Friday, June 8, 2012

23 Days until Maskwa Opens


My daughter woke me up this morning by saying, "Mom  23 days until Maskwa days." Wow! My first thought was at 6am it's way too early to process that and my second was how cute it is she's so excited. I should preference my daughter is seven, turning eight this year, so she'll be a first year Atom paddler. She's very excited about paddling as an Atom as her three brothers all paddled. So, as I'm cooking up an egg bagel for my oldest who insisted he needs protein for his two tests this morning and packing up their lunches for school, my mind was still reeling with the realization that really in three weeks Maskwa opens.

I drove into the sunny parking lot. Briefly chatted with a friend of mine who was getting ready to walk her dog and who this year is joining the club with her youngest starting as an Atom paddler and I thought, one - I'm so lucky to work here and two, my children are so lucky to have this outdoor summer facility.

Summer is short in NS but when you're at Maskwa your children are out all day. When I tell people my children paddle from 9:30am-2:30pm with a 30-minute lunch break I often get asked if that's to much. For my children it's not. I can't seem to get them to leave even around 5:30pm.


Maskwa is our cottage. When not paddling my children are swimming in the private lifeguarded beach area, playing basketball, making sandcastles, or going for hikes with friends. What more could I want for a summer for them? They're active, outdoors and with friends. A perfect summer recipe.

I had to take these pictures of the calm waters this morning. I know in a few short weeks our empty docks won't be empty and I can't wait.

Mark your calendars for a FREE for all Maskwa Day - this is your chance to get your neighbour to come down to see the club and try paddling!

FREE for all - Maskwa Aquatic Club Fun Day, Saturday, June 23 3pm-7pm. No membership required and there’s something for all ages. Try paddling on Kearney Lake in a war canoe, dragon boat, kayak or kiddie kayak for young children (5-7 years). Join us for a swim & FREE BBQ courtesy of M&M Meats.  www.maskwa.ca



 

Monday, June 4, 2012

Maskwa's Mark de Jonge receives Ricoh Award

June 3, 2012 - 4:12am              By MONTY MOSHER Sports Reporter

Alta Gymnast Ellie Black and paddler Mark de Jonge, both of Halifax, took top honours Saturday at the 16th annual Ricoh Sports Awards, which recognize the best in Nova Scotia amateur athletics.

Black and de Jonge are both contenders for the 2012 Olympics in London. The 16-year-old Black will compete for her spot on Canada’s gymnastics team later this month in Gatineau, Que., while de Jonge, who is coming back strong from a broken finger in April, will get his chance at the final Canadian trials in Montreal.

Black was in against track star Jenna Martin and sailor Danielle Dube. Dube has been nominated to the Olympic team and Martin is a good bet to be in London.

“I was surprised,” Black said in an interview following the ceremony in Halifax. “It was amazing.”
Paddlers Mariah Godin of Dartmouth and Emily Riddle of Porters Lake are the team of the year.

Hockey player Alexis Crossley of Cole Harbour is the female team athlete of the year and paddler Connor Taras of Waverley the male team athlete of the year.

Waverley’s Czom Latorovski (paddling) is the top coach. Warren Nethercote of Boutiliers Point is the top official for his work in sailing and the Truro Lions athletics program won for top association.

Sport Makes a Difference Awards went to New Minas judo athlete Jessica Hale and the Millbrook Warriors lacrosse program. Middleton’s Al Peppard, who is originally from Truro, took the Sport Nova Scotia Chair Award.

Black missed the first half of the 2011 season after surgery for a dislocated and broken toe. She came back late in the year, but dislocated her elbow and fractured her thumb at a competition in France.She battled back again to finish first on vault, third on beam and ninth all around at the Elite Canada competition in February. She followed that up in March at the Gymnix International where she finished second all around, first on vault, second on beam and fourth on floor.

“If the first injury had not healed properly then I might not have been able to do gym any more,” she said. “Coming back from that and having to deal with another injury was really hard, but to push through and have people supporting me through that and to come this far, even that is just such a great accomplishment.”

The Citadel High student has continued her burst toward London with four gold medals in April in international competitions in Brazil and Croatia.

“So far this year has been amazing,” said Black. “Every opportunity has just been the best thing that has happened so far.”

The 28-year-old Mark de Jonge, a civil engineer, came back to sprint kayaking in 2011 after a short absence and was racing toward London when a training accident left him sidelined for a series of recent World Cup events.

He was sixth at the world championships in Hungary in the K-1 200 last year, qualifying Canada for the Olympics in the event. He followed up with a bronze medal last summer at the Olympic test event in London. At a World Cup regatta in Duisburg, Germany, he finished third in the K-1 200 and second in the K-1 4x200m relay.

Godin and Riddle combined to win the C-2 500 at the inaugural world junior women’s canoe championships in Germany. Crossley was the lone Nova Scotian on Canada’s gold-medal team at the IIHF under-18 world women’s championships in the Czech Republic and also won national gold at Shattuck-St. Mary’s prep school in Minnesota.

Taras earned a silver medal at the Pan American Games as a member of Canada's K-4 1,000 team.
Latorovski has been coaching for 34 years and has helped numerous paddlers to the top of the sport.

Nethercote is a 30-year sailing official who also won the award in 2004-05. The highlight of his year was being selected as a member of the international jury for the 2011 Etchells world championships in San Diego.

The Truro Lions, led by coach Paul Millman, broke provincial records last summer. In July, the Lions became the only Athletics Nova Scotia club to have two athletes on a national team when Kayla Gallagher and Peter Millman earned spots on Canada’s World Youth Games team.

Also congratulations to Maskwa's congratulations Alexa Irvin who was nominated in the top women's
category.

Friday, June 1, 2012

13 Paddlers from Maskwa Competing Atlantic Team Trials


You know it's paddling season when the coaches start to load the boat trailers with the kayaks! This weekend Maskwa Aquatic Club has 13 paddlers competing in the Atlantic Team Trials on Lake Banook. Let's cheer them on: Nathan Haley, Nathan MacKinnon, Jacob Steele, Nelson Field, Matthew Beaver, Matt Clahane, David Webster, Matt Coutts, Keelan Earle, Leah Jessop, Nicole Jessop, Katie Jerrett, and Ciara Jerrett. Look for the Maskwa boats on the lake in Darmouth this weekend.