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The Canadian Champion, Friday, October 3, 2008 - A21 SPORTS EDITOR: STEVE LeBLANC e-mail sleblanc@amiltoncanadianchampîofl.com t ~HARD-HITTING ACTION: Dave Parent %MW of Georgetown scram- k bles out of his #31 car as "'~- ~ a track off iciai extnguish- es a smal fire under the hood after he was hit by Gerge Nisbett of - 7î1 ~Campbellville -driving the #05 Moffatt Scrap -M'km.Iron-sponsored car (rght) n the Minismash event of Sunday's fail fair 7ûj demolition derby. Nisbett went on to wîn the event. Miltons Steve Gervais won the FS Street Stock event Sunday, while Campbellville's Meredith Mayhew was f irst in ast Friday's Midsize Street Stock and iared Tozer of Milton won Saturday's four-cylinder consolation. . . .. . .For more photos of the derby, see a slideshow at wwwmiltoncanadian- - - .*.champion.com. GRAHAM PAINE CANAIDIAN CHAMPION Nelson and 'Taz make championship combo Duo cap stellar season with provincial jumper tîtie By Steve LeBlanc CANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF lulie Van Wieren vividly recalis ber first jfew encounters witb Maddie Nelson, alhre impression instantly formed from tbem. "Sbe was just so gutsy, even back then," said coach Van Wieren of a tben nine-year-old aspiring equestrian. "Sbe was so small but would get on anytbing you asked ber to." Jump abead about a year and Nelson was set to begmn another meaningful relationship, one sbe looks back on witb equal clarity. "He was wil.... crazy actually," she said. Tbat radier blunt characterization refers to trusty mount Razmataz, a tborougbbred appendix that the Nelson family - specifical- ly mother Liz - rescued from an abusive situ- ation in nearby Hamilton. The result of an unplanned and undesired siring, with pops breaking througb a fence to get to a mare, the now i 2-year-old grey colt was little more than a cast-off field horse when the Nelsons took ber under tbeir wing. Fearless young rider, meet untamed horse. To bear those closest to tbem tell it, Maddie and Razmataz's partnership could almost be considered destiny But for the duo to secure Grand Cbampion bonours in just tbeir second season on the Ontario Trillium CbildlAdult Jumper circuit - well nobody would bave predicted that. At least not witbout baving their sanity called into question. "Wben we first got bim he couldn't jump a stick," explained Liz, wbo appropriately named the family horse after the Tazmanian Dcvii due to his wild side. Razmataz is jumping a lot bigger obstacles than that now, with he and 16-year-old Maddie having recently punctuated a stellar season with top spot at the provincial cham- pionsbip finals at Paîgraves Caledon Equestrian Park. Far from favourites to finish first, the pair delivered three clear rounds and won two out of the three classes to reign supreme - beat- rng out 45 other entries, many with a lot more experience. "It was awesome to win it," said the tri- umpbant rider, a Grade Il student at Bisbop Reding wbo trains and works weekends at the nearby Vanbrook Equestrian Farm. "We got a standing ovation from the crowd, whicb was great." 0f course Razmataz's transformation from run-of-the-mill field horse to equestrian * se TAZS on page A22 GRAHAM PAINE / CANADIAN CHAMPION DYNAMIC DUO: Maddie Nelson is al smiles snce she and Razmataz claimed the provincial championship. 7-r PM MXADE'RK~ - KITCHE Readng '5riing NSth 5 ffing ramr ' Str hiUoo ells , -wniî k sppr S-c98 LitiluRc.idcrý Aaumy ( 'ii'c, i-i vu e.i~ uuu MuS' luur.EARNING) Milton 905.693-9978 www.oxfordlearning.com Skilifor 5 cess essons for Lfe