When you think ‘martial arts,’ chances are your thoughts tend towards the Orient. When weapons are concerned, in particular, swords, the long, curved, slashing blade of the samurai — the katana — usually comes to mind, doesn’t it?

However, there is a long-standing tradition of European martial arts as well and Enterprise’s Robert MacLeod is dedicated to preserving and promoting that tradition.

MacLeod, an anthropologist by trade who teaches at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, is also head instructor at Ironwood Sword School. He runs several classes and is currently beginning an eight-week session at the Bellrock Hall in German Longsword for youths ages 10 and up on Saturday mornings with the motto “Strength, Flexibility, Growth.”

For those unfamiliar with the German martial art, it is a combat system taught during the 1300s by Johannes Liechtenauer.

“There were two schools of longsword, the other being Italian,” MacLeod said. “Actually there was also an English tradition but that wasn’t written down.

“And a big part of what we do is teaching the techniques that come from Liechtenauer and a number of his students. We try to stay close to the historical manuscripts.”

In addition to longsword techniques, MacLeod also includes dagger and wrestling in the Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) tradition.

“Knives were actually my first love, I started collecting them when I was younger, and then in university I joined the fencing club and started doing sabre,” he said. “But soon after I joined, it went electric and good, clean cuts became flicks in order to score.”

As a young boy, he had taken judo classes and so returned to the Eastern martial arts traditions to study tae-kwon do for several years.

“But then, my son bought a collectable sword and my wife said ‘if he’s going to have it, he should know how to use it,’” MacLeod said. “So, in 2008, we found a group of guys in the park playing with swords and we discovered HEMA.”

That led him to join a local study group working in the German longsword tradition and he was hooked.

“A lot of people really don’t know the longsword,” he said. “It’s a lot lighter than you might think — less than three pounds and just under three feet (blade).

“And it’s a cutting weapon a lot more like a katana than it is like a club, which it often portrayed as in movies.”

MacLeod said he has no problem teaching beginners and has all the equipment needed for novice level students. All the beginners have to have is loose, comfortable clothes (no shorts), flat-soled, non-marking shoes and a pair of thin leather gloves.

The Bellrock classes begin this Saturday (there was actually a class last Saturday but he’s prepared to start again because of the weather issues last week). It’s $100 for an eight-week term, which should take most students through the novice rank to the scholar rank.

While the Bellrock classes are specifically for youths, MacLeod said he’s happy to start a class for adults anywhere in the area if there are four willing students.

Contact MacLeod at 613-358-9642 or www.irnwood.ca for more information.

“Swords are cool,” he said.

Robert MacLeod runs Benjamin and Anna Tucker through a series of thrusts and parries at the Bellrock Hall, as part of his ongoing series of German longsword classes. Photo/Craig Bakay

Local hockey families will be celebrating their rural roots this January in true country style.

“Our annual dance this year is a Redneck Hoedown,” confirms Lisa Greenwood, a lead organizer of the Storrington Stingers Hockey Association’s annual fundraising dance to be held at Storrington Lions Hall on Jan. 20.
One of the most popular events of the year in Frontenac County, the dance is an important fundraiser for the hockey club which has been running for approximately 60 years.
“We sell-out every year,” says Greenwood with a smile. “People get excited just to know our theme.”

A resident of Battersea and volunteer with the association for the past 10 years, the married mother of one contributes the event’s success to the tightknit community in Storrington.
“Residents take care of each other,” says Greenwood proudly. “Many of the children develop lifelong bonds when they start hockey together at five or six years old and continue to play until they are 18. Along the way, parents become friends. The entire process makes the community closer, stronger and better. Our hockey club is just an extension of an incredible district in Frontenac County.”

According to Greenwood, a small army of volunteers works hard to make the event bigger and better every year.
“It’s a lot of hard work,” she admits with a laugh. “We set our expectations high and work to outdo ourselves every year.”

Reflecting back to last year’s dance and its winter wonderland theme, Greenwood notes, “I had my most fun last year.. We had a lot of positive feedback after that event which made it worth the time and effort. We’re hoping for similar results this year.”
Although most of the food, prizes and raffle items are donated to the dance, expenses such as music and decorations are covered by revenue from the sale of poinsettias; a fundraiser by the club held in late November/early December.

“This time of year is pretty crazy,” admits Greenwood from a busy manufacturing plant in Kingston where she has worked for the past 22 years.
“We’re accepting poinsettia orders until Nov. 25 and the plants will be delivered on Dec. 6.”
According to Greenwood, profits from the dance are directed back to the players.

“What’s raised at the dance goes to the players’ end-of-year party,” she says. “Approximately 115 players and volunteers receive a memento of their hockey year.”
The club will also use the money to replace jerseys and purchase socks.

“We’re always getting new jerseys,” she says thoughtfully. “Thankfully, sponsors also help out because jerseys cost a lot.”
Grateful for the support of the community, Greenwood is looking forward to another successful fundraiser in support of the local hockey club.

“I enjoy doing this,” she replies when asked to describe her involvement. “I love being hands-on. I love to see the kids and parents enjoying their hockey season.”
To order a poinsettia or reserve tickets to the Storrington Stingers hockey dance on Jan. 20, please call Lisa Greenwood at 613-353-7561 or text 613-770-1017.

After a two-year absence to to field repairs and improvements, the 10th annual Bubba Bowl returned to the field at Point Park in Sydenham last Friday. The Junior Sydenham High School Golden Eagles won 30-7 while a very young senior side fell 28-7.
The Bubba Bowl is held annually to honour Alex (Bubba) Turcotte, a former player who died of heart disease before he got to play his final season at SHS.
The opponents this year were the LaSalle Secondary School Black Knights.

The senior Knights were a force to be reckoned with, featuring several very large human beings and plenty of experience.
However, despite being over matched size- and experience-wise, the Golden Eagles made a game of it when they came out in the second half.
Down 14-0, running back Simon Cook went on a tear, including one 72-yard run and after a couple of LaSalle fumbles, quarterback Ray Whitehead completed a scoring pass to wideout Nick Vankoughnett.
However, both Whitehead and Vankoughnett went down to injuries and it was pretty much all LaSalle after that. The Knights scored a pair of touchdowns in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.

“You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of,” head coach Jim Latimer told his team after the game. “There was elevated intensity on every play.
“But come playoff time, we have to be even better. Nobody’s going to want to see us in the playoffs.”
Latimer himself even admitted to feeling hopeful as the second half began.
“But then we had three major injuries and our guys are so young.”

Still, most of those young guys made it to the finals in junior last year and they’re getting the hang of the senior game.
On the junior side, it was pretty much all Sydenham as Dain Bailey led the way with three touchdowns, two of which came in the opening frame. Chad Branscombe also scored a major and Owen O’Mera added a field goal and three converts.
Coach Karl Hammer said quarterback Jack Richards is “really establishing himself — he’s a great thinker in panic situations. He seems to see things happening.”
Hammer said on defence, middle linebacker Vince Pople is “certainly coming into his own.”

The fact that Hammer’s opposing head coach on this night was his dad (also Karl) was secondary to him as his team performed on both sides of the ball.
“It was a great team effort,” he said. “We didn’t have to leave our starters in and our backups got in some great reps.
“They’re starting to understand this game.”

Pedalling and singing ‘Little Red Wagon” (the pop version, not the nursery-rhyme one), nine-year old James Potvin has reached Sydenham, the mid-point of his journey from Whitby to Ottawa. His destination is the big new Giver Playground in Mooney's Bay, Ottawa, and he plans to get thereFriday evening.

“It was just a month ago when I asked James what he would like to do to celebrate the end of summer holidays” James’ father Chris explains, “and he said he wanted to bike to Ottawa, to the Giver 150 playground.” Chris told James that if he could bike from Whitby to the CN Tower in one day, they’d consider heading for Ottawa. They not only got into Toronto, but even biked through the downtown; “When I saw my nine-year-old cycling down University Avenue, I realized he was definitely up to a much longer trip.”

Their route follows, as much as possible, the Waterfront, Cataraqui and TransCanada trails, and has included a loop down through Prince Edward County. So far, the Cat Trail has been the smoothest ride. Unfortunately there is no designated cycle trail from Smiths Falls to Ottawa, so they will be following the roads along the Rideau canal.

James and his Dad decided to make their Odyssey a fundraiser for the Grandview Centre which provides services in Durham Region for 6,000 children with special needs, and their families. James, who is on the Autism spectrum, is on the Grandview waiting list, along with 3,000 others. Already, James has exceeded his original goal of $1500, and is now heading for double that. “One dollar for every child on the waiting list,’ says Chris. James has been surprised and delighted by the encouragement and support offered by people in Whitby and all along the route. They have been camping in peoples’ backyards, and people keeping track of their progress on Facebook and Twitter (#RideJamesRide) often come out to cheer them on.

James’ energy and spirits remain high, despite a broken chain in midtown Picton, and a few bandaids on his legs. His trip logo, on his shirt and his bike, is a puzzle piece. Chris explains: “We’re also trying to raise awareness of Autism; the puzzle piece signifies that people on the spectrum ‘have all the pieces, but sometimes find it hard to fit them together.’ He said he had noticed that since the trip began, James is developing more confidence in his own ability to solve problems without being overcome with frustration.
To follow James or add a donation, go to #RideJamesRide.

For the first time ever, and as a Canada 150 project, North Frontenac Little Theatre held a theatre camp this summer. All they really needed was a place to perform.
“Louise (Moody) said ‘why not piggyback onto our barbecue’ and we said ‘sure,’” said artistic director Brian Robertson, who organized the camp with help from Andrea Dickenson.
Thirteen students participated in two weeks of three-hour afternoons as part of the theatre camp, Robertson said.
And of course, once you’ve done all that rehearsing, you want a place to perform.

“So, I ‘borrowed’ a number of different stories floating around and localized them,” Robertson said.
The result was Way Back in Oso Township (& Kennebec), which ostensibly tells a tale of pioneer life in the area. (The scenes featuring the Oso-Kennebec Township Committee for Proper Action and Civilization, while quite entertaining, had an eerily familiar ring to them.)

And the kids performing certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves.
“That’s what it’s all about,” said Robertson, who provided the musical accompaniment on guitar. “A lot of kids love hamming it up.”
Robertson does too and he’s hoping they can continue on with future theatre camps.
“I was completely delighted with the community support and the support of RFCs and this event,” he said. “I was proud that NFLT was able to participate and we have the Tichborne Hall which proved an excellent venue for the camp.
“I would like to see the partnerships and the camp continue.” And of course Robertson is quite willing to be a big part of it.

“I’ve dedicated my life to teaching children and the best part of that has been plays,” he said. “I love doing what I do and the best part is seeing the shy, nervous ones coming out of their shells.”

For the ninth consecutive year, the Procter sisters, Theresa, Becki and Katie (Ansley) braved the waters of Sharbot Lake to raise funds for the fight against cancer last Saturday morning.
As always, they began at the docks in Sharbot Lake Provincial Park and swam the 3 kilometres to Oso Beach, this year in just about one hour and 35 minutes.
“It was rough this year, except between the islands, but we made good time, about average for us,” said Theresa. “This was a bit of a different year for us because Uncle Keith just passed away from cancer.

“That was more motivation.”
“It was quite a shock jumping in,” said Katie, who was a bit under the weather earlier that morning but trooped on nonetheless. “But once we got in we never thought about it again.”
Abbie, Katie’s daughter jumped in and joined them for the part between the islands where the water was calmer.

“The weather was threatening but luckily it held off long enough for us to get it in,” said Theresa. “The rain held off but there weren’t many boats on the lake and not much wildlife except for a few seagulls.”
The total raised this year was about $1,500 when they jumped in with another $200 at least yet to come. In the nine years, the girls have raised more than $13,500.
“This was one of our best years yet,” said Theresa.

You can still donate at convio.cancer.ca.

The girls plan to continue next year, especially because sister Katie is moving back home to Ontario.
“Next year is the big one, 10 years,” she said. “Maybe we’ll mix things up a bit.
“Maybe we’ll make it extra hard like by wearing clothes.”
“I don’t think so,” said Theresa.

Conservationists of Frontenac and Addington in cooperation with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, introduced children to fishing last week.
August 16th was an ideal day for being in beautiful places and learning to appreciate our natural surroundings.

Each August some children are selected who do not have the opportunity to get out fishing. We had three wonderful kids this year. Thanks to Ed Yanch for organizing and transporting them.
Each child was presented with a fishing rod, reel and some tackle by COFA. After learning the basics of using their new fishing equipment they were taken out on the lake by Steve Lawrence and Barry Wilson of the MNRF and Fred Perry of COFA. These are experienced anglers who enjoy this opportunity to pass on their love of fishing and skills to some new youngsters each year.
Fred, Barry and Steve did a great job of getting Zack, Austin and Josh over fish and helping them learn how to successfully catch and land them. Many fish were released and some were kept for lunch. The kids were very proud of their accomplishments

Thanks for the great meal boys, and thanks to the chef Wayne “Swampy” Marsh of COFA

RKY camp has been a fixture on Eagle Lake, near Parham, since the 1930’s, and its roots go back to the 1920’s, when W. Goodfellow allowed the Kingston YWCA to run boys camps on part of his property on Eagle Lake for two weeks each summer.

In July of 1930, Goodfellow and J. Snider sold a 25 acre parcel of land to the Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs of Kingston, and the YMCA provided in kind contributions of equipment, providing for a three way partnership to form the RKY Eagle Lake Camp. The original deed was put under the trusteeship of the 3 representatives, one from each of the 3 organizations: J.C. Reynolds (Rotary), C.E. Walker (YMCA), and W.H. Herrington (Kiwanis).
By the mid 1930’s the camp operated from late June until Labour day, and it has continued to thrive throughout the summer ever since, except during the war years between 1942 and 1944 when not enough staff were available. After the war, however, the camp continued to expand and new cabins, docks, dining hall extensions were all built over a 20 year period.
In 1968, the nearby Mohawk girls camp merged with RKY and the camp took the form that has remained to this day.

Darcy Munn, the current camp director, oversees a summer schedule that is fully taken up with 1 and 2 week camp sessions with about a 150 camper capacity. There is one week left open each summer, when the camp is rented out to a group from Ottawa that runs an LGBTQ camp. The camp is open year round for school and other groups to use for a variety of purposes. There is a March Break camp and programming on Professional Development Days at the Limestone School Board.

For Munn, the greatest strength of RKY camp lies in its traditions.
“All of our counsellors, camp directors, all of the people who run the activities are former campers. They know what the camp is all about. This is not a specialty camp or a designer camp, it is a summer camp in the same way it has been for 85 years,” he said.

Activities at RKY include swimming, canoe/kayaking, camp craft, arts and crafts, Adventure (wall climbing, ropes, etc.) nature and music. Campers participate in a variety of activities
Among the camp traditions that has developed recently is the cell phone policy. Campers don’t have access, and counsellors face severe restrictions.

“Some kids have a problem with that for a day or so, but they get over it. We want them to be immersed in camp life, and cell and computer games are not what RKY is all about,” he said.
RKY does, however, need to upgrade its facilities for modern times, to improve its standards and become more accessible.

The main camp building is called the Homestead Centre, named after Homestead Land Holdings, which is owned by one of the camp’s major benefactors, Brit Smith. It was constructed in the 1970’s with help from a grant from Wintario (a precursor to the Trillium Foundation) as well as donations from private individuals, including Smith.

The building is showing its age after 40 years, and it is time for a new dining hall/office complex/visitors centre to the camp. The kitchen needs an upgrade, the office space is cramped, and the dining hall is too small.
Already, from its ongoing fundraising efforts, the camp is putting in a brand new septic system, capable of managing a new, larger dining hall. The septic system is being installed near the RKY parking lot, and a location for the planned new building has been selected. The current building will remain as program space.

“The camp is not going to change. The capacity is meant to stay as is, but it will be better served with a fully accessible building like this. The time is right for RKY to do this,” said Munn.
That’s where the RKY board of Directors newest employee comes in. Daniel Shipp has been hired to oversee fundraising and take care of project management for the construction of the new building, which has an estimated cost of $2 million.

Shipp has only been working at RKY since the beginning of June, but he already has developed a sense of the camp\s place in the lives of the campers
“I am really taken with the feel of the camp,” he said. “It has its own unique history. The campers and counsellors and program directors all cherish the place. The staff who run it have been here for years and they love it too. To be able to help bring the right new facility in order to keep the camp going for another 40 or 50 years is a great challenge for me.”

The first thing that the RKY Board did when they decided to work on a new building was to contact Brit Smith, who is now 97 and still runs Homestead Land Holdings.
“He came on board right a way, and that had given us out start,” said Shipp.

Over the next few months the details of the project will be worked out and Shipp will be working with the board to prepare the ground for a capital fundraising campaign.
Shipp is optimistic that the goal can be met and the building project will take place as scheduled in the fall of 2018 for completion by the time the summer of 2019 rolls around.
For further information about RKY camp, go to rkycamp.org.

The general public will have a unique opportunity to visit Rose Hill Nature Reserve on Saturday, August 19th to explore the new trails and learn about the rich biodiversity found there. Rose Hill is a 358-acre wilderness property in the rugged, hilly landscape north east of Denbigh in Addington Highlands.

In the spring of 2017, the Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust (MMLT) engaged a professional ecologist to prepare a scientific report describing the natural history and ecological features of the Nature Reserve, as well as conduct fieldwork to inventory the species on the property. At our August 19th event, visitors will hear about some of the discoveries of the field study and learn about the ecological significance of Rose Hill.

An initial field study was conducted in 2012 when the first 100-acre parcel was acquired by the Land Trust. That first report stated that one of the most remarkable aspects of this property is its lack of invasive plant species which gives a pretty good indication of its relatively untouched, wild condition. This year’s study will provide MMLT with the necessary information to prepare a long-term management plan for the Nature Reserve. Land trusts are mandated to protect the properties in their care forever, which in legal terms means a 999 year commitment, renewable.

Over the past year, area volunteers have extended the trail network by opening up a long-unused trail around Fufflemucker Pond. Visitors will be guided along the trail from and to the lovely picnic spot beside the pond where we’ll gather to hear Cathy Keddy, the Chair of MMLT’s Ecological Stewardship Committee, share the findings of the field study to date. After lunch, you can meander along the trail around the perimeter of the pond looking for the rare species described.

Registration for the nature walk is at 10:30 a.m. at the Brodey Trail entrance on Rose Hill Rd. Admission is $10. Bring along a picnic lunch to enjoy beside Fufflemucker Pond. Don’t forget your camera – the scenery is beautiful and you may catch a shot of something special.

Directions to Rose Hill Nature Reserve are provided below:

From Kaladar at the junction of Hwy 7 and Hwy 41, travel north for 65.4 km to Rose Hill Rd. and turn right.
Area residents from the east can take Buckshot Lake Rd. from Plevna to Hwy 41.
Follow Rose Hill Rd. for about 1.6 km to the Brodey Trail entrance (marked) to climb to Fufflemucker Pond. Parking is at the road side.

Hockey season is just around the corner and we have some important information and dates we need you to be aware of. Remember to register prior to August 31st to avoid a $100 late fee. Registering early helps us plan practice times, number of teams and coaches required for the upcoming season so please be sure to register as early as you can. We will kick off this year’s season on Saturday September 23rd with our annual 3 on 3 tournament fun day. Guaranteed 1-1.5 hours of fun and a t-shirt for only $30. Conditioning Clinics and Goalie clinics will start the week of Monday September 25th. House league evaluations will start Saturday Sept 30 Register NOW at www.frontenachockey.ca