Perspectives on the 2010 Vancouver Olympics page 10
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Jan. 28 - Feb. 3, 2010
www.theontarion.ca
Gryphon wrestlers on display
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SARAH DUNSTAN After a triumphant reign at the Brock Invitational in St. Catharines, Guelph wrestlers didn’t fare as well as they’d hoped at the Guelph Open this past Saturday in the W.F. Mitchell Athletic Centre. The Guelph Open is one of Canada’s largest varsity wrestling tournaments, and one of only two tournaments in Canada in which competitors have the chance to grab national team carding. As a byproduct of its prestige, the event featured a mix of Canada’s toughest university wrestling teams and clubs, as well as a variety of national team athletes. Although the Gryphons finished the tournament with seven wrestlers placing in the top three for their respective categories, and an overall team ranking of second place, there was a lingering feeling of disappointment at the Athletic Centre when the matches finished, late Saturday afternoon. While a valiant afternoon of wrestling resulted in Guelph bringing home gold, silver, and bronze medals, the Gryphons didn’t achieve the explosive start to the season that they hoped for. Despite high hopes for Kyle Grant to place first after his OUA championship title and CIS silver medal in 2008-09, Grant only placed second in the men’s 120kg weight division. Allison Leslie, a former OUA gold medalist who also dominated the women’s 67kg category at the Brock Invitational, placed third in Guelph. The Gryphons, however, did not leave the tournament emptyhanded. Korey Jarvis, who won silver at the Hargobind National carding tournament, defeated Brock wrestler Mike Neufeld to win first place in the men’s 96kg class, and Ohenewa Akufo placed first in women’s 72kg. The Brock team defeated Guelph by a mere 12 points, scoring 74 points to the Gryphons, 62. The third highest team total came from the Calgary Dino’s Wrestling Club with 51 points, followed by Lakehead with 37, and Missouri Baptist with 23. Among the numerous Guelph Gryphons and club wrestlers from
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Julia Schonfield
Protesters gather in downtown Guelph’s St. George’s Square to rally against Prime Minister Harper’s prorogation of parliament.
Perogies not proroguing: the rally arrives DAN HOWSE All the seats in the auditorium were taken and the walls were lined with people two and three deep. Representatives from the conservative party were nowhere to be found. Instead, Knox Presbyterian Church was packed with opposition members, academics and most importantly, community members that care. “We are concerned about the quality of our democracy,” said Byron Sheldrick, a University of Guelph political science professor. The rally against Prime Minister Harper’s proroguing of parliament began at 1pm at St. George’s Square, then found its
way to the Knox Presbyterian Church down the street. According to rally organizers Angela Allt, and Council of Canadians member, Norah Chaloner, the event should be considered a tremendous achievement for concerned Guelph citizens. As the name of the event would indicate, perogies were served and generously so. At the heart of the event were the strong messages delivered by the numerous speakers and the questions raised by the attending citizens. Just as the perogies were plentiful, there was no shortage of opinion, indignation or discussion. While the event began with a few chants and announcements,
things really got going when local CUPE 3913 president Trudi Lorenz addressed the crowd. Lorenz began by indicting Prime Minister Harper the most effective way she knew how—by quoting him directly. “The government will prorogue the house so that it will not be held accountable for its shameful record,” said Lorenz, borrowing the words of the Canadian Prime Minister. Stephen Harper delivered this quotation during Prime Minister Chrétien’s prorogation of the house during the sponsorship scandal when he was opposition leader. >
SEE “A RALLY”, PAGE 3
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