Sports | DrumhellerMail

Top 10 per cent world championship finish for Drumheller pool player

    Drumheller resident Shawn Bulechowsky is hoping to do better next time he heads down to Las Vegas.
   On May 23, Bulechowsky and his pool team headed to Vegas to compete in the VNEA 2013 Vegas World Championships. Roughly 700 teams from across the world competed. Bulechowsky and his team placed 65th overall.
   Though they were in the top 10 per cent overall, Bulechowsky was hoping to do better.
   “We didn’t have two of our regular players, so we had to pick up a couple,” said Bulechowsky. “If we had our regular team, I think we would have been in the top ten. I was shooting well, Shane shot well, and our captain shot well.”
   Bulechowsky is hoping to post a stronger finish when he heads down to Vegas again on July 17 for the BCA Pool League National Championships. There are a few changes he needs to make to his game before he shoots.

Drumheller resident Shawn Bulechowsky had a chance to meet boxing legend Mike Tyson while in Las Vegas, where he was competing in the 2013 VNEA pool championships. Bulechowky’s team finished in 65th place overall out of roughly 700 teams. He hopes to go back to Vegas for the BCA pool championships on July 17.

   “I might go back again this year on July 17. It’s a BCA tournament, which is what most teams in Drumheller play,” said Bulechowsky. “There are a couple rule changes. The VNEA tables have a little bigger pockets compared to the BCA tables and the rails are faster. Once you go from these tables (in Drumheller) to tables in Vegas, if you’re trying to be competitive, you’re weight is going to be off each time until you get used to the tables.”
   The biggest highlight of the trip was a chance to meet and talk with one of boxing’s biggest names.
   “After we were done, we went over to Caesar’s Palace and Mike Tyson was there signing autographs. I bought a robe and asked him to sign it,” said Bulechowsky. “I gave him a big hug, shook his hand, and left.”

Marathon effort raises $680 for arthritis

    A local runner made good time and a great donation to the Alberta Arthritis Society.
   Sam Brown, 15, participated in the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon on May 26. Of 12,000 runners, he came in at 193rd place, and second in the under 20 category with a time of 3:35:23.80, his best.
   He said it was a thrilling race and in fact, he was able to listen to Benard Onsare, the two-time winner of the event, speak, as well as Olympic triathlete, Simon Whitfield. He was even able to run with them.

Sam Brown raised $680, and counting, at the Calgary Marathon for the Alberta Arthritis Society. The folks at the local Scotiabank branch helped him collect the funds. Pictured are (l-r) Patti Rische, Sam Brown, Paula Sutherland and Angie Gill.

The marathon is a charity race and overall this year it raised $930,000. Sam’s part was a $680-plus donation to the Alberta Arthritis Society. The charity is meaningful to him, as he knows a number of people who are dealing with arthritis. The Scotiabank branch in Drumheller was supportive of his race and helped to collect pledges.
Brown will be on track this weekend at the Dinosaur Festival Triathlon. This summer, he is also planning to compete in a half Ironman race in Fort McLeod, a 10k race in Taber, and of course the Dinosaur Half.

On the Run: Gearing up for Drumheller Triathlon

    I’m turning over a new leaf in regards to my health and have pledged to run the Dinosaur Valley Half Marathon. Every two weeks I’ll write about my training and what I’ve learned.
   This weekend is my first test. I’m participating in this year’s Drumheller Triathlon as part of a three-person team. I’ll be finishing the race in the 5 kilometre run section.
   I’ve been at the point where I can run 5 kilometres, without walking, for the past several weeks (probably one of the first times in my life I could do so).
   I asked Morgan Syvertsen, the organizer of the triathlon, what to do in the week preceeding the race.
   “The last week before any kind of race, you need to taper off whatever training distance you’re doing by 40 per cent. You should’ve peaked about a week before. The rest of the week you should be just maintaining things,” said Syvertsen.
   “Focus on getting a good sleep, hydrate, and carb-load with lots of pasta dinners, so come the race, you’re fueled up and ready to go. It’s really easy to overtrain and get burnt out.”
   I’m not exactly the Flash, but I hope to post a time around 28 minutes in the race, which is a little faster than I have been running so far.
   I’ve also been working on my form over the past couple weeks and Syvertsen has some advice.
   “After the last time we spoke, I wanted to share a little acronym I use when running called SELF. It helps assess how your run is doing,” said Syvertsen.
   “The S stands for smooth, in that you don’t want to be bobbing up and down as you run. The E is for easy. You shouldn’t be going at a hard, stressful pace. The L stands for light, which means you want to run lightly, landing on your toes or whole foot. The F is for fast. When I’m out running, I ask myself if I’m going smooth? Is the run easy? Am I landing on my feet right? Am I going fast? It helps me out.”
   Registration for the triathlon starts at 8 a.m. at the Drumheller Aquaplex on Saturday, June 8, with the race soon after. Come cheer and good luck to all the participants!

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