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SportsOakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 201032 Cross-country junior title decided by game of chance WILD FINISH: Friends David Watson of Abbey Park and Braden Culver of St.Thomas Aquinas made the finish to Tuesdays GHAC cross-country junior boys final an interesting one. In top left photo,Watson (in blue) and Culver are neck and neck near the finish line. In top right photo, the two play rock, paper, scissors to determine who should finish first. In bottom right photo,Watson pretends to trip while Culver sprints to the finish line. Both runners advanced to OFSAA. PHOTOS BY NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF DUNDAS David Watson made one strategical blunder in defending his Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference cross-coun- try title. He chose rock. In what has to be the strangest conclu- sion to a race, leader Braden Culver of St. Thomas Aquinas slowed down as he approached the finish line Tuesday at the Christie Conservation Area, allowing Abbey Parks Watson to catch him. Five feet short of the line, both runners stopped, turned to face each other and played a game of rock, paper, scissors. Watson chose rock, Culver chose paper. Then both runners dove across the finish line. Even they didnt know who had won as they walked away from the finish area. The two runners, teammates with the Greater Toronto Track Club, hatched the plan two weeks ago. They decided if they were one-two at the finish, they would allow the game of chance determine the winner though Watson may have had some sec- ond thoughts about surrendering his title. We finished (rock, paper, scissors), then he just went (for the finish line), Culver said. Like the spectators, Watson and Culver had to wait until the final results were post- ed to see who had won. In the end, every- thing worked out as it would have had the runners not stopped. Culver, the leader as well as the rock, paper, scissors winner, emerged as the gold medalist. The official record showed it as a four-second victory the runners wore chip timers and apparent- ly Watsons leg didnt cross the line on his initial dive for victory. Coincidentally, thats about the margin of victory Culver would have had if he hadnt stopped. Despite coming second, Watson said he enjoyed this years race more than last years when he won by 50 seconds before going on to finish fifth at the provincial champi- onships. It was a breeze last year, he said. This was a lot better. Culver won the season-opening Hawk meet last year but missed the GHAC cham- pionship because he was at a hockey tourna- ment with his Oakville Rangers AAA team. See Blakelock page 34