The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday March 12, 2008 - 25 Monette brothers' skiing trail leads to nationals in B.C. By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF T RON KUZYK / OAKVILLE BEAVER YOUNG NATIONALS: Iroquois Ridge students Patrick (left) and Nick Monette, pictured doing a practice run in a north Oakville ravine where they train, will compete in the national cross-country skiing championships this weekend in Whistler, B.C. Consolation for Aquinas girls at OFSAA volleyball Overcoming a disappointing first day, the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders managed to be the best of the rest at last week's Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) AA girls' volleyball championships. The eighth-seeded Raiders, missing two of their top players because of a school trip, lost their first two games at the tournament in Sudbury and were facing the prospect of a winless trip when they took on Orillia Park St. in their third match. Aquinas managed to pull out a three-set victory, however, and then defeated the third-place finishers in each of the other three pools to win the consolation championship. "We knew we were in tough from the outset, missing (all-star middle Tessa Medlock and setter Emily Quinn)," said Raiders co-coach Peter Szpakowski. "We knew it would be tough to live up to our 24-4 record and No. 8 seed. But rather than talking about who wasn't here, we focused on who was." Aquinas' starting lineup at OFSAA featured two Grade 10 students (Jess Reynolds and Gisela Panza) as well as a Grade 9 setter (Michayla Caughlin). That proved particularly disadvantageous against ninth-seeded Ernesttown, which trotted three fifthyear players and another two Grade 12 students onto the court in Aquinas' second game. A day of OFSAA experience seemed to make a major difference for the young Raiders. After defeating Park St. 25-21, 12-25, 15-4, Aquinas downed Toronto Vaughn Rd. (25-14, 25-19), Guelph Bishop Macdonell (25-23, 2519) and Woodstock St. Mary's (25-22, 25-21) to claim the consolation title. "It was like someone flicked a switch and they started to play together as a unit," said Szpakowski, who was assisted by his brother, Ron. "Winning the final set (against Park St.) gave them some much-needed confidence as they avoided elimination and advanced to the consolation round playoffs." Peter Szpakowski credited the insertion of Grade 10 student Mary Quintieri as a major reason Aquinas was able to turn the tide, as well as the play of veterans Jess Pecora, Jaime Neefs and Victoria Miliucci. Caughlin drew rave reviews from the coach in her first OFSAA experience. "If she continues to work hard and improve, she will definitely be one of Halton's premier players in years to come," Szpakowski said of the young setter. With only two starters graduating this spring, the Raiders should stand a good chance of returning to OFSAA next season for the third straight year. Other members of the team are Alicia Ronda, Danielle Labine, Jessi Pacheco, Sara Sowinski, Lori Isaj, Taryn McKenna and Alexa Howard. Canadian champions GOLD FOR GOLD ICE: Gold Ice novice competitive team members Jacquie Varey, Maddie Ruton, Amber Scott, Kendra Lange and Maddy Varey won gold at last weekend's Canadian Synchronized Skating Championships in Chilliwack, B.C. Their score of 80.79 points was six points ahead of second-place Quebec. hey were introduced to the sport as followers. Now, Patrick and Nick Monette are spending their share of time at the front of the pack. The Oakville brothers were introduced to cross-country skiing by their parents, tagging along behind John and Joanna Monette on family skiing excursions. That started them on a trail that has led them to this weekend's national championships at Whistler Olympic Park in British Columbia. Both qualified for nationals through a series of Ontario Cup races this season. Patrick, 16, will race in the junior division while 14-year-old Nick will compete in the juvenile division. It was a pretty simple premise that hooked the Monettes. "You're going fast," Patrick said, "but you're going fast by your own means." It has been 10 years since the brothers first enrolled in the introductory Jackrabbit program that taught them the "You still get a lot basics techniques while of the `Can't wait improving participants' fitfor the snow to ness, balance and skills. It wasn't until last year that they come?' comments." began taking the competitive aspect seriously. The brothers Patrick Monette, on joined Team Harwood, a roller-skiing during Barrie-based cross-country summer training team that competes on the Ontario Cup circuit. It paid immediate dividends. "Now we know what happens when you train," Nick said. "We can see the difference." Coaching has also played a role in improving their technique, helping them add more speed. Since joining the Harwood squad, skiing has become a year-round commitment. When the snow disappears in the summer, it doesn't mean an end to training. Roller skiing takes over in the summer months, though it still draws some inquisitive looks on local streets. "You still get a lot of the 'Can't wait for the snow to come?' comments," Patrick said. There's also at least 10 hours of dry-land training, including cardio training -- riding and running -- as well as programs to build core strength. While they admit it's nice to have different training partners when they train with their Harwood teammates in the winter, the brothers play an important role in keeping one another motivated through the summer months. "We push each other," Nick said. "It gets us out there to train every day," Patrick added. Now the Iroquois Ridge students will have further motivation as they have a chance to see where they stand at the national level. "We're going to ski with all the good skiers from across the country and we'll get to see the Olympic skiers," Patrick said. Nick added, "We're still far away (from national team status). You have to be a lot older so it's hard to tell from here, but we'll see what else can happen with more training." Revell was Ridge's star netminder Iroquois Ridge High School's starting goaltender was incorrectly identified in a girls' hockey story that appeared in Saturday's edition of The Oakville Beaver. Emma Revell was the Ridge goalie that blanked Aldershot in Game 2 of the Halton final, then turned aside all shots she faced in the shootout to lift Ridge to its second regional championship in as many years. The Beaver regrets the error.