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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, SEPTEMBER 2, 201024 By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Its been only two years since Emily Ricketts played her first rugby game. But if theres one thing shes shown in that time, its that it doesnt take her long to adjust. Despite playing a new position at the recent Ontario Summer Games, Ricketts played a key role in delivering a gold medal for the Toronto Rugby Union. Her sec- ond-half try helped Toronto down Eastern Ontario 26-12 in the championship game. Given her ability to seamlessly switch positions, it shouldnt come as a surprise that it was the variety offered by rugby that first attracted her to the sport. I like that its so fast paced and that it incorporates a lot of differ- ent skills, Ricketts said Each position does a lot of different things. A flanker on her high school team, Ricketts was switched to the backfield at the Ontario Games, where teams were playing 10- aside rather than the 15-aside she was used to. That meant Ricketts was doing a lot of the running and passing, rather than being the one trying to tackle the ball carriers. Ricketts had just one practice to learn her new position as well as adapt to playing with her new teammates. She gave her coach and teammates one simple instruction prior to the first game. If Im doing something wrong, just yell at me, she told them. It would turn out to be pretty quiet. Ricketts was named the most valuable player among the backs as Toronto won all three of its preliminary games before defeating Niagara 21-5 in the semifinals. After Toronto and Eastern Ontario traded ties in the opening half, it was Ricketts who broke through for a try that allowed her team to pull away in the final. That earned the Ricketts family its second Ontario Games rugby medal (her father John won a bronze). It was not her fathers influ- ence that led her to the game he played a lot of sports, she says but instead was friends at school and their passion for the game that convinced her to play rugby. Though Abbey Park didnt have a girls team when she was in Grade 9, Ricketts joined when one was formed the next year. After two years of high school rugby, Ricketts decided to join the Oakville Crusaders this summer. It was Crusaders coach Craig Inward who recommended her for the Ontario Games team. Ricketts is hoping to make the switch to the backfield permanent. Hopefully, Id really like to, she said, but Ill go wherever the coach wants me to go. If her track record is any indi- cation, Ricketts will be successful wherever that may be. Rugby player wins gold, MVP at Ontario GamesVan Beilen earns three Jr. Pan Pac medals Oakville Aquatic Club swimmer Tera Van Beilen won three of Canadas seven medals at the Junior Pan Pacific swim- ming championships that concluded Monday in Hawaii. The 17-year- old Van Beilen finished the five-day meet with a silver and two bronze, placing second in the 100- metre breast- stroke and third in the 200m breaststroke while con- tributing to the third-place finish of the womens 4x100m medley relay team. Canada ended the competition with three silver and four bronze. Prior to competing at the Junior Pan Pacific championships, Van Beilen won a gold, silver and bronze at the inaugu- ral Youth Olympic Games last month in Singapore. Two of Van Beilens Oakville Aquatic Club teammates, Marni Oldershaw and Annie Harrison, also competed at the Junior Pan Pacific championships. Harrison was a finalist in the womens 400m individual medley, placing sixth. Oldershaw competed in the 200m and 400m individual medleys. QUICK LEARNER: Abbey Park High School student Emily Ricketts shows off the gold medal she won in rugby at the recent Ontario Summer Games. Despite switching to a new position for the tournament, Ricketts was named the most valuable player of all the backs at the competition. NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER Tera Van Beilen ...SOON!COMING...