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OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, September 10, 2009 · 18 Rowing opportunities re-ignited competitive fire for goal-oriented Aziz Continued from page 17 playing basketball, captaining his team at Appleby College and playing rep for the Oakville Vytis. "I wanted to keep the excitement of sports but basketball, the passion wasn't there for me," Aziz said. "I didn't have the same drive I had in hockey." "Being a latecomer to the sport, he knew he wasn't going to play in the NBA," said his mother. "He's very goal oriented. When he's working toward something, he wants to be at the highest level." Bob Aziz, Dan's father, had been a rower at the University of Western Ontario. His parents always thought their son had the ideal body for rowing but, because Dan loved hockey so much, they never pushed him in that direction. Now that he was looking for another athletic outlet, they suggested it to him. They took him to the Don Rowing Club in Mississauga. When his mom picked him up after the first day, his underwhelming response was, `Yeah, I'll try it.' He continued to go to the club each day and soon people started to notice him. "At first you look at him and you think there's nothing much to see. He doesn't jump out at you," said Fred Loek, a coach at the club. "You have to get to know him to learn to appreciate him. He wasn't a natural, though he clearly had the ability to move a boat. He had brute strength and dedication. And he was very determined." Soon there was a bit of a buzz about the newcomer and when Aziz heard about a rower at the club getting a scholarship, his competitive fire was re-lit. "I've taken the determination that I put into hockey and put it into rowing," he said. The Canada Games Aziz and the Ontario crew (Nick Schuldo and Nick Chisholm from Western and Alex Soutter from Harvard) had to make things happen quickly. While British Columbia had trained all summer -- including a trip to Australia -- and Quebec's crew had been together for two years, Ontario had just one PHOTO COURTESY OF DIGITAL SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY DETERMINED: Dan Aziz takes the determination he learned from hockey and puts it into rowing. week together to prepare. "You can't just jump in and row. You have to be precise and build timing," Aziz said. "If we all broke down into single boats, we probably would have had four of the top six . But we had to come together as a team rather than individuals." They won their heat handily and, three days later, the Ontario crew posted a time of three minutes, 52.47 seconds over the 1,200-metre course to beat British Columbia by almost two full seconds. "We made each day exponentially better and the guys were willing to work hard," Aziz said of the win. "We knew it wasn't going to be a cakewalk." The next day, Aziz went for gold again with the Ontario eights. It came down to a photo finish. Aziz, sitting in the bow, was sure they had edged British Columbia at the finish line. They waited 10 minutes before the final results were announced. B.C. had won by 16 one-hundredths of a second. "We did everything we could have. It comes down to who's finishing a stroke and who's starting," Aziz said. "As much as it sucks to get the lesser medal, that's what you row for is races like that. It's like winning battles in the corners in hockey." The appreciation It all comes back to hockey. "It's still tough to go back and watch guys from the teams I played on, Sam and John Tavares, to watch them on the ice scoring goals and celebrating and not being a part of it," he said. "To this day, I still want to throw on my skates and see how I measure up," But Aziz can also appreciate the teamwork involved in his new pursuit. "It's full-body exertion and the timing, it's pretty cool to have eight guys perfectly matched working together," he said. So while Aziz may not have to had the chance to live his childhood dream, his dedication is leading him toward a happy ending anyway. Aziz was named Ontario's flagbearer for the opening ceremonies at the Canada Games. In December, he'll carry the Olympic torch through Toronto. He hopes it will be his first of many Olympic experiences. Adult Hockey School for men & women where the focus is on having fun! Beginners and intermediate players welcome Power skating, shooting, stick-handling, passing 30 min skills/drills, and 20 min game at the end Experienced/knowledgeable instructors Established company (over 10 yrs experience) Kinaoak Arena in Oakville Winter season begins Sunday Sept 20th, and runs every Sunday at 10pm for 22 weeks ph: 1-(800)-905-0270 HOME IMPROVEMENTS 905-845-3824 ext. 299 COUNTERTOPS & MORE Who Does It... 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