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v v c u n c a u a j, n u g u o i u, i i ul . w r \ iv v Year that starts fighting for her life ends fighting for world championship By Norm Nelson BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR uchika Kumar was quite pleased that her squash season ended fighting for a world championship. At the beginning o f the year, after all, she was fighting for her life, sped away in an ambulance from her Oakville home to Oakville Trafalgar M emorial Hospital and later rushed to M cM aster Hospital in Hamilton, stricken with life threatening meningitis. Had she waited another few hours at home, she may not have recovered. As it was, her recovery was astounding. In all such cases, o f course, the grace of God is required. But the fighting spirit and peak con ditioning of an elite athlete didn't hurt. And just slightly more than half a year later, there she was representing Canada at the world squash cham pionships, amongst the best junior squash players in the world. And although only 16 and entering Grade 12 at Q.E.Park High School, she had easily earned her spot on Canada's national junior (U-19) team, earlier this summer, winning the national silver medal. She still has two years o f junior eligibility left, and her goal is to close out with two national gold medals. If she was a normal person, she would prob ably be pronounced completely recovered from her fatal illness. Being an elite athlete, however, she is trying to regain her 'fighting' shape which is some what more subjective. "Physically and everything, I'm perfect," she said. "The strength, I've still got to work on that. It's not like there's a lack of it anymore. I just have to keep working on it and get it back to where it was in December. That's what I keep comparing everything to, pretty much ... 'oh, I'm not as good as I was December, I'm not as strong'." But the bottom line, she related, is that "I don't think I could have performed any better the way I was in Decem ber at this tournament, so I was quite pleased with it." The junior worlds are split into separate tournaments held one right after the other -- the individual followed by the team com peti tion. In the individual competition, Kumar had a first round bye but then was unlucky to run R Photo Special to the Beaver Ruchika Kumar (right) at the junior squash world's, poses with an unidentified Swiss player. into a seeded player, losing to England's Tina Rix (7-9, 9-7, 9-4, 9-4) "who kicked my but the last time we played." This time, at least, she took a game off her. "Good fight, good squash. But I lost 3-1." Rix had her own run ended by eventual champion Nicol David of Malaysia. "Nicol David is incredible," said Kumar. "She's in a league of her own. She doesn't even belong in this circuit. Her longest match lasted 22 minutes and that was in the finals. "And that too, she gave the girl six points. I mean I watched the finals o f that and I watched the finals of the team event which she played, as well, and you can't compare her to anyone else in the junior curcuit." In other words, like Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods. "Even more. On her worst day, and someone else's best day, she'll kill you 27-0. She's that good." Kumar, meanwhile, was relegated to the consolation plate round where she made it to the finals, "losing to another English girl, Lauren Siddall, in the final in five (9-10, 9-5, 6-9. 9-4. 9-3)." In the team event, Canada, ranked ninth, was in a four-country pool with host and top ranked Malaysia, eighth-ranked New Zealand and unheralded Indonesia. As expected Canada lost all three games to Malaysia (which was actually upset in the team final by England) and won all three games against Indonesia. Kumar was the only Canadian to even pick up a game against Malaysia, losing 3-1 to Tricia Chuafy (9-6, 6-9, 9-6, 9-5). "That was actually one of my favourite matches because in the individual tournament she made the semifinals. "The last time I played her she pretty well dem olished me so that shows improvement on my part." Against her Indonesian counterpart. Kumar won in three straight. The key match o f the round robin was against New Zealand, seeded just one spot ahead of them. It started off well with Kumar winning her tough opening match in five games against Jaclyn Hawkes (9-7, 9-6, 5-9, 2-9, 9-3). "I was up 2-love than I lost the next two games. I was getting kind of worried, there, kind of scaring my team, but I managed to fin ish it off in the fifth." Unfortunately, the other two Canuck players were both disposed of, each in three straight games. That left the Canadian team in the consola tion round where they defeated Ireland in the semifinals and the Dutch in the 9 /10th place match. Kumar won her matches in three straight against Ireland. However, with Canada having already wrapped up the series with the Dutch, with the first two Canucks winning tough five-game series, Kumar, with nothing on the line, did go on to lose an abbreviated, best of three, match against her Dutch counterpart. The individual and team competitions stretched the tournament out to about three weeks, not that Kumar was complaining, say ing she's "totally" into experiencing a new cui sine and culture. "They really know how to host it: opening ceremonies, rickshaws to take us up to the mayor's house, and all o f the traditional food and that kind of stuff. "You're there for the squash but you're only there for 45 minutes a day, the rest of the day you got a do something. "They had liasons take us out everywhere, out to dinner, out dancing, out shopping, down to the market, we went to the beaches." Kumar said she'll shut everything down for a week before starting to prepare for next year. "I'd like to win the U-19 nationals, hopeful ly twice in a row," she said, adding that she would also like to "maintain the Canadian Open title, maintain the Ontario Open title and hopefully make the final for the U.S. Open. "I came third last time. The girl I lost to, I beat her at the world's this year so I'm hoping that will have some affect and I'll do better at that tournament." She'd also love to play the Scottish and British Opens if it's financially feasible. As for the long term future, she will enter her final Grade 12 year at Q.E. Park and then is hoping to continue her squash at a U.S. col lege, with Princeton her first choice at this time. T H E H EAT IS ON: Photo by Brent Foster despite the heat wave. Pat Wright was still out there on Sunday at the Lawnbowling Club on Navy St. Twilight run in Bronte Aug. 25 The first annual Bronte Harbour Twilight road race will take place Saturday, Aug. 25. The unique start time for this new 5K race and 2K walk is 7:30 p.m. The race starts and finishes at the Royal Canadian Legion (Bronte) and takes in much of his toric Bronte and its harbour area. All proceeds will go to the Oakville-based charity, Rebounders Canada, a grass roots support group for survivors of childhood cancer. Advance entry is $25, $30 on race day. T-Shirts will be given out to the first 250 registrants. Early registration is available at the Running Company, 118 Thomas Street, Oakville. Shepley wins the Ontario match play championship Oakville's Jessica Shepley contin ued her domination of Ontario ladies junior golf, winning the Ontario ladies junior match play championship at the Elmira Golf Club in Elmira last week. The Trafalgar Golf and Country Club member, who is heading to the University of Tennessee on a golf scholarship later this month, defeated Lauren Jackson one up on the 21st hole. Shepley has already won the Ontario junior ladies stroke play cham pionship, improving on her second place finish from last year, and hopes to end out her junior career with a national junior ladies stroke play championship later this month. Shepley won her quarterfinal match 7up over Erica Deschamps and her first round match 7up over Katie McIntyre. Annual Halton Valley Summer Classic runs through to Sunday at Hendervale Hendervale Equestrian Complex, a privately owned and operated facility in Milton, is hosting the 6th Annual Halton Valley Summer Classic. This five-day event commences today (August 8), and runs through to Sunday. Headlining this show will be the $10,000 Merrill Lynch Open Stakes on Thursday, the $25,000 Gerling Canada Insurance Classic on Friday and the $50,000 closing Grand Prix on Sunday. The Summer Classic is the fourth in a series of five Grand Prix events this year and is expected to draw over 600 horses and top international riders from around the world. Already confirmed to ride are Ian Millar (Captain Canada) and Halton's own Heather Manbert-Semiuk, Ainsley Vince and Erynn Ballard. Hendervale, Eastern Canada's Spruce Meadows, is home base for Heather-Manbert Semiuk. Heather, riding her top mount Just Julia, will face the likes of Ian Millar, John Pierce, Hugh Graham and Jay Hayes. U.S. invaders will include last years Grand Prix winners Leslie BurrHoward and Beezie Madden. Halton Valleys Summer Classic is an event for all ages. Come on out for the day and join the fun. Your chance to win free tickets: The first 20 people to call and correctly identify Hendervale's resident rider and mount will win two tickets for Saturday or Sunday, your choice. Call (905) 8272234, ext. 233. For more information on this world class event, contact Hendervale (905) 827-2234. Ask for Joanne. Oakville Olympian makes world's O ak v ille 's C hris D avidson, a 2000 Sydney Olym pian, has earned a trip to the world rowing champi onships in L ucerne, Sw itzerland, August 18 to 26. Davidson is a member of the light weight fours crew. 'Horns host semifinal Saturday, 6p.m. The Oakville Longhorns hope this Saturday's Northern Football Conference semifinal round will play out just like last weekend's opening round -- with no surprises. Both favoured teams were easily victorious, third place North Bay defeating sixth place Mega City Maddogs 42-7; and fourth place Sault St. Marie Storm shutting out fifth place Sudbury Spartans 41-0. By virtue of their 10th straight NFC first place finish, the Horns get to host the lowest surviving seed, fourth place Sault Storm, this Saturday 6 p.m. at Bronte Field. The other semifinal will have second place Mississauga Wolverines host third place North Bay this Saturday, 7 p.m. at Mississauga Valleys. If the `Horns can prevent an upset they'll seek their ninth straight NFC playoff championship the following week, on Saturday, Aug. 18, 6 p.m. at Bronte Field. NOTHERN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE (final) Which vacation picture will you be in this summer? Team W L T F A 39 107 103 106 232 189 189 245 390 xy Oakville Longhorns 8 0 0 359 x M ississauga Wolverines 7 1 0 303 x North Bay Bulldogs 6 2 0 286 x Sault St. Marie Storm 244 5 3 0 x Sudbury Spdrtans 3 5 129 0 x MegaCity Maddogs 5 76 3 0 Markham Raiders 3 5 0 67 Oshawa Hawkeyes 1 7 0 127 Belleville Panthers 0 8 0 25 x - indicates clinhed playoff spot y - indicates clinched 1st place for 10th consecutive year Pts 16 14 12 10 6 6 6 2 0 For 5th place, Sudbury beat MegaCity, Markham beat Sudbury, MegaCity beat Markham. Per the N.F.C. Constitution, overall point differential goes Sudbury (-103), MegaCity (-113) and Markham (-122). Thus, Sudbury fin ishes 5th, MegaCity 6th, Markham 7th. It may be time for a cooling system check-up! Keep your cool this summer! Serving the Oakville community for over 32 years 573 Chartwell Road Oakville, Ontario L6J 4A8 Tel: (905) 844-9641 Fax: (905)844-7172 Annual OTMH charity golf tournament is fast approaching This year's 22nd annual Oakville Beaver charity golf tournament in support of O akville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) will be held this year on Wednesday, August 22 at Wyldewood Golf Course, which, as usual, has chipped in its fine links. There's a new driving force behind the tournament, this year, with the torch being taken over by CONNEC TIONS, an association of three estab lished local Oakville firms who are specialists in asset growth and risk management. The three firms are Vince Tomenson Dickerson Insurance Brokers; Assante; and Cumming & Cum m ing Wealth M anagement. T hey're located at 1540 Cornwall Road. They are ecstatic to see the four somes filling in at their usual sell-out pace, and they are now putting a push on for corporate sponsorships. Give Vince a shout at 845-9793. Q .E .W . N 5 S . S E R V IC E R D . w 3 S * CORNW ALL RO. * sp£ er$ b d . p VISA 0 1