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Friday, April 28, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Sayer... (C o n tin u e d fro m p a g e 3 4 ) Schreiber-based businesses. And all the while, still very much in the running to earn a berth into his third Olympic Games this year, even though he's down to "his last hurrah" (in the words of national coach Ryan). But more on that later. This story wasn't even supposed to be about Filane, whose long, illustri ous and still very much ongoing career has included two Olympic Games, three Commonwealth and three PanAm games appearances, but about another Oakville boxer, Brandon Sayer, who is at the other end of the spectrum, at the dawn of his competi tive career, albeit with a lot of promise. The connection is this: national coach Ryan will be in Sayer's comer this weekend in Sarnia when he makes his first trip to the junior nationals in Sarnia. Fighting in the 51 kilo (112 pounds) weight class, Sayer won the Ontario provincial championship earli er this spring in impressive fashion, stopping Jason Kelly at the 15-second mark of the first round. A Grade 10 White Oaks Secondary School student who just turned 16, Sayer didn't expect such a quick out come. "No, not at all, " he said. "It was surprising. It felt good." Coach Ryan wasn't surprised: "He has a lot of ability. He is very, very strong. Even at 112 pounds, he can hurt you." This weekend's nationals are a big unknown, not just for him but for all the competitors since it's the first age level that advances to a national cham pionship. It's the first opportunity for these aspiring boxers to test out their pugilistic talents on the national stage. Sayer can't predict how he'll fare, only what he'll bring to the table. "I hope to do the best that I can. It's gonna be tough," he predicted. "If I come home with a medal that would be amazing." A national championship victory would require winning two or three bouts, depending on the number of competitors and the luck of the draw. Bouts are schedules for three rounds, two minutes each round. Sayer has been working out at McGrory's for five years, nearly a third of his life. For much of the time, however, it was more of a recreational pursuit of the sport similar to his involvement with hockey where he is a house league goalie, albeit a very good one. He was named top goalie for the regu lar season for his bantam red division. This year, however, he "seemed to get serious," to quote coach Vinnie Ryan. Leading up to the provincial cham- pionship, he had won a few tourna ments -- the Brampton Cup twice, the St. Catharines Cup. "He realizes he has talent and he's putting it to better use," said coach Ryan. He's more focused, upping his workouts at McGrory's to six times a week. His father, and chauffeur, also has to be focused as he has to fight that rush-hour traffic on the Niagarabound Q.E.W. into the gym on a daily basis. Speaking of his father, it was he who tweaked his son's interest in the sport after reading an Oakville Beaver article on former national champ Sean P 'Meara, also a member at the gym. "Dad mentioned it to me. I said, hey, I'll give it a try." A workout typically begins with stretching exercises, half an hour of skipping and 15 to 20 minutes of run ning. Then it's some shadow boxing in front of a mirror, working on hand and feet movement; then to the punching bag; and, finally, if there's medical clearance and a green light from the coaches, some sparring. On this night, a couple of dozen members are involved in the activities, and it's busy as a beehive. As you wade through the room, you can almost feel the breeze from the nearby skipping ropes whizzing around. The upbeat music is punctuated by the rata-tat-tat of the punching bags. Two youths, barely into their teens, if that, are sparring in the one ring, under the watchful eye of a coach. The gym isn't as dark as you would expect, and plen ty of light pours in from a rim of win dows which ring the basement. Ask the young Sayer who some of his boxing favourites are and the first one that comes to mind is no surprise. "Lennox Lewis is one of the big ones. He boxed here for a while. I never got the chance to meet him. It ( S e e 'F ila n e ' p a g e 3 6 ) Photo by Riziero Vertolli Brandon Sayer won the best goalie award for the bantam red house league this year. He also works out at McGrory's in Hamilton six times a week, these days. B eat th e H e a t This S u m m e r a n d O in io n ttfk *comfort £_» £. P u io n ' NOTHING TIL 2001* Cool L o w Prices! · Get 24-hour re lie f fro m heat and hum idity. · Be cool and co m fortable all sum m er long. · Sleep soundly on those hot, m uggy nights. A ll o f o u r units are designed fo r yo u r to ta l hom e com fort. 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