The Canadian Sportsman

In our Aug. 14, 2008 issue, The Sportsman featured the development of the Regional Equine & Agriculture Centre of Huron (REACH) in Clinton, ON, which will function as a “motel for education”, offering innovative programming as well as recreational activities to support both the equine and agricultural industries.
 
On-site facilities include an Olympic-sized indoor arena, warm-up arena, two oversized outdoor show rings, and facilities for show stabling, RV parking, high-tech classrooms, dorm rooms and a community kitchen.
As construction continues in advance of REACH’s grand opening on Sept. 12, 2009, the centre played host to its first clinic, a seminar on lunging with expert Ilka Boecker, in June. Recently, the centre held two youth camps — “Own A Horse” from Aug. 10 to Aug. 14 and “Agri-Camp” from Aug. 17 to Aug. 21.
 
Following the grand opening, activities at REACH will ramp up significantly with short courses in horse care and equine production planned for the fall, as well as community ‘ride’ nights and a new partnership with Georgian College, which will see part of the college’s Food Service Worker program take place in REACH’s state-of-the-art community kitchen.

The Ottawa Senators have removed the ‘interim’ tag from head coach Cory Clouston, signing the harness racing enthusiast, who was featured in The Sportsman’s March 5 edition, to a two-year contract extension.

Clouston, the nephew of Alberta horseman Rod Hennessey, took over the Sens head coaching job on Feb. 2 after Craig Hartsburg was fired. The team, which missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1995-1996 season, improved dramatically under Clouston’s leadership late in the season.

Despite his job security thanks to his new contract, all is not rosy for Clouston this offseason. The Senators’ top sniper and two-time 50 goal scorer Dany Heatley has asked to be traded before next season, citing dissatisfaction with his role in Clouston’s system.

Crossing the border is starting to rank with surgery without anesthetic as a fun way to spend the afternoon. So, I offer this tip to my Canadian friends to make your next visit to the United States as smooth as possible: business cards.
 
Not passports. Business cards.
 
On a trip to the Jug in 2008, a U.S. customs official at the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit took the time out of his busy schedule to impress upon me with the subtlety of a 10-ton press, that I had the IQ of a dung beetle because I wasn’t carrying business cards with my passport.
 
Having them in a bag in the vehicle wasn’t good enough to prove I work where I work. Having a copy of the magazine in my hands wasn’t good enough either.
 
Sure, sure, I could print up business cards in my basement saying I was the King of Paraguay or the president of IBM or Donald Trump or something. That’s not the point. You’ll need to have those business cards handy the next time you travel.