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By: Vanessa Moss | Posted: on August 09, 2008

PINK LADIES Amy Schwindt, Alora Griffiths and Amanda Schwindt show off the new pink hues they adopted as part of their breast cancer fundraiser Aug. 16-17 at RIM Park. The girls and their KW Braves U-19 Field Lacrosse Team will sell pink treats throughout the two days as they host the Ontario provincial finals for girls field lacrosse.

Some 20 pink heads will be bobbing across the fields at RIM Park in Waterloo Aug. 16 and 17 as the K-W Braves Under-19 Girls Field Lacrosse Team hosts a tournament/fundraiser in support of breast cancer research.
Along with dyeing their hair pink, the young ladies will be selling cookies, cupcakes, freezies, popsicles and lemonade, all in the same shade, to about 15 teams coming to town for the Ontario provincial finals.
“We’re really excited about it,” said co-captain Amanda Schwindt of Elmira.
Held for the past two years in Owen Sound, the tournament attracts players from across Ontario vying for top three placings in both the “B” and “C” divisions. Since the “A” teams are competing at the Ontario Summer Games all the way in Ottawa next week, the Waterloo contest will allow locals to check out a high level of field lacrosse this summer, she noted.
“It’s a really good chance to expose lacrosse in this area.”
The game itself is both similar to and different than indoor (box) lacrosse, she explained. Since the girls play on soccer fields, there is a lot more running and passing involved and special rules come into effect. As well, there are no pockets in the field lacrosse sticks and unique nets.
“I love it. I think it’s awesome,” Schwindt said of the sport she took up after playing box lacrosse for several years.
She and her sister Amy have been with the team for four seasons and are glad to see it growing. This year, the K-W group even added an under-15 team so that younger players could try it out.
Schwindt was also proud to note that the U-19 team has moved up to the “B” division for the first time and has the “A” goal in its sights going into the finals.
“It’s a big deal for us.”
When the girls first heard they would be hosting the tournament, they were thrilled with the opportunity to showcase their home base while also helping a team member’s friend, who is competing in a breast cancer race in Toronto.
“A lot of the girls know people affected by cancer,” Schwindt said of their fundraising choice.
They figured that since the event draws so many people out into the heat, selling fun, cold treats will probably generate a good profit.
“The things that we’re selling are going to help the players.”
The Ontario finals takes place Aug. 16-17 at RIM Park in Waterloo. The K-W Braves compete in round-robin play at 8 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, with semi-final and final games on Sunday.

By: Vanessa Moss | Posted: on August 09, 2008

Walter “Waldo” Sieber’s days of knee-dropping opponents might be over, but that doesn’t mean he is letting himself get out of shape.
The 74-year-old former professional wrestler moved back to Elmira three months ago and already has a personal gym set up in his apartment.
As a member of the SLAM! Wrestling Canadian Hall of Fame and holder of multiple world and North American wrestling titles, Sieber travelled and lived throughout the world from the time he turned pro at age 17, until his retirement in 1979.
Now, he prefers to stay put and spend time with his family in Elmira, a town he discovered and lived in for a period in the 1970s.
“He’s a wonderful person. He’s got a good sense of humour, he’s been through a lot and he’s a fighter, I guess,” said his daughter, Mary Jane Berry.
Growing up, Berry remembers watching her dad fight, albeit far back from the ring. She and her two sisters could not sit too close because people would often throw food and other items at their father.
“Dad was one of the villains of wrestling.”
This “tough guy” image was great in the ring, but not so great in real life, Berry said.
“It was good until I started dating – then the boys would drop me off at the corner,” she said laughing.
Although Sieber was often away from home, he took the girls fishing when he could and spoiled them, Berry said.
“It was quite the life.”
Sieber has also been known to treat himself over the years with sports cars and properties, including a castle still under construction in Belize.
“I thought, ‘I’ve never had a castle,’” Sieber said of that purchase.
Along with accumulating material goods, the wrestler also enjoyed fame throughout his career. He was known for bench pressing 495 pounds, just five under the world record at the time, and for competing in the longest match at Madison Square Garden in New York: one hour, 28 minutes.
And not to mention that he had an enviable 29.5-inch waist at the time, Sieber said with a laugh.
Nowadays, he might not have those measurements, but he is still tough, having battled through two hip replacements, triple-bypass surgery and cancer, Berry said.
Her son, Sean, 23, looks up to his grandfather and is even considering getting into wrestling himself, something she also once considered.
“Dad taught us how to wrestle, and we thought we were wrestlers too.”

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