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36 Sports Oakville Beaver Sinead Russell Zack Chetrat By Herb Garbutt SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2008 Celebrating excellence on and off the pitch Arden Jobling, Kristine Snedden recognized as OUA's Women of Influence OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Oakville swimmers win medals in Geneva Sinead Russell won six medals, including two golds, and Zack Chetrat won a silver and bronze medal at last weekend's Geneva International swimming competition in Switzerland. Russell, a member of the Dolphins Swim Club, won the women's 15-16 100-metre backstroke Sunday in a personal-best time of 1:04.31, edging fellow Canadian Lindsay Seeman by six one-hundredths of a second. Russell earned another gold and set her second meet record in the 200m individual medley while also earning silver medals in the 50m and 200m backstroke, the 200m freestyle and the 400m individual medley. Chetrat sets meet record Chetrat, a member of the Oakville Aquatic Club, competed on the opening day of the meet and established a meet record in the preliminaries for the 200m butterfly with a time of 2:04.79. He topped that time in the final, posting a 2:04.10 but had to settle for a silver medal. The next day Chetrat swam a personal best in the 100m butterfly (56.17) to earn a bronze medal. "I can't wait to race later this week in Luxembourg," Chetrat said. "This first competition has given me confidence and I already know how I can improve." The 32-member Canadian junior and juvenile team is in Luxembourg for the 10th Annual Euro Meet that began today (Friday). The tour will serve as a preparation for the Canadian Olympic trials in April. The trials will also be used to select team members for the World Youth Championships in Mexico. They excelled on and off the soccer field, and Wednesday their accomplishments were recognized by Ontario University Athletics. Oakville's Arden Jobling and Kristine Snedden were among the 19 recipients of the OUA's Women of Influence Award. The award honours female athletes from across the province who excel academically. "To be honest, I didn't even know about the award," Jobling said. "It's quite an honour, though. There were some people who have accomplished quite a lot." Count Jobling among them. She was the OUA's community service award recipient in 2006 and won the University of Ottawa's student-athlete President's Award in 2007. Jobling helped the University of Ottawa Gee Gees soccer team win three national university medals -- two silvers and a bronze in her four years -- and earned tournament allstar honours at the 2003 championship. While her role as a defender on the field was to make life easier for her keeper, away from the soccer pitch she is trying to make life better for those in developing nations. Jobling switched majors three times before settling on international development. "Everything kept turning to international affairs," she said. "I thought if I had to work in business, I wanted to be helping people." Since making that final decision, she has thrown herself into it. She volunteered at an Ottawa soup kitchen for the past four years. In the summer of 2004 she went to Tanzania to work with HIV patients -- an experience she described as `eye-opening.' Now, along with two fellow students, she has launched Humanitarian Mobility International (www.hminternational.net), a charitable organization that provides wheelchairs to vic- Arden Jobling (left), winner of three national university soccer medals with the University of Ottawa Gee Gees, spent the summer of 2004 in Tanzania working with HIV patients, also finding time to kick the ball around with the local children. tims of war and natural disasters around the Angels teammates Lauren Glover, Courtney world. Charrett and Stephanie Muldoon, as well as The Iroquois Ridge grad said soccer taught her sister, Melissa. her many lessons that still In addition to the usual "I didn't even know benefit her today. demands of school and soc"The first couple of years, it about the award. It's cer, players for the North Bay was not a good job of balanc- quite an honour, school faced a tougher travel ing," she said. "Trying to study though. There were schedule than most of its Latin on a bus to Toronto realopponents. some people who have ly didn't work that well. The "It's really just time mansoccer routine helped and in accomplished a lot." agement," Snedden said. the end, I learned how to work "You have to make sure you Arden Jobling with deadlines." dedicate enough time to Though she said her soccer everything. You go all out playing days are over after suffering a badly when you practise and play, but academics broken ankle, the sport is still paying off in is a huge part of it as well." practical ways as well. Snedden didn't play soccer this season, "In Tanzania, I learned a little Swahili but taking time off from the pitch to focus on mostly the way I communicated with the kids school. After completing an honours histowas kicking a soccer ball around," she said. ry degree, she is now enrolled in the school's Faculty of Education with the Time management key for Snedden intentions of becoming a high school histoSnedden faced a difficult task as the goal- ry and geography teacher. keeper for the Nippissing University Lady The T.A. Blakelock grad has already been Lakers. The smallest university competing involved in teaching soccer. She has volunin OUA sports, Nippissing relied heavily on teered at soccer camps in Oakville for the its keeper against the larger universities. past five years and has coached both indoor "Making sure we have a good keeper is and outdoor soccer teams. key to us," said Nippissing coach Vito "I enjoy working with them," she said. "I Castiglione. "She held us in many games. like seeing them develop as players and with She wasn't afraid to challenge shooters and time they advance and become better." she had great control of the 18-yard box." Her coach believes Snedden's talents will Snedden played four years for the Lady be just as evident in the classroom as they Lakers and was the team's only netminder were on the soccer pitch. in her final year. At one time, Nippissing "She's a great kid and she's going to had as many as six Oakville players on its make an excellent teacher," said team, including Snedden's former Oakville Castiglione. When she hasn't been busy starring as the keeper for the Nippissing University Lady Lakers, Kristine Snedden has volunteered her time with local soccer camps and teams.