Driving along one of Sudbury's countless tree-lined streets
on Saturday, tunneling under the canopy of colour on a weekend
that could easily have been the poster-child for a picture
perfect Northern Ontario Thanksgiving, I couldn't help but
think how much thanks we should indeed be giving.
Over the past two weekends I've enjoyed the opportunity to
partake in a pair of events drawn together by a single common
thread - that of runners and walkers alike gathering to enjoy
the great outdoors.
On Oct. 5, I was one of more than one thousand Sudburians who
gathered at Cambrian College for the annual CIBC Run for the
Cure. Truth be told, my participation was driven far more by a
runner's perspective.
Felled by a nagging achilles injury since mid-July, my training
post the Ramsey Lake run in early September provided far more
optimism, allowing me to enter the Run for the Cure looking for
a decent time.
But as I meandered the halls of Cambrian College into the
bustle that was the gymnasium where the white and pink
combination that is symbolic of the fight against breast
cancer, as I stood at the start line, I knew I was clearly in
the minority.
Mothers, sisters, sons and daughters, all assembling to show
their support for the survivors and for those who've passed on.
After a short period of unseasonably cold weather following a
September to remember, someone above must have been looking
down upon us on this particular Sunday morning.
Talking turkey
It was a great day to run, regardless of the spirit that moved
each athlete in their own unique way. And it was much the same
this past Monday as I joined a far less numerous but equally
enthusiastic group out at the picturesque Naughton Trails just
west of Lively.
With the thermometer hitting the low-to-mid 20s and the beauty
of the fall colours just a week or two past their peak, one
almost felt guilty about the aligning of the stars that
provided for such an ideal setting.
This time around, a stopwatch would not be necessary as my goal
was nothing more than a light training run while enjoying all
that Mother Nature had to offer. Families gathered as the
Turkey Gobbler provides the official close to the 2008 Sudbury
Fitness Challenge, a series of events that allows one and all
to test their athletic boundaries, with distances to meet
everyone's needs.
And while I didn't make it out to Windy Lake on Sunday morning,
a quick glance at the Sudbury Rocks' website shows that a group
almost one hundred strong took part in Turkey Trott 2008.
Despite not being there, I remain quite certain that stories
abound, much as they did both at Cambrian and at Naughton.
'AAA' hockey action
While many in Greater Sudbury relaxed, enjoyed great weather
and even better food this Thanksgiving weekend, such was not
the case for five local "AAA" hockey teams who made the trek to
Hamilton to take part in the 23rd annual Hamilton Reps Tim
Horton's AAA Hockey Tournament.
Although none would advance through to semi-final play, there
were some impressive results posted by the local contingent.
The Sudbury Minor Peewee AAA Wolves lost out on goal
differential, winning three of four preliminary round games
they contested.
While many in Greater Sudbury relaxed, such was not the case for five local "AAA" hockey teams (during) Tim Horton's AAA Hockey Tournament.
The Minor Peewees opened with a 4-1 loss to the Ottawa
Valley Titans, but rebounded nicely to get the better of the
Guelph Jr Storm (4-1), Grey Bruce Highlanders (4-0) and the
Buffalo Regals (7-2).
In their first year of existence, the Nickel City Sons Major
Peewees are proving to be competitive, chalking up a record of
1-1-2 and finishing in the top half of the 15 team pool. The
Sons remained unbeaten on day one, playing to a 2-2 tie with
the Ottawa Sting and trimming the Kitchener Jr. Rangers 3-2.
Unfortunately, day two action would see Nickel City fall 4-1 to
the Welland Tigers before finishing as they started, posting a
second 2-2 tie, this time against the Chatham-Kent Cyclones.
Close but not close enough for the Sudbury Minor Bantam Wolves
who fell by the narrowest of margins to both Huron Perth Lakers
(3-2) and St Catherines Jr. Falcons (1-0) in their opening two
games before closing with a win (3-1 over Ajax Pickering) and a
tie (1-1 vs Ohio AAA Blue Jackets).
Both the Major Peewee and Major Bantam Wolves finished with
identical 1-3 records, as the Peewees downed the Grey Bruce
Highlanders 2-0 after losing to Elgin Middlesex, Kingston and
Lambton while the Bantams split with Brantford and Hamilton on
day one before tasting defeat twice on Saturday.
Randy Pascal is the voice of Persona 10 Sports and the founder of SudburySports.com.
