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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, January 18, 2013 · 24 Kyle Bekker selected third in MLS draft by Toronto FC Sports Oakville Beaver Kyle Bekker is coming home. The Oakville Soccer Club product and Iroquois Ridge graduate (pictured, left) was selected third overall in yesterday's (Thursday's) Major League Soccer SuperDraft by the team 30 minutes up the Queen Elizabeth Way, Toronto FC. Bekker, who projects as a wide midfielder in MLS, had four stand- out years at Boston College and has also played at various levels of the Canadian youth national teams. Most recently, he helped Canada reach the semifinals of the Olympic qualifying tournament, including a win over the United States. More coverage of Bekker's selection will appear online at www. oakvillebeaver.com. SPORTS EDITOR:JONKUIPERIJ Phone 905-632-0588 (ext. 294) email sports@oakvillebeaver.com Halton high school sports association to ban rep players from girls' hockey Benched I n a ruling intended to maximize participation, the Halton Secondary School Athletic Association (HSSAA) has said it will no longer allow girls to play both rep and high school hockey after this season. But many associated with girls' hockey believe the decision will have the exact opposite effect. "We would be devastated. It would end our program," said Eric Bulthuis, director of athletics and physical education at King's Christian Collegiate, which iced a girls' hockey team for the first time this year. "We have 14 girls, most of whom play rep. Without them, we definitely wouldn't have a team. It would be a huge disappointment." For more than 30 years, the HSSAA has not allowed rep players in its boys' hockey league. In its ruling, the HSSAA said not allowing female rep players was "to bring alignment and consistency of current practice." Last year, Oakville resident Kevin Kokotailo put forward a complaint to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario claiming the ban on rep players was discriminatory against boys. Requests for an interview with a member of the HSSAA board were referred to Halton District School Board (HDSB) associate director Jeff Blackwell. Blackwell does not sit on the HSSAA board but oversees extra-cur- NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER / @HALTON_PHOTOG SHUT OUT: Notre Dame students Kristina Kocsis (left) and Allie Gillies are just two of many Halton female rep hockey players who won't be allowed to play for their high school next year, due to a rule change by the Halton Secondary School Athletic Association. The 16-year-olds have started an online petition against the rule that prohibits rep players from playing girls' high school hockey. riculars for the HDSB and acts as a liaison between the HSSAA board and the school board. Blackwell said he could not comment on the complaint. He did say that part of the rule change "was to Special Report make sure (the HSSAA) don't have practices that are inequitable." C o n t a c t e d Wednesday night in OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Vancouver, Kokotailo said via e-mail "sadly this group at HSSAA has chosen to kick a Hornet's Nest by banning girls," referencing the name of the Oakville girls' minor hockey program. "Not what I intended when I started this, but at least it is now not discriminatory." Notre Dame high school coach Paul Leonard was surprised when informed of the ruling last Friday. "One of the things is, who's making that decision? There wasn't a list of the individuals who made that decision," he said. "Coaches like myself who have been involved in high school hockey for a decade weren't asked. Our department heads weren't asked. That always gives you concern about the decision." Blackwell said the HSSAA board is made up of volunteers consisting of teachers, administrators and physical education coordinators. Its executive council is listed on the HSSAA website (www.hssaa.org), although its board members are not. Despite a request for the names of the board members, they were not provided. Blackwell said the decision to ban rep players from the girls' high school league was made during the annual review of the HSSAA constitution. "The board has to look at the rules through an equity lens, in terms of, are they equitable and inclusive," he said. That would have left the HSSAA with two options regarding rep players: allowing rep players to play boys' hockey (Halton is one of only three leagues in Ontario that doesn't allow rep players to play for their high school), or banning rep players from girls' hockey. The HSSAA ruling states that "at this time, the boys' program was continuing to thrive under the current parameters" while the girls' program "was declining in particiSee Rule, page 25 Herb Garbutt