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Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports H A L 21 | Friday, October 2, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" T O N G O L F Several Oakville high school students qualified for next Tuesday's Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference golf championships with strong performances at the Halton finals, held this week at Hidden Lake Golf Club in Burlington. King's Christian Collegiate student and defending Halton boys' champion Kyle MacDonald (pictured left, chipping onto the 18th green) fired a 75 Wednesday to finish second overall. The King's team of MacDonald, Braydon Evans and Alex Matheson finished third in team competition to advance to GHAC. Also qualifying for the conference championships were Loyola's John Burghardt (pictured above) and White Oaks' Brad Byers, who tied for fourth with two-day totals of 156; Oakville Trafalgar's Cameron Dymond (10th, 161); Iroquois Ridge's Jasmine Yang (second in girls' competition with a two-round total of 175); and White Oaks' Natasha Stasiuk (third in girls'). | photos by Herb Garbutt -- Oakville Beaver -- @Herbgarbutt Elementary school prohibits use of regulation sports balls on playground by Jon Kuiperij Beaver Sports Editor Add Oakville's St. Mary Elementary to the growing list of schools that are prohibiting the use of standard sports balls on their playgrounds. In a proactive measure to protect students and staff who may have medical issues, St. Mary recently sent an email to parents requesting their children leave regulation basketballs, soccer balls, tennis balls and footballs at home. The email said the Catholic school would provide students with NERF balls to use at recess. "In this school, a number of students are medically fragile where a ball injury would be (very dangerous)," said St. Mary principal Carol Hryhorsky. "You have to minimize the risk, and if we're going to err, we're going to err on the side of caution. "It's not that we're banning things or putting a limit on kids or asking them not to run around and play," she added. "We're changing material with which you are playing because we're not going to take responsibility for these kids making decisions that cause themselves serious injury that prohibits them from ever playing those things again." This course of action -- Hryhorsky insists it's not a policy and that the ban of `hard' balls will be revisited next fall -- is hardly unprecedented. Four years ago, a Toronto elementary school forbade the use of regulation sports balls after a mother increasing inactivity of youth. picking her child up at the school's daycare "It's just the fact that my son comes home was concussed after being hit in the head and says `Dad, there's nothing to do at recess, by a soccer ball. Schools in Ottawa and St. other than play tag,'" Fernandez said. Catharines implemented similar rules in the "Last year, there wasn't a day they didn't go past five years. And in 2013, a school in Port to school without their basketball or soccer Washington, N.Y., generated international ball. Obviously, you can't play basketball with headlines after banning cartwheels (unless dia NERF ball. Even soccer, you could play, but rectly performed under a coach's supervision) if you like soccer, you probably wouldn't play and games of tag, in addition to any balls not with a NERF ball." made out by NERF . Fernandez suggested the playground could "I can't speak about other schools. I don't be divided into areas where regulation sports know why those other schools have (done balls are permitted. that)," said Hryhorsky, noting the St. Mary Camillo Cipriano, Halton Catholic Displayground has as many as 533 students playtrict School Board superintendent of educaing on it at any given time. tion, school services, said several elementary "You just have to look at what the needs of schools in Oakville offer separate areas on the population are and what the play interest their playgrounds where regulation sports Carol Hryhorsky balls are not allowed, but added every school's is, and you go from there. You have to make a St. Mary Elementary principal situation is unique. decision based on the fact that the Education Act itself gives us clear definition of assiduous "It isn't just a cookie-cutter process. Every attention to the safety of students. That's the principal's job." school has a different population size, different playground Kevin Fernandez, whose 12- and 10-year-old sons attend size... there is a lot of factors that play into it," said Cipriano, St. Mary, brought the issue to the attention of the Oakville noting that St. Mary has one of the largest student populaBeaver. tions among elementary Catholic schools in Oakville. He disagrees with the principal's decision. He feels it disHryhorsky, who says students can play basketball with courages children from playing sports during their recess NERF balls the school provides, understands the objections. periods, noting there is already concern in society about the see Principal on p.22 You have to minimize the risk, and if we're going to err, we're going to err on the side of caution.