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Oakville speed skaters Ryan, Sean McAnuff help organize sport in Ireland What does it take to compete at an elite level in a sport where wins and losses are determined in less time than it takes to blink an eye? Jf Years of training, hard work and dedication and, for Sean and Ryan McAnuff, giving back to the sport that has given them so much. (/) Short track speed skating has always been a family affair for Oakville' s McAnuff family. It began when Sean and Ryan' s older brother Patrick want ed to try the sport after watching it on television during the 2002 Winter Olympics. Patrick eventually moved on (as did their other brother Connor), but Ryan, 22, and Sean, 20, kept at it, and 15 years later the Oakville brothers are now competing at an elite level. o Oakville Speed Skating Club race coach Matt O'Donnell never had any doubt the Oakville Trafalgar High School graduates would make it to this level. "We see many young skaters who are athletic and capable, but few have the commitment and competitive spirit of Ryan and Sean. They have done well at competitions outside of the province ever since they were young." He referred to the North American Championships in 2007, where Ryan finished second in the 333-metre race and Sean finished in the top three overall in his age category against the best skaters from across Canada and the United States. "Over the years they have put in a lot of work and continu ally improved to the point where they are now competitive on the international stage," added O'Donnell. Competing and excelling at an international level while studying at university full-time and running a successful his family wanted to help start speed skating in Ireland. "Ireland had figure skating for many years (at the World level)," he said. "Our dad worked with the ISAI and is now on (its) technical committee. He helped plan out things like age groups and distances. Sean and I worked on filming onand off-ice speed skating workouts and drills for Ireland to use to teach." They travelled to Blanchardstown, Ireland in December 2014, and ran Ireland' s first short track speed skating train ing camp. "Since then we've run another camp (and are planning more) and have been working to bring more attention to speed skating in Ireland through social media and other out lets," said Ryan. Last year the ISAI was officially granted provisional In ternational Skating Union (ISU) membership for speed skating and Sean and Ryan were invited to join the na tional short track speed skating team. In 2016, both skaters competed in Salt Lake City, Utah to qualify for the World Cup. They raced at the Calgary World Cup, Gangneung, South Korea World Cup, the European championships, junior worlds and world championships, and finished the season at the American Cup in Midland, Mich., where Ryan won gold and Sean placed 13th. The inaugural journey was stellar for both. With the speed skating season approaching, they expect even better results as the brothers continue to train and give back. Both could potentially be skating in the 2018 Winter Olympics. Their advice to anyone wanting to follow in their foot steps? There are only 24 hours in a day. Use them wisely. Ryan (left) and Sean McAnuff of Oakville can take some credit for the growth of speed skating in Oakville and Ireland.j photo courtesy ISU Speedskating personal training business wasn't enough for the two broth ers, which is how Ireland came to have a national short track speed skating team. The brothers, dual citizens of Canada and Ireland, along with their dad, contacted the Ice Skating Association of Ire land over the past few years. Ryan, who was recently accepted into medical school, said Halton Field Hockey Club, one o f largest in province, hopes to add boys' program By Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver staff With 400 members, the Halton Field Hockey Club is one of the largest in the province. It offers opportunities for house league, recreational and rep players and its members range in age from six to 60. But the club' s president says there is a glaring omission from the programs it offers and she hopes to change that. "I know hockey, baseball, la crosse and soccer reign supreme," says Sara Restani, "but in a region of 500,000 people, there have to be some boys that are willing to play." Restani hopes to remedy that by starting an under-12 boys program. She hopes to run clinics and gener ate some interest among male play ers. Restani said under-12 programs are typically co-ed and then split into single-gender teams afterward. While field hockey is popu lar among men in Europe, Asia and Australia, it hasn't caught on much in North America. While the NCAA and Canadian universities have women' s field hockey teams, neither offers the sport for men. At the recent national champion ships, Halton had 20 female play ers on various provincial teams in various age groups, but not a single male player on an Ontario team. In fact, there was only one male player (from Guelph) on the men' s provincial teams from west of Mis sissauga. "I think there' s a perception that it' s a girls' sport," Restani said, "but our men play in the Olympics, the World Cup, the Pan Am Games. A player can definitely shine. There are a lot of opportunities to reach a high level of play." The Halton Field Hockey Club currently has five male players. "They come to us mostly as sib lings," she said. "The girls come to practice and a brother will come out and pick up a stick and hit around." Restani said one of the club' s house league coaches is an Ap pleby College student who moved from the U.K. "They'll see him stickhandling and ask, `Where did he learn that?'" she said. "He' s been playing his whole life." Restani said field hockey is a fast, strategic, physical game that combines the spatial awareness and passing of soccer and the stick skills of hockey and lacrosse. "There might be some guys who love playing with lacrosse or hockey sticks, but maybe they can't skate or their footwork isn't great. If they want something different, this is the one," she said. "It' s a fitness-heavy sport that' s incred ible for increased cardio and en durance. There are long runs but there are also sprints, and it doesn't stop." LeaseBusters.com is the largest vehicle lease marketplace in Canada. We'll unlock you from your vehicle lease commitment... save time, early termination fees and penalties. Call now for a free consultation 1-888-357-2678 or visit us at www.LeaseBusters.com O A K V ILLE S O C C E R C LU B W eek E le ve n Photo C o n te st W inner: Photographer: Yi Zeng 1 EASE USTERS .COM Team: BU11 B5 White Factory Tile Depot Sponsored by: O akville Beaver A Proud Sponsor of Oakville Soccer Club