College Chatham students Dakota Smoulders, left, Brendan Baker, Conner Stirling and Kyle Pitman placed second at the 48 Hour Flick Fest last Saturday for their four-minute film, titled B 'n' E A Three Letter Tale of Desperation. Missing from the photo are Gena Shaw and Brody Currie.

Budding filmmakers impress judges

A group of Grade 12 Ursuline College Chatham students have proven a lot of creativity can be packed into a weekend. Team Le Tigre, which includes: Conner Stirling, Kyle Pitman, Brendan Baker, Dakota Smoulders, Gena Shaw and Brody Currie, won second place in the 48 Hour Flick The students, who have honed their skills in the school's communications class, earned this honour with their four-minute film, titled B 'n' E - A Three Letter Tale of Desperation. Their four-minute film was the only submission by high school students, which competed against entries from independent filmmakers and university students. The judges were professionals from Windsor and Toronto. Stirling, 16, director/writer, said he learned about the competition while attending a presentation at the University of Windsor. He got some friends together and said, "it's 48-hours to make a movie. Why don't we just do it and see what comes out of it?" UCC students' film places second

Stirling said the contestants received one line of dialogue - theirs being "I have three words for you." He added they also received single prop, which was a sticker created by Andrew Banner, a child with Down syndrome, that features a drummer and the words "Rock On." He said they also had to roll the "genre dice," adding, "we were really thankful we got comedy." Stirling said they spent the weekend getting up at 6 a.m., filming and editing into the wee hours of the morning to finish the project. Pitman, 18, producer/writer, said they thought out and fleshed out the details for the film during an hour-long ride back from Windsor. "We really didn't expect to be second," he said. Baker, 17, who played the main character, Brendan, said developing a character in 48 hours was challenging. He said he finished work and was handed a script with the two writers "all telling me how to play this character in different ways. "It really just ended up being scene-by-scene," Baker said, adding he tried to do each take a little differently to provide some choice. "It all worked out in the end." Smoulders, 17, played Brendan's best friend, and was also the sound designer on the film. "It was really easy for me, I was generally just myself, but more dumb," he joked. Currie, 17, served as director of photography, and Shaw, 17, was an actor in the film. Pitman said the plot involves Brendan losing is job and Dakota coming up with the idea of breaking and entering into homes to steal things to pawn off to make money. "They feel they should practise by going to a garage sale and stealing from that first and they move up to a house," he said. "They end up stealing worthless things they can't pawn off at all."

Chatham native recognized by Genetics Society of America Sarah Brisbin's efforts in studying a microscopic worm may one day lead to the development of a drug to help fight cancerous tumours. The 26-year-old Chatham native earned a masters in biology with a focus on molecular genetics from Queen's University for her thesis based on research involving the C. elegans worm. The research team Brisbin worked with has found a link between two genes present in various cancers in humans by examining worms. " Basically, we're using the worm as a model to understand cell signaling in humans," Brisbin told The Chatham Daily News. She said a lot of the genes that humans have are similar to those in C. elegans worms. However, the worms are a much simpler model to work with, which makes it easier to conduct experiments, she added. Brisbin said the research discovered an interaction between two genes, the PTEN - which is a main tumour suppressor in humans for such diseases as breast, prostate and colon cancers - and the FRTK gene. "What we're finding is that when you have an increase of the FRTK (gene), you get a decrease of the PTEN, so the FRTK is regulating the PTEN," Brisbin said. She said that regulation has the potential to be a drug target, "because if you can knock out the thing that's knocking down a tumour suppressor then you can increase tumor suppressor activity, which is ideally what you want for treatment of cancer." Earlier this summer, Brisbin, a graduate of Ursuline College Chatham, was recognized by the Genetics Society of America during the 17th International C. University elegans of meeting California, at Los the Angeles for her research article on the Queen's University study. Brisbin is proud to be part of such groundbreaking research. "Obviously, more work needs to be done before it can get to the clinical level, but knowing that we're providing the stepping stones of what, one day, could be a breakthrough in cancer therapies is pretty exciting," she said. Professor Ian Chin-Sang, senior researcher for the project, credited Brisbin's perseverance and hard work. "It's not always rewarding," Chin-Sang said, noting there's of a lot of experiments conducted before breakthroughs are made. "It takes a very special person to be able to redo experiments many times to make sure what we're seeing is the correct thing," he said. Chin-Sang added a person also needs to think broadly and let the science and experiments guide them to the next steps.

He said the C. elegans worm "is not the type of worm you go fishing with," adding it is only about one millimetre in size. But, the worm has a lot of the cells found in higher organisms, such as humans, including a nervous system, a gut and muscle, he added. Brisbin is back at Queen's University working as a research assistant. However, she has set her sights on a career in medicine and is waiting to hear if she has been accepted to medical school next September. " I want to move from the bench to the bedside," she said of her goal to become a doctor. Brisbin is confident her research background will prepare her for where medicine is going. " It seems like a lot of the treatments for cancer now are going to be a really personalized genetic profile of looking at exactly what genes are on and off in particular cancers and really targeting the therapy for that," she said. Brisbin's desire to study medicine also runs in her genes, being the daughter of Dr. Donald Brisbin, an internist at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance

Blenheim loses SWOSSAA 'A' final in four sets to Lajeunesse The Ursuline Lancers made sure their name will remain the only one on the SWOSSAA 'AAAA' championship plaque for another year.

They swept the Windsor Holy Names Knights in three sets yesterday for their eighth straight senior boys volleyball championship. The Lancers have taken the prize home every year since the 'AAAA' playoffs began. "So far we've owned it," head coach Jeff Denomy said after the 25-17, 25-18, 25-19 win. They advanced to the OFSAA championship Nov. 27-28 in London. The Blenheim Bobcats, meanwhile, saw their OFSAA hopes end with a four-set loss to the Lajeunesse Royals in the SWOSSAA 'A' senior boys final. Lajeunesse won 25-27, 25-21, 25-18, 25-18 at Windsor. 

The Chatham-Kent Golden Hawks moved on to the SWOSSAA 'AAA' senior final with a three-set sweep of the Petrolia Lambton Central Lancers. At the junior level, Ursuline ('AAAA') and Blenheim ('A') won SWOSSAA championships yesterday. 'AAAA' SENIOR: At Windsor, the Lancers never trailed in the match. That was important because it kept the Knights' raucous fans from making even more noise. "We definitely made a point of keeping them down," Denomy said. "We didn't want the crowd to come alive." The Lancers knew what to expect from the Windsor-Essex County champions, who rely heavily on their top two hitters. "We had them scouted really well and I think that made a huge difference," Denomy said. "We blocked their No. 1 hitter three of the first four plays. I think that was a little more intensity than he was used to." The Lancers served well, passed even better and used a balanced attack to keep the Knights off-balance, he said. While Holy Names stuck with its two best hitters, Ursuline fed five or six hitters throughout the match. Denomy was impressed by the 'A' JUNIOR:  Ursuline Lancers' Casey Gregg slams the ball past Holy Names Knights' Daniel Iannetta during the SWOSSAA 'AAAA' junior boys volleyball final yesterday at Ursuline. The Lancers won in five sets. Knights, calling them one of the head coach Brian Leidl said. best 'AAAA' teams from Essex "Sandwich, they're no slouches. County that the Lancers have They're veteran players and if seen in years. you read anything that they've "If they would have had some put in the paper, they're expect success early in the game, I think ing to win the match." it would have been more of a fight," he said. "But they never quit. Every game, they were right in there." 'AAA' SENIOR: At Petrolia, the Golden Hawks dismantled the Lancers 25-14, 25-15, 25-7. The defending champion Hawks visit LaSalle Sandwich at 3 p.m. Friday for a rematch of last year's SWOSSAA final. "It'll be a good final," Hawks 'AAAA' JUNIOR: At Ursuline, the Lancers rallied to win 25-15, 21-25, 20-25, 25-19, 15-12 against Holy Names. The Lancers stopped focusing on defence in the second and third sets, but they did a much better job in the final two sets, head coach Colin Pittuck said. Outside hitters Casey Gregg and Mitchell Hakker led the attack. " They ( the Knights) had a smaller setter that wasn't blocking, so we had one-on-one at our power position," Pittuck said. "We were able to take advantage of it." At Blenheim, the Bobcats won 25-10, 25-22, 25-21 over the Windsor Forster Spartans. Middles Blayne Oliver and Matt Hebblethwaite served eight and five consecutive points, respectively, in the opening set win. Power hitters Guido McGuigan and Mike Price led the attack. After taking the second set, the Bobcats fell behind by seven points in the third. Oliver and Hebblethwaite sparked a comeback with solid defence at the net and in the back row. "Setters Derek Bowers and Ryan Hillier distributed the ball well and took advantage of Forster's weaknesses to allow spikes from all areas of the floor, and the Bobcats' hitters finished points off with smart decisions and ball placement," Blenheim coach Steve Scott said in a message.

Kent-Senior all-stars Chosen:

Front Row left: David Miller, Larry Vanden Berghe, Chris Verrall, Curtis LaBute, Jeremiah Hamilton and Brian Armstrong of the McGregor Panthers, Middle Row: Zach Mahoney and Eric Hoffman of the Ursuline Lancers; and Doug Dodman, Graham Smyth, Mitchell Sophonow and Brenden Thompson of the Chatham-Kent Golden Hawks; Back Row: Bryce Cumming, Brad Bettencourt,Stephen Twigg, Jeremy Gorzelak, Nathan Moynehan and Justin Manion of Ursuline.

CKSS home for Kent playoffs after going 3-0 at seeding tournament The last time Chatham-Kent failed to win the Kent senior boys volleyball championship, the current Golden Hawks were in Grades 1 and 2. They'll be favoured to win a 10th straight title after going undefeated in the 'AA-AAAA' seeding tournament yesterday at McGregor. The Golden Hawks went 3-0, starting with a three-set win over the Ursuline Lancers. The Lancers were 2-1, the McGregor Panthers 1-2 and the Wallaceburg Tartans 0-3. C ha t ha m - Ke n t hosts Wallaceburg and Ursuline welcomes McGregor for next Wednesday's semifinals. The final is Friday, Nov. 13. Playing their typically busy pre-season schedule, the Golden Hawks have already won three tournaments. "They've shown themselves to be very strong in the province," head coach Brian Leidl said. Third-year middle Kohl Robinson is joined in the starting lineup by the four other veterans: middle Thomas Bednarik, setter Mike Deryck, left-side hitter Bryce Stoliker and outside hitter Tyler Hay. Back-row specialist Dylan Medd, right-side hitter Ryan Wolfe, middle Nathan Lavoie and libero Laine Poirier are rookies. The Golden Hawks have average height, so they rely on their passing and defence. Although the front row boasts some great jumpers, notably Bednarik, the Golden Hawks need to play well defensively. They're tough to beat when they block well. "For us to be successful in the county, that has to be there," Leidl said. "Defence has to be there." Poirier, who's gaining a reputation as one of the best liberos in the province, and Medd have been big additions in the back row, Leidl said. Last year, the Golden Hawks beat the Lancers 17-15 in the fifth set of a thrilling Kent final..The Golden Hawks went on to place fourth at the OFSAA 'AAA' tournament, while the Lancers Chatham-Kent Golden Hawks' Thomas Bednarik (12) hits the ball past Ursuline Lancers' Nick Hastings (1) and Shayne Steele (10) during the Kent senior boys volleyball seeding tournament yesterday at McGregor. The Golden Hawks won the match in three sets and earned the No. 1 tournament seed with a 3-0 record. lost in the OFSAA 'AAAA'  and really improved a lot," Nate Hamilton and Jeremiah quarter-finals. Denomy said. "A couple of them, Hamilton and left-side hitter with three starters back, have worked their way into the Frank DeJong are reserves. Ursuline head coach Jeff Denomy lineup and filled big holes." 

The Ursuline Lancers suffered their first loss at the worst possible time. The Wallaceburg Tartans upset the previously unbeaten Lancers 21-7 in a Kent senior football semifinal Saturday. The Lancers' loss ended their bid for a third straight title. The second-seeded Blenheim Bobcats rallied to nip the McGregor Panthers 8-7 in the other semifinal. Blenheim will host Wallaceburg for the championship this Saturday at 1 p.m. Tartans 21, Lancers 7 At Ursuline, the Tartans raced out to a 19-1 halftime lead. "We really picked the wrong day to lay an egg," 

Lancers head coach Randy Rybansky said. "I didn't feel that we played well in any facet of the game." Brandon Donkers of the Tartans ran for first-half touchdowns of 35 and 22 yards. He finished with 184 yards on 24 carries. " It wasn't just Donkers," Tartans head coach Rob MacLachlan said. "We had a lot of guys that stepped up this week, and that's what we'll need against Blenheim." Jake Zelina kicked both extra points and an 18-yard field goal in the first half. He also had two singles: one on a kickoff and one on a punt. Lee Purnell added a safety in the second half for the Tartans, who finished four games behind the Lancers with a 2-4 record. "We made some mistakes, but we were confident we could win, which was a big thing going into the game," MacLachlan said. "We lost to them a couple weeks earlier and we felt turnovers cost us the game.

" The Tartans made two turnovers in the first four minutes Saturday, but allowed only one point on Jeremy Gorzelak's missed field goal. Gorzelak scored for the Lancers in the third quarter on a seven-yard run. Brennan Wadsworth made seven tackles for Wallaceburg, Purnell and Dylan Yazbeck each had six, Zelina made two interceptions, and Adam Durston and Kirby Celotto recovered fumbles. Brad Bettencourt led the Lancers with 10 tackles, Nate Moynihan made seven and recovered a fumble, and Josh Kominek also had seven tackles. Steven Twigg had an interception and Zach Mahoney had a fumble recovery. Bobcats 8, Panthers 7 At Blenheim, Tyler Drury's rouge in the fourth quarter broke a 7-7 tie. The Bobcats trailed 7-0 until Bowdie Gardiner scored on a 35-yard run midway through the third quarter. Drury kicked the extra point. Larry Vandenberghe scored the Panthers' touchdown on their first drive of the game. The Bobcats stayed on the ground, running 34 times for 214 yards and passing only three times. Zack Shuian had 12 carries for 73 yards, Gardiner added 65 yards and Josh Shuian had 46 yards. Zack Shuian also made a team-high 10 tackles, Drury had eight, Matt Price seven, Josh Shuian six, and Jacob Hyatt had five tackles and a sack. Vandenberghe ran 16 times for 145 yards. Chris Verrall of the Panthers added 140 yards on 18 carries. Vandenberghe also led McGregor's defence with 12 tackles and David Miller made seven.