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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday August 8, 2007 - 33 Kayaker with a cause GREG REDMAN / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Adam van Koeverden pursues a world kayaking championship this week while hoping to give kids in developing nations the opportunity to enjoy sports By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR Adam van Koeverden will sport a newlook kayak at this year's flatwater racing world championships, but it has nothing to with superstition. The 25-year-old, who has yet to add a world championship victory to his already impressive paddling resume, will race in a boat that is devoid of his sponsors' names and slogans. Rather, van Koeverden's kayak will bear the name of one organization -- Right To Play, the humanitarian charity that he has become quite involved with over the past few years. "I asked Nelo (a Portugal-based kayak manufacturer) to create a boat for me this year without any of the major sponsors on it... to devote the entire boat space to Right To Play," van Koeverden said last week during a lengthy interview via Internet telephone. "I don't get paid for putting Right To Play on my boat, but I get some personal fulfillment from providing Right To Play with free advertising space on my boat. It's a great opportunity for me, it's a great opportunity for them, and Right To Play is a great organization that is very deserving of a lot of people's attention." Right To Play uses specifically-designed sport and play programs to improve health, build life skills and foster peace for children more than the average person gets to enjoy and communities affected by war, poverty a recreational activity, so I get to offset that and disease. The organization, originally by ensuring that kids around the world get founded by former Olympic speedskating to enjoy sport in disadvantaged nations champion Johann Olav Koss, currently has around the world." projects in more than 20 countries in Van Koeverden also hopes to use the Africa, Asia and the Right To Play boat when Middle East. he races at Ontario Place "I grew up in Oakville, next month, after which A gold- and bronze- where I was very fortunate the kayak might be donatmedalist at the 2004 to be in a safe town with a ed to charity or auctioned Olympic Summer Games off. in Athens, where he was lot of amenities and recrealso the Canadian flag- ational opportunities. I think From a competitive bearer during the closing it's something all children standpoint, van ceremonies, van should be able to take for Koeverden said he is not Koeverden remains granted, and unfortunately concerned about the thankful for the opportuboat's performance at the nity he had as a child to that's not the case." world championships, eventually enjoy such sucnoting he has raced inter Adam van Koeverden cess. nationally in many different kayaks. He also has "I grew up in Oakville, the option of returning to where I was very fortunate his old boat should he not feel comfortable to be in a safe town with a lot of amenities and recreational opportunities and a great in his newly-designed kayak. Aesthetics of the boat aside, van Koeverden canoe club like Burloak," he said. "These are things Canadians take for granted. I think also addressed the recent media coverage of it's something all children should be able to Canadian up-and-coming kayaker Angus take for granted, and unfortunately that's Mortimer, who made some waves at the Pan not the case. If I was using more carbon American Games when he said he hopes to dioxide than the average person, which I do, beat out van Koeverden for the kayaking sinI'd want to offset that. I get to enjoy my sport gles spot on next year's Olympic team. "A lot of newspaper articles were saying (Angus) won't have an opportunity to get his gold medal at the Olympic Games next year because I'm in his way," van Koeverden said with a laugh. "I thought that was kind of funny because it was like I was the bad guy or something. I happen to be bringing home a lot of medals too." That includes a perfect six-for-six in World Cup competition so far this year. A first-place showing at the world championships, however, has continued to elude van Koeverden, though he says he's not losing any sleep over it. "I don't think it's anything specific. I've only been in three world championships as a contender, and last year I was two-tenths of a second away from a gold medal," he said. "I've lost races by tenths of centimetres... that's not even an amount of distance you can really measure. I don't really worry myself with minute details like that... there are circumstances sometimes when I go faster than other times. That keeps life interesting and makes me value the good races I've had even more." The flatwater racing world championships get underway tomorrow in Germany, with the 1,000-metre final slated for Saturday and the 500m race set for Sunday. Montgomery helps Stamps reach final Longhorns prepare for rematch Oakville's Matthew Montgomery made 11 tackles, had one sack and also blocked a conversion attempt as the Burlington peewee Stampeders advanced to the South Central Ontario Football League final with a 42-28 win over the Mississauga Thundering Herd Sunday in Hamilton. Fabian DeSantis scored a touchdown on Burlington's first possession and the points kept on coming throughout the game. Alex Bourgeois gained a season-high 253 total yards, including three touchdowns and a 40-yard punt return. Zack Secord also broke the 200total-yard barrier and scored a pair of touchdowns, dragging five tacklers into the end zone for one of them. The duo helped Burlington control the ball for much of the game. Michael Malo converted all six Stampeder touchdowns. Defensively, Karl Prud'homme had 10 tackles and David Shuta had six. The Stampeders will face Brampton in the SCOFL final Sunday at Ivor Wynne Stadium at 10:30 a.m. Brampton, undefeated this season, handed the Stampeders their only loss of the year. Continued from page 32 running game -- the basis of Tri-City's offence -- holding them to 2.5 yards per carry. Oakville continued to excel in that regard against North Bay, holding the Bulldogs to 50 rushing yards on 15 carries. "Hopefully we're not too confident because we hung 44 points on North Bay. Tri-City is the class of the league but it's a good opportunity for us to play spoiler," Emo said. "We played like a team for 60 minutes. It was a Herculean effort from our offence, our defence and our special teams." The Longhorns will need one more effort like that to reach the final when they face Tri City Saturday at 7 p.m. in Cambridge at Rogers Field. Notes: The Longhorns' Marco Pereira returned an interception 80 yards.... Mike Bartello also had an interception and a fumble recovery....Dan Seymour had 87 return yards on five returns.....Dion Clarke had five tackles.