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14-The Canadian Champion, Fruday, September 7, 2001 MILTON <ME WPC INDUAN&CANDA CUISINE SPECIAL FEAURE DALPURI ROTI with Chîcken, Beef, Goat or Vegetables ALL DAY BREAKFAST Seafood Omiette Specialty made with crab, shrimp & vegetables BINE-IN OR TAKE*OUT CATERINO SERVICE FOR HOME & OFFICE PARTIES (InedySaI*4% Doons 276 Main St. 878-4171 b c(, JOIN us ON THE PATIO THI WEEKEND 189 Mill Street * 678-6680 LIVE ENTERTAINMENT WEDNESDAY Featuring Scott Cameron-Smith @ 9 pm 150 Wlngs 017 Tbursdays 37 MANSRE ATà 0 7-801 oin si our I. Smok Fre dont i 'I *l'e OESF YSET1 201 Main St. E. 905-876-4899I dVIMilton's women-only triathlon growing by leaps and bounds By STEVE LeBLANC The Champion nly triathlons ready to blos- Y Y Som across the province, but their roots will always be firmnly entrenched in Milton. Initial planting was done seven years ago by Tina Braam - who wbile neyer intimni- dated by mixed-gender competitions ber- self, knew that many ladies were. Her braincbild - inspired by a longing for more women to become athletically active and, subsequently, gain more confi- dence - bas bren picking up steamn since its 1995 incepsion and dhi year expanded beyond the boundaries of its original stomping ground at Kelso Conservation Area. "This year diere was a (women-only) triadilon in Kincardine as well," said Ms Braamn. "And we've bren approachrd by some ladies wbo want to get anodier one startrd in dhiu communisy It would br great if we could eventually have a series. It's possible." Locally, Milton's women-only triathlon bas bren growing by leaps and bounds since its inaugural year. Panicipation bas incrrased nearly six-fold - from, 70 in 1995 tu just over 4010 during 2001 festivi- tirs dhis paît Sunday - and competition now includes two different distance triathlons plus a duadilon, for those who like te, avoid the water. The Labour Day weekend event bas even attracted major sponsors as of late. Acton's Twin Lab lent its financial support last year while taking over the honours this timte around was Weight Watcbers. Ms Braam bas bren a topfligbs triathîrte for many years now - regularly compet- ing as bodi national and world champi- onships - but srems to, get as much satis- Phot by GRAHAM PAINE The annuel womnen-only triathlon at Kelso 19 getting bigger every year. faction seeing novice competitors achieve dhiu goals as she dors ber own. "lt's great convincing diem tbat tbey can do it. lt's like die movie Field of Dreains. Build it and diey will comne." Ecboing those sentiments was co-organ- izer Sue Leeder - an avid triathîrse berself who jumped on board when the grassroos event was first bing conceived. Remnarked Ms Leeder, "1 got involved te, help get these women believing in them- selves, to create a venue where tbey're doing somnething." And it's neyer too late to get started, said Ms Leeder. 'We stili have plenty of women in their ffties and sixties. We didn't have anyone in their seventies this year, but we've always got a plaque ready just in case," she explained. "We've also got a lot of mothers and daughters who compete together, which is really great." Wbile the event focuses on participation radier than competition, it has bren the breedmng ground for many success stonies. "There's two women from Georgetown wbo really stand out for me," said Ms Braamn. "One did her first triathlon in Milton just tbree years ago and this sum- mer wens to the world championships. Another started at the same time and was recently top 15 overaîl in an ironman com- petition. "Sure these women were atbletically incline to stant, but they'd still neyer done a triathlon beforeThat's phenomenal." 0f course not every womnen's progress is quise 50 dramnatic, but being able to, meas- ure one's own improvemnent from yeae so yeae is - according to organizers - what keepa many coming back. Said Ms Braam, "Tram sports certainly have their place, but with individual events like this it's about you personally, wbat you'r e capable of. It's somnetbing to identi- fy yourself with. 1 tbink that's attractive to many womnen." And tbough tbere'll always be some womnen out shere wbo believe tbry're not capable of tackling athletic rndeavours like the triathlon, a momning spent watching friends or family members compete is often enough to convince tbemn otberwise. "Wr neyer pusb tbem. They end up real- izing on their own that tbey can do il," said Ms Leeder. Do you really have to go, honey? Tbere's no place like home. Unless your kids move nut. My youngess daugbter went off to scbool dhis week, selflsbly leaving ber fadier ail by bimself. You nry to raise kids proprrly and this is what diey do to you. It wasn't long ago, as least it dorîn't srem long ago, diat bodi of my daughters stanted kindergarten. Then tbey ssanted bigb school. Then tbey finished bigb scbool. AIl in a flash. Wbere did die time go? How is it possible for things to bappen diat quickly? I wasn't ready for my kids to move out. As far as I was concemred, shey could ssay at home forever. Wbat's the big hurry? It's not like wben I was a teenager. My parents couldn't wait for me to move out. In fact, diey pusbed me along so I would- nst dilly dally. I always diought dhi was the strangest dhing. I was die only one of my brodiers and sisters who wanted to stay as home. One joined die armny at 16, anodier went to Europe and anodier went teplay hockey as Qi a universisy ini the United Stati was as happy as cas be and sh me out die door and locked is lx Oddly, tbis will br the ftrst t life that I'1l br on my own. It' gesting used to. AIl of a suddet whatever I want, wbenever I wa That's a nie dhing to bave in in practice it's nos so great. It feel far less useful and meaningl diink back, I ftnd diat 1 didn' mucb driving the kids around, os early for scbool, or making 1' cleaning up dhie roomis, or bav kida around. I'd even go so far enjoyed tbem. I bave to retbink a lot of diings now, too. Food, for example. I've always bougbs die bags of milk, but now tbey'd just go bad. , Do diey seli half loaves of bread? Cas 1 nZ thbe order die dinner for one-haîf atth ins take-outs? loose Wben 1 go grocery shopping I have to ges used to diinking of just wbat I want, aldiougb 1 won't mmnd passing by the Melba toast or rice cakes. And I won't have es. Here, 1 to bide the really good treats anymore that ey pusbed I wanted for myself. hbind me. 1suppose cleaning will be rasier, ime in nîy althougb I losi my trump card. Wben my s nos easy daugbter wanted to use the carl1 used to be t, I cas do able to say, "Sure, after you cleas up the Mt. kitchen." tbeory, but Even television won't be the same. If one makes me of us wasn't home, we could sape our fuI. Wben 1 favourite shows for the odier. I bave neyer t mmnd 50 and likely neyer will bren able 10 figure gesting up out how so set die timer on the VCR. anches, or I'm nos the only one wbo will br suifer- 'isg lots of ing. The cas likes bos: daughters benter as tosayî 1 *eamONE DAY on pagel18