PAGE 10
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2013
Y C N A AC
V
ADVERTISE HERE! CALL TO BOOK YOUR AD NOW!
250.426.5201
250.427.5333
SPORTS BRIEFS
SPORTS
DAILY TOWNSMAN / DAILY BULLETIN
Sports News? Call Trevor 250-426-5201, ext. 212 trevor@dailytownsman.com
KOOTENAY ICE
Raonic advances to second round at U.S. Open NEW YORK, New York - Milos Raonic has advanced to the second round of the U.S. Open. The 10th-seeded player from Thornhill, Ont., defeated Italian qualifier Thomas Fabbiano 6-3, 7-6 (6), 6-3 on Tuesday. “In general, it was a good day,” said Raonic. Raonic will face Pablo Andujar in the second round after the Spaniard beat Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. “He started doing well in 2011, just like me,” Raonic said of Andujar. “He’s very consistent. He can be aggressive, especially with his forehand, and I’ve got to play more aggressive than I did today. “I’ve got to clean up a bit off the baseline and hopefully serve like I did today.” Canadian Press
NFL to look at hits to knees of defenceless players NEW YORK - The NFL will keep a close eye on hits to the knees of defenceless players this season, with the possibility of extending the rules protecting such players. If the league’s competition committee finds enough evidence this season that hits to the knees are “becoming a problem,” it could take action, chief of football operations Ray Anderson told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The committee could make a recommendation to the owners next March to prohibit direct hits to the knees of defenceless players. The owners would then vote on such a change. Currently, hits to the head and neck of defenceless players are outlawed. But two direct hits to the knee in preseason games that injured Miami tight end Dustin Keller and Minnesota defensive tackle Kevin Williams have drawn complaints from some players. Associated Press
Blue Jays GM says he has no plans to replace Gibbons TORONTO - Toronto Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos is giving his skipper a vote of confidence. Speaking to reporters before Tuesday night’s game against the New York Yankees, Anthopoulos said manager John Gibbons will return as manager in 2014. Gibbons, who returned for a second stint as Toronto manager this season, has been an easy target as his team has been mired in last place in the American League East for most of the year. When asked about the possibility of replacing Gibbons, Anthopoulos said: “there’s never been any thought on that respect at all.” Gibbons reportedly signed a two-year deal with options last fall. Entering Tuesday’s games, the 59-73 Blue Jays were 18 games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox. Canadian Press
Tour de France winners to participate in Canadian race MONTREAL - Tour de France champion Chris Froome and two-time winner Alberto Contador will join Canada’s Ryder Hesjedal as headliners at UCI one-day cycling races next month in Montreal and Quebec City. The 2011 Tour winner Cadel Evans and 2010 champ Andy Schleck will also be in the peloton as 21 eight-man teams tackle the hilly streets of both cities in the only UCI WorldTour events held in North America. The tour stops Sept. 13 in Quebec City and Sept. 15 in Montreal. Canadian Press
TREVOR CRAWLEY PHOTO
Kootenay Ice head coach Ryan McGill holds court with a few of his players during veterans fitness testing on Tuesday at the College of the Rockies track.
Fitness tests set the tone for Ice camp TRE VOR CR AWLEY Sports Editor
Despite all the sweat and groans on Tuesday afternoon, Kootenay Ice veterans and prospects completed the first part of training camp before it officially opens on Wednesday. Rotating through various stations and ending with 200-metre sprints at the College of the Rockies track, the players were put through their paces in fitness testing in advance of on-ice sessions that will make up the rest of training camp through the week and weekend. The veterans started the day in the morning, while the prospects had to battle through the heat in the afternoon. Kootenay Ice athletic therapist Cory Cameron said the tests are a way for the coaching staff to monitor the fitness levels of their players. The veterans were required to send in test results at various points in the off-season, and Cameron added that those numbers will allow staff to see how their players are trending coming into camp. “We’re looking for changes from the end of last season for re-
turning players, positive and negative changes, so we may have to address some issues if there are some negative changes in any of the areas—strength, weight, body fat percentage,” said Cameron. “We’re also looking for positive results, guys that put the time in, in the offseason, to get better and prove to us that they were going to come back and work hard this season.” Tests included pullups for upper body strength, a medicine ball throw and lunges.
“It shouldn’t be very difficult, to be honest with you, based on how often they do it,” added Cameron. “The tests aren’t that extreme, there’s some really basic stuff we do that measures upper-body and lower-body strength, explosiveness and flexibility, so it
shouldn’t be too difficult.” The tests moved from the depths of the arena to the College of the Rockies track for the 200-metre sprints, which was undoubtedly the most intense part of the process. Divided up into groups, the players had to complete 10 heats in under 30 seconds, with a two-minute rest in be-
tween. The old days of players coming into training camp out of shape are over, said Cameron, adding that off-season programs have evolved over his last 10 years in the business. “That’s kind of the old hockey thought-process, is coming to camp to get in shape,” said Cameron. “These guys are all
putting in a lot of time and effort in the offseason to come to camp in the best shape possible, so they’re putting in effort with personal trainers, strength coaches at home away from us, to come into camp in the best shape possible.” On-ice sessions begin on Wednesday at Western Financial Place, with a veterans practice at 9 a.m.
Looking ahead, Kootenay adds more experience to the bench TRE VOR CR AWLEY Sports Editor
The Kootenay Ice are looking ahead to Christmas with the appointment of Mike Dyck to the coaching staff, who will step on the bench when Ryan McGill heads to Sweden for the World Junior Championship. Dyck, a former head coach with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, has signed on to help out with the team during McGill’s absence. Dyck will be present at training camp this week, and will make the trip down from Lethbridge once a month to stay in touch with Ice staff and play-
ers. When McGill learned he was tapped as an assistant coach for Team Canada at the World Juniors, he, along with Ice general manager Jeff Chynoweth, went to work to find someone with WHL coaching experience who could come in and give freshman Kootenay assistant coach Jay Henderson some help. Dyck is already familiar with Sam Reinhart and Jaedon Descheneau, having coached them as the bench boss for Team Pacific in the World U-17 Hockey Challenge in 2012. “With Ryan going to
the World Juniors, and this being Jay’s first year coaching in the WHL, we felt another coach was needed during this time frame,” said Chynoweth. “We feel very fortunate to be able to add a coach with the experience that Mike has in the WHL.” Dyck’s WHL experience also includes assistant coaching roles with the Hurricanes and the Vancouver Giants. McGill will be absent for roughly nine games in December and January while assisting Team Canada head coach Brent Sutter in Malmo for the international U20 tournament.