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The Canadian Champion, Frlday, April 23,-1999-o0 JIM GORDWON 69 Main St. EsI Suite 3 S875-1771 VlSarpening his skillis after «three-year layoff' t - Photo by GRAHAM PAINE Stephen WIleon recently made a retumn to the sport of fenclng and showed atrongly et Le Grand Duel (World Cup> in Montreal. vWalking on water with a littie bit of style By STEVE LeBLANC The Champion Paul Macdonald doesn't juat walk on water - lie adds style, speed and show- mansbip to the challenge. Sounds lîke a pretty talI order, right? Weil welcome to the world of barefoot waterskiing, a prominent player in the 'extreme sports' fratemity and number one fixation of the 23-year-old Miltonian. Currently training in Florida, Macdonald cleared another rung on the ladder of suc- cess st weekend witb a golden perfor- mance at the U.S. Soutbemt Series Opener. Four dozen elite competitors in the 18 to 24 age cîass descended on Tampa for the first major event of tbe season -- but none could outsbine tbe lonie Canadian entry. His overaîl top finish featured convinc- ing wins in ail tbiee disciplines including slalom, trick and jump. "I waa very bappy with my results. I was nervous going in, but it tumas out aIl the preparation I' ve done here since the fal bas been a big benefit," said tbe longtime Miltonian, from bis temporary residence in Lakeland, Florida. Macdonald set new individual standards in every category, wîth bis beat efforts oeserved for the trick event.. A near flawless acrobatics display- higblighted by a stellar toe tumn during wbicb he gripa the bandle witb one foot and rides on the other before spinning backwards, again witbout the use of bis bands - placed bim 400 points ahead of the runner-up. Explained Macdonald, "TMe toe tumn is something that just a few of us attempt. I incorporate roughly eigbt to 10 tricks in my routine. You only have a 15-second pasa in wicb to do it, so it's pretty tougb. "The barder the trick, the more points you get. But you've got to include a cer- tain amount as well, s0 the idea is to mix quality and quantity." In the slalom event, wbere points are awarded for complete crossinga of a desig- nated area wbile bonuses are given for one forward and one backward pass, be outdis- tanced bis closeat challenger by two full crossings. Meanwbile in the jump-off, Macdonald cleared 42 feet - seven more tban the sec- ond-place finisher. "TMe jump is made out of flberglass and Multons Paul Macdonald la a top contender on the gets even more slippery than the water. North Amercean barefoot water-skiing circuit. He won a eses BAREFOOT on page 25 major avent last weekend in Florida. By STEVE LeBLANC The Champion Stephen Willson likes to get a littie medieval when it cornes to beating his opponients. Not in an overly aggressive or punishing manner mind you, but with flair and finesse tbrough the age-old art of fencing. Laat summer the 29-year-old Miltonian retumned to the sport - wbicb dates back to 1200 BC but waa refined and popular- ized in the Middle Ages - and bas already regained a lot of the ground be Iost from a three-year hiatus. During that time he Iived in Nova Scotia and didn't have access to training facilities. "Many of the guys I used to compete against were at tbe top of the provincial and national rankings so when 1 came back to Ontario I wanted to prove to myseif that I could compete witb the best of them," said Willson, wbo practices bis craft ini Mississauga under the tutelage of former Poliah National Team member J.M. Zakrzewski. And what better way to sharpen those skills tban at Le Grand Duel, one of the World Cup Series events beld every spring in Montreal. Milton's swordsman recently took part in tbe intemnational sbowcase and despite flot winning any of bis six matcbes, came away witb a feeling of victory. He explained, "I really pusbed aIl of my opponents. Tbey had to work bard for the wins. My coacb was extremely pleased witb my resuits, especially since I've only been back about a year. "Next year the goal is to place top 64 and advance to direct eliminations." Among opponenta bie took to tbe limit were a couple of towering competitors from Germany - wbo seem to breed some of the talleat and most talented fencers in the world. "I guess over there, instead of playing basketball these guys go into fencing. But then the sport is s0 mucb bigger over in Europe than it is bere," said tbe local fencer, wbo's hoping to organize a sum- mer competition at the Farmn Museum, wbere lie works. Willson competes in the Men's Epee class, wbicb uses tbe longeat weapons and wbere - unlike in otber divisions - eacb and every body part is a target. He said bis belmet can get quite dented and tbougb participants wear protective gear and bave safety tipa on their weapons, bruises from bits are commoniplace. Willsoir's induction into fencing came 10 years ago at Brock University, wbere e ee EDGE on page 24