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Kornya caps breakthrough year with Whistler Cup win By Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver staff 21 | Friday, April 18, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Will Kornya reached the bottom of the hill feeling pretty good about his run until he saw the time. "Oh, that's not good," he thought to himself. Kornya turned in a time of 47.29 seconds to take the lead after the first run of the under-14 slalom at the Whistler Cup last week. But the snow had softened for the second run leaving ruts around the gates. "It was a bit of fight in a couple spots," Kornya said. "I wondered if I was going to make it through." Even if it hadn't been quite as smooth, Kornya wasn't prepared for his time of 51.91. He felt much better after realizing the skiers before him had similar experiences. In fact, Kornya's time would again top the field by more than threetenths of a second. His combined time of 1:39.20 gave him a comfortable 1.32-second victory over Japan's Kei Koyama. The victory earned Kornya the Dave Murray Award as the top Canadian performer in the division. You'll have to forgive Kornya if he didn't know much about the award's namesake. "I know he was good," the 13-yearold said. "They named a hill after him and that's not something they do that for just anyone." Murray, a member of the Crazy Canucks, competed in his last World Cup race 20 years before Kornya strapped on skis for the first time at the age of two. The Grade 8 student at Hillfield Strathallan College competed in club championships at the Georgian Peaks Ski Club before branching out to race against other clubs around the age of seven. He had a breakthrough this season after attending some ski camps. He's always loved going fast but he realized that going fast wasn't always the way to get down the course the quickest. "I used to be very wild and very inconsistent," Kornya said. "I never knew Oakville's Will Kornya makes his way around a gate at the Whistler Cup. He posted the best time in both runs to win the under-14 slalom and claim the Dave Murray Award. | photo by Scott Brammer -- Coastphoto.com whether I was going to make it down (the hill) or knock out a panel." The result of adding a little more control was winning the provincial title, which qualified him for the Whistler Cup. The event was his first against international competition. A day after a fifth-place finish in the dual slalom, he admitted feeling a bit nervous before the slalom, but he "just decided to go for it." The result was the best run of the day. Later that day, he again had the quickest time on second run, leaving no doubt as to who was the fastest. Adaptive snowboard competition opens world of possibilities for Clough By Jon Kuiperij Oakville Beaver sports editor Even when he was at a competitive disadvantage, Spencer Clough always held his own against other snowboarders. Now that he's exclusively racing against fellow adaptive athletes, the 17-year-old St. Thomas Aquinas high school student is quickly realizing the sport might provide him with much more than an occasional medal. It may even take him to the Paralympics. Clough, who suffers from myoclonus dystonia, finished third in the adaptive open men's division at last week's United States of America Snowboard Association national championships. Competing as an adaptive athlete, something that his mother Kelly Yerxa didn't even know was an option in snowboarding until a couple of years ago, has opened Clough's eyes to his potential. Prior to his diagnosis in 2009, Clough took on all comers in the Ontario Snowboard Series. He reached the podium a couple of times in spite of his neurological disorder that limits his movement, distorts his balance and inhibits his muscle development. The condition also causes involuntary muscle contractions in Clough's arms, neck and trunk. "His body works against him. When you take turns, you're supposed to be down quite low, bent at the knees and crouching," said Yerxa. "His body wants to pull him back. He's actually working twice as hard to do anything because his upper body will counter what his lower body is doing." Since moving to the adaptive division in 2012, the 5-foot-10, 125-pound Clough has flourished competitively. He was the first-ever snowboarder to race in the adaptive division at the Ontario championships and has since won multiple events on the provincial series. cerebral palsy, someone who "I find it's better, really," had muscular dystrophy and said Clough, whose coach, a number of U.S. military vetHans Schroeder of Milton erans who are para athletes Heights Racing Club, was now because they are missing instrumental in his switch limbs," said Yerxa. to adaptive competition. "There has got to be other "I feel I can more relate to kids who would still like to these kinds of people." be involved in activities who People like John Leslie, don't know they can do this an Ottawa athlete who sort of thing, especially in represented Canada when snowboarding. I think people para-snowboarding made know about wheelchair basits Paralympic debut last ketball and sledge hockey, but month in Sochi. Though as far as snowboarding goes, I this year's Paralympic don't think people are aware competition was strictly of it." for lower limb-classed The sport is also therapeuathletes, such as belowtic for Clough, whose dystothe-waist amputees, the nia puts him at increased risk International Paralympic for developing depression and Committee is believed to other psychological condibe considering expanding tions. He participates in other its classifications before sports such as mountain bikthe 2018 Games. St. Thomas Aquinas student Spencer Clough shows off ing, rugby and cross-country "After meeting (John Leshis bronze medal from the United States of America running, but he is happiest lie), Spencer realized there Snowboard Association championships. atop his snowboard. could be more to this," Ye"(I love it) because of the | photo by Eric Riehl -- Oakville Beaver rxa said. "I think he's got a speed and the adrenalin bit of a mentor, and he realizes there may be some rush," Clough said. other opportunities. (Paralympics) have been Spen"A lot of his symptoms, like his shakiness, seem cer's goal for a couple of years." to abate when he is snowboarding. Maybe because Even if the dream of competing at the Paralympics he's focusing so much on snowboarding and his never comes true, Clough and his family can take brain can only do so much at one time, I don't solace in simply raising the profile of adaptive snow- know. I'm no expert," his mother added. boarding. "We realized he was just so happy doing it. We "There has to be other kids like Spencer out there. don't push him. If he wants to quit, he can quit. We He competed at U.S. nationals against a kid who had just facilitate. We're his sponsor." Continued from pg. 20 Senior Hornets `dig deep' to win second straight OWHA title McConnell had gone into the tournament hoping to make quarter-finals. With only four returning skaters -- McConnell, Trisha Kosak, Melissa Oliver and Lisa Crooker -- from last year's AA champions, the Hornets dropped to the A ranks this season. But after blanking Ottawa 2-0, she began to think another gold was possible. Oakville advanced to the gold-medal game with a 1-0 win over the Aurora Panthers, with Patricia MacDonald recording the second of three straight shutouts. "She stood on her head for us," McConnell said. "We're not the highest scoring team. We're a team where everybody just goes to the net with their stick down. She really came through for us." And when the Hornets pulled out another 1-0 victory in the final, they had a second straight gold medal. "Everyone was able to dig down deep to get us that win," McConnell said.