D2 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, April 26,2000 Photo by Peter C. McCusker While the public and media tend to take increasing interest the clos er an Olympics get, the Olympic hopefuls, themselves, begin their long and arduous training long in advance. For instance, Nathan Cowan's Olympic training had already begun on a cold fall day in late October, 1998 on Lake Ontario where this file photo was taken. ~ "1W '«·». ffllMyfllP*-- * y -a w w e w ,,· ' Mil -- -U .. I J Diaiy of an Olympic hopeful Ed. note: Oakville Trafalgar High School graduate NATHAN COWAN is in the midst of a lengthy and arduous journey to qualify for the Sydney Olympics. Years of sacrifice, training and preparation will culminate in May as Cowan and other Olympic hopefuls compete at Canada's Olympic trials. Only one spot in the Laser class is available. Cowan has many local supporters and he regularly keeps in touch with them, via e-mail. Here are his latest updates ... Beginning in December o f 1999, I once again took some time away from my Engineering studies (at Queen' s University) to train fo r the Olympic Games. After a fall o f practicing in Kingston, the site o f the Olympic selections, Ifelt that 1 was comfortable in that location and that I would feel confident returning there fo r the Olympic selections. In December 1 travelled to Florida where I would spend the next three months. I competed in 4 regattas down there. The highlight came, however, when 1 placed 2nd o f 105 competitors at the MidWmter' s East champi onships. This being an Olympic year and the laser being an (See 'Cowan' page D3) Students aiming for nationals in Moncton Students of Oakville-based Bronte Tae Kwon Do have big plans to start off their summer in the M aritimes -- but it's no vacation. About 30 students have a common goal to head to M oncton, New Brunswick shortly after the final bell tolls on the school year. There, they will not only compete in the Canadian junior national cham pionships (scheduled for July 1st), but they'll also gain invaluable experience by training in a summer camp under M aster Chung, the c lu b 's m aster instructor with a 7th Dan black belt. In preparation for the M oncton trip these youth have been hard at work, under the w atchful o f Bill Pallo, owner/instructor o f Bronte Tae Kwon Do, training and perfecting their, pat terns and sparring techniques. "Not only does this sport teach the art of self defence, it also teaches the children respect, self control and self discipline which they will carry with them for the rest o f their lives," said Karen Ahearn, who has tw o sons going and is helping to organize the trip. "Many of these fine athletes over the past year have earned numerous medals and awards for their outstand ing abilities in this sport. We believe Grade 11 Oakville Trafalgar student Janice McGann has made Canada's national U-17 soccer squad. McGann makes national team Janice M cG ann, a 17-year-old Grade 11 student at Oakville Trafalgar H igh School, has made C anada's national U-17 soccer team. M cGann, who suits up for the Burlington Impact rep soccer team, is one of four players from the Ontario U-17 team chosen to play for the 21member national squad. She joined the provincial team ear lier this year for an exhibition series in M exico, including a game against their national wom en's squad. In the opening game against Mexican oppo sition, McGann earned a game MVP honour. She will join the other members of the national team for a training session in Vancouver in early May. Photo by Ron Kuzyk Bill Pallo (foreground) aims to take a huge contingent to the nationals. BACK ROW: Chris Ahearn, B J . Meakings, Morgan Evershed, Alex Pallo, Chelsea Plunkett, Martina Prpa and Amie Pazzo. MIDDLE ROW: Nick Daymond, Michael Ahearn, Tom Daymond, Dave Larsen, Aysun Yumerof, Duriya Kose, Aylin Yumerof and Mirijana Radujko BOTTOM ROW: Derek Kane, Michael Tanner, Simon Bailey, Marko Prpa, Destiney Chrysler, Leanne Larsen, Michelle Hunter and Ben Dehooge. that his will be a superb opportunity as well as a valuable, once-in-a-lifetime education for these young athletes." To ease the strain on the families of these athletes, fundraising is under way with the hope of raising $10,000. To help these athletes, phone Karen Aheam at 825-4096 or Bill Pallo at 825-8887. Attention span-a lasting improvement ' Techniques available to help ADD people By Linda M. T hom pson, Ph.D. ADVERTORIAL The ability to concentrate is poor in Attention Deficit Disorder, a condition which may even affect some quite gifted students. Concentration is also adversely affected in students with specific learning weaknesses, tense or anxious students who have special problems such as mild closed head injuries, seizure disorders and Tourette's Syndrome. All o f these students can benefit form a combination of Neurofeedback, Biofeedback and Metacognition. In N eurofeedback, inform ation about brain w aves using the EEG (electroencephalograph) allows regulation o f different frequencies. This brings various aspects o f m ental functioning, including con centration, under self-control. With Biofeedback, self regulation of muscle tension, respiration, pulse, peripheral temperature and skin conduction leads to the attainment of a relaxed, yet alert and calm, mind/body state. M etacognition involves monitoring your own thinking process, which leads to efficient learning and improved organi zation. This combination works because the student is efficiently practicing holding a desired mental state. Every time we learn, t · we alter brain blood flow, chemistry, and connections. In EEG biofeedback, the speed and efficiency of learning is aided by the fact that the feedback comes to the student faster than he/she can move to their next thought. Perhaps these procedures are not as » A ttention span is sh o rt well known as they should be because · Difficulty organizing & com pleting w ork they involve (1.) extensive post-doctoral Neuro feedback a n d learning str a te g ie s can · training and (2.) expensive sophisticated p ro vid e a la stin g im provem en t. equipment that only became available for D irecto r: Lynda M. T h o m p so n , P h .D ., office practice in the 1990's. The tech Co-author with Pediatrician William Sears niques, however, have been researched at o f The A J )J ). Book; N ew U nderstandings, university centres for more than 25 years. N ew Approaches to P arenting Your Child. 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