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OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, September 11, 2009 · 38 GOLD Mark Oldershaw, senior men C-1 500m, 1,000m Adam van Koeverden, senior men K-1 200m, 500m, 1000m Mallorie Nicholson, senior women C-1 200m, 1,000m Larry Cain, masters A men C-1 1,000m, masters B C-1 1,000m Junior women C-2 1,000m (Emily Bird, M.Nicholson) Junior women K-4 500m (Mariane Fraser, Brianne Long, Tessa Oldershaw, Kaylynne Parkes) Juvenile women C-4 500m (Alanna BrayLougheed, B. Long, Courtney Stott, Nicole Wong) Midget women C-4 1,000m (Bray-Lougheed, Marsha McLeod, Morgan Oliver, Rebecca Yoshida) Senior women C-15 500m (Lizzy Bates, E. Bird, Bray-Lougheed, Fraser, Long, McLeod, Delaire Nicholson, M.Nicholson, T.Oldershaw, Parkes, Stott, Natalie Thomson, Tanya Thomson, Wong, captain M.Oldershaw) Open women C-4 200m (Nicholson, T.Oldershaw, Parkes, N. Thomson) Junior men C-4 1,000m (Chris Andison, Sam Roworth, Ryan Stepka, Thomas Thrall) Senior men K-2 1,000m (Chris Pellini, van Koeverden) Senior men K-4 1,000m (Geoff Clarke, Pellini, Brady Reardon, van Koeverden) Senior men C-4 1,000m (Jamie Andison, Mark Klevinas, M.Oldershaw, Thrall) Senior men C-15 1,000m (C.Andison, J.Andison, Hunter George, Klevinas, Adam Oldershaw, M.Oldershaw, Pellini, Reardon, Aaron Rublee, Cory Rublee, Thrall, Marco Tschan, Jordan Van Veen, van Koeverden, captain Rob Sargent) SILVER Al Thomson, masters men K-1 1,000m M. Nicholson, senior women C-1 500m Janet Thomson, masters women K-1 500m Juvenile women K-2 1,000m (Long, Stott) Junior women K-2 1,000m (Lizzy Bates, N. Thomson) Junior women K-2 200m (Bates, T.Oldershaw) Junior women C-4 500m (Fraser, T. Oldershaw, Parkes, Wong) Senior women C-4 500m (Bird, M.Nicholson, N. Thomson, Tanya Thomson) Junior men K-2 200m, 500m (Rob Clarke, Jacob Sosna) BRONZE Thomas Thrall, men C-1 1,000m Lizzy Bates, junior women K-1 500m Janet Thomson, masters women K-1 500m Junior men C-2 1,000m (Larry Cain, Thrall) Junior men K-2 1,000m (Clarke, Sosna) Junior men K-4 1,000m (C.Andison, Clarke, Sosna, Van Veen) Senior men C-2 1,000m (Klevinas, M.Oldershaw) Junior women K-2 1,000m (Fraser, Parkes) Senior men K-2 500m (J. Andison, Klevinas) Senior men C-2 200m (M.Oldershaw, A.Rublee) Juvenile women K-2 500m (Long, Stott) Juvenile women K-4 500m (Bray-Lougheed, Long, McLeod, Stott) Pictured clockwise from top, Adam van Koeverden, the women's war canoe and the junior women's K-2 team of Tessa Oldershaw and Lizzy Bates all won medals for the Burloak Canoe Club. PHOTOS SUBMITTED Burloak wins fifth national paddling title By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF It never hurts to have a few Olympians on your side, but it was a good dose of girl power that carried the Burloak Canoe Club to its second national championship in three years. While Burloak got its usual raft of gold medals from its senior men -- Adam van Koeverden earned six while fellow Olympian Mark Oldershaw won five -- it was the ladies that carried Burloak to a somewhat unexpected title at the Canadian sprint canoe/kayak championships in Sherbrooke, Quebec. "From years past, we know the senior men are going to win a lot," said Burloak head coach Adam Oldershaw, "but the junior women really stepped up this year. We weren't really expecting to win this year but we had more points coming from more places." The result was Burloak's fifth national title, and the burgee will now hang from the rafters of the club along with the titles won in 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2007. It will also nicely fill the void left by the burgee the club had to return last year. Burloak thought it had won the 2008 title with a 23-point victory over the host Banook Canoe Club. Weeks later, however, it was discovered that 30 points earned by Banook were not added to its total, giving Banook a slim seven-point victory and forcing Burloak to return the burgee. This time, the burgee will be staying put as the ladies made sure that did not happen again. The midget C-4 crew (Alanna Bray-Lougheed, Marsha McLeod, Morgan Oliver and Rebecca Yoshisa) won its 1,000-metre race by less than a second. It was the club's first-ever midget women's gold medal. Bray-Lougheed had an impressive showing, winning medals in four different age groups and finishing nationals with three golds and a bronze. She teamed with Brianne Long, Corutney Stott and Nicole Wong for a convincing three second-plus victory in the juvenile women's C-4 and was part of the senior women's winning C-15 crew. Another strong showing on the ladies side came from Mallorie Nicholson. A winner of 18 national gold medals in the past three years, Nicholson had dominated the junior and senior ranks. No longer eligible for junior in individual events, she still won five gold medals, including victories in the C-1 200m and 1,000m. She earned a silver in the 500m. Mark Oldershaw and van Koeverden, who both recently returned from the world championships, also did their part, combing to win 11 gold medals. Though the nationals may seem like a comedown after competing on the world's biggest stage, Burloak's top paddlers have never treated it that way. Last year, Burloak's four Olympians were at the nationals within 24 hours after returning from the Beijing Olympics. "There's a lot of pride involved. There's certainly no reason to blow it off," van Koeverden said. "It's a national championship that's of tantamount importance." Van Koeverden also knows the importance of having role models. As a teenager at the club, he looked up to Olympic gold medalist Larry Cain, who continues to compete for Burloak and won a pair of gold medals in the masters division at nationals. Now a new generation of paddlers are looking up to him and his fellow Olympians: Oldershaw, Brady Reardon and Chris Pellini. "It really humanizes (Olympic athletes)," he said. "You're training in the same weight room, on the same creek. It makes you feel like you can go out and do the same thing. It builds a lot of confidence." And seeing your clubmates succeed inspires others. Chris Andison, Sam Roworth, Ryan Stepka and Thomas Thrall won the junior men's C-4 1,000m. The reward was the John W. Black Trophy. "It's like the Stanley Cup," Oldershaw said. "It's a huge silver cup and it's almost 100 years old. We knew they could move the boat. They were a little behind half way and they just powered past everyone to win the race." Burloak's athletes can also know they are getting the coaching that can help them reach the highest level. For Oldershaw, the national title was his first since taking the reigns from his dad, Scott, who moved on to work with the national team. "It feels pretty good," he said. "It tells us we're on the right track. Now we just have to figure out what we're doing well and expand on it."