6 Friday, May 20, 2016www.brooklintowncrier.com 2016 Schedule Home Games 2016 (8:05 pm at Iroquois Park) Wednesday, June 1 vs Brampton Excelsiors Wednesday, June 8 vs Cobourg Kodiaks Wednesday, June 15 vs Six Nations Chiefs Wednesday, June 22 vs Oakville Rock Wednesday, June 25 vs Peterborough Lakers Wednesday, July 6 vs Cobourg Kodiaks (Scott McMichael Night) Wednesday, July 13 vs Six Nations Chiefs Wednesday, July 20 vs Peterborough Lakers Wednesday, July 27 vs Oakville Rock Tickets $10 Adults • $8 Seniors & Students • $5 Kids (6-12) • FREE Under 5 Away Games Thursday, June 2 • 8:00 pm vs Peterborough Lakers Saturday, June 4 • 7:00 pm vs Cobourg Kodiaks Monday, June 13 • 8:00 pm vs Oakville Rock Tuesday, June 21 • 8:00 pm vs Six Nations Cheifs Thursday, June 30 • 8:00 pm vs Brampton Excelsiors Tuesday, July 5 • 8:00 pm vs Six Nations Cheifs Thursday, July 14 • 8:00 pm vs Peterborough Lakers Sunday, July 17 • 6:00 pm vs Cobourg Kodiaks Monday, July 25 • 8:00 pm vs Oakville Rock www.brooklinredmen.ca Our Brooklin Kids: Brooklin ladies get down and dirty By Leanne Brown A few months ago, some other "moms" and I decided that our kids shouldn't have all the fun, so we put together a playdate of our own. And wow did we have fun! It all started at a 40th birthday celebration over a glass of wine (or two). A few of us are hitting milestone birthdays this year, so it seemed appropriate at the time that we challenge ourselves beyond our comfort level. At first, I thought it to be the wine talking. Then, Monday morning, my friend Jen sent out the fateful email and suddenly we were in it for real, and I was wondering "What have I go myself into?" On Saturday, May 28, we all did the Warrior Dash; a 5km run and twelve obstacles, ranging from rope and wall climbing, scaling scaffolding, crawling in trenches, swimming through mud, shimmying under barbed wire, jumping through fire and crossing balance beams while they hose you down. After a few doubts during our drive to the event, our team "The Dirty Dozen" all lined up at the start line. Some ladies had been training, some of us…not so much. But it was all in fun. A die-hard woman who had already run the course four times that day led a warm up. Then we were off. The first leg of the race was tough. It was crowded, very hot, and the uneven ground was precarious for those of us with weak ankles. Just when I was starting to look forward to the first water station, I saw the first obstacle. It didn't look so bad. We had to climb up and over a small wall. I soared over it on my first try and then downed some water at the drink station. My confidence was boosted immensely. Obstacle 2 was another wall. Much bigger this time. I watched as some people were shoving other people's butts up and over the wall and swore under my breath. I took a run at it and, with some effort, made it up top. But then I had an issues getting my short legs over the top. Suddenly, I felt a hand reach out and pull me up. Thank you to the stranger who helped me! At this point, our group split up. Some ladies went on ahead running. Some walked. I found myself stuck behind a large group at Obstacle 3. This one involved more climbing up and over a scaffolding. Going up was fine. The crawl across was somewhat scary. The hold up was a man who had made it up and then frozen out of fear. His friends were trying to coax him along. It wasn't working and talk of a getting medical team ensued. Happy to have my feet on the ground again, I continued on my way. More running and on to the next few obstacles. They weren't so bad. Then I came to some trenches. We had to climb up and down slippery mounds of dirt. I found myself sliding down on my bum and three others followed behind me sliding into a pile up. We all laughed at ourselves as no one was hurt. My pride was a little bruised, but my dirty tush continued on. The long run around the pond looked like it would be my undoing. I was slowing down, feeling dizzy in the heat. I tried to count in my head how many obstacles I'd already done. Suddenly, a muddy ditch appeared. I have never been so happy to run through a mud puddle in my life. I was so happy to cool off. The next obstacle was a balance beam with hoses. I shuffled across and was proud of not falling in the disgusting brown water below…until I heard the nearby race photographer ask me for a dismount. For a moment, I thought I was going have to attempt a round off. He was joking thank goodness. The last few obstacles were actually welcome sights. First was a cargo net. Then jumping through fire. I grabbed Shafina's hand, and the two of us jumped the flames screaming. Katie Perry would have been proud of our "roar". Up next was a climb and then a plunge down a slide into water the colour of coffee. I aimed to not go under…but momentum sent me in face first. That had to be it I thought as I saw the finish line ahead. I was so wrong! The last event was a crawl through mud under barbed wire. At this point, I couldn't get any dirtier so I plunged into it and crawled out the other side like some swamp creature. We crossed the finish line, dirty, tired, and proudly clutching our Warrior medals. It was a big accomplishment for many ladies on our team. For some, it was the first time they had ever done a 5km run, let alone climbed over a wall. Our goal was to have all of us crossing the finish line. While we lost a couple of girls along the way due to the 40 degree heat, we all felt like winners. A big shout out to our team: Jen, Sonja, Cheryl, Katie, Leanne, Shafina, Jill, Marcy, Jenn, Noelle, Irene, Pam, and Andrea. And a special thanks to Jen for organizing and showing us that playing in the dirt isn't just for our kids. Can't wait until next year! photo courtesy of Warrior Dash