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Sports Briefs: Black Diamond Betties make debut Saturday

The Black Diamond Betties, Whistler's very own roller derby team, is playing its first bout this Saturday night, June 2 against the Sea to Sky Sirens, which have been competing for the past year.
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The Black Diamond Betties, Whistler's very own roller derby team, is playing its first bout this Saturday night, June 2 against the Sea to Sky Sirens, which have been competing for the past year.

The battle is being billed as "The Calamity in the Corridor," and takes place at Brennan Park Arena in Squamish. Tickets are $10 in advance at Evolution and Hempire, or $15 at the door. There's a beer garden, merchandise and a few hours of roller derby action — bumps, jumps, elbows and crashes as the team's jammers skate through all the contact while working to earn points for their teams.

Visit www.whistlerrollergirls.com.

Gymnasts on top at Zone Championships

The Whistler Gymnastics Club had a banner weekend at the Zone 5 Championships in North Vancouver this past weekend, with several athletes placing well in the overall and others posting their best results to date.

Gabby Flynn took her second all around win in Provincial Level 2 Tyro, this time with gold medals on vault, bars and floor and bronze medal on the beam. In the same category Hannah Peatfield placed fifth with a gold on vault (tying Flynn) and top six results on the other apparatus. Gigi Kranjc was sixth all around with a fourth place finish on beam, Cassia Jean eighth with a fourth place result on vault and Leah Brownlie 10th with an eighth place result on floor.

In Provincial Level 2 Novice, Caitlin MacConnachie placed second all around. She didn't win any gold medals, but earned silver medals on beam and floor and a bronze on the vault.

In Provincial Level 1 Argo, Katie Faerge placed eighth all around, placing sixth on bars.

In Provincial Level 1 Tyro, Charlie Jarratt just missed the all around podium in fourth place while placing first on beam. Emily Sargent was first on floor and fifth on vault to place sixth all around and Ronin Devine was sixth on floor to place seventh.

There was also a category for Kids in Progress (KIP) athletes at the pre-competitive level. They are judged like other athletes, but are awarded gold, silver or bronze in every event based on their performance.

All of the Whistler KIPs earned silver medals all around for their performances: Ajah Newsome, Kaila Lafreniere, Mali Ricard, Jaden Cote, Elle Johnston, Skyler Williamson and Ayva Spierings.

Eagles lose lead in second test

The Sea to Sky Eagles Rugby League Football Club played their second official match this past Saturday, May 26 against the Surrey Beavers.

The team lost its opener against Kelowna but outplayed the competition in the second half. They managed to take that momentum into their match against the Beavers and in the first 15 minutes had scored and converted two tries to take a 12-0 lead. The Beavers did answer back but the Eagles had the lead 12-4 at half time.

The Beavers, which have a few players already identified as candidates for the provincial team, were not done however. They tightened up their game and managed to take the lead 14-12.

At last, with just 11 minutes remaining, the heat and injuries took their toll on the Eagles and Surrey scored four unanswered tries to finish the game 36-12.

"The score was no indication of a very close contest and the Sea to Sky Eagles should be praised for a very gutsy performance," wrote Paul O'Keefe in his match report.

The Eagles has several young players still in high school, but are continuing to recruit. Visit their Facebook page for more information. And if you don't know how rugby league works compared to more established rugby union, you can look it up on Wikipedia or drop by Mamquam Elementary on Saturday, June 2 to watch as the Eagles play host to the Bayside Sharks. The kick-off is at 2 p.m.

Heisterman top 10 in Alabama Xterra

Just one week before she captured the NimbyFifty crown in Pemberton, Squamish's Brandi Heisterman was sweating it out in another test of endurance.

A new member of the national off-road triathlon team, Heisterman headed down to Alabama for the International Triathlon Union Cross Triathlon World Championships/Xterra Southeast Championships.

The swim was 1500 metres, followed by a 30km mountain bike and a 10km run. Nanaimo's Melanie McQuaid, another member of the team, placed second overall in the race in 2:27:15, Calgary's Danelle Kabush was sixth in 2:33:03 and Heisterman — who did her first triathlon last summer at the Xterra Canadian Championships in Whistler, was ninth overall in 2:33:50.

"Triathlon Canada asked me in January, and I said okay, I'll focus on Xterra for a while and swim a bit more and do a few more events," she said.

As a member of the team, Triathlon Canada pays her entry fees and has supplied her with gear, including a tri suit. If she does well, she said she gets bonuses that will help other costs, as well as the opportunity to earn Sport Canada funding. She finished just a minute-and-a-half back at this event, but will continue to race hard.

"That race was pretty early season for me, a lot of the women have already done a few Xterra World Tour events already while I haven't been in a race since (the 2011 Xterra World Championships in) Maui," said Heisterman.

While she's still a mountain biker at heart, she said she's enjoying the challenge and mixing things up a bit with swimming and trail running.

"Going into the Nimby I was a little worried because I've been swimming 10K a week and running as well, and I haven't spent as much time riding," she said. "But given how I felt at the Nimby I'm pleased with my form and actually feeling really good physically."

She will be attending the Whistler Xterra in July, the Canadian Championship and the U.S. Championships, and is looking to earn a spot at the Xterra World Championships in Maui once again. Her goal is to place top seven in the world this year, which she says is realistic given the other competitors' experience.

"I'd love to say top five, but I need to be realistic — these girls are fast and they've been doing this a lot longer than I have. But I've taken a bit of time off the swim, and now I just have to get that run down," she said.

Slurpee Cup addition

In last week's coverage of the Slurpee Cup soccer tournament in Kelowna, Pique missed one name. Charles Wetaski has been playing with the European Football School in Vancouver since February, and recently joined their tournament team for a trip to California to compete at the U14 level. He again joined the team at Kamloops where EFS placed second overall in Gold division.

EFS has been coming to Whistler to offer summer camps for a decade now, and Wetaski is just one of the kids that's grown up attending the camps. This summer the camp runs July 2 to 6, and registration is available online at www.whistersoccer.com.

Some of the Whistler players that have attended EFS and are now playing at a high level for rep teams include Will Robson, Cam Baker, Bobby Bunbury and Thomas Bunbury.

Registration open for WORCA camps

The Whistler Off Road Cycling Association is accepting registration for its summer camps, including a new adult camp and Charlie's Angels clinics at www.worca.com.

The adult camp runs from June 25 to 29 and is $369. There are 25 spaces available, and registration includes four days of cross-country instruction and a half day in the Whistler Blackcomb bike park followed by the Phat Wednesday downhill race. The last day of camp is followed by dinner and drinks at the Brewhouse.

As well, Sylvie Allen will be coaching three-hour clinics for Charlie's Angels riders, taking place June 20, July 7 and July 21. The cost is $50 per clinic or you can get a cross-country and downhill clinic for $90. Register early, as there is only space for six at each clinic.

The women's only Charlie's Angels race takes place July 27 and 28.

As well as adult camps, WORCA is hosting nine weeks of Youth Dirt Camps over the summer, six for kids six to nine and three for youth and teens (aged 10 to 12 and 13 to 15). Proceeds from the annual WORCA bike swap underwrite the cost of coaches to keep the overall costs down for participants.

For more, visit www.worca.com.

Roberts retires from snowboardcross after concussions

Mike Robertson, the surprise silver medal winner in snowboardcross at the 2010 Winter Games, announced his retirement from the team this week, along with veterans Francois Boivin and Dan Csokonay — all as a result of injuries.

"The decision to retire was a hard one to make," said Robertson. "I had different plans in mind and would have loved to represent Canada at another Olympics. I didn't want an injury to end my career, but after two years of struggling with concussion symptoms and trying to recover again and again, I had to make the best decision for my long-term health. I would like to thank everyone who helped me along the way, especially my teammates for the good times and memories. I wish them the best of luck in the future."

For Boivin, who has been competing at the World Cup level for 13 years, it also came down to injuries and the fact he has a young family. "I've been struggling with an injury for a couple of years and life on the road can be difficult with a young family," he said. "I am looking forward to going back to school and having more time to focus on my career and family."