i
e

BASKETBALL...
West Van secondary
graduate Bijan Jiany is
being compared to
Michael Jordan,
though it’s unlikely
the Douglas College
point guard will be
flogging Nike shoes
anytime soon.

The 6°3” second-

year player earned his

first-ever triple-dou-
ble as he scored 23
points, pulled down
Il rebounds and
dished off 11 assists
to lead Douglas
College to a 85-70
victory over Whatcom
Community College
(Bellingham) —_ fast
Friday night.

“Like Jordan, he
(Bijan) got cut from
his high — school
team,” Douglas head
coach David Munro
notes. “But I think
that has motivated
Bijan even more.”

On the season (the
Royals are 4-0), Jiany
is ~ averaging
points, cight assists
and six rebounds a
game,

‘FOOTBALL... The
Handsworth Royals
are the team to beat as
four of five North
Shore senior boys?
football teams prepare
for the post-season.
The Royals tallied

a perfect 8-0 regular

season record and
* now face Hugh Boyd
“inva B.C. double-A
quarter-final matchup
Saturday, Nov. 16 at
BC Place. Kick-off is

~ 10:30 am.

In other double-A

| quarter final action

under the dome,
Sentinel takes on
Seaquam (Friday,
Nov. 15, 3:30 p.m.
kickoff), and Windsor
plays Westsyde

(Saturday, Nov. 16, 6

p.m, kickoff).

The sole triple-A
North Shore team in
the B.C. playoffs,
Carson Graham, plays
Vancouver College at
BC Place on Friday,
Nov. 15. Kickoff is at
8:30 p.m.

TRIATHLONS...
Carol Montgomery
finished the 1996
International
Triathlon Union
(ITU) World = Cup
series with ‘a strong
kick as she won the
final race of the sea-
son Sunday in Noosa,
Australia.

Van

New boxing gym
hopes te resurrect
sport on N. Shore

By Martin Millerchip
Contributing Writer

“DAVE Brown stopped the
fight and sent Clay
(Muhammad Ali) back to the
corner to get his laces
checked. There was nothing
wrong with his laces at all —
George Chuvalo was getting
to him.

“It would have been great to sce a
Canadian get a decision even if it was-
n’ra title Behe.”

Elio Ius has just bounded into the
cramped ring of the interview room,
dropped his coat, swapped punches
with former Canadian light-welter-
weight champion Dick Findlay and
now the memories are pouring out of
him.

If this is the energy Bob Peterson is
hoping to release in his fight to resur-
rect boxing on the North Shore he’s
on a sure thing.

Peterson boxed as a middleweight
in Winnipeg and as a light-heavy in the
States for a few pro bouts.

After retiring’ from business, he’s
looking to Ius and Findlay to help raise
the banner of the newly formed Lions
Gate Boxing Club.

Tus was born and raised in North
Vancouver and much of his life has
centered on the boxing ring. He
fought his first fight for 50 cents at the
age of six in the old Denman Audit-
orium on Hastings.

Fighting in “smokers” (beer par-
tors), including the old Olympic Hotel
(then called The Palace), meant fight-
ing amidst a circle of spectators.

“There was no ring or anything and
they’d just toss pennies to us kids.”

By 1942 Tus was the Alberta
Middleweight champion. Returning
from the war he won three provincial
titles before boxing professionally in
New York.

NEWS photo Terry Polars

BOB Peterson, right, takes it on
the chin from former national
boxing coach Elio ius in his bid
to bring amateur boxing back
to North Vancouver. lus trained
several great Canadian boxers
at his North Vancouver club.

_ Right, heavyweight world cham-
pion Muhammad Ali and
Canadian amateur Al Sparks
work out.

He founded the North West Eagles
Boxing Club in 1961 which worked
out of “the old KP hall” on 4th Sireet
in North Vancouver before it was torn
down.

At its peak, the Lower Lonsdale
club was training 60 boxers at one
time, including (nephew) Chris Tus
who represented Canada at the
Munich Olympics.

Muhammad Ali sparred at the
Eagles in preparation for his fight with
Chuvalo.

“It was the best one in Canada for
years, says Findlay. “For two decades
he had the best club there was.”

And Findlay should know. He was
Canada’s tight-welterweight champion
in 1967 and 1968 and another of Tus’
boxers who represented Canada at the
British Empire Games, the Pan-
American Games and the Mexico City
Olympics.

These days Findlay teaches recre-
ational boxing and boxercise.

“Ir’s good for anybody, any age.
Girls too, It’s like an acrobics work out
but you do it throwing the punches.

“It’s just the movements and it can
be just about as graceful as ballet.”

Both Tus and Findlay emphasize
that nobody has to get hurt learning

Wednesday, November 6, 1996 — North Shore News ~ 34

their sport. .
“T don’t even let them bust their
hands on the bag,” says Findlay,

lus says training to box will help

any sport.

“Ir teaches you coordination. It’s
the same reflexes: eyes, hands and legs.

“All the movements are there that

you use in baseball, basketball and soc-
cer.”
All three men are emphatic that
whatever level of boxing kids might
choose, “if they are in the gym they are
not on the streets.”

“The goal is not winning, it’s about
doing your best. It’s about producing
people with confidence, self-esteem,
respect for others, a sense of discipline
and a concept of fair play,” says
Peterson.

“Nowhere in our sport will you
find the notion of the ‘good’ penalty.

“In boxing, as in life, everyone
must respect the rules. We believe that
if we can produce successful citizens

istration.

and athletes our entire community
shall be the real winnen™
Peterson has just concluded an,

"arrangement with Gold’s Gym at 949 ,

West 3rd. (behind Capilano Mall) to

use approximately 2,000 sq.ft. in their

gym for boxercise, calisthenics and
amateur training. ©.

The Lions Gate Boxing Club will’
hast an open house Saturday, Nov. 16
from 2 p.m, to 4 p.m. with demon-
strations by boxers and other athletes,
including lus. ;

As well /as looking for new mem-.
bers, the club would welcome commu-
nity volunteers to help with the admin-

The club’s first major’ project. will -

be hosting the Bronze Gloves and

Provincial Amateur Boxing
Championships at The Armorics on.
Forbes Avenue Nov, 30 and Dec. |.

For information on the Lions Gate
Boxing Club contact Bob Peterson at
925-1855.

pilano soccer teams B.C. champions _

The North
athlete won three
races over the course

of the 1996 ll-event

World Cup, and _fin-
ished in second place
overall behind World
Cup champion Jackie
Gallagher.

ITU paid out over
US$1 million in prize
money during 1996.

ssc NSE OR TLR

By Andrew NicCredie
Sports Editor

THE women made it
look easy; the men
made it look hard.
Both outcomes were
the same.

Capilano College record-
ed a rare double-champi-

onship in B.C. collegiate soc-
cer last Saturday as the
women’s and men’s team
won their respective provin-
cial titles.

The women’s — squad
scored five unanswered goals
over two games as. they
blanked Douglas College 4-
nil in the semis and
University College of the

Cariboo L-oil in the final.
Christina D’Andrea had
both shutouts for the Blues,
while Melissa Artuso scored
the game winner in the final.
“We had lust to Cariboo
carly in the season and we
were concerned about our
ability to score against their
defence,” said Blues head
coach Doug Abercrombie.

“But with the return of
Diana Artuso 1, felt. that
ather Diana or Melissa
would find the net eventual-
] aa

The men’s team scored
back-to-back overtime victo-
ries en route to their provin-
cial title.

They edged Malaspina 3-
2 in the semis and Cariboo

,

2-1 on penaity kicks in the
finals.

“[ was a little nervous
during the game,” said head
Sajbo Talic of the final, “I
did not expect Cariboo to be
so tough.” ;

The Blues leave for the

National Championships in,

Kingston, ‘Ontario... on

Tuesday,

ee NL LE CN | CI