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mt l moo (.HHUNN u - minim." or. mm x mm - 29 ,.___' ha ' ..- w . ‘ ilttlvltll|t(l\l(l| k" .,. 7 7 . ~ . O O C Waterloo fireman Dwayne Drover wins World Firefighter Combat Challenge title Bi BoiiVituAn/u‘ ‘ ' { n ' ‘ ' ‘ ' ‘ (hm/title \lll/J 7 7, ‘ ‘ . ' ‘ .‘ - ‘ ' q >‘ 'w ‘ aw mu met \\.tllIL’(l something so \ ... ' . ‘ ‘ had that ll Intule you want to cry? ion ‘ ‘ T .1 é}, wouldnt think .1 \IX'ftMH'lWll, 24Sâ€" ‘ ‘ " ‘ j “a \ .‘ a ‘. ‘ pound Waterloo tin-tighter would ever admit . j i ‘ '. “a . ' Y that. but that’s him much Winning the World ‘ . , x . \\»5 X ’ lireltghter t oinhtil ( hallenge meant to l 1 f ‘\ . ‘ .. m [Mantle Drover ‘ P V, «3*; LE3 A. , . -"' luver since the .l»lryear-old joined Wuter- ’ » ‘ I; a" H." _‘ \ 7 fl loo lire Rescui- six years ago. he's always ‘ ' ,1 J . v ' been trying to prove himself. ‘ ' I ‘ 3 lb \ “ f 1 . '-,;~ « He said that's why he got into the l3ire- " n m " \ . , \-'.:‘4:‘ ~ ‘ "f‘f' a fighter ( omhat ( hallenge where partici- , 3! a ' ‘ ‘gguffi “a,” s ' » pants compete in a timed obstacle course ' ‘ \ \ 11);-“4- ‘ x _ wearing t'ull»tirefighting gear and simulating . a. Y ALE } f . _ ‘ > what they might have to do in a rescue. He w .‘ ‘ " . ‘ ‘ . .5: ‘ wanted to show the veterans on his crew that "‘ I ‘ . ‘ v 3: l“ he could handle anything the job could ii!!! '3 a L 1 ‘ V ' ' throw at him. 3 a . l... “I went and tried it once. and I loved it." 3 if A 2 . 5 $5” . "‘“ " " said Drover. “l was new on the job and l “e ., 3:? 1» 3% at'wmw 1. " wanted to prove myself. and this was right to ”J; jnif 2...: ... ‘. _ up my alley " W ,1 . What he found out when he took up a .131?" m _ ' ‘ sport as challenging as an Olympic event “kw“ 'A F was how addictive it is. 'Ihere's an adrenaline Dwayne Drover bursts through the fire hose obstacle on his way to winning the World Firefighter Combat Challenge In Las Vegas recently. He became msh that comes with the job. and this was the first Waterloo firefight-3r to win the world title. the best way to satisfy all the competitive mmomm juices that flow through his body. the Newfoundland and labrador Sports Hall cal. He worked on improving his focus and “I called her up before the competition and a the competition includes racing up a of Fame in 2008. “He was a No, l contender visualization to make sure all the nervous few tears rolled down my face and I told my fiveâ€"storey tower. dragging a fire hose up the to George Chuvalo. and knew Muhammad energy he felt before the race was pointed in tandem panner Shaun (Henderson) l'm not tower, running back down. hammering Ali, and he was supposed to have his own the right direction. losing." through an obstacle. pulling a water line. hit- title shot but it never did go through." “That's what I learned to do this year," be And he shared a touching moment with ting a target on the run and finally dmgginga that instilled a fire and competitiveness said. “l was calm, cool and collected and his dad after the race. It was the second time 175-pound dummy across the finish line. in Drover that couldn't be extinguished until channeled all my energy. his dad had come to the world champi- “All my life I've been into working out and he brought home his own world title. “As soon as I hear the siren it's like the onships to cheer him on. heavy lifting," said Drover. “I took the oppor- He’s been close before, finishing in the space shuttle blasting off." "He was so pumped." said Drover. “He tunity and ran with it." top three of the annual competition held And he needed every extra second he talked about his old tactics and what he used That's because competition runs in the every year in [as Vegas. The event is actually could get. Traditionally the difference to do in boxing to keep your mind from wan- l)rover family. His dad Bill Drover was once a a big deal down south and brings with it between the top three competitors in the dering away. top heavyweight fighter who traded punches thousands in prizes and exposure on T. V. competition is milliseconds not seconds. “It was a big help.” with Canadian champion George (Zhuvalo networks like ESPN and Versus which broad The tears actually came before the Com- Obviously with a boxer as a father you'd and was within an eyelash of fighting Cas~ casts the championship in the U.S. petition when he thought of his three-year expect a rather reserved emotional upbring- sius (Ilay, better known as Muhammad Ali. He rededicated himself this past year old daughter Demi and all the time preparA ing. And Drover said he never did see his “My dad used to be a professional boxer after getting so close, hiring a personal train ing for the competition takes away from her. father cry until he crossed the finish line in who fought between 1962 and 1974.“ said er and working on the mental preparation He trains 30 hours a week. [as Vegas with the winning time of 1.2651. Drover about his dad. who was inducted into for the competition in addition to the physi- "She's always saying. ‘00 dad. go." he said. Continued on page 34 . v ‘t a; ru- "L J a: first" u'm' ’. W w “ a m i ‘ l f .1 t , 9, Because 6 ant . s a!“ I at ' . 7 3 a: . ' 7* t '4" - ‘ S . any -’ g f you Cl'C 01' S... or. rift U ‘3' . a ,, SM """°""°‘"““‘"’°"‘“’°" ' can help him take those first strides. 5} If f , This holiday season. your gift will help us keep our promise. " a Visit www.5mgh.ca/promisc :: lhn ad gem-numb turd for by the board mcml’xn of the St Marv‘xheneral Hospital Foundation a fi‘ {3’ Q“ " r», ..