 |
| Roger Dorrington is a regular at the Cumberland YMCA, whether it's in the pool, gym, cardio or weight room. He thinks the TSN SportsCentre/Kraft Canada contest that will see the Y go head-to-head for online votes against the Mic Mac Amateur Aquatic Club today couldn't have happened at a better time. Raissa Tetanish - Amherst Daily News |
AMHERST - It's not a surprise to see Roger Dorrington at the Cumberland YMCA.
"I'm here every day," said the River Hebert man on Tuesday.
Whether Dorrington's swimming in the pool, running on the treadmill or working in the weight room, you can find him there.
He even teaches boot camp twice per week, except for in the summer.
Beginning at 1 p.m. today, Internet votes will be accumulated as the YMCA goes head-to-head with the Mic Mac Amateur Aquatic Club in Dartmouth in the TSN and Kraft Canada Celebration Tour 10 in 10 contest that will see TSN's SportsCentre broadcast live later this summer from the winning facility.
"This opportunity through TSN and Kraft Canada couldn't have happened at a better time. There's a lot of work that needs to be done here," he said, looking around.
Voting will take place for 24 hours before a winner is determined.
While many people are wondering what sort of chance the facility has going up against a facility in the Halifax Regional Municipality, Dorrington doesn't feel that way.
"The YMCA isn't just Amherst. It's all of Cumberland County. We have a chance," he said.
For the winning facility, not only will TSN broadcast live, but the facility will also get $25,000 from Kraft Canada to use at the facility.
Because he's there every day and uses the majority of the areas, Dorrington says the money could go to a number of different things.
"Number one would be to replace the floor in the gym. They've already started upgrading cardio equipment, so it would be great if they upgrading the weight room equipment too," he said, adding he's aware that there are other areas of the building, structurally, that need work as well.
"Everybody is pumped about this opportunity," Dorrington said. "Especially since we just got off the cross border challenge. That was a big success with 181 participants, and I was impressed with the turnout and the volunteers from Amherst. So this competition is just perfect."
To vote, visit http://voteamherst.ca. For those that don't have access to the Internet, the YMCA has computers set up for the public to use to cast their votes.
Beginning at noon, the YMCA is hosting a free kick off barbecue with hamburgers and hotdogs. At 7 a.m., local radio station CKDH will begin broadcasting live from the YMCA.
The public is also invited to a free family swim tonight from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
The Town of Amherst (www.amherstns.com) and the Amherst Daily News (www.amherstdaily.com) also have links on their websites directing users to vote.
rtetanish@amherstdaily.com
