. .
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John Kim, a fourth-year political science student and
elite taekwondo combatant, received the Tommy Smart
Cup, unseating an unprecedented four-year reign on the
top-jock throne by this year’s runner-up, basketball’s
Kevin Dulude. Hockey sniper Tyler Middlebrook, the
only RMC player to lead the OUA in scoring, placed
third in the voting.
Lafortune, a foil specialist, also shared in another
major award, the women’s fencing squad’s selection as
team of the year.
She won individual gold at the OUA finals in February,
leading the charge to the title.
Aside from pivotal contributions to her team, she
excelled academically and militarily, holding several
leadership positions. In other words, an ideal pick
for the H.R.H. Prince of Wales Cup, which goes to the
graduating athlete who best exemplifies athletic,
academic, military and bilingual excellence at RMC.
Curiously, she never fenced prior to coming to RMC.
For 12 years she was a competitive gymnast in Quebec.
“I liked in fencing the combination of athletic
ability and mental strategy that you need,” she said.
“But I never knew it would be so hard physically,”
added the fit fencer who returns next year in a
master’s program. “A tournament competition goes from
eight in the morning until six at night. I can’t walk
for four days afterward, can’t climb any stairs. It’s
tough.”
This morning, Lafortune, Paladin teammates Natalie
Jones and Alex Prymack and fencing coach Patti Howes
head out for Grosseto, Italy, site of the 40th world
military fencing championships.
Incredibly, it marks Canada’s first participation in
the annual event.
Smart Cup winner Kim is two-time defending silver
medallist at the past two national taekwondo
championships. He, too, was recently selected to the
Canadian military team. |
The native of Seoul came by his passion for taekwondo
naturally. The martial art is the national sport of
South Korea.
“I wanted to continue with that part of my heritage,”
said Kim, whose family emigrated to Toronto in 1989.
An onetime aspiring stage actor/singer, Kim landed the
understudy role of Simba in the Canadian production of
The Lion King. Unfortunately, he had already entered
military basic training.
“I had made my decision what I wanted to do,” he said
with no hint of regret.
Brimming with confidence – not a bad attribute to have
in this pastime – Kim’s future goal has a five-ring
familiarity to it.
“I see myself going to the 2008 Olympics,” said the
22-year-old who first is earmarked for CFB Gagetown,
N.B., to complete a crew commander course.
For the second straight year, Regiopolis Notre Dame
grad Jennifer Donofrio earned a Hulton Trophy, this
time as top second-year cadet. Last year the diligent
basketball guard was named best first-year cadet, an
honour bestowed this time around on fencer Prymack.
Donofrio’s success in her first two years is offset by
the fact her team has yet to win a game – 0-44 –
during that span.
Fellow fencer Jones earned the RMC Military Club of
Canada Trophy as top third-year cadet and Lafortune,
as mentioned, the RMC Club of Hamilton Branch Cup as
top fourth-year cadet.
Matthew Maxwell (weightlifting), Tawfig Ghadban
(bodybuilding), Dulude and Kim copped Outstanding
Athlete awards.
Hockey player Patrick McDonald skated away with the
Whitaker Cup as best team captain, while the Fair Play
Award went to Kim’s taekwondo teammate, Erich Kuehnle. |
