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26 Sports Oakville Beaver Sign up now for guitar, bass, drums, and piano OAKVILLE'S MUSIC STORE SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009 Generosity without borders OT student organizes successful equipment drive By Jon Kuiperij "I kind of like it that way. I like being the one to bring it all to Ontario and it's an opportunity to expand the whole thing." Brittany Shales' initial goal was to collect The drive began during this year's team pic25 pairs of shoes, a set of pylons and a few hun- ture day at the Dixie Soccer Club, where dred dollars worth of donations for charity. Shales plays defence for the Ontario Youth It quickly became much more than that. Soccer League's U16 Dragons. Shales' garage is bursting at the seams The drive then moved to the Oakville these days, filled with thousands of new and Soccer Club, where items were collected durused soccer items that will soon be donated to ing picture day. Drop boxes were also set up in the Soccer Without Borders organization. the lobby of the club's Pine Glen facility. "It's been enormously successful," the 16Though the equipment drive was Shales' year-old Oakville Trafalgar High first involvement with the School student said of her soccer "It has definitely Oakville Soccer Club (she moved gear drive, which began at taught me how to Oakville from Pickering four Mississauga's Dixie Soccer Club the community years ago, but immediately began before gaining momentum at the playing for Dixie), she was warmcan be brought Oakville Soccer Club. ly received. "It has definitely taught me together by a "It was definitely a great first how the community can be simple act of impression. I knew they were a brought together by a simple act kindness." great club and great organization, of kindness. I know it made a lot but I thought maybe because I of people feel good, and it made Brittany Shales wasn't from the club (they might me feel good too." not agree to help)," Shales said. Soccer Without Borders, based out of San "But they were great, all the staff. I was really Francisco, is a non-profit organization that impressed with that." uses soccer as a vehicle for positive change in Shales credited her Dixie Dragons team, the lives of marginalized youth. Its current Dixie coach Joe Moscato, Dixie Soccer Club's projects include two for refugees in the United Nancy Figliola and Lino Almeida, Oakville States, two in Nicaragua, one in Guatemala Soccer Club's Lynn Joiner, Bronte Movers and three in Uganda, while past projects have (who donated the boxes) and the Oakville and taken place in Zambia and South Africa. Dixie soccer communities as keys to the sucShales first heard of Soccer Without cess of the drive. Borders when she was researching American She is still in need of assistance transportcollege soccer programs on the Internet. She ing two or three pallets of equipment to noticed several of those schools had worked Soccer Without Borders, which also has a with the charity before and applied to be an Pennsylvania location. Ontario ambassador. "We're looking for corporate sponsors or She had no idea she was also about to any sort of business that has shipping going become an Ontario pioneer. there anyway that can contribute," Shales said. "I asked if (any Ontario ambassadors) were Anyone interested in assisting with transnear me, thinking maybe Burlington or portation of the equipment can email Brittany Oakville," Shales recalled. "They said there Shales at shales.b@gmail.com. were a few in British Columbia, but that's For more information on Soccer Without about it (in Canada). Borders, visit www.soccerwithoutborders.org BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR RIZIERO VERTOLLI / OAKVILLE BEAVER GIVING BACK: Brittany Shales is surrounded by some of the 100-plus balls she collected through a soccer equipment drive for Soccer Without Borders, a non-profit organization that uses soccer to improve the lives of marginalized youth. Approximately 1,150 jerseys, 400 pairs of shorts and socks, 350 pairs of shoes, 125 pairs of shin pads and hundreds of other pieces of equipment were also collected during the drive. WINTER NON-CONTACT H · Non-contact · Balanced teams · Prime time games! · No late night games · Sweaters/socks provided ADULT OCKE A's season ends on walk-off home run The Oakville A's season came to a dramatic and painful conclusion last weekend in the Central Ontario Baseball Association Major playoffs. Oakville was eliminated from the playoffs Sunday with a 6-5 loss to the Erindale Cardinals in the semifinals. Erindale's Kevin Treichel delivered the deciding blow, clubbing a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom half of the final inning. Treichel's blast ruined what had been a quality outing by Oakville pitcher Gord Robertson. The A's had led most of the game after striking for four runs in the second inning, with Courtney Morales' tworun double the key hit. Erindale went on to beat Glanbrook 9-6 and 1-0 to win its second consecutive COBA Major playoff title. The A's had reached the semifinal of the four-team championship weekend by blanking Milton 3-0 in the opener and then falling 10-0 to Glanbrook. Julian Richards came one out away from a seven-inning no-hitter against Milton, settling for a one-hitter while striking out eight. Robertson scored in the first on a Milton throwing error. Carter Buchanan hit a sacrifice fly and Marc Walton stroked an RBI double in the sixth inning. Walton pitched against Glanbrook and allowed nine runs (five earned) in two innings. Lou Vassos relieved Walton and allowed only one earned run in three innings. Oakville finished the year with a 30-21 mark. LEAGUE Y HALTON MEN'S HOCKEY LEAGUE · 53rd season of operation · Excellent officiating · Individual entries · Trophies · 30 Years+, 40+, 47+ Divisions INFORMATION AND/OR REGISTRATION BY PHONE (905)849-9712 or www.hmhl.bizland.com