BASEBALL... Mount
Seyniour Little League is
holding its registration for

next season.
Limited space is avail-
cable in T-ball to big league
>. play (five to 18-year-olds).
- Registration takes place at
the Ren Andrews Pool on
‘Wednesday, Nov. 8 and
; Thursdat. Nov. 9 from 6 to
8 p.m. (Fhe Ron Andrews
pool is located at 931
Lytton, North Vancouver).
Call 929-0870 for more

: information.

c's e

SPEED GOLF... North
Vancouver's fom
Ballingall. defended his
Speed Golf Championship
title with a victory at last
week's
Speed Golf | Canadian
Championships.

Joining Ballingall in
i the winner's circle was
women’s’ champion
Debbie. Nelson, ‘also of
North Vancouver.

Ballingal! covered. the -

Greenacres course in 47
: minutes with a round of
» 06, (As the name of the
game implies, in addition
to competitor's. scores,
4 speed is of the essence).
“ Next’ year’s event,
sponsored by Carpe Diem

Activities Club, is ‘set for =.

April 13, 1996.

SPORT CLIMBING...
Top local: finisher at the

; recent - World . Youth

Climbing Championships -

was North Van’s Kathryn

; Embacher, who placed

12th in the women’s 16-17
age group.

Twelve North Shore

: competitors took. part in

the event in France, which

attracted over 450 athietes

representing 13 countries.

1995 PowerBar

Cap College
coach brings
a fresh(man)
approach

WHEN GREG Zavediuk took
the reins of Capilano
College’s women’s basketball
program last spring. he took his
new team out to dinner. They
sat at a table for four.

By Andrew McCredie
Sports Editor

“It was pretty scary when you
have just three players,” says
Zavediuk of his freshman begin-
nings. “It’s kind of like "Okay, what
do I do now?"”

Fortunately for supporters of the,
Lady Blues, the former UBC
women’s team assistant coach knew
exactly what to do when he signed
ow in May to coach: Capilano.
Namely, to build a basket¥all pro-
gram committed to developing
women as athletes and individuals.

“For me, the big thing to change
is the way the players feel about
being involved,” says Zavediuk.
“Instead of ‘I’m at Cap College and
I'm playing basketball on the bas-
ketball team’, I want players to
think, ‘I go to Cap College to be part
of the basketball program, which
includes academics and everything |
put forward to the school."

At the recent pre-season tourna-
ment hosted by Capilano College.
that philosophical commitment took
the form of a food drive sponsored
by the team to benefit the North
Shore Harvest. -

The Hillside grad credits former
UBC head coach Misty Thomas
with instilling him’ with his coach-
ing mentality. Following a career-
ending rugby injury in his third year
with the Thunderbirds in 1989,
Zavediuk was offered an assistant
coaching position from Thomas.
He’s never looked back.

“I don't think there’s anyone in
North America who's as technically
sound as Misty when it comes to

soccer

WHO TO CALL:

Sports Editor

Andrew McCredie

985-2131 (147)

WAS simi

NEWS photo Brad Ledwidge™

LADY BLUES Nina DiStefano (left) and Valerie Ho (right) battle a
Malaspina Mariner (centre). during Capilano. College’s home-

opener fast Saturday at the Sportsplex. The Lady Blues, under’.

first-year coach Greg Zavediuk, lost to the Mariners 60-56.

coaching,” says Zavediuk, “She's a
really tough coach to work with, and
she really. pushes people to their
limits. 1 learned a lot about being a
lot tougher from her.”

Thomas, with Zavediuk at her
side, took a “horrid™ Thunderbird

team (six wins in one season) fo the |

top, including a Canada West title
two Seasons ago.

Following Thomas’ controversial
departure from UBC at the end of
last season (what Zavediuk diplo-

ireal

Id coach at,”
‘think it’s a school that is really

matically refers to as “a big mess”),
he jumped at the chance to coach -

the Lady. Blues when former Cap
coach Lori Chizik headed for life

‘in Australia...‘

“Cap College is the only college
says Zavediuk. “I

going to become something.”

In addition, Zavediuk notes,
Capilano College’s Sportsplex is
one of the finest facilities in colle-
giate athletics in the province: “I'd

been offered the Langara coaching
job a few times, but everytime I’m
in their gym I’m reminded of a
basement suite | once lived in.”

Since that earlier dinner for four,
Zavediuk has added eight first-year
players to his roster. Being actively
involved in recruiting at UBC, he
knew where to find the graduating
high school players he necded for
his freshman. season.

“I knew all the kids in B.C., and
even though it was late when I took .
over, | did manage to get a few kids.

~ I'd be looking at.”

Topping that list are Brittania
grad Valerie Ho (“She's the point
guard we needed to bring the ball up
the floor"), and Charles Hays’
Judy Carlie (“An incredible scorer
from 4 school that’s a little off the
beaten track.)

North Shore high school prod-
ucts are well represented on_ this
year’s Lady Blues, including first
year players Teresa Campbell
(STA), Madeleine Lemaire
(Windsor) and Sara Mitchell
(Sentinel) and returning players
Amanda. Henderson (Carson), _
Catherine Olsen (Carson) and Fay
Wheatley (Windsor).

Such a young team would. nor-

“mally indicate a rebuilding year, but

Zavediuk believes his team is capa-
ble of finishing on top: “We defi- .

nitely are good enough to win our -
conference, but we're going to have’

. to work hard.”

And if they win it call, coach
Zavediuk just might spring for din-

‘ner. Table for 127.

CAPILANO. COLLEGE | Lady”
Blues basketball coach Greg
Zavediuk. ! ;

Homesickness biggest hurdle to overcome, says Lenarduzzi

BOB LENAR-
DUZZI, the long-
time North Van.
resident who

’ coaches Canada’s
national soccer
team, knows the
feeling only too
well. He sa:
never been so
homesick in my
entire life.”

: He was relating his
own experience in English soccer to the one 13-year-old Terry
Dunfield of Vancouver will be facing next year 5,000 miles
from here. On Feb, 20, his I4th birthday, he is to sign a school-
boy contract with Manchester City of the English League
Premier Division.

, His signing will be unprecedented in that Manchester City

spectator

sought him out on the recommendation of ‘Ted MacDougall, a.

coach with the B.C. Soccer Association's skills program,
When the then 15-year-old Lenarduzzi went to Third
Division Reading as a schoolboy player a quarter century ago,
he-was not sought out. He desperately wanted to play overseas
and the kite John Pieckburn, who had contacts over there, got

him placed with Reading.
He stayed five years in the U.K., gaining the kind of coach-

‘ing and game experience he could never have obtained here.

His timing was perfect in that he was able to come home at
age 20 to a starting job and pro contract with the newly arrived
Vaacouver Whitecaps of the now defunct North American
Soccer League.

No doubt many parents who might read today’s prose piece
will be shocked at the thought of a 14-year-old leaving home
for an overseas apprenticeship that might or might not land
him a lucrative career in the game he loves.

“Yes, it's a gamble, a real risk.” says Lenarduzzi. “But there
are safeguards, As a schoolboy player, he must attend school.

And he'll be billeted with a family that will make sure he

attends and does his homework, He’ll be required to keep up
his marks, Because, if he doesn't, he won't be allowed to play.

“ICT be a real culture shock for him. T know it was for me.
But I was so much into soccer — eating, drinking, sleeping the
game —- [ was able to fight off the homesickness.

“Only two regrets. My head was so much into soccer, | did
let my school work slip, especially after | made it onto the first
team when | was just (6, And in retrospect, | wish Fd gone to
a bigger club, so Td have found out if F could have played at
the top level of the game over there.”

So, what's his advice forthe Grade 8 student at Lord Byng?
The same as he would have for any supertatively talented
teenager with a burning desire to get to the top,

“Get out of here.”

The problem i in this part — and all parts — of Canada is
that here isn't a first class domestic league as a stepping stone
trom youth soccer. The game here is in a recreational mode.
And that isn’t bad at all, except for those youths who would
like to nutke it a career. m

Most players on Canada’s national team decamped for the
U.K. and Europe as teenagers. None, however, as young as 14.
Mostly 16 and 17. They stuck with it and. for most of them,
the rewards have been beyond anything they could earn ina
workaday life here.

Goaltender Craig Forrest, a Coquitlam product, left for
England when he was 17. His new contract with Ipswich will
pay him a million dollars over three years. Montreal product
Alex Bunbury ears $400,000 a year with Maritimo in the
Portuguese League. At this moment he is the league's leading
goal-scorer.

Perhaps the most successful among the dozen Canadians
making good money overseas is Toronto's Paul Peschisolido,
who not only signed for big money with First Division
Birmingham, but won the daily double, so to speak, He wooed
and married the club’s young and attractive managing director,
Karen Brady, the lady who signed him.

For the sake of guarding against possible dissension on the
club, she has since traded him to Stoke City. But the marriage
endures. At just 14, one wouldn't recommend this road to sue-

cess for Terry Dunfield,