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20 ·The IFP· Halton Hills ·Thursday, August 30, 2012 Will success come Sooner for Renton? Moving up to the 800-gram javelin this year from 700 grams that juniors use, he was able to throw a personal-best 67.8 metres back in April that qualified It seems a little ironic that, for someone who re- him for the World Junior Championships last month luctantly had to pass on playing football during his in Barcelona, Spain. And although he was only able to place 20th with years at Christ the King Secondary School, javelin a throw five metres shorter than his personal best, thrower Tyler Renton has ended up attending one of qualifying for the worlds piqued the interest of Oklathe top gridiron universities in the U.S. homa's throwing coach, former The 18-year-old GeorgeOlympic discus thrower Brian town South resident accepted Blutreich. a scholarship offer this sum"What we like about Tyler is mer to attend the University that his coach has given him of Oklahoma on a track & field a good base technique for javscholarship and will study elin to work with, because with criminology. most fi rst-year throwers we The Sooners are perennihave to make a lot of changes ally on the top 25 list of rankin their technique, but he's got ings for NCAA football teams, all the basics down," said Blubut they also have one of the treich of his first-ever Canadian best track & field teams in the pupil. U.S., sending sent two athletes "We just need him to build to the Olympics in London. up his strength in the weight "I love watching football room and do the type of exerand I'm excited about getting cises that will boost his javelin out to the first home game and fi tness. We're going to take it be a part of the atmosphere. nice and slow, so he'll be just The capacity of the stadium is training during the (fall) insomething like 85,000 people door season and focus solely and the interest is really big on the javelin to be ready for down there," said the 6-foot-3, the spring." 200-pound Renton, whose size Strep throat and an elbow inand athleticism would make jury in his throwing arm meant him the perfect candidate for that Renton didn't compete in the tight end position. the Canadian Junior Champi"The coaches at CtK did onships upon his return from ask me to play football, but Barcelona. He has returned to I wanted to concentrate on top form now, however, and throwing." Javelin thrower Tyler Renton is off to the has set a goal of surpassing the Renton had little experience University of Oklahoma on a track and field 70-metre mark in his freshman tossing in the throwing events scholarship. Photo by Eamonn Maher year with the Sooners. (javelin, shot put and discus) "Watching the Olympics evwhen he entered Grade 9 at CtK, yet was still able to earn a bronze medal in jave- ery day was inspiring and I think it'd be really awelin at his first Ontario high school championship meet some to do that one day," Renton added. "It was cool to see a guy I competed with (Canaand then won the gold as a junior the next year. Under coach Richard Parkinson at the York Uni- dian Curtis Moss), who was throwing the same disversity Track & Field Club, Renton got an invitation tances as a junior that I have been doing, so it's good to last year's World Youth Championships in France, to know that maybe one day I can be where he is too. I'm on the right path so far. (But) when I got the at which he placed 14th in the javelin. Athletics Canada selected Renton for its long-term scholarship into track & field, I wasn't thinking that development program, because throwers generally I'd go to the Olympics or turn pro or anything. You've don't hit their prime until their late 20s. Renton felt he got to be the best in the world to make enough money was in the best shape of his career after stepping up to live on, and even if you do, you'll need something his training regimen during the winter, but a broken to fall back on eventually. The education is all worth it to me." left wrist hampered his weight-training schedule. By EAMONN MAHER Staff Writer SPORTS & LEISURE Stephanie Masniuk of the Georgetown Ladies' PowderPuff League's bantam/midget #2 team attempts to throw out a Burlington baserunner during a recent girls' fast-pitch playoff game at the Georgetown Fairgrounds, won by the visitors 14-5. Photo by Andrea Lefebvre Girls' fastpitch reborn Down to its last strike this past off-season, girls' fast-pitch in Halton Hills has undergone a successful rebirth under a new organization. Known as the Kinsmen Girls' Softball League for over 40 years, the local service club announced last December it was no longer able to maintain its support for another season. Stepping in to pinch-hit for the Kinsmen was the Georgetown Ladies' PowderPuff League, which had actually been established by graduates of the Kin youth leagues four decades ago. The GLPL, previously consisting of teams of women age 19 and older, made a two-year commitment last winter to supporting girls' softball and is thrilled with how the first year went. Approximately 120 girls, ages 5-18, were registered this year and the teams joined the Halton Interlock League to play against centres such as Burlington, Milton and Oakville. "This Interlocking loop has allowed the girls to play a higher calibre of ball than they were used to in the previous league, while still focusing on the premise of participation, skill development and fun," said GLPL president Dee Dee Haynes-Ridley. The GLPL has also been interacting with Softball Ontario to help improve the program, having been awarded with a SAFE Star grant this year, to aid in the area of umpire development. Haynes-Ridley added that the organization would now like to offer development opportunities for coaches and players through skills clinics conducted by Softball Ontario that will eventually be available throughout the year. FOR HALTON HAWKS GIRLS FASTPITCH 2013 SEASON TRYOUT INFORMATION VISIT www.haltonhawks.ca or email Cindy Bodrug, President at sbodrug@cogeco.ca TRYOUTS BEGIN TUES. SEPT. 4TH!