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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, July 3, 2015 | 18 Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports I T C H I N G I N by Herb Garbutt "Connected to your Community" P Oakville 11-year-old Ethan Malicki has organized a baseball equipment collection this month to support ErinoakKids Centre for Treatment and Development, which provides treatment, rehabilitation and support services to children with disabilities. Malicki, who was introduced to baseball by Oakville Little League and now plays in the Oakville Minor Baseball Association, asks parents and players from both organizations to donate gently-used equipment to the drive. The ErinoakKids baseball program is in need of bat bags, helmets, bats and gloves, particularly for younger ages. Donations can be dropped off through the month of July at Urban Automotive, 497 Maple Grove Dr. in Oakville. | photo by Graham Paine -- Oakville Beaver -- @Halton_Photog Broken back, kinked artery can't keep triathlete Jones from Pan Am Games Oakville native motivated by opportunity to race `at home' return for the Pan Am Games). It's a unique opportunity. Not a lot of athletes get the opOakville Beaver Staff portunity to compete in a major games at home, so there was motivation to get back," Kyle Jones anticipated needing some time said the Q.E. Park high school grad, who to work himself back into shape prior to the now lives in Milton. "You don't want to be on the sidelines. At the same time, you don't Pan Am Games. Undergoing off-season surgery last No- want an injury to linger on, so as much as vember to repair a kinked artery that pre- I wanted to race at home, I wanted to make vented blood flow to the Oakville native's sure I was 100 per cent ready." Though he lacks race experience this year, right leg certainly wasn't routine. But having had the procedure five years ago on his Jones said he is far enough into his career to rely on past exleft side, when a vein periences. That infrom his foot was cludes a win on the used to reconstruct Toronto course in a the artery, Jones Pan Am Games test knew he could be event last July. This back up to speed for will also be his third the July 12 race. Pan Am Games, and He began the triif racing at home athlon season in Abu isn't enough motivaDhabi and everything tion, his two fourthseemed to be on place finishes will track until the seaprovide a little extra son's second race in push. Auckland, New Zea"This is an opporland in late March. tunity I have to win After a promising a medal," he said. "I start to the race, the want to be on the rider in front of Jones podium, that's been wiped out on a fast, on my mind. I want downhill portion of to go at least one the course. Travelling spot better." at more than 45 km/ And while his hr, Jones flipped over preparations for the him and landed hard Games have taken on the asphalt. place away from He suffered a fracthe public eye, the tured sacrum, a bone veteran triathlete's in the lower back. standing with the "Being involved in Canadian team are the bike crash definitely put a wrench The Pan Am Games will be the first triathlon race in not in doubt. He in the plans," the more than three months for Oakville native Kyle Jones. is one of three ath30-year-old said. | Oakville Beaver file photo letes, along with triathlete Paula FindThe plans didn't include two weeks off his feet before he could lay and baseball player Vanessa Riopel, to be even think about working out. They didn't featured in Maytag's Pan Am Games adverinclude more than a month without run- tising campaign. Jones jokes that with the amount of ning. And they didn't include the Pan Am Games being his first race in three-and-a- workout clothes he goes through and having a 10-month-old son, Zack, at home, he half months. Jones said the time off was similar to the was a good fit. But so too is the campaign's time he would take at the end of a season, tag line -- Performance Counts. "It's something we believe as athletes," and said fewer miles on the body may end up benefitting him. But he won't know for Jones said. "You put in all the training and all the work but it comes down to that day, sure until race day. What Jones does know is that he didn't that race." July 12 in Toronto, Jones will be looking risk further complications by rushing back. "I think there was a little more urgency (to to make it count. Local squash player selected to Pan Am team Oakville resident Hollie Naughton has been named to the Canadian squash team that will compete in the upcoming Pan Am Games in Toronto and the surrounding area. Naughton, 20, was one of six players officially named to the team last Friday. A native of Barnsley, England, Naughton has played squash professionally since 2012. The Ontario Racquet Club (Missis- Hollie Naughton sauga) member achieved her highest-ever world ranking (57th) in April, earned her first World Squash Association World Tour title at last December's ORC Open in Mississauga, and helped Canada finish 11th at the 2014 senior world team championships. In 2013, Naughton won both singles and team gold at the junior Pan American championships. Pan Am squash competition will be held July 11-17 at Exhibition Centre in Toronto, where the Canadian team will try to win medals for the sixth consecutive Games. Since squash was introduced to the Pan Am Games in 1995, Canada has won more gold medals in the sport than all other countries combined. Burloak paddler to carry Canadian flag Burloak Canoe Club paddler Mark Oldershaw will carry the Canadian flag during the opening ceremonies of the Pan Am Games July 10 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. The 32-year-old canoeist, a third-generation Olympian and a bronze medalist at the 2012 Olympics in London, was announced as Canada's flag-bearer Wednesday. "I am bursting with pride at being named Canada's flag-bearer," Oldershaw said in a statement to the Canadian Olympic Committee. Pan Am sprint canoe/kayak competition will take place July 11-14 in Welland, where Oldershaw will be joined by Burloak teammates Adam van Koeverden and Brady Reardon.