Oakville Beaver, 30 Aug 2013, Sports, p. 77

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Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports with his plan to race the 100m butterfly at the Games; he posted a time of 1:58.36 to earn a silver medal in the event. It was one of five medals Liepner took home from the competition, which took place earlier this month in Torino, Italy. Swimming in the 75-plus age division, Liepner also claimed silver in the 4x50m freestyle relay and bronzes in the 50 backstroke, 50m freestyle and 200m individual medley. The five-medal performance was a drastic improvement on the one bronze medal Liepner won at the previous Games in Sydney four years ago. "I think (improved) nutrition and fitness was one thing," Liepner says. "The other was the control of nerves. In Sydney, it was my first time (since competing at the first-ever World Masters Games in 1985) and nerves got to me. They suppressed my appetite. I was not running with fuel in the tank. "There's always the hope that you'll come back with something to show for your efforts. I got a medal in the first race (the 200m individual medley) and that really settled things. I said okay, I've done it, I'll go home with something. That was very important." Liepner, who still runs his own 77 | Friday, August 30, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" Swimmer, 75, wins five medals at World Masters Games by Jon Kuiperij Beaver Sports Editor Michael Liepner has never been one to be intimidated by a challenge. Thirty years ago, while teaching law in high school, Liepner felt the textbooks his students were using weren't up to par. He ended up publishing nine books on law, entrepreneurship and business with McGraw-Hill. "I think it's in the genes," Liepner says of his determination. Even now, at 75 years of age, the Etobicoke resident remains as tenacious -- or stubborn, as friend and Oakville Masters Swim Club teammate Sylvie Tremblay puts it -- as ever. Earlier this year, while training to compete in his third World Masters Games, Liepner decided he would race the grueling 100-metre butterfly for the first time. Coaches and teammates tried to talk him out of it, concerned about the event's physical toll, but Liepner's mind was made up. "It takes courage, it takes determination, and half of us don't have the guts to do it," marvels the 47-year-old Tremblay. Not only did Liepner go through Oakville Masters Swim Club member Michael Liepner shows off the five medals he won at the recent World Masters Games. | photo by Hannah Yoon -- Oakville Beaver business, returned to competitive swimming seven years ago after a long hiatus from the sport. He says he contacted several clubs in Etobicoke but they all had waiting lists, so he turned to the Oakville Masters Swim Club, coached by former international swimmer Mette Novais. Tremblay, who hosted a surprise party for Liepner Tuesday, says the club's oldest member is a constant inspiration to her and her teammates. "He's amazing," says Tremblay. "When I met him seven years ago, he said he wanted to go to worlds. Four years later, he went, and now he's still swimming... It's just phenomenal what he's doing." Liepner isn't close to being finished, either. He's already looking forward to next year's FINA World Masters Swimming Championships in Montreal. -- A longer version of this story can be found at oakvillebeaver.com All-Reds F .C. earns Masters soccer silver Oakville's All-Reds F .C. avenged an earlier loss to earn a place in the final before falling to another Canadian team and collecting silver at the World Masters Games in Torino, Italy. Meralomas United of Kamloops, B.C., scored a 1-0 decision in the 35-and-over competitive division championship game. The All-Reds assured themselves of nothing worse than a silver medal after defeating Montreal R.A.W. 1-0 in the semifinals. Jane Seward's first-half goal stood up as the winner and strong play from the All-Reds midfielders and backline held the Montreal squad at bay. It was a much different result than the group stage, where Montreal R.A.W. handed the All-Reds a 2-0 loss. The All-Reds finished third in their group with a win, two losses and a pair of draws. They opened the tournament with a scoreless draw against Canucks FD47 and then posted their second straight shutout with a 3-0 win over the Sydney Seabirds. Danielle Hastings scored the team's first two goals while Claire Sarginson rounded out the scoring. Following the loss to Montreal R.A.W., the All-Reds got a strong performance by keeper Gillian McGee in a 0-0 tie with Marconi Azzuri, a 30-and-over team. In their final group game, the All-Reds jumped ahead early on a goal by Nancy Pisani-Robinson but Kamloops Women's Soccer came back to tie the game before the half and added another in the second half for a 2-1 victory. Finishing third in their group, the AllReds were matched against the Carleton Place Shooters, who had finished second in their group, in the quarter-finals. Robyn Schultz put the All-Reds ahead early and Helen Schelfhaut added another goal for a 2-0 win. After beating Montreal R.A.W. in the semis, the All-Reds -- playing in their eighth game in nine days -- had just two substitutes available for the final against Meralomas United. They couldn't get the equalizer after Meralomas took the lead. Oakville's All-Reds F.C. won a silver medal at the World Masters Games in Italy. Team members are (back row, left to right) Jane Seward, Joanne Loewen, Michele Jovanovich, Joanne Horchover, Nancy Pisani-Robinson, Robyn Schultz, Lynn Pendlebury, Evana MacQueen, (front row) Danielle Hastings, Jennifer Wagar, Gillian McGee, Andrea MacDougall, Claire Sarginson, Lynn Doyle, and Helen Schelfhaut (absent from gold medal match). Team staff include Pat Doyle, Sean Wagar, Valerie Zador and Michael Schelfhaut. | Photo submitted

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