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Refined technique helped shot putter quickly improveContinued from page 30It was really confusing, she said. There were 23people (competing) and I couldnt keep track of whoI ate a muffin (Saturday morning), a carrot muf-was in and who was out. It wasnt until they announcedfin, and I never had a carrot muffin in my life, sothere were only five left and I thought, Oh my God,maybe, Ammor said with a laugh.Im going to finish fifth.With all due respect to the powers of flour, sugarShe did better than that, setting a new personaland vegetables, it was more likely the extra workbest by clearing 1.50m to claim the bronze.Ammor put in on her technique leading up to OFSAA Dailey said wearing spikes at OFSAA MacKenziethat made the difference.competed in running shoes in wet conditions atTechnique plays a really big part. You can beregionals and some advice from a club coach priorreally strong but if you dont throw (the shot) theto OFSAA both helped.right way, it wont go far, Ammor said. The way IShe made huge improvements, Dailey said.was doing it (before), I didnt have as much power andAnd there could be more to come. MacKenziemomentum as I could have. At OFSAA, I gave it all myplans to continue to work on high jump this summermomentum.and join a club.Visualization and increased focus also helped, saidAmmor, who first tried shot put a year ago. AmmorTrinity runner shatters personal bestjoined Athletiques International hoping to improveHoly Trinitys Rachel Bronzovich also earned aher speed on the basketball court, but quickly discov-bronze medal in the junior girls 800m.ered that she had a knack for field events instead.In February, Bronzovich ran a 1:42.63 in a 600mAmmor said her surprising success at OFSAA willrace in Hamilton. When Bruce Burton, her coachmake her focus even more on her new sport.with Athletiques International, asked if she couldNow that I see I can actually go somewhere withmaintain that pace over another 200m whichthis, Ill definitely (practice) every week because nowwould produce a time of about 2:17 in the 800m athere are expectations, she said.winded Bronzovich responded, No way.Theres always room to improve If someone isBronzovich ran a personal best 2:21.94 in winningwilling to be better, theyll get better.regionals. At OFSAA, one competitor ran a 2:17.76Abbey Park high-jumper a quick learnerand didnt even qualify for finals. Bronzovich made itthrough, though, knocking four-and-a-half secondsAnother surprising medal came from Abbey Parksoff her time from the previous week, finishing herDevyn MacKenzie, who earned a bronze in the midg-heat in 2:17.18.et girls high jump.Knowing the competition would be tough in theMacKenzie almost didnt even make it to OFSAA.final, Bronzovich made a tactical change. With the top four advancing from regionals, sheI went to the front more than I usually do, saidcleared 1.40m to finish in a three-way tie for fourth atthe Grade 10 student, who usually relies on a strongregionals, and earned the final spot at OFSAA in a tie-finishing kick to reel in her opponents. I was morebreaker.confident. I thought Id try to keep up with them asMacKenzie had never competed in high jump priorlong as I could.to this spring. That was news to Dailey, who assumedBronzovich eventually fell off the pace set by Eastshe had done high jump in elementary school. Yorks Christina Kyritsis, the national Legion cham-A basketball player who enjoys rebounding despitepion who won in 2:13.84, but still came in with a timebeing one of the smaller players on her Oakville VytisERIC RIEHL / OAKVILLE BEAVERof 2:18.20 to earn the bronze.rep team, she tried it at the suggestion of her dad.It was more work, Bronzovich said of running atI dont really have technique, she said. I justBRONZE FOR BRONZOVICH: Holy Trinity runner Rachel Bronzovich,the front of the pack, but it worked out better.kind of jump.pictured in action at this year's South regional track-and-field championships,At OFSAA, MacKenzie didnt realize how well shewon bronze in the junior girls' 800-metre run at last weekend's provincials in With files from Jon Kuiperijwas doing.Sudbury.Ridge wins first softball championshipBLAZERS QUEENS OF By Herb GarbuttHoly Trinity, making its fourth straight appearance HALTON:OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFFin the championship game, had to be thinking they Iroquois Ridge's were on their way to a repeat after Tuesdays final had Emily Vella deliv-The Holy Trinity Titans were hoping for a repeatan eerily similar beginning.ers a pitch duringperformance. Instead, it was the Iroquois RidgeNicole Cerpnjak belted a first-inning homer to stake Tuesday's Halton Trailblazers that set themselves up for a softball dynas-Trinity to a 2-0 lead a year ago. Tuesday, following back-girls' softball ty.to-back doubles by Deanna Amodeo and Alison Bayzat, championship Iroquois Ridge took advantage of walks early in theCerpnjak launched another shot. This time the ball game at game and then got the bats going in the later innings tostayed in the park but she had an inside-the-park homer Glenashton Park.down the Titans 11-5 and win its first Halton girls soft-in her sights, only to be thrown out at the plate.Ridge rallied fromball title Tuesday at Glenashton Park.Despite opening the game with four straight hits, an early 3-0 deficitWe were close last year, said Jamie Paton, theTrinity only came away with two runs.to down the Holy teams lone Grade 12 starter. Its the best feeling to winThey could have scored more than two, but we got Trinity Titans 11-5this time.out of it and the girls settled down after that, said and win its first After being blanked 3-0 by Trinity in last years final,Trailblazers coach Mike Tarantino.Halton softballPaton did her part to bring the Trailblazers a title beforeMeanwhile, after Trinity extended its lead to 3-0 in title.she left the school. She went 4-for-5, drove in a pair of the top of the second, Iroquois Ridge put four runs on runs and scored once to pace the Trailblazer offence.the board in the second without a single hit, taking ERIC RIEHL / And with eight returning starters, seven of them inadvantage of four walks, two hit batters and a sacrifice OAKVILLE BEAVERGrade 9 or 10, Iroquois Ridge could have more Haltonfly, in the bottom half.See Blazers, page 33titles in its future.31 Thursday, June 9, 2011 OAKVILLE BEAVER www.insideHALTON.com