•T h e IF P • H al to n H ill s •T hu rs da y, O ct ob er 1 6, 2 01 4 48 NEW LOCATION 312 GUELPH ST., GEORGETOWN 905-877-2296 www.georgetowntoyota.com October 18, 2014 7:30 pm at Mold-Masters SportsPlex Georgetown Raiders vs. North York Rangers Bassett named provincial officials' award recipient The Ontario Swimming Officials' Asso- ciation (OSAO) recognized Gord Bassett at their annual general meeting late last month. OSOA is the governing body for swim- ming officials in Ontario and this year the John Grootveld Memorial Award was posthumously present to Bassett, whose involvement with the Blue Fins stretched over three decades. The John Grootveld Memorial Award is presented to Master Level Officials in Ontario who have dedicated over 25 years to the sport of competitive swimming, with an emphasis on those individuals who helped mentor new officials. Bassett passed away in June of this year due to a heart ailment. The longtime Stewarttown Public School teacher held many roles, including coach, president and most notably officials' chair. In his capacity as an official, Bassett was responsible for helping create and implement many of the educational ma- terials still in use today to train new swim officials across the province. In his capacity as a Master Official he participated in many swim meets across the continent at all levels of competition, from Introductory meets to national and international competitions. Through Bassett's dedication and hard work he was able to fully train a large number of volunteers with the ability to run any level of competitive swim meet, a feat most other large clubs across Ontario are still unable to accomplish. It was not only Bassett's knowledge and experience that filled the ranks of On- tario officials, but also his demeanor and charisma. In order to convince parent vol- unteers to spend four hours on deck, you need to offer a lot of encouragement. He would continually entertain and inspire the officials he trained with many stories of interesting events and circum- stances surrounding swim meet competi- tions. Bassett made the training and experi- ence interesting, enjoyable, and relaxed. Very few Master Officials ever had his enthusiasm for the sport and the people involved. One of Gord's most endearing quotes, "You get far better results with a little honey than with vinegar," sums up his at- titude toward teaching on deck. Whether he was explaining the finer points of rule infractions to young swimmers, or teach- ing junior officials how to properly calcu- late an official swim time, Gord always managed to do it with a honeyed smile. For those of us, lucky enough to have been mentored by Gord, his absence will always be felt, but his philosophy and leg- acy of teaching, and mentoring will carry on with the Halton Hills Blue Fins. The late Gord Bassett was a fixture not only with the Halton Hills Blue Fins but as a member of the Ontario Swimming Officials' Association as well. Bassett, who died in June from a heart problem, was posthumously honoured with the OSOA's John Groot- veld Award at its recent annual general meeting. Submitted photo By MICHAEL ZURAW Special to the IFP Raiders win 5 straight Anthony Marra had two goals and an assist to lead the Georgetown Raiders to a 4-0 vic- tory over the guest Burlington Cougars Satur- day night in an Ontario Junior Hockey League matchup. Despite outshooting the 5-9-0 Cougars 52- 20 on the evening, the 8-1-1 Raiders held just a one-goal lead against the youthful Burlington side until the 13-minute mark of the third pe- riod after they'd worn down Cougar netminder Evgueni Makarski. Francois Cote and Blake Jones also tallied for Georgetown, with veteran Marc Williams earning his first shutout in a Raider uniform. Next up for the Raiders, who've won five games in a row and moved into top spot in the OJHL's West Division, is a home date with the North York Rangers this Saturday at the Alcott Arena beginning at 7:30 p.m. Several hundred students from host Christ the King Secondary School and surrounding el- ementary schools turned out to support the an- nual Pink senior football game to raise funds in the battle against cancer last Thursday. The 1-3 Jaguars had trouble generating much offence against the visiting Nelson Lords throughout the contest, yet still had a chance to pull out a late victory, but a last-minute drive ran out of time in a 12-6 defeat. A stiff wind also stifled the offences in the ju- nior game, won by the Lords 6-0. Meanwhile, Georgetown's junior Rebels are now 4-0 after a 30-6 trouncing of the host Oakville-Trafalgar Red Devils on Wednesday. The senior Rebels lost 32-0 to O-T. Christ the King quarterback Tanner Cadwallader was surrounded by Nelson Lords' tacklers on many occasions Thursday afternoon as the Jags dropped a 12-6 decision. Photo by Eamonn Maher CtK in the Pink; Jr. Rebels 4-0