To Ski Or Not To Ski

I must confess to making a mistake. When you're on vacation, with your family, never check your email or voice mail. I did.

Mistake No. 2 was to consolidate a number of comments from concerned Star readers about the decision by OFSAA as it relates to new rules about ski helmets, and then write this blog. So, I'll keep it short - while the family isn't looking.

OFSAA has said that high schoolers competing at the provincial final won't be allowed to get on the slopes unless they wear helmets that completely cover their heads, and now, also their ears. Mandatory stuff. I don't remember hearing of many situations whereby skiers hurt their ears while ski racing.Then again, I have not been at every school ski race in my tenure as a sports journalist.

I can see safety being an issue for people, especially young people, when they fly down a ski hill in a school race. But I do wonder why the edict has been issued by OFSAA now, and one that will force many skiers to go buy a new helmet or hope that grandma saved up enough coins for a gift this time of the year.

As if the sport already isn't costly enough, now parents and kids have to dish out more cash - in these tough economic times. And I can't figure out why OFSAA is doing this, when many of its member associations across the province don't enforce the same rule.

Highlight Performances of the Week

Here we go, my last pick of the Top Ten performances of the week for 2008.

Some very good showings, and not just compiling points. But once again, when seeking information from coaches, I get the response "it's a team effort" to a stunning display on the volleyball court.

Or, the comment about the goalie - "without the defense, the goalie wouldn't be that good". Really?

Coaches need to ease up a bit and start singling out more individual efforts - publicly.

So, the end of another year, time to put away the school sports equipment as seasons shutdown for the Holiday Season.

Game after game, thousands of student athletes learn, have fun and improve.

My grab bag for the week.

 

Alastair Chisholm, Sandalwood. A new Peel Region school and this kid could raise the profile in sports real fast. He scored 51 points in an 87-85 win over Woodbridge at the Axemen Invitational in Mississauga and was later named the tournament MVP

 

Steve Comegna, St. Basil. Four goals, when only two would have done the job, in an 11-1 thumping of Father Redmond in a junior hockey game played in the Toronto District Colleges Athletic Association league.

 

Jeff Cooper, Notre Dame. Two goals in a 5-3 Halton Region hockey win over Aldershot and also beat the goalie two more times - but this time in a 4-3 loss to Mount Carmel in the final of the Carter Cup tournament in North Bay.

 

Seth Evershed, Michael Power/St. Joseph. Another junior-age basketball player, and watch out for him ina year or two if his performances this year are any indication. He had 29 points in a win over St. Basil, then 38 points in a victory over Bishop Marrocco/Thomas Merton and 35 points in a game with Dunbarton.

 

Julie Hébert, Aurora. Some say, she could be the most exciting female high school hockey player in the province. Four goals, including the winner, in a 5-2 York Region hockey game over Cardinal Carter. That puts Aurora on top with a 9-0 record.
 

Thea Imbrogno, St. Basil. Just an exciting hockey player to watch. Chosen to the Toronto Star's annual all-star team last season, she knows what to do with a puck - as in three goals in an 8-0 league win over Community Hebrew.

 

Mikyle McIntosh, Pickering. He's only on the junior team, not the defending provincial senior squad - but could very well be there come provincial playoff time. He scored 40 points in a 61-56 win over Mother Teresa and had 20 in a 73-70 loss to Father Henry Carr in the final of the Crusaders basketball tournament.

 

Tremayne Meikle, Northview. He scored 40 of his teams 48 points but the junior basketball team still lost, 54-48 to Jefferys in a Toronto District School Board game.

 

Scott Morrison, Richview. Heard lots about this young junior-age player last year, and he's really lighting up the courts this season. Scored 23 points in a 69-65 win over Vaughan Road and 14 in a 62-27 win over Lakshore. Richview heads to the School Break with a 5-0 league record.

 

Theon Reefer, Father Henry Carr. Could very well be the next big name player at a school known more for basketball that any other sport. He scored 25 points in a 78-52 win over Father Goetz and added 19 in a 94-68 pounding of Downsview at the Xavier Rimrocker - a tournament his school won.

Some teachers and coaches should know better

I just don't get it.

For weeks, make that months, I kept hearing some coaches of high school teams offer up excuses after blowing away other teams in a game. Many times, they stand by and watch their team - and don't condone - ridiculous scores. Guess, they assume no one knows, no one cares and it's just the way the game goes.

There was a junior boys' hockey score the other day in the Toronto Catholic league - Chaminade 11, Father Redmond 2. Also, a Toronto District School Board girls varsity game - Ursula Franklin 10, Danforth 0. More on the ice nailbiters: Paul Dwyer 16, Clarington Central 1 in a Durham Region game and Humberview 13. Chinguacousy 0 in Peel Region.

And the one I find real intriguing is Birchmount Park's 18-3 barnburner over William Lyon Mackenzie, a senior boys' hockey game. Birchmount, unbeaten in league play, scored more goals in that game than in its previous four combined. As for Mackenzie, winless in five games and ther team had only four goals for and 35 against before their game with Birchmount.

Can someone educate me as to the values of gigantic scores? Does this really help high school sports and young athletes or do the people in charge, often teachers, once again close their eyes and walk away as if this will disappear.

School athletic associations, OFSAA and Boards of Education should cut with the public relations messages of "education through school sport". This is an embarassment.

As I said before, I just don't get it.

2008 highlights and lowlights

So, what was the biggest highlight of the 2008 Toronto high school sports year?

Not so sure?

Here are a few suggestions.

Could it have been the recent success of the St. Michael's Kerry Blues after winning a third consecutive Metro Bowl senior football title?

How about the junior gridiron heroes, also at St. Mike's, who won the Ontario Bowl and maybe improved the chances of the school winning a fourth senior title?

What about the girls' basketball team at Eastern Commerce, a provincial quad-A basketball championship, and that all happening a year after the Lady Saints took home the same Ontario title, but in the triple-A category?

How about Birchmount Park meeting the needs of exceptional athletes through a Toronto District School Board approved program, and also coming up with an Ontario gold medal in senior boys' volleyball along with many individual success stories in various other sports?

Go back to March, maybe Pickering hanging on to win the Ontario quad-A senior boys' basketball championship.

And what about the downers or the disappointments?

Always up at the top, the ongoing saga of students skirting sports rules, then getting caught. Look at the situation at Pickering high school when a promising football season turned sour after an ineligible player caused three forfeitures. How about the girls' basketball team at Stephen Lewis Secondary finishing an entire game without scoring a point? Or even boys' soccer, a big sport in multicultural Toronto and yet no school has won a provincial gold medal in years.

What was your most memorable event or highlight?

School Credits in - football?

All right, so nothing stays the same.

Received some e-mails the other day from some retired teachers who are not too happy with the rash of "focus" courses being offered at some schools. These retired teachers believe getting a high school diploma is getting easy - real easy - for some students. So, I checked out their concerns. I figured, wouldn't it be nice to be in school taking "Football 101" or whatever the official name is for the course. Maybe I can also take "Rugby 101" and a rash of other subjects. I did my research, homework if you wish, and spoke with several principals. Then, I called the Ontario Ministry of Education and spoke with Grant Clarke, the acting Assistant Deputy Minister for policy and curriculum.

Turns out that a high school diploma now requires 30 credits and 18 are the mandatory stuff of science, history, etc. The rest of the courses can come from a rash of subjects, kind of making things really easy for students these days. Toss in the community involvement. Oh, yeah, all the hullabaloo about keeping in shape and dealing with obesity, well how about a sports-focus course?

Why not just make physical education mandatory?

Let me understand this: I can sit in a classroom and study about football, the history of the sport, etc. Maybe, even go through the school football playbook in my spare time too and take my studying outside for some practices to see if I'm learning the curriculum, huh?

Kind of seems like what a bunch of great players might want to study in more detail. Maybe even show up at a school offering the course. Surprise. Now we have the formula for a great football team too.

How do you monitor curriculum in a football course? While it is impossible for the ministry to check out every school, the board of education has a responsibility for the integrity of credit courses. Maybe more questions need to be asked about these "focus" courses.

Then again, could be the sign of the future - a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Football.

Great Performances of the Week

With just about one week left before schools shut down for the holiday season, time to single out some stellar individual performances. I believe these 10 rank right up there.
 
Cory Capland, Community Hebrew. He just keeps on getting better as a basketball player. The knock is that he hasn't played against strong teams. Hard to believe, but apparently he did score 40 points in a 45-42 win over Langstaff in a York Region senior game.

Melissa Delorenzi, Aurora. She's a key member of the school varsity girls' hockey team that remains unbeaten in eight games. She had a four-goal game in a 9-1 trouncing of Stouffville, a former York Region powerhouse and provincial medal winner.

Barclay Goodrow, Country Day. Five goals in a hockey game for this player - and his team still lost. Yes, Crescent defeated Country Day 8-7 in a private school junior boys' game that may have been anything but a clinic on how to play defence.

Sarah Iserhoff, King. Three goals in a 7-3 Toronto District School Board varsity girls' hockey win over Macdonald. Was it a rare three-goal performance for her? No so. She had three in an earlier 7-0 shellacking of Northview Heights.

Jonathan Layne, Bishop Marrocco/Thomas Merton. He scored 63 points in a junior basketball game - and his team still lost, 95-93, in overtime to Don Bosco. It is believed to be the most points scored this season by a high school player in the Greater Toronto Area. Too bad coaches didn't use the opportunity to notify the media of this impressive individual accomplishment.

Chadrack Lufile, Assumption. In grade 9, he was 5-foot-10. Now, the 6-foot-9 basketball player is scoring points - lots of them - for his senior basketball team that has won 17 of 19 games. He scored 30 points in a 74-62 Halton Region league win over Loyola of Oakville and 30 more in a 77-74 win over Central Commerce at the Holiday Classic.

Martina Michaud, Michael Power/St. Joseph. She's the goalkeeper on the girls' hockey team and has recorded seven shutouts in 11 games - including four in a row at the Lisieux Christmas Classic, which her team won 1-0 over Birchmount Park.

Carson Paopao, Notre Dame. Does the surname sound familiar? A nifty football player, he`s also a talented basketball player and scored 27 points in a 77-58 Halton Region league win over Christ the King. Yes, he`s the youngest son of former CFL quarterback and coach Joe Paopao, once nicknamed the Throwin' Samoan.

Cameron Pollard, Trinity. Anyone who scores five goals in a hockey game deserves mention. Now, he has to get some help from his teammates because his scoring didn't help as St. Andrew's beat Trinity 10-8 in a private school junior game. Curious on what happened to the goalies.

Adrian Tomlinson, West Hill. Some people thought his MVP performance at the Seneca Sting tourney was a fluke. Well, they should think again. He scored 24 points in a 76-65 league win over Pearson and then continued his banner year with a 32-point game in an 85-51 win over Newtonbrook at the Holiday Classic and 31 points in a 68-54 win over Assumption.

 

 

Strong reaction to the Star's football all-star team

All right, the Star's annual high school all-star senior football team is official. It was in the paper and is now on our website.

Like every year, selecting players was no easy thing.

I did brace myself for the reaction, which has been very interesting.

Quite surprised at the large number of people who sent e-mails and left voice mail messages with positive comments. Usually, it's the other way around with parents wondering how I could miss their darling son, who will be the next Hec Crighton winner or multi-million dollar pro athlete.

I really do wonder about the wisdom of people, including some teachers, who resort to using foul language to try get their point across. Yes, really, and lots of ambiguous comments. I can understand disappointment, but I am not picking future NFL Pro Bowl stars.

I've been called many names before, but now I can add "moron" to the list, as one male adult chose to do. Disappointing, eh?

I don't have the technology to decipher statistics. Many coaches didn't bother to submit results or highlights so I simply polled lots of people from high school and university coaches to officials and fans. Even asked players and got out to see many games. This took quite a bit of time.

I know some coaches will be upset because their ace wasn't singled out. Keep in mind that there are over 200 school teams and I was trying to find players on Tier One and Tier Two teams who had an exceptional season. Not just one game or won a championship.

Our committee did a great job making recommendations. Some excellent student athletes have been singled out and it's not a major crisis if a name was left off. If it makes people feel better, I will admit to missing someone - maybe. I did limit selections to a maximum of three players for a school.

So, to those who were chosen, congratulations. To those who believe I have let them down, forgive me as we approach the holiday season.

There's always next year, or maybe I'll get to watch the people I missed in the pros.

 

 

Not Another High School Football Game

Seems like we haven't had enough high school football.

Last time I looked, the Grey Cup was over, The Vanier Cup was played and, yes, the Metro Bowl was supposed to end the high school football season in this city.

Turns out, no so.

Try an all-star game involving players from the Greater Toronto Area against a team of high schoolers from Quebec. I'm not joking either. Plans are underway to have the game on Jan. 2, the night before the International Bowl at the Rogers Centre.

Heath Weir, a high school teacher and coach in Newmarket, told me that he had been thinking about some kind of all-star game to cap the year. Although Weir is on the football advisory board for the provincial association that oversees school sports, even he knows that an Ontario high school football final is not in the cards.

He thinks there's enough interest and fans to watch. Organizers offered the field for free. Considering attendance at the five Bowl games recently held at the Rogers Centre was dreadful, I am not sure where Weir figures the interest will come from. University coaches have finished their scouting and no matter how addicted they are to the game, they certainly don't need to watch another one.

I give Weir credit for having the desire to stage a post-season all-star game, but he's getting help from others who just don't know when to put away the equipment. I wonder what kind of an event this all-star game will be considering that it is three weeks away and players haven't even been chosen. What about practice time and liability, since this is not a school-sponsored event?

And a few more points: players will not only have to contribute toward the costs of renting an indoor facility, but also pay for their own jersey. Something just doesn't add up.

Politically Correct School Sports Nicknames

Remember all the fuss about high school sports nicknames and how people thought some were offensive and politically incorrect?

Must be that we’re either getting too close to the festive season, where subject matter is  more toned down, acceptable  or we just have more important things to be concerned about – such as the economy or the federal  political shenanigans.

Anyway, I raise this sports name item because an email came from a person who had attended  the Applewood Heights Secondary School boys’ basketball tournament in Mississauga.

It was called the “Axemen” Invitational.  “Hmm”, the person writes, “they haven’t got around to changing that nickname”.

Yes, for now anyway. While certain people made a fuss, right or wrong, about the West Hill Collegiate sports teams called “Warriors”. Seems like there’s no big deal, or even anything sensitive about calling the sports teams at Applewood Heights – the “Axemen”. 

Not sure about the sports team logo as there’s nothing on the school website.  I don’t believe the logo has any male figures, or wood-choppers, wielding an axe.  To some, the name can be perceived as violent and even sexist since both the girls’ and boys’ sports teams use it.

For years, the Runnymede Redmen was acceptable. Now, they’re known as the “Ravens”. Then, the Nelson A. Boylen “Bullets” didn’t go over well and were changed to the Jayhawks. The King City Secondary “Invaders” are now the Lions and on and on.

So, why raise this?

I guess there are just too many Colts, Bears, Eagles, Falcons, Tigers, Ravens, Rams, Dolphins depicted as targets. Maybe, it’s time to stop picking on birds and animals.

My Top Ten Performances

Another week, more fine performances on the high school scene worth noting.

And, if previous weeks are any indication, I’m prepping myself for a large number of calls and e-mails from parents, teachers, coaches, recruiters, officials and others - about the players that we didn’t select.
Believe me, each week we review lots of names. However, I am certain there are dozens more that we should know about and people just don’t get around to submitting game scores, performances or whatever.

Basketball and hockey appear to be the major high school sports at this time of the year. But we’d like to hear about highlights in the others. Yes, even bowling - a school sport in Durham Region. And volleyball. Coaches don’t like emphasizing the performance of a setter or power hitter. Some claim this is a “team” sport. All right, but there are impressive individual performances in volleyball too.

My picks of the past seven days - and in alphabetical order.

Justin Bakuteka, Martingrove. Got to like this guy. For a second consecutive week, back-to-back games and he’s led his team in scoring. There was 22 points in an 81-45 senior boys’ basketball win over West Humber. Then, 20 points in an 82-49 victory over York Humber in the Toronto District School Board league.

Jack Benaim, Westmount. It was the first league win of the season for the now 1-5 (3-8-1 overall York Region boys’ hockey team and he made sure of the win with six goals in a 9-6 upset win over previously unbeaten St. Elizabeth. His six goals were a school record.

Dan Franceschetti, Michael Power/St. Joseph. Scored three goals, including the winner with 1:03 left in the game, as the Trojans senior boys’ hockey game won their first of the year. Power beat Brebeuf 4-3 in a Toronto District Colleges Athletic Association league game. By the way, he’s the son of former NHLer, Lou Franceschetti.

Rob Gagliardi, Pickering. With departure of the Joseph brothers, Gagliardi has emerged as the new star of the defending provincial boys’ basketball champs. He had 16 points in a closer than expected 52-46 win over St. Mary’s (Hamilton) in an opening round game of the Southern Ontario Shootout in Hamilton.

Mitch Heard, St. Stephen’s. Not often a player scores six goals. He did in a 9-1 drubbing of Brock, a Durham Region school in Cannington. Not sure if he got them early or whether he just kept adding throughout the senior boys’ ice hockey game.

Tamoy Lewis, Loyola. Early in the season and he’s putting up points, lots of them. Try 45 in a 94-85 Peel Region senior basketball game win over Meadowvale. Not sure if the defensive game was working for either team.

Brendan Morgan, St. Michael’s. Running back scored two touchdowns and rushed for 121 yards in the Kerry Blues 42-12 win over the Donald Wilson Gators in the 27th annual Metro Bowl senior football final. St. Mike’s has appeared in nine finals and won seven - including the past three.

Anthony Novielli, Chaminade. Check this player out. Three goals, including the winner, in a 5-2 senior boys’ hockey victory over Brebeuf. Then, three more in an 8-0 thumping of Mary Ward.

Kristian Shumate, Mount Carmel. Goals are her game. Two goals in a 4-1 win over Loyola and another one in a 5-1 win over Gonzaga in Peel Region varsity girls’ ice hockey action.

Neil Voyame, Ajax. He scored twice, including the winner, in a 3-2 squeaker over McLaughlin to keep his Durham Region senior boys’ hockey team unbeaten this year. The Rams are 8-0-1, good enough for No. 3 in the Star’s weekly hockey top ten in the Greater Toronto Area.