Winchester rink wins Merkley Cup

 

In deference to the upcoming Special Olympics in Kingston from May 31-June 2, the annual OPP Torch Run with grade 6 students at Morrisburg Public School is getting an early start, this Thursday, May 3.

“We wanted to get our runs in early this year to raise awareness for the games,” says OPP Constable John MacPherson who has participated in the run from Morrisburg Public School to Subway in the Morrisburg Shopping Plaza for the past several years.

Absent from this year’s school event is perennial organizer OPP Constable Stacey Cooper who is extremely busy with her work for the games.

Residents of Morrisburg should expect to hear police sirens ringing in the village from about 9:30 a.m. when the run starts at MPS until approximately 10 a.m. when they reach Subway where they will greeted with a complimentary lunch in support of the games.

OPP officers will accompany the grade six class and will have buckets available to collect donations along the route.

However, the main reason for the run, and a similar run that will take place in Winchester later in the day, is to promote awareness of Special Olympics.

Also joining the MPS runners to promote the games will be Special Olympian, Christina Judd-Campbell of Chesterville who last spring finished first overall in the Special Olympics World Summer Games held July 1-3 in Athens, Greece. Along with the overall gold medal in rhythmic gymnastics, Christina won three individual gold medals and a silver during the games. 

A graduate of Seaway District High School, Christina is a world-class athlete.

The upcoming Special Olympics Ontario Provincial Spring Games in Kingston is expected to attract some 800 plus athletes, coaches and volunteers who will participate in six sporting events.

Special Olympics has enjoyed a longtime partnership with law enforcement agencies across Ontario and the Law Enforcement Torch Run involves law enforcement personnel participating in a community-based province-wide program.

This week will see torch runs in Hawkesbury, Alexandria, Sudbury, Akwesasne, Brockville, Ottawas, Guelph and Belleville to name just a few.

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. The 1st Special Olympics were held in 1968, in Chicago. The Special Olympics World Games are held every two years, alternating between summer and winter games.

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The Morrisburg Curling Club held the annual Bernie Brunt Memorial Bonspiel for senior men last week, with 12 teams from Maxville, Prescott, Kingston, Russell, Winchester and Ottawa Rideau in attendance. 

Maxville won the first draw with 29.5 points, while Prescott won the second with 30.0, so the latter will get their names inscribed on Bernie’s trophy. 

It was a great day, with Joan Morrell and her team providing an excellent lunch, and other members looking after the bar and the ice as needed. Thanks again to Wally Baker, who had the ice in superlative shape for this competition. You did fine, fellows, and did Bernie proud with the event. 

On Saturday, three groups of Morrisburg ladies were in Russell for a continental breakfast, curling, lunch, a banquet after the curling, and dancing to a live band. 

It was an incredible day, with gifts for all the curlers provided by club members, a male host for each table and wine poured by the men. If our team, in the early draw, hadn’t dragged one of their number off the dance floor, my wife wouldn’t have made it home by 10 p.m. How come our fellows don’t get that kind of a day at their bonspiels?

Alice Thompson, Sharon Van Allen, Sandra Beckstead and Kathy Gurnhill were in the early draw and they won their first game against a Carleton Heights foursome, but dropped their second to a team from the R.A. Centre, the ladies who were first overall on the day. Those women, skipped by an eighty-five year-old lady, travel together to numerous bonspiels, and they showed their class at Russell. 

In the second draw, Greta McGann, Betty Locke, Joanne Baker and Linda Murphy defeated a Cornwall team in their morning draw, but lost to Susan McIntosh in the afternoon.  

Sue McIntosh, Wendy Casselman and Paula and Claire Locke, as mentioned, won bragging rights among the Morrisburg ladies. In their morning game they defeated a Carleton Heights team, but the R.A folks had a higher point total and won top prize. Sue’s squad celebrated afterwards but made it home before Groundhog Day ended.

As to our youngest curlers, the little rockers are getting into their busy season. They play and practice every Monday night from 4:30-6:00. Nineteen strong, eight of the older ones will compete in the Big Four playdowns with Russell, Winchester and Metcalfe, while two of our younger teams will be in the Little Rock zones in March. They have also entered bonspiels this month in Prescott and Winchester. Let us know how things go, folks!

Ian Wilson tells us that his Thursday night league has passed the half-way point, with John Wilson’s foursome leading the standings with a 10-1 record. Tied for second place are Larry Cooper, Robert Houze and Joe McCooeye with a 7-4 record. Can’t wait for the playoffs!

We have a senior men’s team in Russell for a bonspiel this week and we’ll report on that event and the senior men’s invitational bonspiel next time. In the near future we’ll report on our local interest in the Senior Women’s Provincial finals, our Heart and Stroke bonspiel is on next week, there’s another senior men’s friendly event, and the S.D. &G. playdowns will be held here again.

     Good curling to all!

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Word has come down from the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League that the Morrisburg Junior (B) Lions are not being included in the re-configuration that will see the current 22 team league chopped to 16 teams.

So ends, close to 50 years of Junior B Lions history in Morrisburg, that began with the purchase of the franchise by John Rice, who, with Hosea Droppo and Blake Cruickshank, revamped junior hockey in the village.

The announcement that the Lions have been cut from the proposed EOJHL league was made by Lions president/general manager Kevin Casselman, Monday night, April 13.

“We must say that following 10 months of rumours, we were not really surprised with the decision,” said Casselman on behalf of owners, Rick Gilmer, Dale Lewis and  Gary Brownlee.  “Although difficult to accept at first, the decision might very well be for the best!”

“The landscape of junior hockey is changing, and within their vision [EOJHL] for the new league, comes a rapid incline in operational expenses,” says Casselman. “With the continuing decline in the number of players choosing to play, it will only compound into an expensive business venture to operate a junior hockey team within the reconfiguration of the league.”    

“We wish to make everyone aware, and we are pleased to inform our loyal supporters, players, and parents, that we have applied for membership to the executive committee of the National Capital Junior Hockey League (NCJHL). Our objective is to continue providing junior hockey here in Morrisburg, and by all accounts, we are hoping that everything will be approved in the near future.”

The Lions organization is encouraging everyone to “remove the negative perceptions, and stereotypes that we are being demoted. As mentioned, the landscape of junior hockey is changing.”

Casselman points out that the  NCJHL is a very good and solid league, and is only going to continue to improve.

“Reflecting back on the decades and heritage of the Morrisburg Lions organization, it took courage, faith, endurance, determination, and pride to surmount all obstacles that built this organization, and with those same characters we will once again be successful.”

Casselman says he is confident the Lions’ fan base will be energized with new teams coming in. Players will see a reduction in travel, and most importantly, “we should be in a good position to offer local kids more opportunities to play junior hockey in their home town.” 

The move for us to NCJHL will maintain our organization’s strategic plan for our Vision .. Goals .. Objectives.  

“We are proud of our community, proud of our organization past and present, and are looking positively towards a continuation of providing junior hockey in our community.”

Should the Lions be accepted, the teams listed with the NCJHL last season were the Cumberland Bandits, Embrun Panthers, Olympiques Jr. de Gatineau, Predateurs de La Peche, North Dundas Rockets, Papineauville Vikings, Rockland Nationals, St. Isidore Eagles and VanKleek Hill Cougars.

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