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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, September 6, 2013 | 30 Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports "Connected to your Community" Kayaking, with a twist Olympic-pedigreed paddler fascinated by canoe polo by Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver Staff Rangers grad Barwell feels at home in OHL by Ian Colpitts Metroland Media Group Brant Oldershaw was watching The Amazing Race with his wife when the appearance of kayaks caught his eye. That a member of the Oldershaw family would suddenly perk up at the sight of kayaks was not surprising. His dad, Dean, paddled at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics. His grandfather Bert and uncles Reed and Scott, the latter now the coach of the Canadian canoe/kayak national team, also paddled at the Games. Brant had grown up with the sport and as a teen he paddled at Burloak Canoe Club alongside Adam van Koeverden and his cousin Mark, both of whom would go on to be Olympic medalists. But he also loved hockey and volleyball, which he played at Pearson High School. His other sporting interests took their toll, though. He had four knee surgeries and by the time he was ready to head off for university, he had also moved on from paddling. He eventually returned to the sport on a recreational level. But that day in April 2006, as he watched contestants on the show trying to score a goal against an Italian canoe polo team, he was fascinated by the sport. He marveled at players scooping up a ball with their paddles and in a single motion, making a pass teammate or taking a shot at a net suspended six feet in the air. "I wonder why they don't do that here," he asked his dad the next time they talked. Burloak Canoe Club product Brant Oldershaw played for the Canadian canoe polo team at last month's World Games in Colombia. | photo submitted "They do," Dean Oldershaw replied. "We have a team at our club." "Why didn't you tell me before?" Brant asked. Canoe polo has elements of other sports Canoe polo -- it's called canoe polo, though it is contested in kayaks -- lit Oldershaw's competitive fire the way sprint never had. It contained elements of other sports: the fast breaks and picks of basketball; the shooting of lacrosse (players can pass or shoot using their hands or paddle); the contact and passing of hockey. Oldershaw dove into his new sport, practising three times a week, first with the Mississauga Canoe Club and now with Greater Toronto Canoe Polo. He competed at the national championships, attended training camps and within two years, he had made the national team -- the only player from Ontario on a team dominated by Albertans. "It was like cramming for an exam," he said. "Coming from a family that's a rather competitive bunch, I got right into it. From there it was just getting the right exposure and attending the right events. Once I got on the team, it really elevated my game." And the family name didn't hurt either. While training in Holland this summer with the national team, Oldershaw stopped at a canoe store. He began talking to the owner, who it turned out, had raced against his dad in the Olympics. "The name carries some recognition. It opens some doors," Brant said. "The people in the International Canoe Fedsee Canoe on p.31 Driving into Mississauga from Oakville for his first Ontario Hockey League exhibition game with the Mississauga Steelheads Sunday, Jesse Barwell's father Jay told him to enjoy the moment and to not be intimidated by older and bigger players. Barwell, one of Mississauga's second-round picks in the 2013 OHL Priority Selection Draft, took the advice to heart, scoring a pair of goals in a 7-4 Steelheads loss to the Guelph Storm at Port Credit Memorial Arena. "That was my goal, to make an impact today," said Barwell, a key member of the 2013 OHL Showcase Cup champion Oakville minor midget AAA Rangers. "I wanted to be the best player I could be and I was lucky enough to get two goals." Watching his son play was a proud moment for Jay, who played in his own first OHL exhibition game 30 years ago with the Guelph Platers. He was happy to see his son standing his ground. "You can respect the game and everyone around you, but never show too much respect that you defer," Jay said. "If you want to go out there and earn your ice time, there's nothing holding you back." Barwell wired a wrist shot past Guelph goalie Michael Nishi in the first period before tipping in Nick Zottl's point shot in the second. Barwell signed with the Steelheads last month after a 79-point season with the Rangers. Three other ex-Rangers also score Barwell's stellar OHL debut made him a part of some interesting Oakville hockey trivia. Three other members of last year's minor midget AAA Rangers squad also scored Sunday in their first OHL exhibition contest. Defenceman Matt Spencer scored for the Peterborough Petes, Adam Craievich tallied for Guelph versus Mississauga, and Brett McKenzie scored for the North Bay Battalion. OAKVILLE BLADES VS. MILTON ICEHAWKS 2013/2014 HOME OPENER LOCAL JUNIOR A HOCKEY AT ITS BEST! Friday, September 6th at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex Puck Drops at 7:30pm Adults $7, Students/Seniors $2, Kids FREE Buy your tickets at the door!