The Oakville atom AE Rangers enjoyed a strong start to their hockey season, winning their first tournament of the year in Richmond Hill. The Rangers won all three of their games in the pre- liminary round to advance to the semi- finals, where they downed Caledon 3- 1. In the gold- medal game, Even Hodgins scored on a breakaway in over- time to give Oakville a victory over Georgetown. Though the team won an OMHA championship last season, this years atom AE Rangers squad features many new players. Coaches and par- ents are pleased with how quickly the team has come together this sea- son. Members of the team are Matt Stone, Paul Franko, Patrick Vulgan, Michael Syrota, Mac Sinclair, Mark Lakostic, Gavin McCready, Ryan Skjarum, Ben Ecclestone, Rodrigo Anzola, Even Hodgins, Christopher Nurmi, MichaDesautels, Luke Pilcher, Caleb Walker, Max Perry and Gabriel Coutu. Cameron Sinclair, Dave Skjarum, Jim Franko, Marc Desautels and Rob Walker coach the Rangers. bronze. It was just a huge accomplishment, says Bysice. Probably one of the biggest accomplishments for me in sports. Moving to elite next year Not that Bysice can rest on his laurels or is content with international bronze. Now its time to step things up another notch. Next year, hell be moving up to the Olympic dis- tance on a full-time basis, racing against elite athletes instead of under-23 competitors. The elite field includes big names like Simon Whitfield and fellow Oakville resident Kyle Jones. I swam with Kyle when he was still in Oakville. I was a lot better swimmer than him then, but I dont know about now. Hes improved tons, says Bysice. Those guys are just world class. Going against those guys, it wont be intimidating, it will be fun and excit- ing. I get to see how I stack up against them. Its going to be hard. Ill be near the bottom, and I expect that. I have to stay positive and take small vic- tories along the way. I cant expect medals and kudos... its going to be a few years of hardship, but I think I can push through that. Bysice will be changing his training program, decreasing the intensity of his workouts but increas- ing the volume. Hes not sure what his potential is as an elite triath- lete, but hes determined to find out. A year ago, I wouldnt be able to tell you Id be here now, he says. Im hopefully going to medical school eventual- ly, but if this shows some promise Ill definitely put (school) on hold. I can always go back to school later. I would totally put it on hold and see what Im worth. 33 Thursday , O ctober 14, 2010 O A KVILLE BEA V ER w w w .o akvillebeaver .co m By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR Jon Cosentino buys into the addage of no pain, no gain. The 16-year-old skateboarder has endured many a painful wipeout as he attempts to perfect his craft. These days, hes hobbling around with a heel injury suffered two weeks ago. And he once broke his ankle trying to master the hard flip, a move where the board both flips and spins through the air behind him. But it all paid off earlier this month in Niagara Falls. Cosentino beat out 90 other competi- tors to win the Axe Twist Amateur Open, earning him $750 cash and a custom Nixon watch as well as a spot in the West 49 Take The Cake professional competi- tion that was presented by Shick Xtreme 3. The hard flip what Cosentino con- siders his signature move played a big role in the surprise victory at the amateur open. There were so many guys that were there that were really really good. Then theres me coming out of nowhere, basi- cally, said Cosentino, a student at White Oaks Secondary School. It was weird to beat them. Cosentinos excitement about qualify- ing for the West 49 Take The Cake was short-lived. The competition, which fea- tured some of the worlds top skateboard- ers like Paul Rodriguez, Chaz Ortiz, Alex Olson, Torey Pudill and others, was rained out the following day. But Cosentino still got a chance to test his abilities against the pros, competing in a game of S-K-A-T-E (where partici- pants gain a letter for every trick they cant match, and are eliminated when they have all five letters). His counterpart was Rodriguez, the contests top seed. Cosentino eventually went down to defeat, but not before hand- ing Rodriguez three letters. I was really surprised I landed any- thing against him, Cosentino admitted. It was just weird skating in front of him. Cosentinos next major competition will be the Tampa Am in Florida, an event where he finished 29th out of 250 com- petitors last year. Triathlete will put off going to med school Skateboarder flies high at amateur open Continued from page 32 AMATEUR CHAMP: Local skateboarder Jon Cosentino won the Axe Twist Amateur Open recently in Niagara Falls, earning a spot in a pro- fessional competition. Atom Rangers claim Richmond Hill title GRAHAM PAINE / OAKVILLE BEAVER 905-849-4998 www.aireone.com 1-888-827-2665 A+ Rating comwww. *See dealer for details 9 LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU BETTER #1 in Home Comfort Since 1990 We service Lennox *Call for details, offers cannot be combined, On new orders only ** OAC Prime rate subject to change. ELIGIBLE FOR$3830* IN GOVERNMENT & FACTORY REBATES* UP TO System for Your Home GAS FURNACE, CENTRAL AIR, AIR PURIFIER & HUMIDIFIER Or Central Air Conditioner from $39/month** THE BIGGEST SALE EVER SAME DAY INSTALLATIONS AVAILABLE Furnace Diagnostic Service ONLY $49 $89/month**