News

• The Guelph Gargoyles will be holding their first official indoor practice session for 2010 on Sunday March 28^th.  The Guelph Community Sports Dome has been booked for 10:30am – 11:30am and will be followed by some general fitness work outdoors for 30 minutes after the indoor session.  Current players, new and potential players are encouraged to attend the session.  The dome is located at 375 College Ave West in Guelph.  Cost is $10, please bring your running shoes and water to drink (no Gatorade or cordial).

• April 10^th sees the club holding it’s first ever introduction to football day.  This takes place at Johnson Green on the University of Guelph Campus (corner College & Gordon Streets) from 11:00am – 1:00pm.  All interested parties are encouraged to attend and learn what Australian Football is all about.  The day will consist of learning the basic skills of the game like kicking & handballing, position descriptions & basic rules.  This will be followed by a friendly game between 2 teams made up of the attendees.  Current players will be working one on one with the newbies to develop their skills.  The day is 100% free to everyone and all are welcome – kids, guys and girls.  Just bring some running shoes or soccer cleats if you have them and a water bottle.

March 6^th saw the Guelph Gargoyles hold their annual general meeting to elect the clubs officers for 2010.  A very successful meeting detailing what the club is doing for the 2010 season and beyond.  The clubs officers for 2010 are:

President:                     Aaron Fanning

Vice President:              James Twiss

Treasurer:                    Ben Steinbacher

Secretary:                    Gordon Munro

Head Coach:                 Chris Cunning

Directors:                     Matt Bannon/Jeff Borysiewicz

Team Manager:             Paula Kuipery

Recruitment Director:     Zack MacDonald

Grounds Director:          Travis Doyle

IT Officers:                  Loi VanLeeuwen/Ed Williams/Dave Maurer

Social/Fundraising:        Carl O’Brien

Some new talent in the mix and spreading the workload around a bit should see the team flourish this season.

The Guelph Gargoyles will be holding their annual general meeting on March 6th, 2010 @ 12:00pm.  The location for this year is the Fat Duck pub located at 210 Kortright Rd W in Guelph.  All members and potentials for 2010 are requested to attend.  The agenda has been emailed to all current team members and those showing interest in the upcoming season.  Contact us if you did not receive it and would like to attend.

The club has been very busy during the off season with recruitment, planning and growth initiatives so come out and see what the 2010 season has in place for you.

RSVP to aaronfanning@hotmail.com

The OAFL has released the 2010 schedule.  Some of the main points in this years schedule:  There may be some minor tweaks to this schedule pending field availabilities.

(i)All 10 teams in the league play a 14 game regular season.

(ii)Round 1 on May 8th sees the Gargoyles playing host to the Ottawa Swans for a 3:00pm start.

(iii)Guelph will be hosting a double header weekend on August 21st (Round 13) where 2 games will played back to back.  Guelph V Broadview & Etobicoke V Hamilton

(iv)Final regular season round is August 28th followed by the finals series beginning September 11th.

(v)Check the game schedule or calendar for full details.

In what is becoming an annual event the 2009 Guelph Gargoyles Team will be heading to Blue Mountain, Ontario to close out the playing season and put plans together for 2010.  February 26-28 has been set as the dates.  A chalet on the mountain is set to be the venue for some crazy antics, plenty of liquid to keep the players hydrated and some quality food prepared by the Gargoyles team chefs.

Skiers/Boarders are catered for with a short walk to the ski lifts.  Those that just want to wear off the haze from the night before can lounge in front of the fireplace and dream about the switch 1080 they would be perfecting if they weren’t hung over.

As was the deal last year the price will remain at $150/person and includes the Chalet for Friday & Saturday, breakfast on Saturday and Sunday as well as a gourmet meal on Saturday night.  Captain keg will be in attendance courtesy of the master brewers at Wellington’s.

A recap of the 2009 trip sees that Ed Williams has been instructed to leave his credit card at home after he almost single handedly solved Intrawest’s debt problems with his Jagerbomb bill.  Cameron Grant has promised to make it to the bar on Saturday night and not fall asleep half way through getting dressed at 9pm.  The president has made the call that he will complete more than 2 runs down the hill this year before collapsing in a heap in a hotel foyer he’s not staying in.  Greg Logel has been told to SLOW down through the kids zone on the mountain as a completely out of control boarder he almost killed some grommets last year.  Jeff Borysiewicz has been limited to 2 bottles of Jagermeister for the weekend as his alter ego just aint pretty.  Coach Lingus has advised that he will still be the largest man you’ve ever seen on skis, his parabolic’s are 210cm for Christ’s sake.  He’s also got a special order in for some gloves that have sufficient fabric to cover his larger than life hands.  James Twiss has been attending Shift Fitness sessions all of January and practicing his fence jumping technique, he simply doesn’t want to miss out on a hot tub session again!  Matt “Coppa” Newark & Loi “Money Pit” Van Leeuwen have been instructed to stay out of the sauna together as that is just “weird” guys.  Adam Millen, Travis Doyle, Matt Bannon & Jason Fox will also be attendance to keep the rest of the group sane. God only knows what new attendees Neil “Narna” LaFontaine, Mike Touhey, Carl “O.B.” O’Brien & Alex “Abs” Filipowicz have in store for us.  Watch this space for a full report with photos in early March.

Everyone involved with the Gargoyles is urged to get out to the winter fitness training at The SHIFT Fitness Facility. 

We know what this training did for everyone last year and it is an amazing way to get "footy fit" before the season begins. It is Monday nights at 8pm but be there 15 mins early. If you have any questions, contact me at chcunning@sympatico.ca or check out the SHIFT site.

www.theshift.ca 

Coach Lingus

November 21^st saw the Guelph Gargoyles hold their annual awards presentation day.  2009 had been a somewhat trying year for the club with plenty of promise on paper but failure to translate that into wins when required.  Injuries and player availability really creating havoc in the team lineup most weeks.  The Gargoyles will be intensely focused on fielding a competitive team for the 2010 season with renewed enthusiasm and an infusion of new talent into the lineup.

Some team members started their fitness regime early in 2009 beginning weekly 5km runs in January and also attending a series of fitness sessions at a new athlete-training center in Guelph called The Shift.  These sessions saw players improve their conditioning in leaps and bounds.  The vote count for this year proved that these players had indeed put their hands up for the teams’ awards.

In one of the closest counts in years it was the Kalgoorlie Kid himself, Travis Doyle beating out Matt Bannon by one (1) vote to take out the teams Danny Pellin Best & Fairest Player award.   Daniel Murray got out to an early lead in the first five rounds but both Matt & Travis then traded the lead for the final 9 rounds with Travis holding off a late challenge by Matt to take the title.  Back line players featured heavily in the points this year with Bannon proving his commitment and lead by example style of play as team captain can match it with the guys kicking goals the other end of the field.  Travis Doyle who had rotated through the ruck position and half forward line all season really making his mark on the team this year.  Congratulations Travis.

Most Improved Player went to James Twiss another of the Shift Fitness and weekly 5km runners.   The award for Best Defensive player was handed to Jason Fox for the second year in a row.  Fox also had a cameo in the forward line this year during a couple of games and bagged himself a few goals so must be happy with his performance.

The 2009 Rookie of the Year was awarded to Andrew Pilkington who also took out the award for the best rookie in the Ontario Australian Football League at the leagues annual presentation night in September.  Congratulations Pilks!

Gargoyles Heart award went to Matt Bannon who led by example all year displaying the qualities that the team prides itself upon.  Getting to the ball first, putting his body on the line all day and never, ever throwing in the towel.  Matt would never admit this but he was given probably his biggest compliment of the year by the best full forward in the competition who personally told him he was his best competition the whole year.  Speaks volumes of Matt’s talent and tenacity.

The teams leading goal kicker is yet to be clarified by the league, as the count looks very close.

tThe Guelph Gargoyles need players for the upcoming footy season. We are looking for men, ladies and junior players, experienced footy players or not. It doesn't matter, as long as you want to have fun, get fit, and learn a new, exciting sport that is sweeping the country by storm.

 If you are under the age of 16, it is a good chance to help out with the club in many different ways while learning the sport of Australian Rules Football and possibly earning volunteer hours in the best way possible: through sports! You also have the opportunity to get noticed by our national junior team, the Wolfpack, and earn a chance to travel and represent Canada.

Ladies can be involved in the start-up womens league and can play something other than soccer or ultimate frisbee while still competing at a high level of play. You also can earn the chance to represent Canada at the US Nationals, held every year in the States. Making new friends, expanding your social circle and having a great time are just some of the side effects of playing footy!!!

Over the age of 16 means you can compete in the illustrious Ontario Australian Football League and gives you a chance at winning the coveted "Conacher Cup" as a Gargoyle. This trophy has been around for over 20 years and is waiting for your name to be inscribed on it! If you have a knack for Aussie Rules, you can try out for the Northwind, Canada's National Senior Team, and possibly travel to Australia in 2011 as the team battles for the International Cup.

The opportunities offered by being involved with footy are endless and the friends you make will last for a lifetime.  Why don't you give Aussie Rules a try? You won't be disappointed!!!