bly:

REC ‘ENT. RAVINGS from
“assorted oddbails from the
world.of ‘Sport. go far in
lelling us how far the pur-
- suit of athletics‘has dis-
tanced itself from its sandlot
and frozen pond origins.
Perhaps. the most disturbing _

.if not disturbed — sports story of °
“recent ‘days involves a politician, A

“certain Bloc Quebecois member of.

Parliament...

‘While itis not the first time the
Words of a politician has‘vaused
outrage, Mr. Blochead’s charges
that the mindtrust, of the Canadian

overlooked Quebec’ talent for polit...

‘ical’ seasons are absurd.
To allege that’ the Team Canada
Coaches ; would jeopardize their.
task "which is to assemble a cast
of the best’ Canadian passport hoid-
‘ers available té'win a gold medal in
Lillehammer. next ‘month — by .
playing politics | merely, reflects Mr.
Blochead's ‘ignorance.
ao Every member of. the Olympic
“team; from. coach to trainer to
: backup goaltender, lives ina world
, Of athletic Darwinism where the
strongest sutvive, or more accu-
rately, make the final cut.) ~
. One can sympathize, however,
with Mr. Blochead. ‘ .

“GUARANTEED SERV!CE”

“LYNN VALLEY CENTRE
"4199 LYNN VALLEY RD.

980-9211

. consi

After all, following last year’s
federal election, how can we
expect a Bloc Quebecois MP to
understand competition?

With the Quebec Nordiques

- currently playing “It's-my-ball-

and-if-you-don‘t-play-my-way-

I’m-going-to-Minnesota,” or
(heaven help us) Hamilton with
city officials, we should get used to
these preposterous assaults from
within Upper Canada.

_ Can-you imagine what they will
say if the province is left with only
one National Hockey League
team?

This summer, North Shore sport
fans will be given the opportunity
to rally behind a major league
sports tean.

The Nerth Shure Indians —
the 1993 Canadian Senior B

_ lacrosse champions — made the
"jump to the Senior A Western

Lacrosse Association (WLA) earli-
er this month.

The WLA represents the most
competitive lacrosse league in
Canada.

Indians’ president Frank Baker
promises a strong team in the first
season of play. Rumblings that
Baker is courting John Tavares —
eved by. many to be the best
lacrosse player in the world -—

‘bodes well for lacrosse supporters
on the North Shore.

“The team’s goal for the 1994
season is to make the playofts,
with the expectation of a Mann

- Cup appearance — the Senior A

national championship —in the

“next ‘few years. ©

* Sport fans on the North Shore

“often lament the Jack of big league.

locai action.
». When the Indians kick off the
season in May, we'll see if fans

“can put their money where their

mouths have been. -

_ The Indians will play home
games on Monday nights at
Lonsdale Arena in North
Vancouver.

NEWS photo Cindy Goodman

FLICKA GYMNAST Yuki.Sudo performs her beam routine’ during the 21st Annual North Shore:
Invitational meet last Sunday at the Sporisplex. Sudo finished sixth in the ame division event.

Host club Flicka second at meet

THE FLICKA Gymnastics
Club had one of their national
division teams finish second in

the elite field at the North:

Shore Invitational Gymnastics
Meet, held last weekend at the
Capilano College Sportsplex.

By A.P. McCredie
Sports Reporter

The host club's top gymnast.
Angela Orange, led the way for the
North Vancouver club with a silver
medal in the National and Elite
level overall competition.

Orange finished with a com-

bined score of 36.850 for the four.
events (vault, bars, beams. and_
floor). just 0.9 points behind meet
winner Amy Chow. The West
Valley Gym “Schoo! member won
all four events.

Other Flicka gymnasts’ finishing .
in the top 10 in the National and -

Elite levels included Lise Leveille
(fifth overall). Chantelle Poon:

tance. Flicka’s Leah Vanderhorst
tied for fourth in the overall indi-
vidual competition. Other top 10
finishes by Flicka gymnasts inctud-
ed Solo Blythe (ninth) and Celine
Lebrun (10th). Nathalie Balfour
finished 11th in the 18 athlete field.

The sole Flicka gymnast com-
peting in the 12-and-over category,
Natalie Nelson, finished ninth in

(eighth overall), and Laura Mazut'*-the 19 gymnast field.

(10th).

Meanwhile, in under-1 1 compe-
tition, Flicka won the club title,
with 100.317 points.

The North Shore's Breanne
King led Flicka to the under-1! title
with a gold medal overall perfor-

. A highlight of the two-day com-
petition was:a special demonstra- .
tidn’ performance by Canada’s pre-
mier female gymnast, Stelia Umeh.

The competition attracted over
120 gymnasts from across Canada
and the Western United States.

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