Trophies & Medals Stolen from World Champion Swimmer

It was meant to be a day of celebration for Cameron van der Burgh. But by lunch time yesterday, the Commonwealth and World Champion swimmer’s 24th birthday had turned into a nightmare. In a home burglary half of his trophy and medal collection was stolen.

The swimmer’s parents’ home in Pretoria was broken into and ransacked yesterday. His mother discovered the crime when she returned from a shopping trip.

“I had left for swim practice and my mum had gone out to the shops to grab a few things for my birthday party, so nobody was at home,” Van der Burgh told the Saturday Star last night. When my mum got home she could not believe her eyes. Almost everything had been taken. They broke through all our security bars and robbed us in broad daylight. I cannot believe this.”

He was distraught to find his most prized possessions gone.

“Around half of my medals and trophies were stolen, I am heartbroken. I know that insurance will definitely pay out, but that’s not the issue. There is no way to replace the medals and trophies that I won. It’s not like I can go and buy myself new ones,” said Van der Burgh, who will represent SA at the London Olympics.

“I’m really glad that nobody got hurt though, because that is the most important thing.”
He plans to contact the international swimming body to see if it is possible to replace the stolen medals. “It’s going to be very difficult to replace them as each medal and trophy that I won was made in a different country, and to replace them would be near impossible.”

Van der Burgh said he was also unhappy with the way the police had dealt with the case.

“When I got home from practice I called the police immediately, but they came half an hour later. On top of that none of the police officers even checked for any fingerprints…”

He is leaving for a training camp in Europe on Tuesday prior to the London Games, but said he feared that that the burglary had caused him to lose focus on the Olympics.
“Before the incident I was 100 percent focused on the upcoming games, now I have lost some of that focus.”

They planned to go ahead with his party last night, despite the break-in. “At the end of the day nobody was hurt and we should be thankful, so my mum and I thought, why not go ahead with the party and have a good time, and put the incident behind us.”

Manor’s 10th Division One Crown Retires Trophy

Champions of champions! That's the Manor Building netball team. When the Torbay Netball League held their annual netball awards night at the Pavilions Restaurant in Torquay, Manor Building took centre.

The champions in the League's top division were unbeaten in all 18 games of the season. It was the tenth time in 11 years, which meant they got to keep the trophy. Manor Building also won the Paula Tournament and the Versatility Tournament. Team member Kriss Westacott also won the player of the year in the 25-40 age group.

The evening included netball trophies and medals for the top three placed teams from Division One, Two and Three. There were also two cup competition awards as well as an award for the best umpire from each division.

There were player of the year awards in each age group from under 25 to over 40 from each division, the Outstanding Contribution to Netball in Torbay and the Fairplay Award.
Other winners included Pink Panthers from Division One, who finished runners up after starting in Division Three only three years ago.

Pink Panthers came in third in the Paula Smith Tournament and finished second in the Versatility Tournament. And their player Helena Wykes-Dart also picked up the under-25 player of the year award amongst three others.

The Outstanding Contribution award went to Beryl D'Alessandro who has done so much for the sport in the area, including running her own league and many teams including the Plainmoor Gulls.

Fairplay Award, which was created this year in memory of Dawn Wotton who was ever-present in netball in Torbay whether it was on the court or off it, was won by Plainmoor Gulls C.

Primary Schools Soccer Trophies Awarded

Following the 21st season of the Bury St Edmunds and District Primary School Football League, Bardwell Playing Fields hosted the annual end-of-season event to mark the presentations to the league winners on Saturday.

Twenty five teams took part in the competition, split into three leagues, with the three league winners Tollgate, St Edmunds and Barrow each playing a match against a representative team drawn from the teams in their league.

Following the action presentations of the soccer trophies and custom medals, kindly sponsored by the Bury Free Press, were made to the league winners and runners-up. Presentations were also made to Guildhall Feoffment, St Edmunds and Thurston as winners of the fairplay competition.

Any primary school in west Suffolk who would like to take part next season please contact Derek Smith on 01284 701949 as soon as possible.

Tottenham Trophy Success Overdue According to Redknapp

Harry Redknapp has challenged his Tottenham stars to prove they deserve to be ranked alongside the club's legends by winning the FA Cup. Redknapp's side have earned flattering comparisons to some of the great Spurs sides, including the 1991 FA Cup winners and the 1961 double-winning team. An 11-match unbeaten run at the end of 2011 featured some eye-catching play that saw Spurs labelled the most entertaining team in the country.

However, Redknapp believes all that praise would quickly be forgotten if Spurs fail to fulfill their potential. To earn their place in the Tottenham history books along the likes of Gary Lineker, Paul Gascoigne, Danny Blanchflower and Cliff Jones, Redknapp insists they must win silverware and that means beating Chelsea in Sunday's FA Cup semi-final, then winning the trophy itself.

"This is a great opportunity for us to go all the way this year," Redknapp said on Friday. "On our day we can beat Chelsea. We can beat anyone. There is not a lot between the two teams, but they have the medals to show for it.They have been there and done it all in the last few years. Tottenham is a club that have won two trophies since 1991 and they were both League Cups, so it's about time Tottenham won another trophy."

If Tottenham can beat Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday, Redknapp believes it will prove the potential is there for his club to continue to better their west London rivals, as long as the board are prepared to keep investing in new signings.

"If we want Champions League football again we need to improve the squad again in the summer. You have to keep improving because everyone else around us will," Redknapp said. "If you want to start winning championships then you really have to push on and raise the bar because that's the only way you are going to do it."

Inman Wins Weightlifting Title for New Brighton HS

New Brighton High School junior Josh Inman had to do a juggling act as he left the Blackhawk High School gymnasium Thursday night after the MAC Weightlifting Championships. He had to carry three plaques on his way out, but it certainly wasn't the weight that made it difficult. After all, one of the plaques was for lifting a total of 1,450 pounds to capture the overall total weight title.

"I never expected to get three trophies," said Inman, who also received the plaque for the best squat (530 pounds) and best bench press (365). "I expected to do my best but to win three, that's very good. "It was nerve wracking to do it here in front of a crowd, but it got my adrenaline going. I'm very pleased with the numbers I put up."

The one side of Blackhawk's gym was full of parents, fans, and onlookers and the other side was full of participants and coaches as 17 schools sent a total of 30 five-player teams. This was far from the routine Inman usually has for lifting.

"We usually lift three days a week as a team and get about 30 guys," Inman said. "To me, winning shows how hard we've all been working."

Inman, in fact, wasn't the only one working hard in New Brighton as the Lions took home four of the seven trophies presented. Kellen Mackey, also a junior, won the overall indexed total -- total weight lifted as a multiple of the player's weight -- for the second straight year.

"We want to let everyone know we're working hard," said Mackey, who weighed in at 163 pounds and lifted a total of 1,360 pounds for an indexed score of 1,669. "The teams we'll be competing against are all here. "For me, I have to keep working hard to stay healthy next year. I just work hard and hope for the best."

Highpoints Trophies Earned by Allured and Manning

The CT-33 Thunderbirds swim team competed at North Bay YMCA Invitational swim meet over the past weekend earning a team total of 12 gold, 15 silver, and 13 bronze medals throughout the weekend.

Travis Allured (12) and Jenna Manning (13) completed the five compulsory events in the Ironman competition earning the highest points trophies for their age groups.

Other T-Birds competing in the gruelling ironman competition included Michael Denomme (12) in second place, Jasmine Busschaert (11) in third, and Jillian Picco (11) with a gold medal in the 200 Fly.

In the sprints, Kylie Manning (9) and Ryan Venditti (11) earned third highest overall points earning three gold, three silver, and three bronze medals between them.

Silvers were awarded to Alex Papatheodorou (13), Jane Chirico (11), and Leah Chirico (9). Bronze medals were attained by Elle Louise George (12), Evan Lechlitner (15), and Olivia Lyle (10).

In the 11 and 12-year-old boys category, the medley team consisting of Travis Allured, Michael Denomme, Ryan Venditti, and William Hotson won gold in their relay.

Swimmers capturing top eight finishes were Ashleigh Brady (13), William Hotson (11), Madison Whittet (14), Jaime Reynolds (14).

Competitive rookie swimmer Nathalie Reid (12) earned personal bests and new times in all of her events.

The team is grateful for the fine preparation by coaches Pierre Simard, Penny Lecour and Amy Jackson who are pleased with the team’s dedication to training and their resulting performances.

The team thanks Penny and Amy for their on deck coaching at the past meet.

WKU Winter Invitational Karate Competition Held

Oldmixon and Uphill Karate Kai had a successful day at the recent WKU Winter Invitational competition at Hutton Moor Leisure Centre, coming away with a host of medals and trophies.

The winners were: Sarah Clark, 1st ladies’ 18+ -60kg kumite, 1st ladies 18+ open weight kumite; James Govind-Somers, 1st men’s 16+ black belt kata; Jade Hoddinott, 1st girls’ 10-12 50kg+ kumite; Paige Hoddinott, 2nd girls’ 5-7 open weight kumite; Josh Page, 2nd boy’s 13-15 up to 5th kyu kumite; Keira Stoney, 3rd girls’ 13-15 up to 5th kyu kumite; Thomas White, 3rd mixed 10-12 up to 6th kyu kata; Megan Bowen, 3rd girls’ 10-12 -50kg kumite; Sarah Clark, 3rd ladies’ team kumite.

Oldmixon & Uphill Karate Kai’s recent grading provided some excellent technical ability from students and there was a 100 per cent success rate.

Results – yellow stripe belt 8th kyu: Megan Bowen, Stuart Hoddinott, Chris Shibu, Blesson Varghese. Yellow belt 7th kyu: Joanna Bean, Bella Scott, Paige Hoddinott, Emily Venn, Aaron Morris, Emily Evans, Jade Hoddinott. Orange belt 6th kyu: Danny Crundwell, Thomas White, Tommie Holyday, Chloe Amey. Green belt 5th kyu: Josh Page. Purple belt 4th kyu: Keira Stoney.

The club trains at Oldmixon School on Wednesday evenings and Uphill Village Victory Hall on Friday evenings. If you require any further information, please telephone Wendy White on 01934 823600.

Shannon Gaels Host Annual Dinner Dance

The Shannon Gaels Gaelic Football Club hosted its 2nd annual Dinner Dance on Saturday, November 19 at Riccardo's at the Bridge, Astoria, NY.

Many members of the GAA were presented with plaques and awards on the night to commemorate their exemplary service, including Larry McCarthy, New York GAA president. Danny McKenna, New York Minor Board president was also presented with a commemorative plaque.

The year 2011 was a very successful one for Shannon Gaels, in terms of trophies. On the night, Collie Mathers, Shannon Gaels chairman, introduced U-8 coach Sean Price with the Peter Henessey Cup, Robert Corridan with the U-10 Minor Board League Cup, and Richard Corridan with the U-14 Minor Board League Cup.

Liz Crawley also gave a great speech voicing her support for the Shannon Gaels cause: building a Celtic playing field in Brooklyn. Cha Connaughton as Master of Ceremonies kept the large crowd entertained all night, and the event was a huge success.

Medal Dreams Live On for Sam

Sascoc president Gideon Sam says he has not given up on his dream of 12 medals in the 2012 Olympic Games. "The truth of the matter is we've been very strict in terms of ensuring that those who get onto that plane would have worked hard and by April (2012) we will look at what we've got," he told reporters in Johannesburg.

"I have to put my foot down and ensure that we raise the bar once we are there what happened after 1996 by allowing things to sink a little we end up with one medal."
Sam said the dream of a string of medals was still alive. "The athletes have worked hard and administrators worked hard, but there are still certain things that are missing that we need to address."

Sam said Sascoc called on the various national federations in 2009 to nominate their leading athletes. The Olympic body's high performance unit then identified the elite athletes that formed part of the Operation Excellence who were given support.
Sascoc had through the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund distributed more than R500-million to the various federations. Sam said it was unacceptable that they had not had satisfactory medals results yet. He was, however, optimistic the efforts they had put in would bear fruit next year and the years to come.

Hilton Head High Boys Run to 3rd Straight State Title

Hilton Head High's cross country teams have made a tradition of returning from northeast Columbia with trophies and custom medals in tow. The Seahawks won their third consecutive Class 3-A boys state title Saturday morning at the Sandhills Research Center, edging Wade Hampton of Greenville by six points, while the girls team earned its second consecutive runner-up trophy after winning the state championship in 2008 and 2009.

"I'm extremely pleased," Seahawks coach Bill Wrightson said. "The boys team lost four of our seven varsity runners from last year, and the girls lost three of last year's seven. To come back and do this is pretty special."

Junior Jack Manesiotis was the Class 3-A individual state champion, leading the race from start to finish. "From about 800 meters on I never looked back," said Manesiotis, who posted a time of 15 minutes, 36 seconds -- 43 seconds ahead of his closest competitor. "I could hear the crowd yelling for the people behind me, but I just didn't look back and gave it everything I had."

Alex Couch and Colton Hennessey finished sixth and ninth for the Seahawks and were named all-state performers.

Dirt Bike Champ Rules

The bike’s motor revs up as Tristin Fry starts the vehicle. The focus and determination is in his eyes. He is ready to ride. Fry, an 8-year-old from Chesapeake, participates in extreme dirt bike racing. He has won 12 straight races in his class. Extreme dirt biking is done on a pre-marked track through the woods.

In the Pee Wee division, the track is two or three miles and the racers get 30 minutes to complete the race. Competitors have a barcode on their helmet that organizers scan to keep track of their time. Sweepers, volunteers on ATVs who supervise, make sure the racers are safe. The division is split into classes by age group. A class is 9 to 11 year olds, B class, which Tristin is in, is 7 and 8 year olds and the C class is 4 to 6 year olds.
There are two different titles to win: best in class and best overall in the race. During this stint, Tristin has won seven overall race title trophies and five best in class. His room gleams with all the medals and trophies he has won in his three-year racing span.
Plaques with his place and number he placed line one of the walls.

This past summer at a race in Belpre Tristin decided to compete in the youth class with a bigger bike, longer track requirement and 45 minutes time frame. He hit an obstacle during this rainy day. Tristin said he raced down a hill with mud puddle in the middle. Due to the slick conditions, he got stuck in the puddle. “He said the water was waist deep,” his father, Danny Fry, said. “But he got out of the hole and finished the race. Seven kids didn’t even finish.”

Tristin got involved in racing thanks to his uncle. His uncle had an unused all-terrain vehicle and gave it to Tristin for Christmas when he was 5 years old. He rode the four-wheeler without a helmet the first time out and rolled it over. He was not injured.
Despite the mishap, the family decided to continue to let him ride. They went to a race of 5 year olds racing on mini-ATVs. Tristan won the race. He raced four different races on the four-wheeler.

Nerves ran high during the beginning of his racing tenure. “The first few races I was very nervous,” his mother, Rhonda Fry, said. “Now I have total confidence in him. He uses good judgment.”

New Display in Longhorn Gym Highlights NSAA District Feats

When Longhorn fans attend the first home volleyball game next week in the high school gym, a display of NSAA district plaques will surely catch their eye. On the gym’s south wall are two long rows of Nebraska School Activity Association (NSAA) district plaques, noting CCS students’ accomplishments in athletics, speech and play productions.

CCS Activities Director Marc Mroczek and teacher/coach Chris Sander found all the plaques and moved them to the more prominent display this summer. They said it took them several days to clean out the trophy cases both in the East 9th St. school building and at the Wellington site. They were stacked randomly, and most were unable to be read. “People need to see the accomplishments by our students,” Sander said. “It might motivate kids when they see them in that they want to be part of that,” he added. Mroczek agreed. “I don’t think most people realize the success our school has had,” he said.

While it was a lot of work, both Mroczek and Sander know people will appreciate seeing them more visibly displayed. They had the help of maintenance head Kent Silvester and bus mechanic Del Rehn in getting the support system built into which the plaques were placed.

In all, there are 109 plaques on the wall, 68 for NSAA district championships or state qualification, and another 41 runner-up plaques. Up until 1977, the NSAA awarded trophies, Mroczek said, but after that the association went to awarding plaques. The NSAA activity trophies earned by CCS will remain at the Wellington site. Mroczek said the glass-front trophy case in the main lobby at the school will now contain NSAA plaques and trophies from the current years as well as the school’s two state championship trophies.

Manchester Celebrates as the City Wins Two Trophies

The two clubs have endured decades of intense rivalry but Manchester was a city united yesterday. Ear-to-ear grins and more than a few hangovers were much in evidence on both sides of the city’s football divide as the celebrations for the historic double trophies day showed no sign of coming to an end.

Reds fans started their party on Saturday afternoon outside Old Trafford after a Wayne Rooney equalizer secured United the point they needed to win their record-breaking 19th league title. Blues fans gathered two hours later at their Eastlands home after midfielder Yaya Toure helped City to a 1-0 win over Stoke in the FA Cup Final at Wembley. For City it ended a 35-year wait for a trophy and meant both major domestic trophies competitions were taken by England’s north-west metropolis.

And the good times soon spread all over the city as fans partied. United supporter John Corless, 44, from New Moston, said: “There has always been fierce rivalry but it is great for the city. Manchester is the world’s football capital.” And lifelong City fan Bill Edwards, 60, said: “We’ve waited a long, long time but this is just the start of greater things.”

City supporter rock singer Liam Gallagher said after the Cup Final: “It was a great day out, I was very nervous but it’s all come good again. I’ve supported them for 35 years of my life. Come on, City!” And Johnny Marr, former guitarist for The Smiths, took to Twitter to say: “Good times at Wembley. Congratulations to all Mancunians today.”

Saturday is PSA Awards Night

Suzanne Harrison loves being the mistress of ceremonies for the Paralympic Sports Association awards banquet. That’s because Harrison, the PSA program co-ordinator, gets to call out names of athletes who had a great year in their sport and award the trophies.

Maybe it’s sledge hockey or golf or swimming or tae kwan do or floor hockey or any of the many programs PSA offers people with disabilities from ages five to 60. Harrison will be handing out the hardware -14 trophies for athletes and eight volunteer recognition awards -when PSA hosts its annual banquet and family dance Saturday evening at the Continental Inn.

PSA has upward of 300 members with varying disabilities, including cerebral palsy, spina bifida, spinal cord injuries, and visual impairments. Harrison also said there’s a growing of number of athletes with autism.

Lalita Patipaksiri Bound for Golf Stardom

For Lalita Patipaksiri, convenience has paid off. It was one of the reasons why she was named Orange County Player of the Year in 2005 and 2007. It was responsible for a spot on the second-team All-Big West as a sophomore. And now, as a junior, convenience has led Patipaksiri to the NCAA All-Star Team.

Golf is an expensive sport – a set of irons can range up to $3,000. When Patipaksiri began to golf, she became the third member of her family to play the sport. Her father, not wanting his daughter’s gift to go to waste, decided he would quit because the cost for three people playing golf would eventually add up, and he wanted to give his daughter an opportunity to play.

Patipaksiri’s decision to stick with golf, combined with her father’s decision to give up the sport, has resulted in much success for the third-year sociology major. From her time in elementary school to junior high, Patipaksiri collected over 100 trophies and awards. Although the competition has stiffened as the years progressed, Patipaksiri garnered about 50 CIF plaques and awards during her time at Cypress High School.

Among all of her trophies and awards, golf’s grueling time commitment has made her question her willingness to stick with the sport. An 18-hole round of golf typically ranges between four and six hours to complete.
However, the enjoyment Patipaksiri has for the game overrides the 5 a.m. wake-up calls for 6 a.m. practice, the time commitment that she devotes to the sport and the little time she gets to herself.
Patipaksiri’s ability to find enjoyment in golf’s long grind has led her to even more success. She has become the first Anteater to be named to the NCAA All-Star Team and will travel to Asia this summer, making stops in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and China to compete in 16 tournaments over the course of 28 days.
This tournament presents a whole new set of challenges for Patipaksiri. She admits that she chose UC Irvine because it is only a few minutes away from her home in Cypress where she goes every weekend for private golf lessons. The longest and farthest she has been away from home was three weeks when she traveled to Maryland, but traveling to Japan, South Korea and China – places she has never visited before – will provide a whole new experience.
Patipaksiri will also experience a different level of competition. Besides playing alongside top women’s golfers representing Stanford University, University of Arizona and Yale, she will also be competing with international golfers.
So far, the 5-foot-1 golfer has used her short game to excel at the collegiate level and make up for her lack of size and power. Although she may not be as tall as Michelle Wie or have Lorena Ochoa’s combination of power and finesse, Patipaksiri knows that she has a chance to compete with the top women’s golfers of the Ladies of the Professional Golf Association, because her idol and inspiration Ai Miyazato, a 5-foot-2 golfer, has had success at the professional level.

Packers Pick Sherrod - An All Around Star

Harriet Sherrod's fireplace mantel is a treasure trove of matte gold-finish trophies. Etched glass plaques bear the engraved Sherrod name. There are as many awards for academic honors as there are for sports achievements. And every time she would squeeze in a new award - no easy task with so little room - Harriet and the rest of the family would look over at youngest son Derek and tease him a little. "Your brother just got another one," they'd say. "You'd better catch up!"

That's how it is with this close Mississippi family of college graduates and soldiers. Derek Sherrod grew up knowing nothing but support and success. What he didn't get from the family genes at 6 feet 5 1/2, 315 pounds to help his football career as an offensive tackle, he learned from his father, Louis, a Navy man, his three high-achieving older siblings and his mother, Harriet.

"Nothing is given in life," she told him again and again. "You have to work for it. You have to earn it." Sherrod's selection in the first round, 32nd overall, of the NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers late Thursday night was no accident. And no stroke of luck. He worked his way through Caledonia (Miss.) High School to become one of the most coveted recruits in the nation. He became an All-American at Mississippi State, graduated in three years on the honor roll and started pursuing his master's degree in 2010.