Access to the K&P Trail in Lavant Station just got more convenient, thanks to a partnership between the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) and Hydro One. On July 20 partners from MVCA, Hydro One, Township of Lanark Highlands, Lanark County Municipal Trails Corporation (LCMTC), Ottawa Valley ATV Club (OVATVC) and the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) gathered in Lavant Station at the site of a new parking lot at the K&P Trail entrance on South Lavant Road.

“It has been our goal to serve the interests of both recreational and non-recreational trail users, to educate the public and increase awareness and appreciation for nature. By providing better and safer access to this important link, we are achieving that goal,” said Paul Lehman, MVCA General Manager.

Hydro One uses the K&P Trail to access its towers. Committed to giving back to the communities they serve, the construction of a parking lot was a natural fit for the area. “The K&P Trail is important to the community and we were excited that we were able to donate our time and materials so that many more people can enjoy the beauty that the area has to offer,” said Barry Young, Senior Civil Foreman, Hydro One.

“The K&P is part of an old rail system and an important piece of our heritage. I am thrilled to see this latest development of improved access. The new parking lot will facilitate connections to other communities which is Lanark County's primary focus for the rails to trails initiative,” said Brian Stewart, Lanark Highlands Mayor and Vice President of the LCMTC.

The parking lot is located 6km from Hwy 509 on South Lavant Rd. and is 40 metres by 14 metres in size and can accommodate more than a dozen vehicles, including pickup trucks and trailers. It will be maintained in partnership with volunteers.

The boats in the inaugural Sail Mazinaw had to endure gray skies and light shifty breezes in the morning. But by afternoon, the skies had cleared and a consistent west wind had set in. It was a warm, sunny day with the perfect sailing breeze. A west wind does not have enough fetch on the narrow lake to build a significant swell or chop. The beaches at Bon Echo were loaded with swimmers and sunbathers. Alpine Club of Canada had several teams of climbers on Bon Echo rock.

The day started with a crew breakfast at Mazinaw Lakeside Resort. The staff opened the doors early for the sailors so that they could maximize their time on the water. Then, the boats hit the lake for a day of sailing. At noon, the crews from the north lake and the crews from the south lake met at The Friends of Bon Echo barbecue pavilion in Bon Echo Provincial Park.

The historic Mazinaw Cup was donated to the event by Linda Leistner. It will be presented to Steve Karniej and Andy Lennon for their activities both on and off the water. These sailors from Hamilton drove crews to and from the breakfast, delivered veteran windsurfing champion Glen Pearce from Shabomeka Lake to Bon Echo Park, and still found time to change a flat tire for a stranded motorist on Highway 41. Congratulations to Steve and Andy.

The date for the 2016 Sail Mazinaw has not been determined. For more photos, visit the Sail Mazinaw Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SailMazinaw

Sail craft of all descriptions are invited to Sail Mazinaw on Saturday July 18.  Sailboards, kite-boards, dinghies, and keelboats are all welcome.  Boats from as far away as Hamilton will be making the trek to one of the most spectacular sailing venues in Ontario. It will be an opportunity for cottagers and campers to sail in a flotilla on Mazinaw Lake.  The activities start with a skippers' breakfast at Mazinaw Lakeside Resort from 8-10 am.  Then boats will meet at mid-lake for a day of sailing in company.  Friends Of Bon Echo will have the barbecue lit in The Lagoon from noon to 2pm for burgers and hot dogs.  Boats on the north lake should pull up on the North Beach and walk to The Lagoon.  Boats on the south lake should pull up next to the South Beach and will be just steps away from The Lagoon.

The windiest time of the day is usually at 2:00.  Sailors can enjoy a full afternoon of sailing before heading for home. For more information, please check the Sail Mazinaw Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/SailMazinaw
or call 613-336-2814.

Genevieve L’Abbe, a 17-year-old Sydenham Lake Canoe Club sprint paddler and Junior National Team Member, successfully competed in Montreal at the National Team Trials regatta last weekend for one of five positions on the Junior World’s Women’s Kayaking Team.

L’Abbe will be on her way to Portugal this summer to compete in the ICF Canoe Sprint Junior & U23 World Championships Regatta, which will be held in Montemor-O-Velho, Portugal on July 24-26.

“I feel very fortunate to have made the team as it was a real battle to make the 5th spot on the team. When the points were added up after the National Team Trial qualifying event last Saturday, I ended up beating my competitor by one point. It was my faster time in the 500m race that got me on the World Junior Team”.

It is going to be a busy summer for L’Abbe. who will be graduating from Grade 12 this week. She will be spending a month in Montreal training with her new five teammates who are all from different regions of Canada. “I am looking forward to getting to know them and learning to work as a team” says L’Abbe. An Ottawa paddler will compete in the individual K1 races and K2 races, and she, and her other three teammates, will compete in the K4 events”.

“My family and friends have been very supportive in helping me get to this level. If my family hadn’t become involved in the Sydenham Lake Canoe Club, I wouldn’t have been introduced to the wonderful sport of sprint kayaking. Knowing previous Olympian, George Jones, from the Canoe Club for the last seven years really helped me keep my eye my goal. I had heard him tell stories about the comradery that he had experienced paddling back in the 80’s and it made me think that I wanted to do that too. I guess, for lack of a better word, you could call him my hero. My biggest challenge in the next month will be the cost of traveling to Portugal as Canoe Kayak Canada only partially covers the fees. I may have to pass around the hat this summer and ask for a bit of help. I feel fortunate that I am a part of a good community”.

Cyclists will be happy to know that the committee known as South Frontenac Rides is doing their best to promote scenic and safe cycling in the township of South Frontenac. The group, which is supported by the County of Frontenac, the local OPP, the Township of South Frontenac, KFL&A Public Health, and Yellow Bikes held their first “Tour de South Frontenac Cycle Fest” in and around Sydenham and at Loughborough Public School on June 7. The event attracted over 100 cyclists of all ages to the day’s activities, which included a kids’ bike rodeo plus a number of safe cycling demonstrations and workshops. Demonstrations included proper braking and stopping, correct hand signals, proper helmet fitting, a bike safety check and more.

Twelve guided tours of the four South Frontenac scenic cycling routes were given by committee members. The routes combine a network of paved roads and sections of the Cataraqui and K&P trails and the group has highlighted them in a Cycle Fest brochure. They include a 13 km route through the village of Sydenham; a 18 or 32 km route with stellar views of the Millhaven Creek valley; a 20km route along Little Long Lake and a 33km route along Desert Lake Road towards Frontenac Provincial Park.

The routes have been designed to highlight both the scenic beauty of the township, its gorgeous lakes, forests, rivers and creeks, as well as a number of historic sites and other points of interest along the way.

Staff from KFL & A Public Health were also on site promoting the health benefits of cycling. Stephanie Sciberras, a physical activity specialist with the organization, said she and her staff are huge supporters of active transport and the idea of getting people out of their cars and physically active. “The momentum and support for this group is exciting and we are looking forward to the group advocating for safer cycling infrastructure, which will go along way in supporting community safety, health and well being”, Sciberras said.

Organizers said they were pleased with the turn out. Gordon Scott, who chairs the South Frontenac Rides Committee, said that teaching kids cycling safety was a big focus of the day’s events. “Bike safety is something that children are not taught in school and it is important for them to know how to safely handle their bicycles, especially when they are in and around traffic.”

For those who missed Cycle Fest, the brochure with maps can be found at the township’s offices in Sydenham and at a various local businesses in the area. It is also available on line at www.frontenacmaps.ca

Sprint Kayaker, Genevieve L’Abbe is training hard these days to compete in the National Team Trials in Montreal June 18-20. This 17-year-old former Sydenham Lake Canoe Club paddler will be up against kayakers from across Canada, battling for the opportunity to compete in the ICF Canoe Sprint Junior & U23 World Championships Regatta in Montemor-O-Velho, Portugal on July 24-26.

A Sydenham resident, L’Abbe now paddles in the national capital region for Ottawa River Canoe Club. “When my Sydenham coach realized three years ago that there weren’t any female paddlers in the Sydenham Club in my division, she told me that I would have to go elsewhere to find the team boat training crew that I needed”, says L’Abbe. That summer, Genevieve was invited to paddle for the larger Ottawa River Canoe Club. They offered her a place to stay and three team mates, so she has been paddling with the club ever since.

Now a member of the Ontario and National Junior Team, only her family and coach (and perhaps her neglected friends!) know how hard she has worked to improve her power and stroke rate to make it to this level of competition.

Though L’Abbe was used to training twice a day, for the past two months, she has been training more intensively. As a Gr. 12 student, the additional training on top of her busy school schedule is difficult. “I fall asleep at every opportunity even in class sometimes” says L’Abbe. Her teachers have sometimes been known to let her sleep. School will soon be over for Genevieve with the Montreal National Team Trials 200 and 500m regatta looming just close ahead. She says, “I know who my competitors are, and I know that I will have to have a good start and maintain my maximum stroke rate throughout in order to gain one of the four coveted spots on the Junior World Team. It is a goal that I would like to achieve as I have never competed at an international regatta overseas, but I know if I don’t make it, I will still have a bit of a rest and a whole summer of paddling on the lake to look forward to.”

In the middle of the debate over the Denbigh wind turbine project, is an event that utilizes wind power for recreation. The intention of Sail Mazinaw is to get a great number of sails on Mazinaw Lake all at the same time. It is not a race. It is a flotilla, a cruise, a raid; an invitation to go sailing. The event is to be held on Saturday, July 18.

Dozens of cottagers have sailboats. Sail Mazinaw will be an opportunity for locals to rig and go sailing in company. Bon Echo Provincial Park is on the lake, and campers will be reminded to bring their dinghies or sailboards along for the weekend. Transient boaters are always welcome. Sailors are encouraged to bring crew, or to introduce someone new to the sport of sailing.

Mazinaw Lake is a beautiful sailing venue. Bon Echo Rock, with its pictographs and alpine climbers, is an escarpment that rises more than 100 meters above lake level. The rest of the lake is surrounded by citadels of bare rock that generate thermals and local shore breezes. The windiest time of the day is typically at 2pm. But the orientation and the shape of the lake means that it seldom generates a large swell or white caps. It is a fun sailing venue. There are a number of decent boat launches on the lake.

Sailors are invited to meet at Mazinaw Lake Resort for breakfast 8 – 10 on Saturday morning. The Friends Of Bon Echo will have the barbecue fired up in The Lagoon at Bon Echo Provincial Park from 10 until after 2. Go for a sail, share a burger with other sailors, then get back on the lake in time for the afternoon breeze. It’s a perfect day.

If you have a sailcraft, please join Sail Mazinaw on Saturday, July 18. More details can be found on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SailMazinaw or you can e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Demonstrate that the wind is free to share and is owned by everybody.  

Hot on the heels of their convincing results at the KASSAA meet two weeks ago, a number of SHS athletes were multiple top finishers at the EOSSAA meeting in Brockville last Thursday and Friday (May 21 and 22).

Once again, the hurdlers led the way, but there was disappointment in the Junior Hurdles Relay. With two multiple medalists in Merik Wilcock (hurdles) and Thomas Lambert (sprints), SHS seemed to be a sure bet to finish at or near the top of the 4 x 400 metre event and qualify the team for the Eastern Regional meet this week (the final qualifier for the provincial championships in Toronto – OFSAA) but a dropped baton on the first exchange left them in 10th place at the end of the race. The men's and women's 4 x 400 metre running teams fared better, however, and both will race again this week.

Here are the SHS medalists from EOSSAA:

Women's 80 Metre Hurdles midget - Brianna Burgess 1st – 13.5543 (photo finish)

Men's 100 Metre Hurdles midget - Liam Sands 1st in 15.35 qualified in 15.62

Women 300 metre hurdles midget - Brianna Burgess 2nd 52.64

Men's Pole Vault midget - Liam Sands 3rd 2.70 metres

Men's Triple Jump Midget – Zach Lollar 3rd 11.13 metres

Men's 100 Metre Sprint Junior - Thomas Lambert 3rd 11.75

Men's 200 Metre Sprint Junior - Thomas Lambert 2nd 23.70

Men's 400 Metre Run Junior - Thomas Lambert 2nd 52.00 ( Note - Nick Bauerschmit of Valour High School set meet record in a time of 51.62. The old record was 51.84.)

Men 100 Metre Hurdles - Merik Wilcock 1st 14.55

Men's 300 Metre Hurdles Junior -Merik Wilcock1st 42.45 (Wilcock's time was 1.57 seconds ahead of the 2nd place finisher.)

Men's Long Jump Junior - Daret Mckay 3rd 5.92 metres

Men's 800 metre senior Brady Roberston 3rd 1.59:60 (Robertson finished just 0.5 seconds ahead of Curtis Adams of SHS, who finished 4th, while Nick Adams finished 7th in a time of 2:03.41.)

Men's 100 Metre Hurdles, senior - Brodie Latimer 2nd 15.49 seconds.

Women's 100 metre ambulatory – Shirley Hughes Ryan 1st 17.29

Women's 800 Metre run Ambulatory - Shirley Hughes Ryan – 1st 3:32.59

Women's 100 Metre run Intellectual Disabilities - Dominique Hannah 2nd 16.05, Brianna Clow - 3rd 17.44

Relays –

Women's 4 x 400 Metre relay – Open Division, 3rd 4:25.13

Men's 4 x 400 Metre relay - Open division, Sydenham 2nd 3:33.42

David Cox keeps jumping for GREC - Now in his senior year, David Cox continues to be the standard bearer for Track athletes from Granite Ridge Education Centre. In the High Jump event at EOSSAA, he took second place with a jump of 1.85 metres, and will move on to the next meet this week.

With a total of 81 athletes, the Sydenham High School track team was not only the largest at the Kingston Area Secondary Schools Athletic Association (KASSAA) meet last week; it was also the most consistently competitive.

SHS athletes won 22 events, ahead of KCVI (19), Frontenac (16), and Holy Cross (14). While SHS was competitive in all events, as you can see below, they were the dominant team in just about all the hurdles events, for both men and women in all age categories.

SHS was the winning overall team for both men and women.

Here is the list of top three finishers

Among top finishers were Kayla Battler, 3rd in the 100 metre dash (midget girls) in 13.80 seconds; Brianna Burgess, 3rd in the 200 metre dash (midget girls) in 29.50 seconds and 1st in both the 80 metre hurdles in 13.70 seconds and the 300 metre hurdles in 50.50 seconds.

Jocelyn Miles finished in 3rd in the women's javelin (midget) at 22.71 metres. Brianna McComish finished third in women's high jump (junior) at 1.40 metres, second in the Long Jump at 4.24 metres, and third in the triple jump at 9.46 metres. Madison MacPherson was tied for 1st in the pole vault (junior) at 1.90 metres. Morgan Hamilton finished 2nd in the women's shot put (junior) at 8.94 metres, and 3rd in the discus event at 19.58 metres, an event where Mackenzie Ryan finished 2nd at 22.20 metres.

Sian Lloyd was 1st in the javelin throw (junior) at 23.37 metres, and Mackenzie Ryan placed 3rd at 22.14 metres.

Brittany Campbell finished 2nd in the 100 metre dash (senior) at 13.40 seconds, and 3rd in the 200 metre dash at 27.80 seconds. If Danielle Gossage was disappointed with her off the podium 4th place finish in the 400 metre dash (senior) she made up for it with a 1st place run in the 800 metres in 2.38.20 minutes, and 2nd in the 1500 metres in 5.20.60 minutes.

As a team, SHS was 1st in the 4x100 metre relay (senior) in 53.90 seconds, and 1st as well in the 4x400 metre relay in 4:30.90 minutes. High jumper Shawna Vanluven was 2nd (senior) at 1.50 metres. In the shot put (senior) Danielle Miles finished 3rd at 9.55 metres, and Katherine Newton was 1st in the javelin at 27.55 metres while Cassidy Trueman was 3rd in the same event at 23.36 metres.

Shirley Hughes-Ryan finished 1st in two events, the women's 100 metre dash (ambulatory) in 16.40 seconds – breaking her own KASSAA record, and the 800 metre run (ambulatory) in 4:13.90. Dominique Hannah also broke her own KASSAA record, finishing 1st in the 100 metre dash (intellectually impaired) in 15.70 seconds, and Brianna Clow finished 2nd at 16.90 seconds.

Among the male athletes, Liam Sands was 1st in the 100 metre hurdles (midget) in 17 seconds flat, while Lucas Pereira finished 2nd in 18.70 seconds. Pereira also finished second in the 300 metre hurdles in 50.70 seconds.

Matt Caird finished 2nd in the men's high jump (midget) with a clearance of 1.60 metres, and Liam Sands finished second in the pole vault, clearing 1.80 metres. Zach Lollar was 2nd in the men's long jump at 5.20 metres, and third in the triple jump at 10.88 metres.

Jared Amos was 2nd in both shot put, 11.24 metres, and the discus events, 29.54 metres. Thomas Lambert was 2nd in the 100 metre dash at 12.20 seconds. He finished 1st in the 200 metre dash at 24.40 seconds, and capped it off with a meet record tying time of 52.70 seconds in winning the 400 metre dash (junior)

Continuing the SHS dominance in hurdles, Merik Wilcox set a meet record, 14.40 seconds, finishing 1st in the 100 metre event (junior) and also won the 300 metre event in 42.90 seconds. Sydenham also took the 4x100 metre hurdles in 48.40 seconds.

Daret McKay finished 2nd in the pole vault (junior) at 2.40 metres, and took 3rd in the triple jump at 1.55 metres. Wil Sanderson finished 2nd in both the discus (38.66 metres) and the javelin throw (36.14 metres)

Among senior men, SHS's Chad McInnes finished 3rd in the 200 metre dash in 25.20 seconds and 3rd as well in the 400 metre dash in 53.50 seconds. In the 800 metre run, Brady Robertson finished 2nd in 2:02.60 and Chris Adams finished 3rd in 2:03.20.

SHS swept the senior men's 100 metre hurdles event. Brodie Latimer ran it in 15.60 to win, Eric Lusk was 2nd in 17.00, and Tyler Cancian was third in 17.10. The 400 metre hurdles event also yielded a sweep: Chad McInnes won it in 1:01.80, Ryan Gibson was 2nd in 1:03.00 and Ben Amos was 3rd in 1:07.10.

SHS finished 3rd in the 4x100 metre relay in a time of 50.80.

Brady Robertson finished second in the men's javelin throw with a 42.17 metre effort, and finally, the 4x400 metre relay team took first place with a 3:40.30 time.

by Helen Parfitt

Sydenham Lake Canoe Club will be offering an exciting variety of paddling programs this summer. SLCC, now in its 18th year at its Sydenham location, has its roots in the Cataraqui Canoe Club, a sprint racing canoe club established in 1886 in Kingston. The season will begin in mid-May with the After School Learn-to-Train Program. This program will allow youth who intend to register in the sprint paddling program to get a head start on the season. The Master’s program starts the same day. This program is for those 18 and over who want to paddle either recreationally or competitively. Paddling is a fun way to work out as it works the upper body, abdominal core, and back muscles. In July, the club will also be offering the Canoe Kids Day Camp and morning Kayaking Lessons.

The Canoe Kids Day Camp and kayaking lessons program are similar to the Red Cross swimming program in that there are attainable skill levels that paddlers can achieve. The week-long program involves paddling, and playing on-the-water games that indirectly lead to skill development. At the end of the week, paddlers will receive a bronze, silver or gold ribbon and certificate to recognize their level of achievement. “They can complete all three levels of the program in less than a month if they choose, or they can take one or two skill levels per summer,” says Parfitt.

The club will continue its tradition of offering its Competitive Sprint Paddling program, an intensive competitive paddling program for paddlers who enjoy the fun of serious competition. Sprint paddlers train daily to compete on weekends in divisional and provincial canoe and kayak CKC-sanctioned regatta events held throughout Ontario. These regattas are also open to any youth or adult paddler registered in our week long programs.

It will be a particularly exciting summer in Sydenham this year, as SLCC will be hosting the Eastern Ontario Divisional Regatta on August 8 and 9 at Sydenham Point. Sprint paddling athletes, age 15 and under, from all over Ontario will descend on Sydenham for two days of racing to determine who goes on to the Provincial Championships in Ottawa. “You never know where this sport will take you,” says Parfitt. “Genevieve L’Abbe, age 17, from SLCC, whose first competition took place right here at the Point at the age of 9, is now a member of the Ontario and National Junior Team in kayaking. She will be competing this June in Montreal in the hopes of going to the World Junior Cup in Portugal in July.” For more information on our programs go to www.sydenhamlakecanoeclub.com.