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6 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanvillc, Wednesday, September 14,1994 Salesperson of the week ;© Brought to you by... Serving Since 1922 You ' Corner of Courtice Rd. and Hwy. 2 Sales and Servicing 436-2222 Jim Reid Phone Brad Kelly at 623-3303 No Bull, these Cowboys can Ride TERRY FOX RUN -- The annual Terry Fox Run for this area will be taking place in Bowmanvillc on Sunday, September 18. The 10km route will begin at Memorial Park Clubhouse at 9:00 a.m. Organizers will be at the site selling t-shirts and accepting registrations until noon on the day of the run. Pledge sheets can be obtained at McGregor IDA Drugs in Bowmanvillc. Roz Yco, the organizer for this year's run, is hoping that residents will respond by taking the time to participate in the fundraiser. Anyone requiring additional information can contact Roz at 623-4688. SOCCER FINALS -- One of the oldest soccer leagues in North America, the Darlington Men's League, will bring their competitive season to a close this Saturday, with their annual playoff tournament at the soccer fields in Orono. Games will begin at 10:00 a.m., with the finals slated to get underway at 2:00 p.m. •••••••!•••• HOOPS, ANYONE? --- The local men's basketball league, which operates out of Bowmanvillc High School, will be holding their draft on Tuesday, September 20. The league, for players over the age of 18, is entering its 30th year of operation, and organizers should be commended for the job they have done. The league has enjoyed steady growth, and the level of play is quite exceptional. ■eeeeeeeeeee SILVER ANNIVERSARY -- While on the subject of birthdays for leagues, we can't overlook the one that the men's town league in Newcastle is celebrating. This year marks the 50th anniversary of contact hockey in the village of Newcastle. The teams have made Sunday nights their time slot for a number of years. We plan to have a retrospective of the league in an upcoming edition of The Statesman. eeeeeeeeeeee EAGLES OPEN PRE-SEASON -- The Bowmanvillc Eagles will get the home portion of their exhibition schedule started on Sunday night at 7:30 p.m., when they host the defending champions from the Eastern League, the Napanee Raiders. Many will remember that Bowmanvillc eliminated Napanee in the seventh game of their All-Ontario quarter-final scries last year. All exhibition games will be fan appreciation games, with all kids 12 and under admitted free, and all others admitted for $1. The special offer is in response to the overwhelming support the team received during last year's exciting playoffs. Bowmanvillc will also host Port Perry on Tuesday, September 20, with game time at 7:30 p.m. by Brad Kelly Bom and raised on rodeo, Brandon Brandon Moore and Danny Steward, of Blackstock, are ' third-generation cowboys who have designs on qualifying qualifying for the Ontario Finals. Should the cousins accomplish that feat, they most certainly will have an edge over the rest of the competition. With the Ontario Rodeo Association Association Finals being held at the Orono Fairgrounds the weekend of September September 23-25, the duo would enjoy - a home field advantage, of sorts. Both could use all the help that a local crowd would have to offer. Brandon and Danny play an active role in what many consider the most dangerous sport in the world: bull riding.. Brandon is in a comfortable position position to advance to the finals based on the success he has enjoyed this season. He sits in fourth place over-, all in the standings, with the top seven seven guaranteed a ride in the finals at Orono. Danny has some catching up to do, as he sits just out of a qualifying spot. This is Brandon's seventh year on the rodeo circuit after spending the first four as a junior steer rider. His best year was 1991, when he finished as both the finals and year- end champion in his event. Three years ago he made the jump from a 600 pound steer, to a meaner and stronger 2,000 pound bull. Eagles Look to Defend Title by Brad Kelly The boys are back in town. Yes indeed, the Bowmanvillc Goodyear Eagles are well into a new era. The team opened training camp last week to start its 26lh year in franchise history. The Eagles, who are back-to- back Central League champions, have completed four on-ice sessions. sessions. They head into their exhibition exhibition schedule opener in Port Perry on Thursday night. That game will be followed by Bowmanville's first home encounter of the year on Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. against the Napanee Raiders of the Eastern League. Those games couldn't come at a more appropriate time. As training camp continues to drag on, the veterans have become disinterested in the scrimmages, while the rookies are eager to showcase showcase their talents in a game situation. situation. Even the coaching staff is growing growing tired of watching the proceedings proceedings from high atop the stands. "I want to get these guys in some games and sec what they can do," said coach Mark Watson, as he viewed Sunday night's practice. Watson, who advanced the team to the All-Ontario semi-finals in his first season as head coach, has been impressed with training camp to this point. The Bowmanvillc Eagles arc well into preparations for the upcoming upcoming Jr. C hockey season. The defending Central League champions will open their pre-season schedule Thursday in Port Perry, and return return home for a Sunday night encounter with the Napanee Raiders. 1128 RITSON RD. N., OSHAWA 725-4744 if bit ay call 725-2831 WHOLESALE & RETAIL DURHAM REGION'S WOOD SPECIALISTS IN Hardwood and softwood lumber dry ltiln» and dressing facilities including custom made trim; hardwood and marine plywoods us well as a complete stock oflniildini: materials. He noted the quality of players vying for a spot on the team has improved improved over a year ago, which makes for some interesting competition. competition. "It has been a tame camp, but the players are starting to get a little feisty now," said Watson. "A lot of the players realize that it's getting close to the end and they are starting to work harder. The veterans veterans arc stepping up the pace because because they know we have some good, new players, and they (the veterans) arc worried about losing their jobs." Close to 60 of the 80 players invited invited to training camp took to the ice for opening night Tuesday, September September 6. Since then, the number has been whittled down to 30. Heading into camp, lire biggest concern was in goal. Over-ager Drew Campbell has graduated, while rookie standout Barry Craw- lord was a late-round selection of the Peterborough Petes at the OHL summer draft. The uncertainly was cleared up over the weekend, however, as Crawford returned to Bowmanvillc and was promptly inked to a card. With nine players already signed, and many more expected in the coming weeks, there may be as few as four spots up for grabs on the eve of the exhibition opener with Port Perry. That's not to suggest returning players can rest on the statistics they posted last year. "Every spot is still open," declared declared Watson. "We want to sign the best talent we can get." While the club has a stable of offensively-gifted offensively-gifted players on the forward forward lines, the defence may be a weak point to start the season. "We lost a lot of experienced guys on defence," said Watson. "The guys out here (at practice) arc young, but they arc talented." One of the players who has caught die eye of the coaching staff is forward Chad Taylor, who spent last year playing high school hockey with Eastdalc of Osluiwa. Noted for his offensive play around the net, Taylor could fill in on the lop line with over-ager Curtis Hodgins and captain Todd Cannings, Other players who have signed that weren't with the team last season season include Jason Mosier, who is making a comeback al ter a year off, and Jay Cannings (younger brother of team captain Todd), who played in the MTJ IL last year. The team is also negotiating with the Oshawa Generals for the rights to forward Jason McQual. He has expressed an interest in playing for Bowmanvillc if lie isn't signed by Oshawa as an over-ager, or his rights aren't traded away to another 011L team. Though the transition wasn't an easy one in the beginning -- he earned less than $100 last year -- the young cowboy has proven that he belongs. He has won close to $1,000 in prize money to this point in the season. The 19-year-old was hooked on bull riding immediately after getting his first taste of the competition. "When I rode my first bull, it was die biggest high of my life," he said. And what about the label of bull riding being the most dangerous sport in the world? "It's true," confirms Brandon. And he has some of the bumps and bruises to prove it. The Blackstock cousins are involved in the most dangerous sport in the world: bull riding. He suffered a broken pelvis as the result of a ride, while Danny was cut for 18 stitches after being clipped in the head by a bull's horn. Despite the element of danger, fear can't enter a rider's mind as he sits in the chute preparing for his eight-second ride. "You can't be afraid in the chute," said Brandon, "I get nervous, nervous, but I don't even think about the fear factor. If you get scared, you're going to get bucked off." Danny, who is a grade 12 student at Port Perry High School, got his rodeo start in the junior steer riding event, then graduated to the bulls two years ago. After watching his mom, Carol, compete in the ladies' breakaway, and team roping events, Danny decided decided that the rodeo lifestyle would suit his interests. Now, he looks ahead to the future future in hopes of one day turning professional professional and competing.on a rodeo circuit full-time. "I want to become the best bull rider I can," said the 17-year-old. He also has designs on becoming an all-around cowboy, which would require require him to compete in all six events. Brandon also has the same intentions intentions of turning professional some day. His ambition is to reach the epitome of the sport, the National Finals which are held annually in Las Vegas. But for now, he is focusing his attention on a few eight second rides atop a bull at the Ontario Finals in Orono. Though eight seconds is considered considered a relatively short span of time, don't try to convince a bull rider of that. "It seems a lot longer when you're on a bull. It seems like a minute minute and a half," says Brandon. The weekend of September 23- 25 will bring the best cowboys and cowgirls together to declare a champion champion in each of the nine events that comprise the rodeo. In addition to bragging rights, at stake will be the sought-after gold buckle, which is presented to the champion of each category. There will be two shows on Saturday, Saturday, September 24 at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., with the finals on Sunday afternoon beginning at 2:00 p.m. Not only will fans see the best cowboys and cowgirls in the Ontario Ontario Rodeo Association, Brandon guarantees that those in attendance will be impressed with the calibre of competition in the bull riding. "They are going to see some good bull riding," he said. "This year there has been a real tight race for first place." In addition to the rodeo, a western western mall will be set up. It features 60 vendors with various articles of western wear and other merchandise on display. Cousins Danny Steward (left) and Brandon Moore of Blackstock are hoping to qualify for the bull riding event at the Ontario Rodeo Association Finals which will be held at the Durham Central Agricultural Agricultural Society Fairgrounds in Orono the weekend of September 23- 25. The cowboys are third generation members of a rodeo family. B0WMANV1LLE MEN'S TOWN LEAGUE HOCKEY REGISTRATION (Contact Hockey) All players must register with Dave Wright at 623-2964 before September 15th (League play begins Sept. 23rd) : SAVE s 50"° on deductible of most windshield | insurance claimsjj/ks ... ! Free : Gas Bar-B-Que : l-iii mV.vi i mm wiici | tua l At Jto GIq// OSHAWA WHITBY UXBRIDGE PORT PERRY LINDSAY PETERBOROUGH ORILLIA MINDEN ©