Jacks climbing up the standings
The Wellesley Applejacks have really put a slow start behind them, proving themselves to be contenders with three wins in four nights. The team now sits in third place in the McConnell Conference of the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League with a record of 6-2-0. Read more
Winterbourne man wins cyclo-cross
Chances are pretty good that as you’ve driven along the roads in Woolwich you’ve encountered Zachary Hughes. The 20-year-old cyclist can be spotted riding along the countless kilometres of roads near his hometown of Winterbourne.
But you probably didn’t know you were passing a provincial cycling champion.
Last Saturday, Hughes finished first in the Under-23 Men’s Cyclo-Cross Provincial Championships at Kelso Conservation Area in Milton. He beat nine other competitors in his age group to win the gold medal with a time of 1:04:15, 1:12 ahead of the second-place finisher Tyson Wagler, and 2:14 ahead of Jared Stafford in third.
“He has a lot of European experience, and it was a big challenge because he has a lot of speed,” said Hughes about Stafford, whom he considers his biggest rival on the race circuit. “I had to start at the back of the pack, but quickly moved my way up.”
Hughes said cyclo-cross is a mix between traditional road racing and mountain biking. The bike resembles a road bike, but with more durable tires and a different gear system. It involves riding along steep hills and rugged terrain, as well as on roads and even beaches. And if that wasn’t tough enough, competitors have the added challenge of having to hop over a series of one-foot wooden barriers placed throughout the course.
“It’s a real technique,” Hughes explained. “People think you can just stop and lift your bike over them, but we’re going full speed and trying to hop over is tough.”
Riders are travelling anywhere between 30 and 40 kilometres an hour while trying to dismount, he adds. The Milton track was a three-kilometre loop, which he circled 10 times on his way to victory.
Hughes moved to the area from Cambridge about three years ago, and credits his father, John, for getting him into the sport. He said he probably couldn’t continue to train without his father’s support.
“A lot of the guys I race against, their parents aren’t really involved. I’m pretty lucky, he has really helped me out by getting me to the races and with any bike issues I have had, and financially for sure.”
The one-time motocross racer made the switch to mountain bikes and cyclo-cross when he was 14, and hasn’t looked back. He said his ability to navigate rough terrain and generate power with his legs is his greatest strength as a rider.
When he was 15 he began training under former Canadian national team coach Frank Fogoglin, who is also the coach of Canadian Olympian Leigh Hobson, and for the past two seasons Hughes has been sponsored by Norco Performance Bikes, one of the biggest bike companies in North America.
With bikes and other gear that can run into the $5,000 range, sponsorship is critical for Hughes to afford to continue his training. His long-term goals are to race professionally in Europe, and make it to the Olympics.
“Until you see first-hand his commitment, intensity, and drive to succeed, you can’t grasp how much work goes into getting where he is,” explains John Hughes. “It is a way of life.”
Hughes already has some international experience on his racing résumé. He was one of only two under-23 men chosen to be part of the Canadian national team earlier this year, and has competed in the United States, Guatemala, Great Britain and Belgium.
“Cycling is one of the biggest sports over there [in Europe], they take it pretty seriously. There are about 50,000 spectators for races [and] 200 top-notch riders in every race, so the pace is just unreal.”
It was his first time racing in Europe, and coming from the small town of Winterbourne, racing on the European circuit was a bit of a shock.
“I’ve never experienced a crowd that big. Your adrenalin gets going and once you get going and people are really cheering you on, that’s what you do it for.”
Next up for Hughes is the Under-23 National Championship on Nov. 6 and 7 in Toronto. When the cyclo-cross season ends, he will take a week or two off before he gets back on the bike to begin training for next season.
“People think it’s crazy,” he said with a laugh. “For me, it’s a full-time job.”
Hands-on approach to helping people
After 12 years of working as a meter reader for Waterloo North Hydro, Elmira resident Kevin Bartley is going back to his original passion: helping people to feel better.
An honours kinesiology student, Bartley started along the path of furthering his education in physical sciences with a post-graduate course in athletic therapy at Sheridan College in Oakville, but the long commute and other priorities in his life – including being newly Read more
Elmira mourns death of local teen
An evening of celebrations and hope for the future turned into a somber occasion when two EDSS students were involved in a fatal collision on Barnswallow Drive in Elmira around 10:30 p.m. Friday.
The incident followed the high school’s commencement ceremony.
The students’ black Dodge pickup truck was travelling north on Barnswallow Drive and lost control, striking another pickup truck parked in a driveway before the vehicle caught fire. Waterloo Regional Police have confirmed that Elmira residents 18-year-old Miles Hamilton, the passenger, and 17-year-old Brendon Fitzgerald, the driver, were pulled from the burning vehicle by the responding officers.
Hamilton was pronounced dead at the scene. Fitzgerald was taken to Hamilton General Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police believe speed was a factor.
Police are asking anyone who saw the collision or the Dodge truck prior to the crash to call 519-653-7700, ext. 8856.
Even at the local level, political life is tough
The past few weeks have been a flurry of activity for local residents campaigning for a seat on Woolwich council. Hours upon hours have been spent creating campaign websites, distributing flyers, visiting voters’ front doorsteps and debating issues ranging from groundwater to green energy to gravel pits. Between the near-constant scrutiny by local media, fellow candidates and the electorate, it’s enough to make you wonder why anyone would want to go into politics. Read more
Four injured as car crashes into buggy
A serious collision between a car and horse-drawn buggy near Hawkesville on the evening of Oct. 17 sent four people to the hospital, three with life-threatening injuries.
The collision occurred at about 8:30 p.m. on Kressler Road when a four-door sedan travelling northbound hit the back of a buggy travelling the same direction. A four-year-old-boy and Read more
Some Woolwich voters to enter fray over fluoridation
When they head to the polls next week, voters in parts of Waterloo Region will be asked whether or not they support continuing to fluoridate their drinking water. The decision will impact many residents – including those who live in Elmira and St. Jacobs – but many people don’t really know what fluoridation is, or how it affects us. Read more
Ward 2 meeting a low-key affair
The fireworks were in short supply Monday night in St. Jacobs as some 40 residents came out for a meet-and-greet with the Ward 2 candidates and the three hopefuls running for mayor. Read more
Trail issue continues to simmer in Wellesley
Despite a vow from the Wellesley Trails Association to scrap the contested section of the Bast Bush Trail that’s been under public scrutiny over the past few weeks, the trail’s location was once again on the table at this week’s township council meeting. Read more
Kate’s the Kause of it all
As you step through the front door of Kelly Meissner’s Elmira home, you are greeted with the welcoming sounds of laughter and big smiles from her two children, Jamieson, 3 and Kate, 16 months. After a brief hello, Jamieson dashes off and Kate stays in her mom’s arms. Kate is a vibrant, happy girl with a big smile. At first introduction, some may not even notice that she is different. She sits up, rolls over and laughs a lot – all things a 16-month-old should do. But as she gets older, the differences between her and her brother and other kids her age will become more and more obvious. Read more
