5 3 |Thursday November 23, 2017 | OAKVILLE BEAVER |www.insidehalton.com Kevin Nagel, Oakville Beaver Sports Editor, knagel@burlingtonpost.com Sports America. Slone talks with Browne about being a role model for transgender athletes and the decision to put his transition on hold in order to continue playing hockey. Two of the m ost success ful hockey players to come out of Oakville, the New York Islanders' John Tava res and Vancouver Canuck' s Sam Gagner, were childhood friends who played hockey on the Gagner family' s back yard rink. Plenty of activities Jamie Campbell, host for Rogers Blue Jays telecasts, presents a feature on his hometown hockey team, the Oakville Blades of the On tario Junior Hockey League. Indy race car driver James Hinchcliffe discusses with Slone what it was like grow ing up in Oakville and pro ceeds to teach her how to drive a go-kart. Sunday' s broadcast kicks off with a special pre-game show hosted live on site by MacLean and Slone from the Sportsnet Mobile Studio. H ock ey-them ed events, all free of ch arge, include prize giveaw ays, fun a c tivities and live en tertain m en t for all ages, in clu d ing: · Rogers Fan Hub fea tures interactive experi ences, showcasing virtual autographs from NHL stars, a Zamboni video game and autograph signings with Sittler and Graves. · Fans also have the chance to get close to their favourite players through augmented reality technol ogy at the Sportsnet Photo Booth. Fans can take photos with virtual images of NHL stars and have the photo emailed directly to their de vice for social sharing. · Paz, the renowned hock ey acrobat, will be on hand as part of the Hockey Circus Show Paz juggles everything from pucks to flaming hock ey sticks while standing on top of a net. · The Scotiabank Com munity Locker Room is a family-friendly space to engage fans, celebrate the game and interact with NHL alumni such as ex-Maple Leaf Tucker. Scotiabank will donate $ 1 5 ,0 0 0 to minor hockey associations. · The Stow `n Go Chal lenge is at the Dodge Family Zone. It' s a hockey-themed obstacle course. Also, fans can enter a con test to win $ 5 ,0 0 0 for their local minor hockey asso ciation and a 2 0 1 8 Chrysler Pacifica. All contest entrants will receive a co-branded Dodge and Rogers Home town Hockey retro toque. "Connected to y o u r Com m unity " Rogers Hometown Hockey tour stops in Oakville this weekend C hurch Street in downtown Oakville will be a hub of ac tivity when Rogers Hom e town H ockey makes a stop in the town this weekend. Oakville resident Ron Ma cLean will co-host the event with Tara Slone. Activities begin on Satur day, Nov. 25 with the Home town Hockey Festival from noon to 6 p.m. It resumes the next day at 11 a.m. and continues through to the end of the viewing party. Guests include former NHLers Vic Hadfield, Adam Graves, Darryl Sittler and Darcy Tucker, with live m u sic presented by Mackenzie Leigh Meyer on Saturday and Steve Strongman on Sunday. The Rogers NHL telecast this week comes from New York where the Rangers will host the Vancouver Canucks beginning at 1:30 p.m. on Sportsnet, Sportsnet Now and Rogers NHL Live. One of the features on the program will be a spotlight on Harrison Browne, who grew up in Oakville playing girls' hockey. Browne was born female but came out as a transgender last season while playing in the Nation al W om en's Hockey League. He became the first openly transgender athlete to play professional sports in North Two-time Stanley Cup winner Adam Graves, an Oakville resident, will be a guest on Rogers Hometown Hockey this weekend. Graves, seen taking part at Joshua's Creek Arenas earlier this year in the Smilezone 24 Hour charity hockey tournament he co-founded, is heavily involved in a number of charities in Oakville and NewYork. | photo by Graham Paine - Oakville Beaver · The Tim Hortons Ball Hockey Rink features pick up games for the com m u nity, including local Timbits hockey players. A Tim Hortons coffee truck will be dispensing free coffee, hot chocolate and lattes. · Fans can enjoy a free slice of pizza at the Dr. Oetker Giuseppe pizzeria and play the Find Giuseppe match game for prizes. · The Playmobil Kids Zone gives fans a chance to face off against friends and fam ily. · The OK Tire Zamboni Pit Stop Features a pit-crew like experience where fans have the opportunity to test their tire-hanging skills on a replica Zamboni. © ROGERS. Rogers Hometown Hockey is hosted by Ron MacLean, an Oakville resident, and Tara Slone. | Photo courtesy Rogers Ontario HunterJumperAssociation honoursTatumHoran Oakville' s Tatum Horan, riding Dayz of May, finished first and second in two Large Pony Hunter divisions at the Royal W inter Fair in Toronto earlier this month. Horan, a Grade 8 student at Appleby College, won the Under Saddle competi tion with a score of 2 2 5 , ahead of secondTatum Horan, seen here competing at Caledon Equestrian Park earlier this year, finished first and second in recent Royal Winter Fair competitions and was honoured last weekend by the Ontario Hunter Jumper Association. | photo courtesy Ben Radvanyi Photography place finisher Moon Run' s Duplicity by 6 0 points. She also finished second in the Over Fences competition with 330 points, behind only Mackenzie Cop per aboard Bellagio, the overall division champion. Horan qualified to compete at the Roy al W inter Fair after scores were tabulated from competitions at Caledon Equestrian Park, Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa and Acton' s Angelstone tournaments in the May-September season. Points are accu mulated through a system regulated by the Ontario Hunter Jum per Association. Fu rth er honours cam e H oran' s way at the OHJAs annual banquet on the week end when the 13-year-old was named 2 0 1 7 show season cham pion in both the Large Pony division and Equitation division for the OHJA 2 0 1 7 season. H oran, an Oakville native w ho start ed riding at the age of five, has been riding at Iron Horse Perform ance in Burlington under coach Susy Niles for the past five years. Dayz of May is owned by Horan' s cous in Holly Hepworth, also an Oakville na tive.