Upbringing inspires lacrosse player

“Dream big, making the pros is a matter of putting your heart into it, wanting to get there and doing whatever it takes,” Cody Jamieson advised young lacrosse players.

From Six Nations Ontario, the 24-year-old forward was selected first overall by the Rochester Knighthawks in the 2010 NLL draft.

Jamieson quickly lived up to expectations, earning rookie of the week honours six times, and for good reason, last season he led all rookies in points scored.

“I feel good about it. I put a lot of pressure on myself… I just like to win and I expect to win every time I play a game of lacrosse, that’s the kind of pressure I put on myself” Jamieson said.

He credits his drive and motivation to his upbringing in Six Nations and being around lacrosse at a very young age.

“Living down here in Six Nations, it’s every kid’s dream to play professional lacrosse, and you wait so long to get there,” he said. “When you’re finally there you want to keep working to keep yourself at that level and that’s what keeps me motivated.”

Rochester made the playoffs last year, before being eliminated by the Toronto Rock in the first round.

Jamieson said last year’s playoff exit was a disappointment, but it also served as a driving force.

“It always crosses my mind, any team I’m associated with I always expect to win the championship,” Jamieson said. “It’s a goal that I set and it’s a goal the team sets. No one is in the sports business to lose; every other team in the league is gearing up for a championship as well.”

Jamieson has experienced championships at other levels; in his junior career he helped the Six Nations Arrows Express to four consecutive Ontario Junior A. Lacrosse League Championships.

Perhaps the most noteworthy title he’s experienced came while playing for Syracuse University. Jamieson scored the overtime winner at the final game in Syracuse’s come from behind victory over Cornell at the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship in 2009.

“It was a lot of fun you know there were a lot of people in the stands…To comeback as a team it was really exciting to look around and see 40000 people in the stands, it’s something that you’ll never forget that’s for sure,” he said.


Lacrosse’s popularity is indisputable in Six Nations communities, in American universities however, basketball and football have been the big ticket for decades. Jamieson said if more people are exposed to the game it will quickly see a rise in popularity

“A lot of people just don’t know about it yet. Everybody grew up with basketball and football and watching them on ESPN. So I think lacrosse hasn’t got the same publicity,” he explained. “A lot of people who see a game for the first time fall in love with it… They say it’s the fastest growing sport in the world, so maybe one day it will get there, but it’s not there yet.”

Along with the thrill and pressures of big game situations there are the not so thrilling duties that come with being a rookie in the NLL.

“The team has this thing about rookies. We just got to pay our rookie dues, like handout the papers and handout water, just to make sure that you’re paying your dues like every other player who’s been a rookie has... But everybody goes through their one year of it, then after that you get to sit back and relax,” he said.

Boxing bulks up self-confidence

She is a mortgage broker who packs a mean punch and when she is not helping people buy homes, Miranda Jollymore is strapping on her boxing gloves.

Jollymore, 32, is an amateur boxer. In the 1990s, she competed as a table tennis player in two Canada Games and that’s when she gained interest in sports of a more physical nature.

“At the time, I was more interested in contact sports such as boxing and wrestling,” Jollymore said.

In 2005, she took up boxing to help improve her fitness level.

“A lot of women take boxing to get into shape,” she added. “I always thought of boxers as the elite athletes.”

At only 5-foot-4 and about 120 lbs, Jollymore is not your typical boxer, but she said this can be an advantage.

“In terms of selling the sport, it’s amazing that I don’t fit the boxing mould,” she explained, “because if I can learn to fight, anybody can learn to fight.”

Women’s boxing will make its debut at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. Jollymore said the exposure is long overdue, and part of the reason is that there aren’t enough boxing programs which cater towards girls.

“Boxing is still considered a male sport,” she said, “and the fact that women’s boxing just got accepted to the Olympics, goes to show that society isn’t ready to see women fight.”

As a child she was a victim of bullying. She said that experience may have played a role in her becoming involved in the sport.

“There was a girl in my school who would always harass me,” Jollymore said, “and everyday I would come home from school crying.”

She explained the best way for someone to overcome their fear is by taking a stance, and that’s what she is trying to instil through boxing.

Jollymore currently runs a boxing program, MJ’s Rockys, in partnership with the non-profit organization Youth Assisting Youth, and the Toronto Police Service.

Cato Palma, 12, has been a part of the program for over a year.

“It’s definitely helping me with my self confidence,” he said. “I used to be very shy, but now I’m more outgoing.”

Unlike traditional boxing programs, MJ’s Rockys does not put a lot of emphasize on the technical aspects of the sport.

“I’m not trying to make a world champion,” Jollymore said. “My program is to give kids a safe place to go, where they can gain self-esteem.”

For more information on the program, visit www.mjko.ca.

Green Cosmetics

She digs two tablespoons of baking soda and glycerin; one tablespoon of cornstarch, pours it into a small bowl, adds a few drops of natural oils and grapefruit, and stirs the ingredients to a thick white paste. This is how Lisa Druchok makes deodorant.

“Over the past three years I have gained a real interest in learning how to make things myself,” Druchok said. “During the course of 2010 I have taken more do-it yourself workshops.”

Druchok is a client of Tracey TieF, a Natural Health Practitioner, who hosts hands-on workshops from her Toronto home for people seeking alternative methods to make health and cosmetic products.

Small jars and vials of natural herbs and oils sit in her small living room, where she instructs clients on making their own natural cosmetic products, such as fragrances, skin lotions and shampoos. She said she always had an interest in the natural means of treating the body.

“When I was four for instance my sister was suffering from asthma so I made her a ginger drink and as it turns out ginger is a helpful decongestant,” TieF said.

Prior to launching her wholistic health practice, Anarres Natural Health in 2007 TieF worked with the homeless for 19 years and said she saw a link between the two.

“I’ve always been an activist so there is a deep connection for me between social justice and traditional ways of interacting with the environment and healing people,” she explains.

TieF uses essential oils on cosmetic products she makes and abstains from using preservatives. Clients sign up for her workshops for various reasons. Some are looking for different options, and others are interested in the actual process of making body care products.

Fleur McGregor visited a workshop to make a skin lotion for her baby.

“I had a desire to have (the skin lotion) be completely natural and under my control,” McGregor said. “It also sounded like fun to be able to find out how to make it.”

Vicky Yoo is a marketing assistant at Pure and Simple, a wholistic spa and a natural skin care products retailer. Yoo said more people are turning to natural alternatives, and this turn prompted companies to manufacture natural and organic cosmetic products.

“A lot of people get allergic reactions to skin care products and are looking for something more pure,” Yoo said. “So (cosmetic manufacturers) have to think of producing skin care lines that are more natural.”

TieF said the ingredients in her products are known as GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and don’t require any testing. Cosmetic products that contain preservatives must meet the requirements of the Food and Drugs Act.

TieF said there is a list of substances banned from the market, but there have been no tests conducted to determine the safety of two or more combined substances.

Goin’ Solo Magazine tried to reach Health Canada’s Consumer Safety office but were unable to get a response.

As Druchok flips through her notes, pondering which elements she wants to put together for her next recipe, TieF walks into her kitchen and returns with a bottle of vodka.

Druchok mixes the vodka with coriander oil, cleaning vinegar, and then pours it into a small glass bottle to create an odour remover. Druchok said she feels that DIY workshops such as this are important and skepticism has driven her to take part in these workshops.

“I am always striving to be more self sufficient,” she explained. “It seems odd to me that people don’t know how to make the products or grow the food we have come to rely on.”

Backyard Mechanics

In a mechanic shop full of workbenches and hoists, Leonardo Moratti is working on his car. He pulls out a series of four iron pipes, joined at one end by a block of metal; it’s an intake manifold of a Toyota engine.

“Even as a child I had an interest in cars, and as I got older this interest grew,” he said.

Moratti is a student of the Motive Power Technician program at Centennial College’s Ashtonbee campus in Toronto. The program offers theoretical and practical training in car repairs.

He said this program helped expand his knowledge of car repairs. If there is a malfunction he can fix, he doesn’t hesitate.

“For example with this intake manifold, I know there are a few gaskets leaking. That’s something I know I can fix on my own,” he said. “If I took it to the mechanic it would probably cost $400 for the labour alone.”

He added that everyone should have some basic knowledge of car repairs.

“A lot of people get a basic kit, like a tire jack, but when there is a breakdown they don’t know what to do,” Moratti explained. “One time a friend of mine was replacing his tire, but didn’t know to place the jack under the frame. Why get the tool if you’re not going to learn how to use it?”

Dave Samalea is the co-ordinator for the Automotive and Motorcycle program at Centennial College and has been a licensed automotive technician for 31 years.

Samalea said technological advances are make it difficult even for experienced technicians who want to work on their own cars.

“You can’t do repairs anymore without the specialized equipment,” he said. “I can’t do repairs on my own car at home because I don’t have the electronic gadgets I need for diagnostics.”

Don Given is removing a tire from a car sitting atop a hoist lifted about 4 feet from the ground. Given enrolled in the Motive Power Technician program to save money on car repairs. He said before taking this program he made a few costly mistakes while fixing his car.

“It’s really important to have the right tools. It’s difficult to do this without the right tools,” Given said. “I found that out the hard way, I blew out a couple of spark plugs and started having problems with the engine.”

He said when there is a problem with his car he always wants to poke at it.

“When my brake pads wear out, I replace it myself. That’s something mechanical I can see it and feel it on my own,” he explained.

Given said a lot of DIY mechanics are so keen to save money, they’ll dive into the maintenance without any thought.

“Like with the spark plugs I blew, I tightened them with a tool that was a fraction of an inch too big,” he said.

“I was looking to save a few bucks, but I ended up paying a lot more. Having the right size tool and a little patience is crucial when you’re fixing a car.”

Like Given, Moratti works on his car to save money, but he said the most satisfying feeling for him is a job well done.

“For me there is a sense of accomplishment when you diagnose a problem and fix it,” Moratti said. “You say to yourself, ‘I did this and I did it on my own.’”

BC Lumber Industry Grows With Foreign Demand

With the softwood lumber dispute, the pine beetle epidemic and the downhill spiral in the U.S housing market and shortage in the workforce, British Columbia's logging industry has seen its fair share of bumps and bruises over the last 20 years.

But there is room for optimism. The last few years have seen an increase in supply, and there were signs of recovery in 2010.

President of the Truck Loggers Association Graham Lasure says there is a lot to look forward to in 2011.

“The export market to China and Asia is there, and the lumber prices are quite high at the moment,” Lasure says.

His optimism comes with good reason; in 2010 British Columbia’s lumber exports to China were valued at $687 million, more than twice the value of exports in 2009. In terms of volume, China consumed 2.6 million cubic meters, 22 percent of BC’s lumber last year.

Minister of Forests, Mines and Lands Pat Bell says in the final quarter of 2010 that number rose to 30 percent.

“We are seeing huge jumps in the value of softwood products going to China as they continue to place larger orders for higher quality and better grades of lumber,” Bell says. 

“This is great news for the industry, because it means we have diversity and it no longer means that we’re relying strictly on the U.S market.”

Exports to China in December alone were valued at $107 million, a record high for the industry as it exceeded exports in all of 2003. 

“It’s the fifth year in a row that we have set new annual highs for both volume and value,” Bell says.

In 2009 there were 10,000 jobs lost in British Columbia and about half the workforce is approaching retirement, but there was an addition of 5000 jobs in 2010.

Currently there is a high demand for truckers as more and more logging mills are reopening in British Columbia Bell says.

“I expect the remainder of the jobs lost will comeback in 2011,” he adds. “We’re in the early stages of recovery. Over the last 18 months we reopened 24 logging mills.”

Expansion will translate to labour demand. Lasure says appealing to the job market and drawing workers to the industry is among their top priorities.

“Bringing people to work in the industry is one of the difficulties we’ll be facing.  But we’re seeing people wanting to comeback from the oil fields to the logging industry, because it will be more stable going forward.”

He says that the TLA along with other organizations are working with the BC government to attract people to the industry.

“The government and everyone are working to stabilize the industry.  That will bring people who left back,” he says.  “Associations such as the Truck Loggers Association (TLA) and the Pacific Logging Congress are working to entice people into the industry through educational and promotional areas.”

In October of 2009, the BC government legislated the Wood First Act, which requires wood to be considered as a primary material in government funded buildings.

TLA executive director David Lewis says the future looks a bit brighter and there is potential for growth in 2011.

“When it comes to demand it isn’t going to be an issue for us.  We see demand in North America and China going up,” Lewis says.

Lewis says the industry is currently working with 80 percent of their capacity, and he says its time for them to expand, but it won’t be easy.

“We’ve been doing lots of training, but we’ve had training moneys cut from the government.  We’ve been trying to do more equipment operator training, as well as introductory training and we’re doing advocacy work to build up the reputation of the industry, but it’s a huge piece of work,” Lewis says.

He says in order to stay competitive globally they need much cooperation from the government.

“Governments need to be an advocate our industry.  They shouldn’t be shy of saying that timber is the most affordable, sustainable and the most carbon friendly building product,” he says.  “I think part of the reason that we’ve seen the negative trend within forestry is that we didn’t have governments that were advocates.”