Summer uzathered in the weather, the wind had the proper touch, the breathing of the world was fong and warm and slow. ... This indeed was the first real time of freedom and living, this was the first morning of summer, -From Dandelion Wine, by Ray Brad- bury. SUMMERTIME MIXED with friendship is the stuff of lifelong memories. By A.P. McCredie Sports Reporter A group of young men from the North Shore are preparing to em- bark on a 10-day journey into the heart of friendship, with memories of empty coastal highways at daybreak and aching legs sure to go unforgotten as the years streak by. The Mt. Seymour United under-!6 boys’ soccer team — 17 boys along with six adults — are leaving Friday, June 25 on the in- augural West Coast Friendship Tour, The cycling tour will take the soccer players 10 days and cover close to 600 thigh-burning kilometres of Vancouver Island and Sunshine Coast pavement. . On the way, the boys will play exhibition games against Sechelt, Powell River, Courtney and Nanaimo. They will also attend a five-day intense soccer skills train- ing camp on Savory island. The brainchild of the friendship tour is Bob Gamel, a 10-year soc- cer coaching veteran. “These kids are in the age group that starts hanging out on the streets out of boredom,’’ said Gamel, a building inspector with North Vancouver District. ‘‘The more kids keep involved in sports, the better. They feel part of a team and have the responsibilites that go with being on the team.” Gamel added that the schedule of the tour — the team will cover close to 70 kilometres a day, in- cluding game days — will be a challenge to each individual to ETS es TE Annual News race cancelled THE ANNUAL North Shore News sailing race has been cancelled for 1993. News marketing services manager Trixi Agrios said the event, which has been staged by the News for the past 15 years on Father's Day, was being re-evaluated by the newspaper. “Although we have all en- joyed the race,’’ Agrios said, ‘we felt that the time had come to review our involve- ment. We appreciate all the support we've had trom skippers, their crews and the sailing clubs that have regis- tered for the race for all those years. We are looking into producing a more exciting race, perhaps at a new loca- tion, for 1994."" The race was initiated in 1977 by News publisher Peter Speck. PEERS Mea Ritch oe te NEWS photo Mike Watefleld ' STEPHEN GAMEL (foreground) and fellow Mt. Seymour United teammates are all set for a 10-day cycling/soccer excursion on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast. Gamel's father, Bob (far right}, organized the 1993 West Coast Friendship Tour to give the young men a summer to remember. motivate and focus himself. A challenge for young men, not boys. When Gamel approached his team with the idea last December, every player jumped at the idea. A series of fundraising events since that time, and a number of local sponsors (including Little Ceasar’s Pizza, Country Lane Market, Shopper’s Drug Mart, Japan Camera, Great Northern Security, BC Tel Mobility and Chai-na-ta Ginseng) have made Game?’s idea a reality. But Gamel is no stranger to turning ideas into reality, Six years ago the Australian native started a North Shore in- door soccer tournament for kids. Last Christmas season, over 3,300 young soccer players invad- ed the North Shore for the fifth annua! North Shore News/Crest Realty Indoor Soccer Tourna- ment. Gamel figures it is one of the most popular and well-attend- ed youth soccer competitions in North America. This spring Gamel passed the organizational torch of the tour- nament to the North Shore Youth Socce Association. The 1993 West Coast Friendship Tour is his latest soccer-related project. ‘Both Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast are trying to get soccer leagues going, so the coaches I've set up games with jumped at the chance to play a team from the Lower Mainland,”’ he said. Testimony to the player’s com- mitment to squaring off against the Mt. Seymour club is the fact that even though their season has ended and it is summer break, all four teams have fielded full squads. Gamel and his players will warm up prior to each game with a 20-kilometre cycle to the playing field from their evening camp site. it on cyciing tour Mt. Seymour United U-16s leave on inaugural West Coast Friendship Tour Saite’ Bay -- NEWS graphic Joan Pedersen THE 1993 route for the West Coast Friendship Tour. They will then play a full game, have lunch with the opposing side, then hop on their bikes and cycle to their next camping spot. The five-day soccer skills camp on Savory Island —- where Gamel has a cabin — will be conducted by Gamel on the sandy, wide beaches of the tra:quil island. Gamel noted that many of his players plan to attend university in the future, and his hope is thut some of players they meet along the way have the same goal. The real success of the tour in Gamel's mind is not that his team win the games, but that his players plant the seeds of friend- ship that. may spawn lifetime bonds in the future. Sport is otten said to transcend the mechanics and skills that are put to the test between the chalk- ed lines. The 1993 West Coast Friendship Tour has all the mak- ings of using sport — in this case soccer — aS a means to a far greater end. In this case, friend- ship. Bellingham next stop for N. Shore Twins Big League boys take 20-game road swing through Washington State IN LAST weekend’s Big League (16- to 18-year-old boys) baseball action, the North Shore Twins swept a doubleheader from Langley to extend their winning Streak to six. THE HOT BOX by Kevin Gillies In the opener, the Twins won 9-1. Right-hander Adam Derkach pitched a two-hitter while striking oul seven. Shortstop Simon Pond got three hits including a three-run homer. Tony Spitz, Matt Engelbert and Jason Odegard cach added a pair of hits. The second game featured southpaw Craig Behnsen and right-hander Spitz combining for another two-hitter in support of a 4-2 win. Mike Zenko smashed two doubles. The Twins also recently swept a doubleheader from the Vancouver Island All-Stars in) Duncan. Right-handed rookie Ryan Demp- ster, 16, helped shut them out 3-0 by pitching a two-hitter and strik- ing out eight. Jason Anderson kit a solo home run. The second game was won 4-2 with Odegard and Engelbert splitting the pit- ching duty — the latter chipped in with two hits. The Twins, whose record is 23 wins and cight tosses, start a 20- game road swing through Washington State with Sunday’s doubleheader in Bellingham. North Shore Pub Slow-Pitch League Martin Conroy’s single to right field with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning gave the Caps a come-from-behind, 4-3 win over the LA Dedgers. Run- ners were on second and_ third base. The Dodgers led 3-2 after six innings in a tightly fought defen- sive battle. On the other diamond at George Lucas field, Club Mitt ek- ed out a win over Sailor Hagars by scoring a single in the seventh to win 6-5. Special Olympics With a record of two wins and two losses, North Shore finished third in the B division at the 10th Annual Special Olympics Softball ‘Tournament. In the T-Ball division, Shore finished sixth. The tournament at Richmond's South Arm Park attracted over 300 athletes from 21 teams. North North Shore Softball - Squirt Division Squirt division softball — boys aged 10 or 1! — wound up its regular season and started its playoffs last weekend to determine which two teams will represent the North Shore at the upcoming Provincial Championships. North Vancouver will be hosting the vent Friday and Saturday, July “4, The representatives won't be chosen until this Saturday, June 19. The Canadians won the regu- lar season. North Shore Men’s Association Skylights Only snapped Queen’s Cross’ nine-game winning streak with a thrilling extra-inning win. Backed by Tets Kudoh’s complete game, 12-strikeout performance, Skylights took ‘advantage of eight Cross errors to win the game. Dave Readhead went the distance for Queen's Cross, striking out nine, Two victories over second-plac- ed Jack Lonsdale’s last week (4-2, 6-3) enabled Queen's Cross to stay on top of the league stand- ings. 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