The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

18 Sports Oakville Beaver www.aplushomes.ca Adam Campbell 905-844-4444 I N D E P E N D E N T LY O W N E D A N D O P E R AT E D Broker of Record B R O K E R A G E SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2009 Rock star Second time's the charm Batchelor earns snowboarding silver on last attempt By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF MICHAEL IVANIN / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER STRONG START: Ottawa's Jenn Hanna shouts out instructions to her teammates Monday during opening-day action of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts at Oakville Curling Club. Hanna and Fort William's Krista McCarville both got off to 3-0 starts at the provincial women's curling championship, which continues throughout the week and concludes Sunday. Jeff Batchelor is the first to admit he procrastinates. "If I've got an assignment at school, everyone else starts a week in advance," says the 20-yearold Queen's University commerce student. "I do it a day in advance. But I still get good marks." While waiting until the last possible moment has proven to be a success in the "It was amazing classroom, the Oakville to even come snowboarder had never second. I was put that strategy to the hurting from the test on the halfpipe waist down. It until Friday. Leaving himself with no mar- wasn't just my gin for error, Batchelor hip; it was my delivered not once, not knees, too" twice, but three times to earn a silver medal Jeff Batchelor at the World Snowboard Championships in Korea. Batchelor fell in his first of two runs in each of the qualifying, semifinal and final rounds. But with only each competitor's best score counting, Batchelor came through on his second run in each stage. In the final, he earned a score of 44.4 points that allowed him to beat defending world champion Mathieu Caprel of France. Only Japan's Ryoh Aono, with a score of 47.3, prevented him from taking the gold medal and locking up a berth on the Canadian Olympic team for the 2010 Games in Vancouver. Batchelor was just thrilled to have a bit of pocket money that will help him continue to compete over the next 12 months. By finishing in the top 16, he secured his funding for the next year. Battling through injuries -- he displaced his hip the day before leaving for Korea -- anything beyond the top 16 was simply a bonus. "It was amazing to even come second," Batchelor said. "I was hurting from the waist down. It wasn't just my hip; it was my knees, too." The halfpipe in Korea didn't do much to help. The walls in Korea were five feet lower than the 22-foot walls he had been training on in Calgary. That resulted in harder landings. Hard landings have been common for the Appleby College grad this year. Buoyed by a pair of World Cup silver medals last season, there was plenty of optimism coming into this year. Instead, Batchelor finished 68th at the first World Cup in Switzerland in October and followed that up by placing 77th at a NorAm event -- a level below the World Cup -- in December. It turns out that thinking about an essay on the future of the economy while trying to execute a backside 1080 is not exactly the best way to nail the latest trick in your repertoire. Hard to focus on snowboarding "I still had school on my mind and it took a quite a bit of time," Batchelor said. "I had too much on my plate. I wasn't focused on snowboarding. When I went to Switzerland, I still had my essays on my mind." After struggling to balance his studies with See Snowboarder page 19 OAKVILLE SOCCER CLUB www.oakvillesoccer.ca REGISTER NOW FOR THE 2009 SUMMER SEASON SATURDAY JANUARY 31 & FEBRUARY 7, 2009 9:00AM ­ 12:00PM TOWN HALL ­ SOUTH ATRIUM (1225 Trafalgar Road) Proof of Birth Required, Visa/MasterCard/Debit Accepted, To Make Your Registration Payment Quicker Cash & Check Payment is Advised OPEN REGISTRATION SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITES STILL AVAILABLE Be a part of the Oakville Community & Canada's Largest Soccer Club by participating in our sponsorship program for the 2009 Outdoor Season!! Visit www.oakvillesoccer.ca (Services Link) Or contact Joy @ jneefs@oakvillesoccer.ca Becoming involved in the Oakville Soccer Club as a sponsor will heighten your community profile, give you an opportunity to connect with the families of Oakville, be a promoter of "active living" and most of all, be seen as a leader in your field! The Oakville Beaver A Proud Sponsor of Oakville Soccer Club Sponsored by: