Local skippers head to World Rope Skipping Championships Canadian national champions like Cameron McQuarrie, Jamie Smith, Megan and Tara Tait, Ashley Colasanti and Matt Delorey will give the performances of their careers at the World Rope Skipping Championships to be held July 20-24. Toronto will welcome 800 elite skippers from 14 countries when it plays host to the first World Rope Skipping Championships held in Canada. With most of the events taking place at Humber College's North Campus main gym, the World Rope Skipping Championships are the pinnacle of the rope skipping competition season. This series of competitions culminates in the world's best rope skippers competing in fiercely-contested team and individual competitions in speed and power, and freestyle categories. It's all capped off by the exciting World Cup Team Display July 24 at Mississauga's Living Arts Centre. The world's best rope skipping athletes dare to dream of representing their sport in the Olympics some day. In the meantime, the US Olympic Committee Sports Medicine Council already recommends rope skipping as one of the best cardiovascular workouts of any sport. And Canada's world-class rope skipping superstars will be front and centre when the sport's World Championships take place in their homeland, for the very first time. Previously they've been held in the U.S. and Australia. Other Canadian stars past and present - will be in attendance, including Ontario's Heidi Popov (now a Disney professional), National and Provincial champion Lisa Muldoon, and five-time national champion Shannon Fox, now president of the Ontario Rope Skipping Organization. The 2006 World Championships take place under the aegis of the Canadian Rope Skipping Federation and the Ontario Rope Skipping Organization, which have been overseeing competitions, sharing expertise and cultivating talent for 20 years and 12 years respectively. The public is invited to attend the events. Day tickets are $10 per day or $30 for a 4-day pass (Humber College Events) and $20 for the world championship event (Living Arts Event). Essex Yellowjackets Rookie Baseball The Essex Yellowjackets Rookie baseball team is off to a great start this season. First, let's introduce this year's team: Adam Amicarelli, Kane Gagnon, Anthony Iacobini, Brendan Jones, Colin Lauzon, Logan McMurran, Brody Masse, Sydney O'Doherty, Nash Prieur, Alec Robillard, Alex Smith, Tyler St. Pierre and Jake Watters. The team has started the season with a great record of 10 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie. They've had wins Belle River, against Cottam, Tilbury, Walkerville and Harrow and losses against Tecumseh Major and Amherstburg. On Sunday, June 25 the Jackets hosted Kingsville and both teams came to hit. With the Jackets down by two runs going into the bottom of the seventh inning, the team did a great job and came back to tie the game. The final score 16 - 16. On Tuesday, June 27 the Jackets traveled to Harrow and started the game playing very well. The team was up by six runs going into the bottom of the seventh but Harrow did not want to give up the game that easy. Harrow brought the score to within two runs but Essex wouldn't let them get any more and finished the game with a final score of 10 - 8. Great job by the whole team! Essex County Senior Baseball League Remembering Boblo Windsor's Community Museum opened its newest exhibit - Boblo: Remember When You Were A Kid? Saturday, July 1. Boblo's recorded history dates to the 1700s when the Jesuit Mission to the Hurons was established on the island. It was used during the War of 1812 and then as a half-way point for those escaping slavery in the United States. But it is Boblo, the amusement park, that is the focus of this exhibit, Boblo: Remember When You Were A Kid? Personal memories of the factory picnics, family outings and the summer Game results for Wednesday, June 28 Chatham 7 at Essex Seniors 6 Leamington 13 at South Woodslee 6 Essex Jackets 3 at Amherstburg 4 North Woodslee 2 at Harrow 8 Thursday, June 29 Essex Jackets 10 at Leamington 7 Essex Seniors 2 at Chatham 9 Sunday, July 2 North Woodslee 9 at Leamington 7 Chatham 5 at South Woodslee 14 Chatham 6 at South Woodslee 11 Team Standings W L Windsor 11 1 Amherstburg 8 4 Leamington 8 6 Essex Seniors 7 5 North Woodslee 6 8 Harrow 5 7 Essex Jackets 5 8 South Woodslee 4 9 Chatham 3 9 jobs as ride operators, combined with postcards, photographs and souvenirs record this late 20th century look at Boblo Island. The exhibit will continue until December 23. For further information contact the museum at 253-1812. *** A view of Boblo Island and Amherstburg in 1988 taken from the top of the observation tower. Photo: Bill Gay