__ San-Christian Sorensen Contribuiing Writer THE B.C. School Sports Association (BCSSA) is honour- ing the long and sto- ried career of a veter- an North Shore coach,. volunteer and * administrator. Len Corben was pre- sented with the B.C. School Sports Honeur Award Saturday afternoon during the annual general mecting, of the BCSSA at Simon Fraser University. Past award winners include North Vancouver coaches. Bill Parnell. and Jack Tasaka and West Vancouver. coach Roger *- Kronquist. In- cotal, only _cight North Shore sports figures “+ have been handed the award since its inception in 1986. . “Ins: a pretty. select. roup of people,” said Corben. “J now most of them’ ard. they’ve been “mejor figures’ in B.C. sports.. To. be included in that group is special.” “After teaching for threc- Me and-a-half. years ‘in the 1960s, Corben accepted the post of coordinator of — athletics for the secondary cho “in 2 North Vancouver, West Vancouver and Squamish in.1969, a position he held w til retiring last year. The list of his accom- ‘plishraents oa the North Shore*. sports: scene is impressive. : ‘Corben was a member the. executive of. the- In fact, when he was 12, he faunched his own newsletter about his local road hockey [eague, com- plete with stats, scores and schedules. SPORTS Stats king Corben crowned “It was all done up on an old typewriter,” he said. “Now that] think about it, f guess Twas really prepar- ing for my (future) job at thac time without even really knowing it.” Of the many events which have marked his career, Corben said he most. remembers the Vancouver and District North Vancouver Secondary (student) - basketball Balmeral Junior Secondary (student-teacher) - track Sentinel Secondary (student- teacher) - basketball Summerland Secondary (student- teacher) - - track Hamilton Junior Secondary - rugby, baskethall, track Coordinator of Athletics for secondary schools in North Vancouver, West Vancouver and Squamish Handsworth Secondary - basketball : Balmoral Junior Secondary - basketball Carson Graham Secondary - basketball “ “Retired ees ; wm 1959-60 tg 1967-62 "5 1964-65 m 1964-65 1565-69 - ww 1969-99 1984-89 1989-92 - 1993-94 | AB dune 1999 ey AWARDS: ; : North Shore Secondary Schools Athletic Association 7 . * 20-year coach award . “Wink Award” presented by Basketball B. o., for special contributions to the. sport : . Honourary life membership *:«'.. =- awarded by the B.C. Secondary Schools’ Track and Field and Gross Country Association’ “Track and Field Officials Award”: -given-by the NSSSAA during the “year of the Official.: Vy bership by the NSSSAA upon etiring Vancouver: and | District -f ‘Inter-High School Athletic ‘Association ‘for”31. years ‘and a'B.C. zone represen-~ ff ‘tative for several sports. He'vhas: also been: a member © of . the British. Columbia. School Sports ” Championship - Standards . : ‘Committee since 1995. He: came -up: with . the idea of “The Helmet”. tro- phy. for the girdiron. game ‘played “= between_. North Vancouver. and Delbrook while be was a student in the 1950s. - * Corben originated: and ran: the “North Shore Citizen Charity Classic” senior. boys ‘all-star game . § ‘played ° during each Christmas i in the 1960s. He was also the driving force: behind the. -B-C. knior.. egan in 1970. On :: the. writing... side, j boys © invirational . basketbali tourney which: Corben’ was a sportswriter. for the now-defunct. North - Shore’ Citizen newspaper while both a student and teacher... - He is also a regular con-: “tibutor to The North Shore.., : News, producing the -high school athletes of the week ature which appears” each Sunda: 1 look back and think a oe did ali that??”: said Corben, laughing. : ‘Corben™ claims’ he’s : always been an aficionado of the nitty-gritty numbers ‘and ‘stats..of.the sports -world.” His knowledge and love of baseball minutiae is testament to that. : SHOWTIMES Galapages | . Daily: gpm * Add't shows: Sat & Sun ttam, 1: 15, 3: 30pm Michael Jordan to the Max | _ Bally: 7, 10pm * Add't shows: Sat & Sun 2:15, 4:45pm Alaska : Daily: 6, 8pm ° Add’t shows: Sat & Sun t2pm 3 Showtimes subject to change without notice. ‘ track and field meets from the 1950s, the pre- cursor to the B.C. provincial high school championships which were launched — later that decade. “In those days, thac meet was king,” he said. “They'd Jet out school for the day and over 20,000 people would pack into Empire Stadium. It was a big deal. Everybody wanted to te there.” He laments the fact that interest in track and field events on = the North Shore has dropped off in recent years, mostly in the face of competi- tion from ‘other sports like rugby and - mountain biking. “The North Shore track and field meets used to be phenome- na} events; but it’s hit on much harder recently.” times NAME; (Jennifer) Khoe SCHOOL: Sentinel GRADE: }1 SPORT: Senior tennis EVENTS: singles /doubles COACH: Rika Luttin THE SCOOP: No matter whether she’s called by her Chinese name, Wei-Mann, or her Canadian name, Jennifer, this lefthanded racquet swinger has been the key female player in the Spartans’ 7-0 undefeated season so. far. Playing in Sentinel’s fineup in whatev- er place needed — singles, Wei-Mann doubles or mixed doubles ~ — she has not lost a match to date as the team heads intu the playoffs. NAME: Matt Kerr SCHOOL: Handsworth GRADE: 12 SPORT: Senior Golf COACHES: Tim Mitburn and Gordon Luccock THE SCOOP: Matt carded six birdies and a scorching five-under-par 67 at Squamish Valley Golf and Country Club as Handsworth beat Argyle 65 to 5. Wednesday in a fight drizzle. He had a two- _under 68 at Gleneagles last week in a 7-0 win over St. Thomas Aquinas. His one-under round of 70 at Northlands helped * defeat Collingwood 7 April 26. All three donee are the best for those courses during school matches this season, Selections are made by the North Shore Secondary Schools’ Athletic . Association based on outstanding . petformances in school competition. . At the north end of Canada Place near’ the * Waterfront SkyTrain Station and Seabus Terminal : . Group sales: (604) 682-2384 www. w.imax.comivancouver _