NORTH SHORE PAIR SUIT UP FOR CANADA CUP

Two North Vancouver fastpitch players will take pant in the 2000
Canada Cup International Women's Fastpitch Tournament to be
held July 1-9 at Softball City in South Surrey. Jessica Pilkington
will ptay third base and outtield for the Burnaby Gakeys team
while Ashlee Dobbe will take the mound and play first base for the

White Rock Renegades senior squad.

COVERING THE GAMES

PEOPLE

slue Ladies head for

N. Van team looking to better last year's silver medal

dan-Christian Sorensen
Contributing Writer

THE North Vancouver Blue
Ladies Midget “C” softball
: fear 3 is in the pink. .

"The. ‘squad will. be representing,
‘District — the North Shore,
~ Sunshine * Coase and Pemberton
-Stegion* — when the B.C. Softball
"Championships take place July 7-9 in
“Ridge Meadows.

The Blue Ladies were crowned the
North Vancouver rep team when they
won a provincial playdown. tourney

eld May 27 and .28. In that event
they toppled ‘their opponents by a
* toral of 32-6 over three games.

They continued their dominance in

District 4 Earowns, stopping
their West Van,
gphonents cold by a combined total of
681-20.

The. Blue: Ladies continued their

inning’ ways ‘last .weekend in’ the
North © Vancouver: League’s cnd-of-
“season: tournament at. McCartney
Park,’ where. they posted a. tourney
record of 3- ;

“Now for the truly’ testing’ part —
playing -against\the cream: of B.C.’s

ftball. crop. atthe’ 16-team,, four-
game:round robin championship.- If

ey advance to the finals at that event, -
¢ Ladies will be one of six squads to .
est their settle i in a double-knockout..

> gam

etd of three days, it can put the

‘most seasoned. and composed players
the pressure cooker, indeed...”

ibsons and Squamish

Add to that the
fact thar four of
Stewart's premier
players won't be
making the trip
this time around.

The Blue

Ladies = sumber
one starter-back-
stop tandem of
Kate Hoffmann
and Carly Mahood
will be in Prince
George for a
provincial soccer
tournament, while
power-hitting
shortstop Becky
Musclius and
Katina Brubaker, -
who plays first, will
also be absent.
- “It’s obviously
going. to be
tougher . because
they're four key pyers for us,” admit-
ted Stewart.

But like any good coach, he’s got

-an ace or two up his sleeve.

“In order to round out the roster of

Wy players, the Blue Ladies picked up

North .Vancouver Angels . pitcher
Alanah O'Connor and catcher Sam
Catrns,

“Alanah is very comparable in
ternis of-her ability. with the pitcher
I’m losing,” said Stewart. “She’s the

*. best pitcher in North Van that I don’ t
~ already have.”

" “Sam is a: good pickup because

~ she’s caught for Alanah all year. They —
know cach other’s rhythm. We've scen

them over the year and obviously have
been very impressed with the play of

”~ both of them and so it wasn’t very dif-
”. fiéult to pick the two we wanted.”

Also helping, to- pick up the slack

“will -be; regular - Blue. Ladies - roster
members plcher Lonnie Choi, short-

stop/third ‘ base Kelly Boyd, ‘centre-
fielder Brie Kobitzsch and utility play-
“ er-Kara Loy.

In, the absence of some of the

BLUE Ladies’ coach Gary Stewart.
gives signs: to the batter.

other players we're certainly
looking for all four of them
to step up,” said Stewart.

Stewart said that ‘the’
girls have high hopes —- and
the talent to back ic up —
but are well aware that the
hardest part of the season is-
yet to come.

“When it comes to the
provincials you never know
what kind of a draw you're
going to get or what kind of
other teams are out there.”

Tn order to illustrate that.
it’s truly anybody’s title to
win, last season the top two
seeded teams in the provin-
cial event were eliminated:
right off the bat...

“You just never know
what’s going. to: happen,”
Stewart . said..“Bur. we've .
gota strong. team: and I.

ly
Sam Gaims, 18 .
Lonnie Choi, 19 .
Jenn Council, a

Brie Kobitzsch, 19. .
Amanda Knight, 17

Kara Loy, 19°
Lindsay Northcott, 1
Alanah O'Connor, 17

Fiona Petigara, 19°

~ think ‘we've ‘got’ a”-good

chance. Our goal was to get
back here and we’ "ve gotten ce
that far.” : : Vancouver Softball

formance our overpaid: -

ch f underachievers _ a

Basketball has. ‘also finished
with its season and isa game ;
hardly worth watching in the -
first place, with the possible:

‘exception of the last five min-~

utes, I mean, what is so excit-
ing about viewing a eh of:
Ve ¢ men playing wi
relatively smiail balls?

‘Next on the TV menu is
Major League Baseball. I really
‘do not know how anyone can.
‘watch three plus hours of this

sport”. In eh the game
is called Rounde

aa

: The only real value in watch-
‘ing this stuffis if you have

trouble getting to sleep.
- It’s summer, folks, and as

we live in the most beautiful

spot on the planet that means
it’s time to get outside and
start enjoying all the wonder-
ful sporting opr. .unities

* right in your own backyard.

The list is endless, but
includes kayaking (rentals at

Ambleside beach), beach vol-

feyball, sailing, and my

favourite, open water swim-

ming..

There are hundreds of poo!

swimmers who are very intimi-....
- dated when it comes to mov-

ing to the open ocean, but all *-:
fears can be overcome by good
: information, appropriate train

ig and a positive-and adven

turous attitud ei
*. “Distances are available to

suit all levels of ability and
commitment, starting at onc
kilometre all the way up to 10
km and beyond. If you're real-
ly ar the other end of the spec-
trum and have years of open-
water training behind you,
there are several marathon dis-
tance courses (minimum 25 ~
km with no wet suits allowed)
awaiting your challeng,

There is even a “series” of
open water swimming events
night here in Vancouver. Just
phone the “hotline” ar 290-
9425 to get more info on
dates and the different dis-

' “tances available.

. The point is that cur sum-
mers are not that long, so why
not get out on one of the. ~
great North Shore beaches
and build an experience that
will become a memory to

arry.you. through, the bleak
winter days? § .

When you’ve ‘finished that
tough workout and want to
chow down’, but stay in a
healthy mode, why not drop
into one of tie North Shore’s

~ best. vegetarian restaurants?

West Vancouver’s The
Green Spot (2226 Marine
Drive) offers a multitude of

choices all the way from classi-

cally vegan dishes to some
really tasty and wholesome
seafood specialties.

Talking, about beaches
reminds me of the story about
two Aussie buddies, one of
whom had great success mect-
ing up with girls on the

“sand”, while his halfback was

Wednesday, June 28, 2000 —- North Shore News — 35

COLLINS CLAN SWIMS KEY WEST

West Vancouver's husband-and-wife marathon swim team
of Shane and Debbie Collins braved rough conditions to
place fifth and sixth overall in a field of 20 during a 23-km
swim around the isiand of Key West. Florida last week. The
pair completed the race in a time of 5:20 and were the first
man and woman in the master’s (40+) category to finish.

PLAY

Jaime Dobbe, 18...
Shannon Gibson, 17 ..

Kylie Konkin, 16 .....
Stephanie Leithead,-17 .

7...

Erika Pellegrini, 19. .

League "e. ind

batting 2 zero. The unl icky

asked his ftiend how come he -
“was so

oular and the chap
replied that he had a foolproof
imick he would share as .
long as he promised, not to °
give up the secret to anyone. °

else.

The budding "Casanova
eagerly agreed and so he
explained his technique.

“All you have to do” said

"the first guy, “is find a nice big

potato, put it in your swim
trunks and parade up and’
down the beach. The girls will
come flocking and you'll be
inundated with romantic
offers.”

The second chap took off
to the grocer’s store, resplen-
dent in the knowledge that he
was to become as desirable as.
his friend. When they ran
across each other about a week
later, the first chap asked
eagerly, the lew cl of success his

BLUE. Ladies hurier Lonnie Choi delivers a; ‘pitch ‘during the. Nort?
season n tourney on the weekend,

: Sate had expe ienced with
“magicidea. °°

“None at all” he said, “in

“fact I seem more unpopular

than before.” The friend’

- couldn’t understarid this at 2

so he suggested that the fello'
try again‘and he would watch,
from a distarice to see what:

- could possibly be’ impeding his

progress... °

After watching the pe :

lexed and frustrated wannabe --
‘Jady-killer strut his stuff, he “
called out and beckoned him
over to a quiet spot.at the'cor
ner of a concession stand.

“No wonder you're having
go much trouble” he said;

“you're supposed to put th
porto in the front of your.
swimsuits”.

. Shane Collins is a ploy ‘1%
trainer, athletic conch and -
marathon switmer. He is alsa a
profesional speaker. on:

_ ject of health,