A fire that broke out just before midnight Wednesday has gutted the Beaver Bank Kinsac Community Centre and its attached volunteer fire department.
The fire station side of the building suffered the least damage. Firefighters responding to the blaze were able to remove fire trucks and equipment from the fire department's side of the building. Click here for fire Photo Gallery and Click here for Video
No one was injured in the blaze, but smoke still billowing in the area in the wake of the devastating fire has led to the closure of the nearby Beaver Bank-Kinsac Elementary School for today.
The not-for-profit, multipurpose community centre opened its doors in 2004 with great fanfare. Since then, it has been a popular, well-used gathering place and a source of pride for people in the community.
In addition to the fire department and its bays, the centre housed the RCMP's community policing office, a computer-access site, and the Beaver Bank Children's Learning Centre day care.
Everything from community meetings to guitar lessons, taekwondo, a dart league and a summer day camp operated out of the centre. A kids ball hockey program was set to begin next week, and an Oktoberfest event was slated for Oct. 3.
The centre has also served as the focal point for the community's increasingly popular annual tree lighting ceremony.
The large two-storey facility included a full kitchen, large multipurpose room, board room, children's programming room, two adjoining lounges and a community lounge.
Investigators are still on scene and the cause of the blaze is not known at this time.
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Fire destroys Beaver Bank Kinsac Community Centre
A Big Break For KidSport A big break for KidSport
Doug Large will have swelling for two or three days and bruises for a couple weeks. The owner of Chimo Taekwondo spent Wednesday afternoon breaking 1,000 boards in 30 minutes to raise money for KidSport, a program that provides $300 a child per year to families who
cannot afford to put them in a sport.
“We’ve had a fair number of kids come through our program sponsored by KidSport," said Mr.Large.
“So it seemed to be the kind of program that helps all sports organizations and I wanted to raise awareness and raise a little money if we could, and try and get kids interested in sports."
Mr. Large said his efforts raised about $300 but that didn’t deter him because “the primary goal was to raise awareness and I think we’ve done that really, really well today."
Mr. Large’s fundraiser was held as part of the biannual Milk Sport Fair run by Sport Nova Scotia. The fair introduces kids to a broad variety of sports.
“I think it’s excellent because people get to try new sports," said Kayla Dewolfe, 12, a student at Oyster Pond Academy.
“They might like them and get more active."
Of the 2,500 or so students that passed through the three-day fair, an informal survey had wheelchair basketball as a favourite among boys and girls.
“Because you get to go in a wheelchair," explained 12-year-old Virginia Webber.
There were also opportunities to toss a football, simulate water polo, learn about biathlon, skip rope, hula hoop and more. The kids also moistened their palates with chocolate milk provided by the fair’s title sponsor the Dairy Farmers of Canada.
The fair has been held every Spring and Fall since 2001. It has not been held in Halifax for three years, so it was the first time that many metro students attended. It was also the first year that Lisa McKenna brought her students to the fair.
As a physical education teacher at Bel Ayr Elementary School, she said she has seen students become less active over the years, with technology taking up most of their time.
“I think children get a lot of self-esteem (from sports), especially with team sports. (They learn) co-operation, teamwork skills, learning to depend on others and have others depend on them," she said.
As for Mr. Large: “Because we make contact when we train we actually take pride in our bruises. I’ll show them off tonight to the kids and they’ll all go Woo! Ahh! Cool!"
The Chronicle Herald is an official sponsor of KidSport.
tmawji@herald.ca@herald.ca
http://thechronicleherald.ca/
Taekwondo: Crown achieve impressive tally in battle of Biggin Hill
CROWN Taekwondo Federation (CTF) took a squad down to Burgess Hill for the third stage of the national All Styles tournament last Sunday, writes Stuart Holliday.
There are three phases to the competition being held across the South East and the Midlands and those contenders who achieve at least two trophies - whether it is gold, silver or bronze - get to qualify for the grand final in December, when the champions from those two English regions will then compete.
As the tournament has gained its momentum, so - encouragingly - have CTF and the interest throughout the club has been contagious.
While the coaches and instructors were given a quick team briefing before the action began, Master Dave Crump gave one of the black belt challengers an instruction to warm up the team.
During the health and safety briefing, a loud rumbling noise rang throughout the arena as "Team CTF" ran on the spot in an effort to adhere to Crump's directives.
The rest of the assembled gathering just looked on at the 30-strong squad, all in their new black suits donated by the club's sponsor 2 direct, as they continued to draw everyone's attention.
Throughout the day, every student exceeded all expectations and a real buzz was had by the team and their well-wishers.
CTF did not only achieve nine golds, 12 silvers and eight bronzes - an impressive total of 29 trophies across the three disciplines of continuous sparring, points sparring and traditional forms), but - during the event - students from other clubs were asking about them and where they trained.
At one point even, one of their black belts was approached by another club and asked if he would join them. However, luckily for CTF, he politely declined.
The club will now wait to see who will be receiving an invitation to the final later this year.
Nonetheless, they remain fairly confident of being able to field another strong squad.
CTF have classes in Bromley, Biggin Hill, Sidcup and Halstead.
For more information about CTF, visit their website at:
www.crowntaekwondo.co.uk.
Strike force: Fargo North football player makes North Dakota history in taekwondo
Taekwondo sparked the interest of Dallas Wagemann several years ago, when he watched his younger brother practice and compete at tournaments.
But Wagemann says it was a movie and martial arts star from the 1970s that nudged him to give it a try.
“It was probably because of all the martial arts movies I was watching,” said Wagemann, now a 16-year-old Fargo North junior. “There had been a few of them. But it was mostly Bruce Lee. Mainly, ‘Enter the Dragon.’ ”
Wagemann, an offensive and defensive lineman on the Spartans’ football team, is the first North Dakotan to earn a spot on the AAU United States National Taekwondo Team. He will represent the U.S. in international competition this spring.
Wagemann’s tournament schedule has not been finalized, but he will likely travel to Germany or The Netherlands, Northwest Martial Arts Academy instructor Roy Gilbertson said.
“It’s huge,” said Gilbertson, who has instructed Wagemann for the last eight years. “He’s a really modest kid and very laid back. But he has progressed immensely. He’s big and he’s super fast for his size. That’s his biggest asset. This is just a stepping stone for him.”
Wagemann has come a long way from a chubby kid who picked up the sport because of the movies.
He’s now 6-foot-1, 200 pounds with unlimited taekwondo potential.
Wagemann insists he’s just having fun.
However, Gilbertson sees big things in Wagemann’s future.
“If he wants it, he’ll make it (to the Olympics),” he said.
Wagemann said he earned his black belt in three years.
Next year will be his final year competing at the junior level. After that, he’ll have an opportunity to work his way onto the senior team. Gilbertson said the senior team is a feeder system for the U.S. Olympic Team.
Wagemann would be eligible for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
“Dallas is a hard worker,” North football teammate Dan Aberle said. “Whenever he sets his mind to something he seems to achieve it. He’s one of the toughest kids I know.”
Wagemann said taekwondo helps keep him in shape during the football offseason and helps his footwork.
He missed seven practices and the Spartans’ first two games this season when he was competing at the AAU Nationals in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
But he’s getting back into the swing of things on the gridiron. Wagemann is starting to see significant time on North’s offensive line.
“He’s learning discipline, he’s learning how to be an athlete and he’s learning how to control his body (in taekwondo),” said North football coach Kelly Kalina, whose team travels to Jamestown on Friday. “And he’s probably bettering himself as a football player, too.”
By: Heath Hotzler
http://www.inforum.com/
