JACOB arrives
for practice in his
family’s car

Pear

RILEY chats with fellow player
Emma during a break.

tu Plier

COACH Dave Speirs helps Brandon
learn the basics of the game.

.
a

The roots
Shore

THERE’S strength in commu-
nity.

As with any community, though, vou
have to start fron the roots up.

And it’s no different with the tig
knic North Shore ragby community.

Every Sunday, rain or shine, the
sleepy-eved up-and-comers of the local
rugby circuit meet at Klahanie Park in
West Vancouver — the home field of the
Capilano RFC — to learn the tricks of
the trade.

The program was started in 1997 and
since its inception hundreds of children

ve passed through the ranks. Over 300
children from preschool to age [5 cur-
rently take part in the program.

“I was originally surprised by the suc-

sof the program, but as it’s getting
going Pm not surprised because
great game for kids,” said Paul
Timperley, who heads up the program at
Nahanie.

“Kids enjoy plying rugby, and the
way the program runs is we introdu
rugby to them gradually, We only intro-
duce contact as they're able to handle it
physically. We add in tackling and scrim-
maging when they're in Grade +4 and

in Grade 5.

ptly-

rughy

“The little kids basically just have a
lot of fun running with the ball,” he
said.

For some tykes, it’s like the first day
of school — one youngster, lips pouting,
over a bulging mouthguard, clings to
his mother’s fegs and watches two other
kids scamper around the field, chasing
gach other in dizaving circles. In the
kindergarten group, participants hurl
themselves over, into and through a

ies of Obstacles, some with a damn-

torpedoes, feverish abandon, others
with cautious, calculated half-ste

Some handle the ball like a hot pota-
to, Others treat ir like a Faberge egg.

One husky lad, easily twice the s
of some of his companions — and
bound to be a prop forward one day, by
all indications — lets out a_bloodcur-
dling scream and propels himself into
the ling dummy, lughing joyously
when he rebounds off it and onto the
ground.

On Sundays, some people go to
church. Others, however, observe
another near-religious. activity on the
field at Kiahanie, helping to ensure that
the local rugl y movement stays intused
with new blood

— Jan-Christian Sorensen

THE young rugby
players give a cheer
after running a drill.

BAILEY takes a breather near
the end of practice.

News photos Julie Iverson

AT the end of prac
his mom Jenn and sister Nicola, who came to watch.