December Snapshots: A roundup of local athletes’ action

–By Ottawa Sportspage

Campaign begins to fund massive OTLBC clubhouse improvement plans

The Ottawa Tennis and Lawn Bowling Club officially launched the largest fundraising campaign in club history on Nov. 30 with an event at Trinity Anglican Church. Plans for the $2.6 million clubhouse restoration call for improvements to the building’s structure, insulation, wiring and plumbing, restoration of original building elements, and upgrades to the café, member-services areas and change rooms, and to make it a 4-season operation. The campaign will be funded through individual donations, sponsorships, partnerships, grants and loans. For more details, see: www.otlbc.com/about-the-club/donate

Quick exit for Ottawa boxer at Worlds debut

Competing in the 81 kg category, Marija Curran of the Beaver Boxing Club drew the eventual champion in her first bout and fell in her lone match at the Nov. 15-24 Elite Women’s World Boxing Championships in India. One of just 6 Canadians to qualify for the competition, it was the 31-year-old federal government employee’s first worlds appearance.

uOttawa swim grad kicks off international pentathlon career

University of Ottawa Gee-Gees varsity swimming alum Robert Bonomo placed 22nd at the Pan American Championships in his first time representing Canada in international modern pentathlon competition. Fellow local product Garnett Stevens was 33rd at the Nov. 27 in Lima, Peru.

Track cyclist earns international gold, World Cup bronze & national record

Osgoode native Derek Gee earned an international cycling title in the men’s omnium event at a competition in Portugal. The 21-year-old’s victory came not long after helping Canada to a national record time and a World Cup bronze medal in the men’s team pursuit on Dec. 1 in Germany. Ottawa Bicycle Club product Ariane Bonhomme also won a team pursuit bronze at the same World Cup on the women’s side.

Fencing medals abound for Ottawa products

Ottawa native Kelleigh Ryan has moved into the top-25 of the women’s foil world fencing rankings thanks to several recent strong performances, including an October Satellite World Cup win in Denmark. Fellow Ottawa fencer John Wright also won a Satellite event in Costa Rica for men’s epee. Back on home soil, fourteen-year-old Ottawa fencers Sascha Vasiliev and Joel Gervais were gold and bronze medallists at the Under-17 Eastern Canadian Championships.

First-round defeat for judoka at Judo Worlds

Ottawa judoka Ben Kendrick faced the eventual champion in his first match at the Oct. 17-21 Judo Junior World Championships in Bahamas, falling to an opponent from Georgia. The Louis-Riel high school student was previously the bronze medallist at the 2017 Cadet World Championships.

Ottawa diver earns Grand Prix silver

Competing alongside world junior-champion partner Victor Povzner, Ottawa’s Henry McKay earned a silver medal in the men’s 3-metre synchro event at a November FINA Grand Prix event in Australia. “We didn’t dive as best we could,” the Nepean-Ottawa Diving Club product said in a Diving Canada news release. “But it was still a solid performance for our first Grand Prix and going into next year’s world championships.”

Ringette Nationals and provincial Indigenous Games coming to Ottawa

Ottawa landed several championship sports events in November, with the 2021 Ontario Indigenous Summer Games and the 2021 and 2023 Masters Indigenous Games set to come to town, as well as the 2020 Canadian Ringette Championships. It’s been an uncharacteristically slow start for the local National Ringette League teams, with Gatineau (5-5-1) and Ottawa (3-6-1) in 3rd and 5th respectively in their division standings.