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42 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday October 17, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com A long drive to Vegas Gary Nickerson vying for world golf title By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR Drive for show and putt for dough? Gary Nickerson would rather drive for both. The 62-year-old will be swinging for prestige and cash next week in Las Vegas when he competes in the World Long Ball championships. "It's a big show. This is what it's all about," the former longtime Oakville resident said last week between swings on Joshua Creek Golf and Tennis Centre's driving range. "No one remembers who comes in second. There's a lot of recognition (for you) if you can win it. Who knows where this will take me if I do well?" Armed with his El Diablo Crank six-degree driver, Nickerson appeared almost effortless as he blasted shot after shot into the trees 325-plus yards away. The key to his distance is not a wild and rapid backswing, but simply making good contact with the ball. Surprisingly, Nickerson makes that good, consistent contact despite not having had any professional training. In fact, he doesn't even like golf. "I used to play a long time ago, but I'm not that good," he said. "There are too many things that frustrate you." Driving the ball out of sight didn't come easily, either. "I hit a lot of worm-burners here, but I didn't give up," Nickerson said. "I said I'd learn how to do it. It was something I knew I hadn't had really good experience with, but if I practiced at it, would it work? I wanted to prove it to myself." He's also proven it to others. According to an online poll leading up to the World Long Ball championships, Nickerson is the third-most popular choice to win the Grand Champion (61 and older) division, behind only former National Basketball Association star Rick Barry and three-time Long Ball champion Fred Hooter. This is Nickerson's first trip to the world championships. He missed out on qualifying last year by half a club length. The Grand Champion division winner will earn $14,000, while the overall champion will take home $250,000. The competition will be aired on ESPN during the Christmas season. "I've said I'm not going to be nervous. Even the best are nervous," Nickerson said. "I see guys down there and the hardest part of the MICHAEL IVANIN / OAKVILLE BEAVER competition is getting the ball on the BIG SHOT: Gary Nickerson will be shooting for a World Long Ball championship when he tees off next week in Las tee. They're literally shaking." Vegas. Pink in the Rink FLOOR MODEL SALE Chairs $ From 499 · Future Chair · Perri Fine · Deco Rest · Brentwood Classics · Leda GREAT SELECTION AND BIG SAVINGS HURRY IN!! We carry Steven & Chris and Kimberly Seldon Collection DEREK WOOLLAM / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER 466 Guelph Line, Burlington 905-632-8354 Visit online at lelasfinefurniture.com STORE HOURS: Mon-Wed 10-6, Thurs-Fri 10-7, Sat 10-5, Sun 12-5 BLADES JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST BREAST CANCER: There will be plenty of pink in the rink tomorrow (Saturday) when the Oakville Blades host the Burlington Cougars in Provincial Junior Hockey League competition at Joshua's Creek Arenas. The Blades will wear pink jerseys during the warmup and those jerseys will be for sale during the game, with all proceeds going to the Canadian Cancer Society. The Blades are the latest of many local sports teams, including several high schools, to wear pink this month in support of the fight against breast cancer. Pictured above for a mock ceremonial faceoff are Canadian Cancer Society Oakville reps Joan Gibb (front, left) and Lisa Moffatt (front, right), Blades head coach/general manager Carlo Coccimiglio (front, centre) and Blades players (back, left to right) Lindsay Sparks, Luke Moodie, Jeremy Welsh, Braden Birch and Julian Cimadamore. Tomorrow's game, scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m., will also feature several other fundraising ventures, including raffles, draw prizes and contests. The Blades' game will be preceded by a barbecue as well as an Oakville Ice junior women's hockey game.