Wednesday, March 26, 1997 — North Shore News — 44 ™ North Shore Skaters shine NSWC hosts figure skaters NORTH Shore skaters took full advantage of homc-ice at the recent North Shore Invitational. Over 700 skaters troin Winnipeg to Seattle gathered at the North Shore Winter Club cartier this month in the annual free- skating competition, And as in past years, when the ice shavings had settled, several North Shore skaters were gold medal champi- ors. In Senior Silver Pairs’ competition, Casey Solecki and Brian Delves claimed the gold medal. Hollyburn County Club ’s Nicole Kaftka won gold in the Senior SilverLadies’ long program, and took silver in the short program. The Winter Ciub’s Eric Lyons finished first in the Junior Silver Mens’ short program, while clubriaate Jolene Berry won gold in the Junior Silver Ladies’ short program. Kalle Canada teamed up with Kevin Woyras for gold in the Pre-Juvenile Dance category, and Genevieve Hunter skated away with the gold in the Pre-Preliminary Ladies’ 8-and-under competition. Julia Kaffka won silver in the Junior Silver Ladies’ long pro- gram, while Jonathon Piteux took the silver in Junior Bronze Men, and Melissa and Adam Way won silver medals in the Preliminary Dance competition. Bronze medal winners included: Lauren Senft (Pre-Juvenile ' Ladies’ 1 1-and-under); Tia Megahy (Preliminary Ladies’ 12- members won fe mea : d and over); and Kathyrn Barnett (Preliminary Ladies’ nine-and- 4 abd. Ba cee under). 3Championshi . charge for’| | : oa, : ; Other top- 10 finishes included: Kyle Gallagher, fourth in ithe locale was Geo ef i Senior Bronze Men’ 's short program; Megan Smyth, fourth in -t~ Dimitrov, who won Sie Preliminary Ladies’ 12-and-over; Melissa a Way, fourth in medals in the foil under-12 Preliminary Ladies’ 10-and-1i1,; Brianne Harris, fourth in Readet category and. the Preliminary Ladies’ nine-and- under; Jessica Cerka, fourth in Pre- fe cun eo adet cate. Preliminary Ladies’ 1 !-and-over; Tommy Shrieves, fourth in pec. Pre-Preliminary Men’s 10-and-over; Megan Macadom, fourth in Pre-Preliminary Ladies’ nine-and-10; Colby Greenslade, fourth in Pre-Preliminary Mens’ nine-and-under, Stephanie Pagliaro, fourth in. Pre-Preliminary Ladies’ cight-and-under; Kyle Gallagher, fifth in Senior Bronze Mens" long program; Ashley SASKETBALL... Four North Vancouver high school — students have earned $500 scholarships through the McDonald’s Grizzlics BEST (Basketball Education Scholarship ‘Team) program. The winners are Scort Buchanan of Windsor Secondary, Bradley Hartis of — Argyte Secondary, Stephanie Huine of Collingwood, and Tim Nicholson of Argyle. the BEST scholarships ‘are available to graduating - seniors who have lettered ‘for their school’s basketball . iteam and plan to pursue a {post-secondary education. ” The program is admin- sistered by the B.C. High. iSchool Boys’ and Girls’. :Basketbai] Associations. it FENCING... kVancouver Fencing Club foram i in the foil under-1 cadet category; and Jason‘: Whiteman won bronze in’ ithe epee“ under-17 cadet’ category. Over 60 fencers from: facross B.C. took part in- iSOCCER... ‘The North. [Shore Nordic women’s - {premier soccer teain needs; Eplayers for summer league tolay and/or a Victoria Day. Stournament in Kelowna. 1 Call 987-1419 or 985- 1366 for more informa- : tion. sea HTRACK .& FIELD...: {With high school athictics - in spring mode, North- {Shore track and field teams fare hard at work for the: jupcoming track and field: season. : ; The championships are | istil two months away (May 30-31 at Town {Centre Stadium in iCoquitlam) and the carly ‘team rankings are out. : West Vancouver is atanked third in boys’ com- petition, with Sentine: getting an honorable men- “tion. Oak Bay is ranked firse on the boys’ side, while Burnaby Central gets the number one girls’ ranking. WOMEN’S FAST- BALL... The Rippers fastball. team is ia desper- ate need Of a pitcher. Finterested call Dor at 465-7526. NICOLE Kaffka puts grace in her spin during the ladies’ iong program at the recent North Shore International Competition at the North Shore Winter Club. The Hollyburn = gram; Agn: Country Club skater won gold in the long program and silver in the short program. IF the family that swims together stays together, then Debbie and Shane Collins have -— you'll pardon the expression -— a swimuningly great future both in matri- mony and the saltchuck. Disgustingly fit and upbeat, trans- planted Cockney Shane is no stranger to this space. Unt! early 1996, whe your agent became an unavoidable absentee for about a year, he regularly recorded Collins’ various marathon maritime adventures, the last one being his first-ever crossing of the English Channel. And wife Debbie's plan to swira southern California’s Catalina Channel. Since then a few things have happened. Nor all of them good. Debbie — actually Dr. Debbie Collins, a sports medicine specialist — came out of the water lest year halfway ta the isle of Avalon. Larger than usnal swells. Not that they did her fa. Who they did in was the skipper of the accompanying, boat. Bhat on his back in the bottom of the craft, he just may have seta world record for freestyle cetching, The ultimate seasickness victim. Nothing tu do bac pull Debbie aboard and head back to the mainand. But ic wasiv't an entirely lost year. Later in the summer she freestyled her way from Nanaimo to Roberts Creck in a women’s record ume of 13 hours and change. Meanwhile, hee husband, whee fas twice done this Georgda Strait tip once a cach direction — Was not having vintage vear As he explained to vour agent over cottce the other day, hrs over-trained in “06 and put hinnselfin drydock for the better part of siv months. Popped a Szabo, fifth in Junior Ladies’ tong program; Vanessa Hunter, fifth in Junior Bronze Ladies’ 12-and-under; Kristina Pinton, fifth in Pre-Preliminary Ladies’ 1 1-and-over; Adam Way, sixth in Preliminary Men, Taryr and-11; Julia Kaftka, Junior Silver Ladies’ short program; Saralyn Nickerson, seventh in Senior Bronze Ladies’ shart pro- es Kim, ninth in Senior Bronze Ladies’ long program; Ashley Szabo, 10th in Junior Silver Ladic.” short program. NEWS photo Cindy Goodman couple of inal disks and wound up flat on his back ina brace for three months, Then there were three more months of rehab. The setback wasz't entirely a waste of time. Shane took and passed formal courses on strength training. This spring he and Ginny Blattler, who heads up the fitness programs at the West Vancouver recreation centre, are launching a fitness and strength course for those who really want to work at it. “Everyone’s looking for shortcuts,” he says. “There aren’t any, It’s all abour hard work.” How hard? “We’re going to call it Boor Camp.” Come summer, there’s another scheduled Georgia Strait crossing. Having done it twice, why a third time? He wants to beat the record of nine hours, 30 minutes, set by Mike Powley in 1973. Shane’s times are 12:20 and 10:50. If he catches a calm sea and the fi pht tides, he’s certain he can do it. From a guy who's never going to sce 45 again, that’s confidence, Bur the dig event will come in August. That's wher he'll accompany Debbie to Dever for her assault on the English Channet. First, iet’s back bit. There’s a lot of calk about marriages made in heaven. This one was made in salt water. They met three years ago while training as part of a six-person Canadian relay team for a double cross: ing of the English Channel. Ia which, incidentally, the Canadians beat the rival American and British teams, Collins, born in London's cast end, came to Canady more than 20 years age after service in the British navy and beachcombing in Australia, where he first went in tor distance swimming. Debbie is s UBC grid who specialized in the 863m freestyle for the ‘Thunderbirds, hen went Gn lo get her medical degree. She and Dr. Bill Mackie, 3 top Canadian yyvainast in the "60s wid "70s, have a sports medicine clinic at the Vancouver YMCA, Debbie changed ber name from Carlow to Collins and, if you aish te meet this matrimonial partnership, vour best betas Sunday mornings in the saltchuck between Ambleside and Dundarave, That's where the Kupa » Cassel, sixth in Preliminary Ladies’ 10- NEWS photo SHANE COLLINS —~ Founder and coach. 5-member Pacific Breakers Rough Water Swimming Tub has its regular meetings. Founder and coach: hane Collins. Now, back to the Channel and what it has aaken this prose piece several hundred words to get to: if =~ or more probably, when — Debbie completes the sage from England to France, the swimming as will be the first hushand and we to do so in the more than a century this late savimer madness has been going on, On to Cap Gris Nez, Net to mention the Guinness Rook of Records, 2 C Ss ~