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kkep3h3nbrnbve13bei0alqhi gritty performance andrea crothers may well have caused a new sports cliche to be concocted from an existing one after her gritty performance in wednesdays york region midget girls basketball championship at stouffville district secondary school for it was andreas display of raw sinew and sheer determination under the most trying conditions that saw her experience both the thrill as well as the agony of victo ry while most assuredly pulling her sdss spartans squad out of the jaws of defeat andreas athletic prowess has never been in question if this was simply another story about a gifted young sportswoman who scored 19 points to lead her sdss basketball team to a one point overtime triumph over rich mond hill high school in the regional finals it would appear in the sports page sure the bloodlines are there andreas father york region board of education school trustee bill crothers ran to a silver medal for canada in the 1964 olympic games in tokyo andrea was 10th in the province as a first year midget in the 400 metre run at last springs all- ontario high school track and field finals in sudbury and she was named her schools outstanding junior female athlete of the year for 199091 with a bril liant high school athletic career still in front of her but the performance given wednesday by the soft spoken retiring 15 year old was unlike any thing i have seen in my four years of pursuing small town sports achievement and excellence playing with a flu induced fever valhalla inn has christmas tree gallery the valhalla inn presents the 21st annual gallery of christmas trees around the pool at the valhal la inn toronto the gallery was an instant suc cess 21 years ago today this tradi tion is celebrated at the valhalla inns in toronto kitchener thun der bay and markham the annual event enlists the aid of representatives of ethnic groups trade delegations and consulates by inviting them to decorate a fir tree in the tradition of their home land the markham valhalla will fea ture the display from friday dec 6 to jan 1 there is no admission charge to the gallery and a booklet outlining the christmas customs of 15 coun- tries is available at no cost as well as free parking groups by appoint ment only for more info please call debo rah smith at 2392391 do you need advice on personal bankruptcy personal bankruptcy can be a trying experience but you dont have to face it alone to discuss your financial situation in confidence contact murray h kideckel trustee in bankruptcy 416 8822436 that would have grounded even the most hearty male or female athlete andrea spearheaded no less than five comeback drives by her team she raced from one end of the court to the other as her team kept falling behind she continued to drive herself beyond what she could realistically endure in front of what must have been the teary eyes of her father who was among the cheering crowd watching on the sidelines i really didnt know how to sum up my feelings when i saw andrea surrounded by her team mates after they had pulled the game out with a basket scored with just seconds left in the three minute overtime period the basket wasnt andreas for by that time she had finally burned out having given her last ounce of quickly diminishing strength as she tied the game with a free shot with only seconds remaining to be played in regulation time andrea fell to her knees as her screaming mates gathered around her the emotional impact of the moment along with the consuming pain she must have been feeling and the sound of the celebrating caused her to grip her head with both hands and the tears began to flow she let it all go and the strain showing through on her face said it all it was an absolutely unforgettable moment one ill always treasure although it will continue to send chills up and down my spine the thrill of this particular victo ry had surely been tempered by more agony than the average per son would ever care to endure someday if andrea should fulfill her goal to pick up where her father left off at the olympics i would imagine shell look back upon wednesdays championship perfor mance as proof that she can do any thing she ever sets her mind towards in the sports arena but even if she never achieves in the international athletic scene andrea crothers has proved to her self a school full of admiring onlookers and an awestruck jour nalist that she is truly made of the sternest stuffv because in sport as in life theres alot more to being a cham pion than just winning and losing country pets is pleased to announce a super one week sale sat nov 23 nov 30 check us out at heritage plaza 16rhavehwy48 markham 4714037 outstanding auction sunday november 24th at 1 pm markham firefighters club 44 esna park drive east off woodbine ave 3 stoplights north of steeles our hnauali of th dining bedroom sets from the1920s 30s brand new sofas jove seats wing chairs in chippendale queen anne styles 5 artworks oilpaintings limited edition 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