| Going downhill fast

SLIDING DISCIPLINES.

It may sound like a con-
tradiction in terms but the
words are actually an apt
description of luge, a sport
which a West Vancouver
couple is trying to get cn
its feet on the North Shore
and throughout B.C.

By ELIZABETH COLLINGS
News Reporter

Connic and Chris Guss are
launching both luge and the in-
fant B.C. Amateur Bobsleigh and
Luge Association in an attempt
to open B.C.’s eyes to the fun
and challenge of sliding down a
snowy slope on one’s back in
complete control.

The luge side of the sliding
disciplines (the other is bobsteigh,
a faster sport), has three forms:
natural luge, sledding and ar-
tificial luge.

Introduced to bobsleigh and
luge by her husband, Connie, 24,
is a Canadian natural luge bronze
medalist. Natural luge is an event
where one races on ice down a
natural track, much like a win-
ding road, as opposed to ar-
tificial luge, which is done on a
banked bobsleigh track.

Chris, 25, a bobsleigh com-
petitor, was turned on to the
sport by older brother Lioyd
Guss, a member of the Canadian
bobsleigh team in the 1988
Calgary Olympics.

When the Gusses aren’t com-
peting, they’re teaching the sport
to anyone who shows an interest
in it.

Every Sunday they can be
found on Hollyburn Ridge with
sleds and pupils at hand. Sled-
ding is a tamer version of natural
luge, ideal for children to learn.

train
dogs

13 - Wednesday, Ma:
inmates

PAGE 37

™)~ North Shore News

WEST VAN COUPLE
HOPING LUGE WILL

CATCH ON LOCALLY

SB ili:

NEWS photo Neil Lucente

CONNIE GUSS shows 9-year-old Lisa Gardin how to steer the sled used in natural luge. Guss and husband Chris give free luge demonstrations at

Hollyburn Ridge every Sunday.

“It takes 15 to 20 minutes to
learn how to handle the sled. It’s
pretty easy. You don't have to be
a great athlete. You just have to
be able to walk back up the hill,"’
Connie says.

Another bonus of sledding and
lugeing is the price.

For $5, a person gains entry to

both the cross-country trails at
Hollyburn and the luge track.

The B.C. Amateur Bobsleigh
and Luge Association is also ven-
turing further a field with its
outreach program in an attempt
to establish clubs outside the
Lower Mainland.

This year Rossland, Prince

News photo Nell Cucente

NORTH SHORE Winter Club skater Tammy Wagner skated to a second place finish in the Novice Ladies
final of the 1990 North Shore International figure skating competition hosted by the NSWC,

George, Revelstoke and
Kamloops are mapped out as
locations for the association to
send an instructor.

Connie estimates 500 people in
B.C. participate in the sport and
hopes that number will continue
to climb.

On Sunday, March !?1,

Hollyburn Ridge will be the site
of the B.C. Natural Luge Cham-
pionships with categories for
seniors, juniors, novice, and
masters competitors.

For more information on luge,
call Connie or Chris Guss at
925-1568.

Hockey Flames end

season in

THE NORTH Shore Winter Club
Flames ended regular season West
Coast Junior Hockey League play
with a split of their final two
games, stopping the Coquitlam
Warriors 7-3 at home on Feb. 27,
but then falling 6-1 to the
Buckeroos in Port Coquitlam on
Marsch 1.

The Flames, who finished fifth
in the standings, now go against
second-place Abbotsford in a
best-of-five quarter final playoff
round. The series opened with the
games in Abbotsford, March 5,
and March 9, and returns to the
Winter Club on March 10 for a 9
p.m. game time, and a fourth
game if necessary on March 11 at
tlam.

In the 7-3 win against the War-
tiors, John Cox opened the scoring
from Kevin Alexander three and a
half minutes into the first period,
and then at the 16:38 mark An-
drew Wilson combined with Brian
Lee to put the Flames up 2-0. With
just over two minutes remaining in
the period the Warriors got on the

scoreboard, cutting the Fiames’

lead to 2-L after one.
The Warriors pulled ahead 3-2
with two goals early in the middle

5th spot

frame, but with a minute and a
half remaining in the period, Cox
connected from Scott Gordon and
Kevin Buhr to even the match at
3-2,

North Shore took charge in the
third as Gordon tallied what
proved to be the game winner at
2:33 from Lee and Brad Costa;
then Buhr added the insurance
marker from Rob Tournier and
Dave Shepard at 6:14, and
Haldane scoring just over a minute
later from Shepard and Tournier
to put the Flames up 6-3. Marcel
Desjardins closed out the scoring
with 2 power-play goal from
Tournier and Wade Bartok. The
Flames outshot the Warriors 33-29
with Gary Knight guarding the net
for the home team.

Ac Port Coquitlam, after trailing
1-0 after one period, Costa knotted
the score at 1-1 from Gordon and
Cox at 9:18 of the second, but the
Buckeroos replied 37 seconds later
for a 2-1 margin after two.

The Buckeroos were quick to
capitalize on the Flames’ letdown
midway through the third period,

See Flames
Page 15