Jones ALPINE SKIING... Two North Shore skiers are taking part in Nabob Cup races this weekend in Whistler. North Van's Lauren Jones and West Van’s Roxanne Rac have just returned from the Utah Winter Games, and are both slated tw represent the province at the Canada Games in Corner Brook, Newfoundland Feb. 20 through March 6. Jones, 18 and Rac, 16, are both members of the Whistler Mountain Ski Club and the B.C, Ski Team. BADMINTON... A number of North Shore players are taking part in this weekend’s 1999 Yonex BC Open at the Vancouver Racquets Club. Leading the women singles’ pack is North Van’s Anna Rice, the current Notional Singles under-19 champion. Last sum- mer the UBC student won three medals at the Pan American Junior Championships in Mexico, including gold in women’s sir.- gies. The West Vancouver twin sister doubles’ tcam of Elma and Moira Ong are ranked fifth in the counery, and should be in . the hunt for gold this weekend. Elma’ is also. teamed with Quebec City’s Jean Philippe Goyette; a mixed pairing cur- rently ranked fourth in the country. Fifteen-year-old Sarah MacMaster, of North Vancouver, will compete .in women’s. doubles with veteran - Sian Deng, a seasoned competi- tor... with Olympics, Commonwealth Game and Pan American Game events under her beit. “Sian is ‘a very skilled and experienced player,” __ said MacMaster, a Handsworth stu- dent and National Under-16 doubles’ champion. “I’m look- ing forward to playing at this level with her. The Yonex BC Open is the fifth stop-on the $50,000 Canadian Grand Prix Circuit. The sixth and final tournament, the Yonex National Championships, takes place in Quebec City in late Apri. The BC Open begins today at 4 p.m., and culminates with the finals beginning on Sunday at iam. @es NORTH SHGRE SOFT- BALL ASSOCIATION... Registration for boys born between 1980 and 1992 for the 1999 season takes place next weekend at Lynn Valley Mall. The North Shore Softball Association will be at the mall from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan 30 and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 31. Info: Jack Hubbard at 987- 2255. — Andrew McCredie Friday, January 22, 1999 - North Shore News — 35 shore news PORTS _ MERENABE NE > ast NEWS photo Brad Ledwidge Young skiers, including the girl above, fought snowy conditions last weekend during Grouse Mountain’s season opening giant slalom races. Close to 70 giris and boys age 11 to 13 tock part in the two-day competition, which was hosted by Grouse Mountain Tyee Ski Club. ise hosts first RAIN, nor snow nor freezing temperatures could dampen the spirit of scores of young skiers atop Grouse Mountain jast weekend. The North Vancouver ski hill’s Tyee Ski Club hosted the season- opening J3 giant slalom, featuring more than 70 young racers age 11 to 13, representing clubs from Grouse, Cypress, Mount Seymour, Whistler, Blackcomb and Mount Washington. The next stop on the race series ordercross Grand N Andrew McCredie Sports Editor andrew@nsnews.com MANY of Canada’s top snowboarders will be atop Seymour Mountain this weekend for the kick-off event of the 1999 boarder- cross season. The _Kokanee Boardercross Grand Nationals is Canada’s longest running snowboard racing series, and the Mount Seymour event marks the beginning of the sixth season. . Boardercrass features six riders going head to head down a course featuring tight banked turns, jumps and other challenging obstacies. Not surprisingly, television has calender is in two weeks in Blackcomb for a super giant slalom, followed bv slalom racing at Cypress Bowl later next month. Top three skiers in the three week- end races were (including winning time and ski club): _ Girls’ Race #1 1) Hayley Gusola, 0:51.88, Blackcomb Ski Club; (2) Chelsea Cullen, 0:54.24, Whistles Mountain Ski Club; (3) Katherine Clark, 0:54.71, Grouse Mountain. Boys’ kxace #1: 1) Julian Simmerling, 0:52.71, embraced the sport, and both CTV SportsNet and Outdoor Living Network cameras will be rolling on Sunday at Mount Seymour. Among the pro athletes dueling for the $19,006 purse this weekend are Canada’s number one ranked boardercross ride: Jeff Ihaksi, of Whistler, and the rvigning Kokanec Boardercross che aps, Kelowna’s Jason Moore and Whistler’s Sherry Newstead. “Boardercross has greatly enhanced the awareness of Mount Scymour and effectively profiled the natural and man-made terrain features that has made this moun- tain the premier snowboard desti- nation in the Vancouver Lower Mainland area,” said Mount Seymour general manager Eddie Wood. He added that the mountain has Grouse Mountain; (2) Liam Young, 0:52.86, Whistler Mountain Ski Club; (3) Kristopher Koch, 0:52.86, Grouse Mountain. Girls’ Race #2 1) Hayley Gusola, 0:51.15, Blackcomb Ski Club; (2) Chelsea Cullen, 0:53.82, Whistler Mountain Ski Club; (3) Claire Johnstone, 0:54.52, Grouse Mountain Boys’ Race #2 1) Julian Simmerling, 0:51.66, Grouse Mountain; (2) Liam Young, 0:52.14, Whistler Mountain Ski Club, (3) Kyle Stubbs, 0:52.44, Mount alionals a responded in kind, dropping $160,000 into upgrades of the ter- rain park and the construction of a FIS-approved haif-pipe. These changes have not gone unnoticed byt: competitors. “Yam excited to race again at Mount Scymour,” said thaksi. “I’m ready for some fierce competition.” It’s not only the professionals who get a chance to fly down the course this weekend. A number of amateur categeries are part of the race sked, and prizes will be awarded to amateur win- ners. (All competitors must be of drinking age, and helmets are mandatory). Registration takes place Saturday from 9 a.m. to | p.m., with a treining season scheduled from noon to-3 p.m. (Space per- mitting there will also be registra- iS of season Washington Ski Club. Girls’ Race #3 (rwo runs). *¥ 1) Hayley Gusola, 1:43.55, Blackcomb Ski Club; (2) Chelsea Cullen, 1:48.85, Whistler Mountain Ski Club; (3) Katherine Benjamin, 1:48.91, Grouse Mountain. : Boys Race #3 (two runs) 1) Liam Young, 1:45.17, Whistler Mountain Ski Club; (2) Kyle Stubbs, 1:47.23, Mount .Washington. Ski Club; (3) Kristopher Koch, 1:49.93, Grouse Mountain. — Andrew McCredie tion on Sunday from 3 to 8:30 |: a.m.). Cost of entry is $40 for ama- teurs and $80 for professionals. Sunday is: race day, with the action kicking off at 10:15 aym. and runs until 3:30 p.m. The award ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m. The Canadian Snowboard Federation-sanctioned series will visit four Canadian resorts this year, . area The sccond stop on the ~~ Kokance Boardercross Grand “- Nationals is at Banff’s Suashine Village in late February, followed by competitions at Horseshoe Resort in Barrie (March 20-21), ato Blackcomb Mountain (April ; Eor more details about te’. series check out the Kokanee Boardercross - website at . .