I have to give credit to the Duntroon Highland Trail Blazers Nordic Ski team for becoming the first group to run the 840-kilometre Bruce Trail relay style.
On Tuesday, June 24, the run started at the Northern Terminus Cairn in Tobermory with the dream of completing the trail run on Canada Day.
After two days, the relay team completed 210 kilometres of rugged, picturesque terrain, ending 20 kilometres past Wiarton.
Day 3 and day 4, the runners passed Walters Falls reaching Swiss Meadows at the top of Blue Mountain. The next day, the runners ran 120 kilometres to Mono Centre and reached Kelso at Highway 401 Sunday night.
The non-profit club will donate part of the proceeds from their epic run to the Bruce Trail Conservancy.
On the baseball front, the annual North Dufferin Baseball League all-star game was held Sunday in Lisle, with the East Division Stars winning the contest 3-2 over the West Division Stars.
The league's all-star most valuable players were both pitchers this year. For the East Division, Mark Obee (Orillia) was awarded the honour and Brandon Norrie (New Lowell) received the award for the West Division.
Teams on the East Stars included: Aurora, Barrie 'A', Barrie 'B', Barrie Juniors, Bolton, Bolton Juniors, Midland, and Orillia. The West Stars were made up of players from Angus, Clearview, Creemore, Ivy, Lisle, Mansfield, Mansfield Juniors, and New Lowell.
The East Division stars included: Dan Lehmkuhl, Jarrod Dalley, and Ryan Lewis of Aurora; Norm Love, John McNabb, and Matt Bylow of Barrie 'A'; Shawn Neale and Lucas Sharpe of Barrie 'B'; Mike Wallace, Mike Blackwood, and Paul Cardarelli of Bolton; Bryan Anderson and Sean McGillivary of Midland; Jason Seeler, Mark Obee, and Jeff Shilling of Orillia; Matt Schernieski and Dan Downing of Barrie juniors; and Brett Chater and Michael Gemmiti of Bolton juniors.
The West Division selections include: Donovan Winch and Mike Pennock of Angus; Corey Ramirez, Justin Whiteside, and Steve Barrett of Clearview; Brad Grieveson, Bryan Post, and Chris Greer of Creemore; Jeremy Ulyenbroek, Brett Ellitott, and Rich Freeman of Ivy; Shane Walker and Andrew Willmetts of Lisle; Rob Kinsley and Greg Webster of Mansfield; Brandon Norrie, Pete Baldry and Jesse MacIntyre of New Lowell; and Devan Caldwell and Tyler Linger of Mansfield juniors.
Good on Clearview Township for hiring Jacqueline Soczka as a community and culture recreation programmer.
Soczka worked for a township in Manitoba where she was the recreation director faced with similar goals as this township.
It's good to see that the big bucks the township put out on a culture and recreation plan are actually coming to fruition. It also means they are listening to us.
She'll definitely be an asset in vitalizing, supporting and enhancing our local culture and recreation programs.
Sockza graduated from Dalhousie University's undergraduate highly recognized recreation program.
The township is under negotiations with the Simcoe County School Board to use their facilities. In other words, we will be able to use their gyms and sports fields. Soczka will be assessing the facilities.
Alex Hargrave is a sports writer for The Stayner Sun. His column appears each week.
