Surge continues to Come Out Swinging

By Craig Revelle

IROQUOIS-Luke Whitteker and the Whitteker Motorsports Racing Team had an amazing 2012 race season. 

To start, Luke was named Race 101 Premier Driver from his class of 2011 in North Carolina and had the opportunity to represent and drive the Race 101 asphalt Super Late Model racecar at the Southern National Speedway in Kenly, North Carolina. The first Canadian and the first dirt racer to have won the honour of Premier Driver, Luke showed the talent, focus and drive necessary to compete at this extremely high level of racing. 

Luke even managed to pull off a top 10 finish on his very first start, which was also the first top 10 finish by a Race 101 Premier Driver since the beginning of the program.

Luke and the Whitteker Motorsports team took on a very strenuous schedule racing weekly at three different tracks; Mohawk Motor Speedway on Friday nights, Brockville Motor Speedway on Saturday nights and Cornwall Motor Speedway on Sunday nights. 

The Whitteker Motorsports team managed to keep it all together and found success each week as Luke raced, even when traveling back and forth from North Carolina.

“As a crew member and a sponsor of Luke and the 38 team it was definitely an exciting year watching each race unfold,” said Joe Jansen, a crew member and sponsor to the Whitteker Motorsports team. “It was also a busy year with countless hours of time put into the new Bicknell car by the whole crew. I’m confident that the Whitteker Motorsports team will be a force to reckon with in the 2013 season!”

In mid-July, Luke Whitteker and the team picked up their brand new 2012 experimental Bicknell race car. Everyone was excited about this new BRP experimental car as Luke Whitteker had a large input into the design. 

Whitteker and the team at Bicknell Racing Products put in a lot of thought and hard work to bring life to this very unique car. 

Week after week, Luke continued to be successful on and off the track when he and his team participated in community events when they were not racing. 

“[Luke’s] fan base continues to grow and Luke is just getting started,” says friend and sponsor Steven Iwachniuk. “He is a young man with the passion, dedication, work ethic, professionalism, and drive to be a great champion and role model in our community.”

Luke did his far share of work during the season doing PR and sponsor hunting. 

Among his new sponsors, was a local real estate brokerage, Storm Realty Cornwall. 

In 2013, Luke Whitteker will attend numerous community events with Storm Realty Cornwall and is very excited to give back to his community that he cares about. Luke and his team will showcase their new experimental car and will be available to sign autographs on site at these community events.

This year Luke and his team also built a great partnership and friendship with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Cornwall and District. Luke and The Whitteker Motorsports team will attend future events with this organization and are looking forward to making all the difference that they can.

With the end of the 2012 race season, the Whitteker Motorsports Racing Team is currently preparing for the 2013 season. 

Sponsorship opportunities are available and can be made by contacting Luke Whitteker at lukewhitt@ripnet.com.

Luke and the Whitteker Motorsports Racing Team are most appreciative of their fans, their crew, their friends and family members who helped to make 2012 a huge success. 

Luke 2012 crew included Joe Jansen, Kevin Whitteker, Travis McMillan, Dustin Gillard, Tommy McMillan, Jeff Whitteker, Sean Nixon, Jamie Whitteker, Elaine Whitteker and Kyle Dingwall.

2012 sponsors included Storm Realty Cornwall, Rust Check, Toy Storage, Jim’s Performance Plus, ET Performance, C Double J Harvesting, Parcoll Products/Napa Auto Parts, Cohen and Lord Insurance, ERD Engine Research and Development, Bicknell Racing Products and Finish Line Web Design.

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The men’s and ladies’ teams, representing the Morrisburg Golf Club in the Ottawa Valley Golf Association’s Intersectional Match play have stalled in their respective divisions

For the third consecutive year, the men’s and ladies intersectional teams have finished in second spot, the ladies to remain in Division K and the Men to remain in Division O.

This past week, each of the teams hosted their leg of the Matches. Last Monday, July 9 the ladies finished in second spot behind Eagle Creek, the latter earning 41 points out of a possible 42 while the Morrisburg entry picked up 25.

Intersectional match play involves teams of seven players each with golfers from four clubs at each level. Each team member plays a match against the three opposing clubs and each has the potential of six points.

For Eagle Creek, it was almost a clean sweep. The only golfer who stood in their way was Lori Ann Davies of Morrisburg who collected a single point from her Eagle Creek player, Kendra Read.

Davies led the Morrisburg entry with five points, while Anita Cooper, Linda Barclay, Judy Laurin, Stephanie Cochrane and Monique Patenaude all added four points. Carolyn Weegar and Vicki Boivin contributed two points apiece.

The other two teams competing in the level K division were from Poplar Grove and the Iroquois Golf Club.

Nelly Leightizer led the Iroquois entry with four points, while Sally O’Brien and Betty Locke contributed two points apiece, and Majorie Lapier and Mary Jean Craig collected one point each.

The Morrisburg men’s club hosted their action on Sunday with just three clubs competing.

Finishing in first place for the right to move up a division in next year’s play was Falcon Ridge with 32 points.

Morrisburg was second with 21 and Rideau Glen in third with seven. (The men’s teams consist of  10 players each).

Larry Cooper, Ron Lapier and Robert Mann collected four points apiece for Morrisburg, while Jordie MacDonald, Gary Breyer, Kirk Barkley and Brian McNairn added two points each. Eric Wemerman collected a single point and Charlie Moore and Lee Beaupre were blanked.

The Intersectionals are ladder type events with the winner moving up a rung, second place having to host the next year’s event and last place dropping down a rung. The object is to climb to the top rung.

Because their second place finishes were the third in a row for the two Morrisburg teams, neither will have to host next year.

[…]

Ryan Douma, Michaela Morrow and Jessica Thompson were named Seaway District High’s top athletes for the 2011/12 school year at the annual Sports Banquet held last Thursday night.

It was the second consecutive year, that Morrow and Douma were named the school’s top athletes, and they were joined by Thompson who was named co-winner of the top female athlete with Morrow.

In addition to the overall win, Douma was named senior boys basketball MVP by coach Julie Iwachniuk and senior boys basketball MVP by coach Trevor Thompson.

Morrow was selected the senior girls basketball MVP by coach Mark Lewis and Thompson was selected this year’s track and field MVP by Trevor Thompson. In addition, Thompson was presented the Nathan Last Award of Excellence by figure skating coach Sharon Last.

“Both girls participated in multiple sports and both were integral members of their teams,” said Trevor Thompson as he announced this year’s winners. “Both will be missed at Seaway.”

Leading up to the presentation to Douma, Thompson said, “a top athlete must not be just an athlete who participates, but one who excels and one who his teammates look up. Ryan played his heart out this year on the court and on the field.”

Each year at Seaway, individuals are selected to receive the prestigious Irv Francis Award, which is an award that recognizes “excellence in athletics, academics and sportsmanship.”

This year two athletes shared the award. Both excelled in academics with over 90 percent averages, both excelled in athletics and both demonstrated sportsmanship. This year’s winners were Monty Hamadi and Leah Wells.

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