10 • TUESDAY, June 28, 2016
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SPORTS Croquet, anyone?
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Ian Webster THE MERRITT HERALD
If Q101 program director and morning radio host Corey Fischer had his way, Merritt would become the Croquet Capital of Canada. Just kidding. Fischer would, however, love to share his passion for the littleknown game with the citizenry of our community and just maybe muster up a loyal following. To that end, Fischer is organizing an inaugural Corey’s Croquet Challenge, to take place on Canada Day at Rotary Park, immediately following Q101’s annual Games in the Park. “I’m hoping for as many as 24 participants of any age for the opening round,” said Fischer, who already has a sponsor for this year’s event in Mill Creek Cabinets. “We’ll set up four to six courses and have at ‘er.” The benefits of croquet are numerous, said Fischer. “It’s a very simple, social game that can be played by anyone, and by any number of players. It gets you outside, doesn’t require a great deal of stamina, is
easy to understand and learn,and easy to set up and take down. “As with any game, there are nuances and certain strategies that you can eventually deploy, but when you’re starting out, you’re just basically hitting a ball with a stick.” Fischer said that he’d like to parlay the Canada Day event into a local club that will get together on a regular basis during the summer months. “Up till now, there’s been a handful of us playing on Tuesday and Thursday nights at the lawn bowling club in town — at the same time as the lawn bowlers. They’ve been very welcoming. I’ve never played on such a nice surface.” Fischer’s enthusiasm for the game of croquet dates back to the beginning of the century and his student days at the
University of British Columbia. “One of my friends there suggested that we start a croquet club on campus. I guess there had been one in the 1940s, but nothing since. So, he went to the Alma Mater Society, got approval and the UBC Croquet Club was born. “We would play four points-based tournaments over the course of the school year, and whoever had the most points at the end of the season would win the trophy (named the Wile Cup after the club’s first president, Daryl Wile). “The UBC club lasted for three years after I graduated. When I heard it wasn’t going to continue, I contacted the final president and asked if I could have the trophy because I wanted to keep the tradition alive. That was in 2010, and every year since, a bunch of us have got
together for a reunion of sorts to compete for the Wile Cup.” Ironically, the first reunion tournament, in the summer of 2010, was held out at Monck Park on Nicola Lake, long before Fischer had moved to Merritt and signed on with Q101 radio. “It was just a random decision,” he said, “because the park was centrally located. Some of us were living in Vancouver, in Kelowna and in Kamloops. This year, the tournament is on August 27 in West Kelowna. Each year’s winner gets to decide where the next Wile Cup will take place.” Fischer would love to see a similar croquet tradition evolve in Merritt, and it become a part of the fabric of the Nicola Valley. And it can begin by people signing up for his Canada Day event. “They can go online to Q101.ca and register, or call the radio station (250-378-4288) and leave their name,” said Fischer. “They can even just show up on the day. There might be some spots still open.” One thing Fischer guarantees: it’ll be a lot of fun.
Q101’s radio personality Corey Fischer shows off his croquet proficiency at the Merritt lawn bowling club. Fischer is looking to grow the sport in the Nicola Valley. Ian Webster/Herald
MSS athletic awards
JUNIOR Mesha Naiker, Logan Moorhead, Haley Zabek, Jamie Neill, Gillian Moore, Emmanuelle Dugas
Pickleball is in the sports box
The newly-formed Merritt Pickleball Club has moved outdoors for the summer. Members have taken the game to the sports box in Central Park, with the capacity for six games at one time. Scheduled times for play are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:30 to 11 a.m., and Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6 p.m. till dusk. Anyone interested in the sport can drop by at any of these times for a free first-time try. On Tuesday, July 5, at 5 p.m., the club is holding an open house, which will include some exhibition matches by advanced players from Kamloops. For more information on the sport, contact Merritt Pickleball Club president Brian Dafoe at 250-378-7452. Ian Webster/Herald
GRADE 8
SENIOR
Taylor Nichols, Bill Brewer, Rose Howard
Takarah Kubo, Caleb Hartwig, Gabby Zabek
ATHLETIC CITIZENSHIP Takarah Kubo, Michael Lao, Caleb Hartwig, Dallas Schmidt, Montana Leverre Missing: Hailey Bennett