Tommy's #1 SHANIA TWAIN SuperSite Message Board

Dec.17, 2009
Mike Mulryan

Shania Twain was, and still is, a huge ambassador for Timmins and never fails to mention her Timmins roots. Someone has decided that she will be the featured torchbearer here in Timmins later this month. And that is certainly fine by me.

What sears my ears though is the apparent omission of a number of worthy people who won't be carrying the torch anywhere. For people like the Kreiner girls or Nicole Ferguson not to have been asked to carry the torch somewhere in the area is a tragic oversight.

Look, I know the people who organized the cross-country run are tireless and dedicated workers who have done a great job on the run so far. But somebody dropped the ball in omitting the aforementioned athletes. And not just in our area. A number of other areas have bemoaned the same lack of deserving athletes who were overlooked. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that someone on the Olympic committee wanted Shania carrying the torch. Seems logical and reasonable to me. And I most certainly would never begrudge those that have been chosen to carry the torch as they have rightfully earned the honour to do so. All that have been chosen deserve to be there, and I commend them. But surely there was room to involve the people I have mentioned also.

The Eagles and Majors were both in Waterloo this past weekend and both came home sporting the same records; 1-4. Both teams were involved in a number of very close games, with the exception of one loss by the Eagles. The Eagles had a pair of 4-2 losses to go with a 6-3 win, while the Majors had three one-goal losses. Both teams played some good hockey and got a chance to size themselves up against some southern teams.

There will be no mention of Tiger Woods here today (thousands of others will make up for it).

One thing you absolutely must do when you attend the upcoming World Under 17 hockey challenge is buy and keep a program from the tourney. It is so cool to look back on it a few years later when a lot of these kids are NHL stars and say "hey I saw that kid play". If you have a program from the 2000 tourney it's fun to look back and see names like Ilya Kovalchuk,

Jiri Hudler, Milan Michalek, Derek Roy, Ryan Whitney, Steven Weiss, Jussi Jokinen, Trevor Daley etc.

Hey Eski fans! There's no need to panic over the teams recent skid. Paul Gagne has built a solid team, and they didn't win all those games by fluke. All good teams experience some speed bumps along the way and the Eski's are no exception. They'll bounce back and continue to be the cream of the crop in the NOJHL.

Jason Marchand from the NOHA sent me a very informative study on the safe use of ENERGY Drinks. I've written about this before but there still seems to be a lot of confusion. Energy and sports drinks should not be confused. Sports drinks are Gatorade, Powerade, Accelerade, etc. Sports drinks are an important part (along with water) of rehydration in athletics.

Energy drinks can be harmful (especially to youth) when not used properly. I recommend kids to stay away from them. I call some of them mutant juice. Parents and coaches need to better educate themselves on the difference between sport and energy drinks. Jason will probably gladly send you some info if you ask.

I often get parents or kids asking about what kind of fitness machine or training class they should use. Obviously, any kinds of machine or fitness sessions are good. But it doesn't have to cost a great deal of money to take part in off ice fitness training. One of the best items you can invest in is a pull-up bar. You can buy or make one from a piece of pipe quite easily. By doing pull ups, kids are using their own body weight to build strength. If I weigh 120 pounds (I wish) every time I do a pull or chin up, that's the amount of resistance I have to overcome. I see kids on a regular basis that struggle to do two or three pull-ups. Pull-ups are a fantastic, low cost way to increase upper body strength. There are dozens of variations of push-ups that can be done that don't require expensive equipment. One excellent method is to use 3 sturdy chairs or benches to do push ups past the normal range of motion. Even a couple of cinder blocks would do. Kids can do plyometric exercises to increase power and explosiveness and it's as simple as jumping up on a box, step or platform or jumping over cones. Skipping ropes are cheap and provide excellent aerobic training and balance and foot speed.

A solid core and abdominal base are essential for hockey and training for such is as simple as leg raises. Lay down flat with hands behind your head and lift your feet no more than 6 inches of the floor. Keep your legs straight at all times. Keep your feet together for a few seconds then spread them apart for a few more, before returning to the feet together position. Hold for a few more seconds then relax. Repeat as many times as comfortable. V -crunches are also excellent core exercises. Standing broad jumps are an excellent developer of leg power. (Especially lower leg extensor muscles). Feet about 15 centimeters apart, legs flexed the player concentrates on getting maximum power as they extend their legs and try to jump the longest distance possible. Landing is done with both feet together. Small dumbbells for arm development and strength are available cheap or free from someone. Lighter weight with more reps is best for teens and tweens. You don't need fancy machines or equipment to be in top off ice condition.

What you do need is desire, dedication, commitment and discipline. It's a fairly cheap and easy process that any athlete can use to improve their strength and fitness. One thing I will tell you is local pros like Derick Martin and Alex Henry are fitness freaks. And those habits started with them as minor hockey players, not when it was too late.

Kudos to Iroquois Falls Bantams who advanced to the international segment of the Silver Stick.

Alicia Blomberg and her Ottawa Gee-Gees will be in Calgary over the holidays competing in a Women's University hockey tournament. Alicia is getting a lot of ice time, and she is an integral part of Ottawa's rebuilding process this season. In Alicia's first year the Gee Gees qualified for the National CIS championships. This season the Gee Gees will have to turn it around to accomplish that feat again.

Later Skater.

You can read more of Mully's Musings online by going to www.timminstimes.com and clicking on Features.

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