Page 36 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 92

36 Issue #92 September 2020 www.sportsenergynews.com

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Allison Giroux
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September’s Mom of the Month, Allison Giroux, teaches
Kindergarten at North Stormont Public School. Her boys, Connor
(11) and Jordan (9) keep her hopping with their involvement Very Reasonably priced!
in many sports activities, including hockey, baseball, soccer,
basketball, swimming, and football. “Connor has a much
more competitive side,” she says, “where Jordan is just Limited selection
happy to be participating and socializing.” and quantities
Allison is no stranger to athletics herself. “I have played
many sports, starting with soccer at the age of 3, followed
by an all-boys baseball team, and figure skating,” Allison

says. “I wanted to play hockey like my older brother,
so I joined the Girls Hockey Association when I was 7.
My teams participated at the Provincial Championships 30% U.S. Exchange Rate
in Mississauga several times, coming home with Gold and
Silver medals.”
Allison’s favourite sport was, and still is, softball. She played
fastball with the Kinsmen Girls Fastball League through her minor years.
In 1999, she was a walk-on at Durham College, where she earned an athletic
scholarship, won Rookie of the Year, a Team Leadership Award and 3 OCAA Championships. In
2017, she and her team were inducted into the Durham College Sports Hall of Fame. Making dreams come true since 1937
Allison continues to play slo-pitch, where she has competed in many championships, including Provincials,
Nationals, and Canadians. “I have been lucky to have been a member of some pretty amazing teams over
the years,” she says. “Some memorable moments are winning Provincials with the Bombers (COED C 6 Second Street East, Cornwall
2008), Victorious Secret (Women’s C 2012), Bat Po’s (Women’s 35+ Masters 2017) and winning World’s
with DQ (Women’s C & B 2013/2014) and the Lady Mets (Women’s A 2015). 613-932-4022

Allison has scaled back her own athletics to concentrate on her children’s. “I enjoy the love my children www.pommierjewellers.com

get from their participation in sports,” she says. “There is no place I would rather be than at the rink or field
watching practices or games with my kids. I was fortunate enough to coach my youngest son’s baseball and See store for details, check us out on facebook
hockey teams the past couple of years, and to be a team manager and minor hockey official.”

KARATE KOMMENTS 3rd degree Black Belt in Taekwondo who has won Silver at the Canadian Nationals. Our

first Cornwall connection, Ryan Gosling, who grew up in this city, trains in Krav Maga.

Celebrities in the Combative Arts Several well-known musicians are Black Belts that train regularly. Willie Nelson is
a 5th degree in TKD and Phil Collen of Def Leppard is a Karate BB who also trains in
Krav Maga. David Mustoain, co-founder and lead vocalist of Megadeth is a BB in both
Karate and TKD. David Lee Roth of Van Halen has been involved in Karate and Kung
By Jim Riddell, Fu most of his life and he enjoys teaching classes.
Seaway Karate Club Several NHL players train in some form of combative art during the off-season.
Milan Lucic has done some boxing in the past and goaltender Robin Lehner does
MMA, while Zdeno Chara trains the entire summer with elite Greco Roman wrestlers
The martial arts industry has seen considerable growth over the past several in Czechoslovakia.
decades, with an estimated 3.6 billion practitioners worldwide training in Karate,

Taekwondo, Judo, Jiu-jitsu, and numerous other combative art styles. With so many There are some interesting public figures who have a history with combative arts.
people involved, it only stands to reason that some of them would be well-known UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan is a former 4-time Massachusetts TKD champion who won
celebrities. the US Open Taekwondo Championship at 19 yrs. of age. Politicians in the combative
arts is nothing new as former US Presidents George Washington and Abe Lincoln were
There have been many actors who have done a few months of intense training both highly respected wrestlers in their time, while Teddy Roosevelt represented Harvard
to pick up a skillset for their next movie, but the people that I have chosen for this University in the boxing ring and later trained in both Judo and Jiu-jitsu. Russian Prime
list are actors, musicians, athletes, and politicians who have, for the most part, been Minister Vladimir Putin, who has been involved in Sambo and Judo since age 12, was
quietly training in the martial arts for years. This list is far from complete, but there awarded his 6th Dan in Judo at the Kodakan in Tokyo, Japan. Chantal Jovanno, who
are a couple of Cornwall connections included. is France’s Junior Environmental Minister, holds a Karate Black Belt and is a 12-time
National Champion. Pierre Elliott Trudeau, former Prime Minister of Canada, and father

The fighting style of James Bond varied depending on which actor was playing to Justin, was a 2nd degree Black Belt in Judo. Justin followed his father into politics but
007. Sean Connery, the original Bond, was a former Mr. Universe who held a Black not Judo: instead, he took up boxing at Ali Nestor’s north end Montreal boxing gym.
Belt in Karate and he did most of his own stunts. Roger Moore and Peirce Brosnan
had minimal fighting skills, which were taken into consideration during the movies In March of 2012, Justin Trudeau agreed to fight Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau

that they starred in. Daniel Craig, who has been the current Bond since 2005, is (a karate Black Belt) in a charity boxing match which would be televised. Brazeau
highly skilled in Krav Maga and does many of his own stunts. dominated Trudeau in the 1st round, but Justin weathered the storm, took control of
the second round, and stopped Brazeau in the 3rd. Many feel that the determination
Ashton Kutcher grew up in Iowa where wrestling is extremely popular - he that Trudeau showed and the publicity created from the fight got him out of his father’s

later switched to Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and is currently a Purple Belt. Jessica Alba shadow and set him on the path to becoming the party leader. This is where our second
and Jessica Biel both hold Black Belts in Taekwondo with most of Biel’s expertise local connection comes in: if you watch the Trudeau-Brazeau fight, you may recognize

coming from her long history as a kickboxer. Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox the guy giving Justin advise between rounds. There are several good boxing trainers
both train in Budokon, which is a combination of Karate and Yoga. Lucy Lui from in Montreal and Ottawa, but the person that Ali Nestor asked to help him work Justin
Charlie’s Angles trains in Kali and Silat, which is a hardcore open-hand style often Trudeau’s corner was our very own Jorge Luis from Champs Eastside Boxing, Cornwall.
incorporating knife-fighting techniques. Canadian actress Catherine Winnick is a