clinching the medal yesterday with a 2-1 win over Mexico. Lang finished the tournament with five goals in six games, while Matheson also chipped in with a goal. Dan Lewis and the Canadian volleyball team were knocked out of medal contention Wednesday with a straight-set loss to Cuba. Canada finished the preliminary round with a 1-2 mark and is scheduled to face Argentina today in a Classification 5-8 Match. The national women's field hockey team, including Cailie O'Hara, was relegated to the classification round as well. Canoeist Jamie Andison, sailor Oskar Johansson and rhythmic gymnast Suzanne Lendvay will conclude their competitions this weekend. GRACE CHIU / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER WELL DONE: Dave Fallon (right) gives Coquitlam, B.C. resident Brittany Rogers a hug during last week's gymnastics competition at the Pan American Games in Brazil. Fallon, a local native who coached with the Oakville Antoinettes before moving to Quebec, was one of the coaches on the Canadian team that earned bronze. oakville Max DON'T MISS OUR GAS GIVEAWAY SALE Saturday July 28th See Dealer for Details 2375 Wyecroft Rd. Oakville · 1-866-893-2559 · www.oakvilletoyota.ca