LEAVE YOUR CLEATS AT HOME The Capilano Rugby Club will host its inaugural fundraising dinner, dance and auction this Friday n'ght at the Hollyburn Country Club starting at 6:30 p.m. Dress is black tie option- al. Tickets are available for $75 per person with tables start- ing at $750. For more information or to purchase tickets to the event, cali Andrew Gilbert at 922-1992. COVERING THE GAMES Sentinel’s Hyde dis! Wednesday, September 27, 2000 — North Shore News - 43° PEGPLE Childhood cancer battle can’t keep W. Van lineman off the field Jan-Christian Sorensen : Sports Reporter porensen@nsnews.com GUTS. Resolve. Chutzpah. “” Whichever way you choose to paint it, 15-year-old football player Yuji Hyde has a surplus of that never-giv c-up, never-say-die ‘quality that marks true athletes. Hyde was born with an extremely rare form of cancer that . weakens the body’s bone structure. ‘At age 7, he underwent an operation to amputate a portion of his lower left leg after a series of breaks. A prosthetic device was = attached. * But that hasn’t stopped Hyde, who is entering his second year playing for the Sentinel secondary junior football team in West Vancouver.-~ .- “I like the game,” said the five-foot-five, 165-pound Hyde. “I like watching it on TV, 1 like playing it and I like the pride and teamwork. ” me Sentinel’ coach Damian Pearson said that Hyde, who : Jends his time on the offensive and defensive lines, has all the qualities a - coach looks for in a player. “He’s one of the greatest guys to, coach. He’s ‘the :Most positive kid’ on the field and the hardest work- “er. He -busts his ass. He’s what every player should © - “Lie’s funny and he’s got a sense. of humour and he'll ‘jump into a drill — any drill we have... He'll’ go up against the biggest guy. He “doesn’t care.” Pearson played four years at offensive and’ defensive: tackle for Sentinel until he NEWS photo Mike Wekefield | graduated last -year.-He’s . cu nly” splitting his time’ ‘between the: team ‘and UBC, where going after his arts dep a oining him on the’ ‘idelnes ar are runningbacks and linebackers ch Lee Hermoza and Kenneth Kim, who musters the receivers and defensive backs: The team posted a:1-1-6 season record last but Pearson expects better results this. time around. NEWS photo Paul McGrath APILANO, defender. Steve Rayson had his head In e against Cariboo College last weekend, : “This year we have excellent talent throughout the team,” he said. “I see a lot of potential in the players out there.” Pearson said that the prosthetic foot does slow Hyde down a bit and can give him pain sometimes, but it’s nothing the young- ster can ’t handle. “Hc does run slower because of it and it does sometimes cause him pain, but unless it’s excruciating pain he stays in the game. The kid is determined to play.” Unfortunately, other teams often try to take advantage of something they assume to be a weakness in Hyde. In the team’s first controlled scrimmage two weeks ago against the Port Moody junior Blues, one of the visiting players started trashtalking Hyde, who was playing noseguard at the time. He was visibly upset, said Pearson, but he never asked to be taker: out of the game. “That upset me to no end,” said Pearson. “I fully believe that” if you haven’t grown up with a disability in your life then you are prejudiced.” Hyde’s teammates, however, had his back. “Some of the guys wanted to help him out and show (the ° other player) a lesson, but I won’t let them cheap shot another player. You can get revenge on the field as long as it’s fair,” said Pearson. “I-told them that’s the kind of stuff that makes you tougher and angrier and want to beat the guy, but fairly and on the field.” Hyde admits he’s had roblems with opposing players taking cheap shots at him, but takes it all in stride. “You get used to it after a while. Besides, whoever says that to me are just jerks themselves,” said Hyde, in a no-skin-off-my- teeth sort of fashion. He said that when players take cheap shots at him, it often © only serves to fire up his teammates and drive them for the end zone with a little more gusto. Hyde’s father Spencer said Yuji will undergo another opera- tion within the next 12 months to remove another small section of his lower leg after he finishes a growth spurt. The procedure will allow Yuji to use a much-wider selection of prosthetic devices. ~. of the team is f sits deep pool of tal ented Py: ; Co * Spencer said he wasn’t too worried when Yuji told him he wanted to play football. 4] wasn’t too concerned because I know: that if ‘anyone’s . gonna get burt it’s gonna be someone hitting thar prosthetic leg. _ft's made of fibreglass. They’re the ones who should. be careful.” And the prosthetic foor hardly slows the teen down, he lamented. “Unfortunately he uses it like it’s his regular foot,” "said Spencer. “He beats the crap out of it. He doesn’t restrict him: self. ” * Jan-Christian Sorensen * Sports Reporter a porensen@nsnews.com “THE Capilano College Blues men’s soccer team is off to a fast start this season.“ “The squad’ enjoys:a 3-1-0 record in sriceh Columbia Colleges Athletic Association (BCCAA) play so far this sea-. Not bad ‘when you consid- er the team had'a total: of ’ three. marks under the win column ,at’ the close. of last : year’ s campaign. The Blues fought to a 0-0 deadlock in a -fast-paced tilt against Cariboo College at home’ on Saturday, their first non-victory of the 2000 cam- paign. =. “We know we're Off to a good start and we're not sit- ting. back on our. laurels at all,” said: Iain Snee, assistant coach of the soccer squad. :Snee-said that, the success ely dtie to Instead of having one or two marquee players leading . an the way, Snee the coach- ing staff are enjoying top-shelf play from each and every y one : of their members. “It’s quite unusual for any college or any scccer. team. ” SENTINEL lineman ‘ult. Hyd tower left leg amputated when he wi TURKEY, STUFFING AND..SOCCER? More than 2,200 participants ave set to take the field for the 14th annual North Shore Girls Internationai Soccer Tournament this Thanksgiving weekend at 14 fields across the North Shore. The tourney will be held from Oct. 6 to Oct. 9 on pitches from Deep Cove to Ambleside. For more information or to volunteer, call Simon Shewetl, 988-1576. PLAY ad‘a portio going. into “the: P into the stretch.” 3. ; Snee said the. steady hand : of head coach Bob Birarda = -, sons the school squad has per- formed so wel. : who has helmed the team for . You typically have your start | ing Li players and a cou other guys who — and no ie .. respect to the rest of rhe Tis. : is: ers :— -are: substitutes. year, though,. -ve’ve got.a solid group of guys, all of who can start and have started in different games for us.“ “This is a critical advantage this year because the season is _very short and intense.” The Biues are playing an enlarged 10- -game slate in a- shorter span of time than last season -— which means a cou- ple. back-to-back games on weekends. : The surplus of quality players also leaves the team in an enviable. position when it comes to post-season play. ‘Having 19 guys who are I. capable, . solid. players. - means we're going to be a lot : fresher when other teams are... LET'S hear it t for the girls, too. SSE The Capilano Blues women’s side posted i its second straigh ‘victory on Saturday with a 3-2 victory ove; defending BCCAA “:Ghampion Cariboo College. : First-year student Julia Chan led: the way for the ‘Blues when’ she made good ona penalty. Kick to give Capilano a'tie during | A the tilt. “Julia took control of this game from the opening whistle,” said head coach. Doug Abercrombie. “SWhen she drew . that penalty, it changed the game:”. : Also contributing to the cause were , Melissa Aiello and. Ciara: : McLoughlin with individual markers... oo It’s been a'quick turnaround for the Lady. Blues squad, who: : have evened their record at 2-2- 0 after drop| ing their first tw games this season. ~ The Blues will next visit Malaspin “time game before turning around to: ho Sunday in'a 12 p.m. matchup. -’ Douglas College ‘currently leads the. Wes division fey BCCAA with a 3-1-0 record: ‘Malaspina s Sports an ‘identical 2 0 record to Capilano, while Langara sits last wi 1 campaign so far thi : ; jan-Christian Sorensen: