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Sports SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2011 29 By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR Nearly 20 years after playing for the Canadian field hockey team at the Olympic Summer Games, Sharon Creelman still feels the void. Im not sure Ive found any- thing that would replace the sense of accomplishment I had when I was playing, says the 47-year-old Creelman, now the athletic direc- tor at Appleby College, who repre- sented Canada at the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Games. She obviously wont be playing in next years Olympics, either. But she hopes to play a role in helping future Canadian teams get onto field hockeys grandest stage. Creelman will soon begin a one-year leave of absence from Appleby after landing an executive position with Field Hockey Canada. As the organizations technical director, Creelman hopes to improve the resources and programs available to Canadian coaches, particularly at the lower community levels, while also identifying tal- ent and developing young athletes. The coaching education piece is a huge one, Creelman says. Were a pretty diverse country in terms of how our sport is taught. A lot of our field hockey is very central in British Columbia There is field hockey across the country, but we havent seen growth in some areas that wed like to see. Thats something Id like to impact, to activate those provinces to see the growth again. While she played the sport at the highest level, Creelman does have an understanding of various levels of field hockey. She is a former coach of the junior national team, coached at the University of Waterloo before coming to Appleby, and has helped coach several Appleby teams during her tenure at the local school. Appleby PE head aims to improve Canadian field hockey program Sharon Creelman See Technical, page 30 PROVINCIAL ACTION: Oakville senior team player Jamie Sinclair (left) defends against an Owen Sound opponent during last week- end's Masters Lacrosse Ontario Provincials, contested at Glen Abbey and River Oaks recreational centres. Oakville went 0-3 at the competition, dropping 9-3 decisions to both Brampton and Six Nations and also falling 9-6 to Owen Sound. Brampton won the senior title with a 7-5 win over Six Nations in the final, while Whitby defeated Toronto 9-7 in the junior final. ERIC RIEHL / OAKVILLE BEAVER Masterful defence One of the Toronto Maple Leafs newest additions will be in town tomorrow (Saturday) to sign autographs and greet fans. Tim Connolly will visit the new Pro Hockey Life location at Dorval Crossing Shopping Centre tomorrow from 2-3:30 p.m. Connollys appearance will be pre- ceded by a charity barbeque at the store from noon to 3 p.m., with all food and drink proceeds to be donated to the Oakville Hospital Foundation. Connolly signed with the Maple Leafs this summer after playing his previous eight seasons with the Buffalo Sabres. The 30-year-old forward has scored 118 goals and added 277 assists in 627 career games. f ' llLea s Conno y in town tomorrow