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22-The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, May 6, 1997 SEcURal siaess pnr fesongas monsutraar to b r e-U idential and commercial users. FOR MORE INFORMATION I CALL Martha Gleeson honoured for b-bail coaching success By STEVE LeBLANC Special ta The Champion A Milton basketball coach was recently honored by Canada's top hoopsters. Martha Gleeson was one of just 10 instructors province-wide to receive a coach-of-the-year award from the Toronto Raptors April 8 at SkyDome, during thctr showdown with the Washington Bullets. While the Ontario Baskeîball Association (OBA) has recognized outstanding coaching in the past, this was the tirst year they coordinatcd the presentations with the local NBA franchise. Gleeson, the heart and soul of the Milton Monarch program, was named top midget coach in the entire province. Her commemnorative plaque - signed by Isiah Thomas - waa presented by Toronto's public relations manager AI Quarece at hall time. "It (the award) came as a big surprise, I'm not even sure who nominated me," said Gleeson, a longtime coach at both the high achool and club level. "Being out there at hall court and receiving an award was quite a thrill." Her initiation into coaching followed a remarkable playing career at Leaminglon l-igh School, and later with Western University where she helped the Mustangs win three national tilles. She split her duties between player and coach during the last of those championshipa. After succesaful periods instructing in Brantford and Preston shte moved to Milton, where among numerous accolades she led Our Lady of Victory'a boys team lu a regional championship and the league finals. One of her beat memories - in her 30-plus years in basketball - came three years ago when she led the Monarch bantam girls to the gold medal ai the AA Ontario championships. "I really thought we were only a single A teamn that year, but the girls played their hearts out and just kept winning," Gleeson recalled. Along with husband Pat, whom ahe describes as a ".master atrategiat", Gleeson haa not only coached hun- dreds of provincial hoopstera but ail four of ber chul- In track Prominent Milton basketball coach Martha Gleeson shows off the plaque she received in appreciation tram the Toronto Raptors, who recognized her commltment toward develop- ment of the sport at the grassroots level. The ceremony took place at a recent Raptors game. dren as well. Daughters Anne and Mary-Ellen current- ly excel at Milton District High School while sons Patrick and Michael are at university. Of those who have come through the Monarch pro- gram and benefited from Gleeson's expertise, no less than 22 have played or are playing at the college or university level. '-Beatty wins handful of gold Lauren Beatty may want to, pur- sue a career in prospecting, because she's already proven ber ability to strike gold with the Athletiques International track and field club. The 10-year-old J.M. Denyes Public Scbool student won five gold medals in five events last Saturday at the AI Nicholîs Memorial Track and Field Meet in Oakville. Her collective efforts won ber the outstanding femnale athlete award. Highlighting her day-long suc- cess was a 6.86-metre hurl in the shot put, which not only eamed top honora but ber first-ever meet record. It also set an individual standard, as did lwo of ber other efforts. She opened the day by dominat- ing the 100m dlash, in a personal RED TAC MONTHI... *48 mn Frinhtl P. p nFieIIr best 15.3 seconds, and followed up with a 33s finish over 200m (P.B.), a 3.60m long jump (P.B.) and a strong final leg in the 4xlOOm relay that gave ber local contingent a 1:09.6 triumph. Part of that relay team was seven-year-old Shannon Laing, who had a fairly good day berself with a handful of personal records. Beginning with a meet record of 9.8s in the eigbt-and-under girls 60m, an entire second off the old mark, she settled into a nice groove and took more than two seconds off ber 200m standard, clocking in at 36.7. She later establisbed a new record in the shot put, 5.31 lm, and finished second in the long jump, with a personal best of 2.83m. Trying ber luck in the l0-and- esee LOCAL on page 24 FINAL MONTH COUNTDOWN GEORETOW CTOYOLA SALE 513iYI ~ ~ 1 .1.6A84-lE Litre eN.,n -ueu O lI~Ii =aA: ~~f E C>:tC3E-1 > 877-2e9 SteeeiW874-4276 I (Model BC5ILP.EA) MRSP S15,365. 1997 TERCEL CE fe *Power steeeing / *AM/FM Stereo Cassette àutn -Intermittent seipers .5 yr. - 100,000 kmn waeranty