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VOLUME 2 NO. 1 |
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 |
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A Publication of the Canadian Amateur Tug-of-War Association |
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AWARDS
PRESENTED AT OTOWA ANNUAL
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| The Ontario Tug-of-War
Association annual banquet and awards night was held on Nov. 1,
2003 at the Lions' Community Centre in Thorndale, a village located
about 10 km. north-east of the city of London. Each year the event offers the
members of the sports organization an opportunity to celebrate
the successes of the season and engage in an evening of friendship and camaraderie.
The event was started in 1986 by Malcolm Monteith and the late Marc Voisin and was held initially in the Stratford Arena immediately after the Stratford Fair competitions, the last event of the tug-of-war season. After three years, the event was becoming more and more popular and it was felt that the time and location should be changed to make it a more formal setting where members could bring their spouses and friends. In 1989 at the annual meeting of the Board of Directors, it was decided to name the event "The Ontario Tug-of-War Association Annual Banquet and Awards Night" which would be held on the first Saturday in November at a venue determined each year at the OTOWA annual meeting. The Nissouri club offered to organize the event that year and has hosted it successfully ever since. According to Pat Pepping, a veteran of the Nissouri club and co-ordinator of the event since 1989, this year's edition was again a tremendous success. According to Pepping, 134 people were in attendance consisting mainly of members from five of the nine league teams including Bluewater, Ellice, Nissouri, South Easthope and Zorra along with several league officials and invited guests.
The delicious dinner served by the St. George's Anglican Church Women's Auxiliary of Thorndale got under way at 7 p.m. and was very much enjoyed by all present. Pat Pepping noted that this was the 3rd year that St. George's had catered the dinner and he was "proud and pleased with their contribution to the evening." Pepping also expressed his thanks to all members of the Nissouri team, men and women for their help in organizing and conducting the evening's activities. He was especially grateful to Mike Grieg for taking care of the bar for the event. Following the dinner, the master of ceremonies, Ron Totten of Embro who is the league's official announcer for all events during the competitive season, directed the presentation of awards. He was assisted by Joe Vermunt, OTOWA President and Tom Kempel, Chief Judge of the league. The following trophies and plaques were presented to the respective winners:
In his remarks during the program, President Vermunt reminded those present of the World Tug-of-War Championships being held next September in Rochester, Minnesota and encouraged all Ontario teams to make a concerted effort to participate. He pointed out that it would probably be quite a number of years before such an event was this close to Ontario again and that OTOWA members should take advantage of the opportunity to compete in the Club Competitions. On behalf of the league, Vermunt also thanked outgoing Secretary and Events Co-ordinator Wayne Messecar for his hard work over the past 5 years and asked the members to consider a replacement for his position which will be on the agenda at the annual meeting next spring. A dance completed the evening with music provided by Van Rock D.J.'s from London, Ontario. |
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