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Sports Briefs: Whistler doctor joins Canadian pro team on the road

Whistler's Dr. Zeglinski has been selected to serve as the team physician for Canada's only UCI women's pro road team, GSDgestion/Kallisto/Specialized/Mazda, joining the team in Quebec last Friday, May 9 for the team's official unveiling.
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Whistler's Dr. Zeglinski has been selected to serve as the team physician for Canada's only UCI women's pro road team, GSDgestion/Kallisto/Specialized/Mazda, joining the team in Quebec last Friday, May 9 for the team's official unveiling.

The team includes Canadians Anne-Marie Morin, Kael Deverell, Alizee Brien, Stephanie Roorda, Roxanne Pepin and Catherin Couture, as well as track world champion Katarzyna Pallowska of Poland, Mexico's Mayra Del Rocio Rocha Guerrero and German riders Charlene Delev and Lina Kristin Schink.

Zeglinski said she was chosen for the job by head coach Mirek Mazur, who was her own coach when she was a member of the national road team.

"He invited me last year to race as a guest rider for his team in the prestigious Gatineau Grand Prix," wrote Zeglinski. "The world's best attended this race, including many racers who participated in the Olympic Games... including Clara Hughes, Ina Tuttenberg and the current world and Olympic champion Nicole Cooke."

Zeglinski placed 69th in the race, and while she decided she'd rather stick with mountain biking she realized that she could still support the team.

"During that weekend I clarified to myself that I don't want to race road again... but that I could assist as a physician with a team that he was in the process of developing."

The team was created to give younger riders aged 18 to 23 with the opportunity to race at the international level, and especially in Europe. It's now ranked 15th in the world.

Still time to register for KOS, Adult Super Sprint triathlons

With Ironman Canada coming to Whistler for at least the next three years, the Whistler Tri Club's annual Kids of Steel Triathlon and Adult Super Sprint race on Saturday, May 25 takes on a new significance. It's a chance for kids to experience a little of what one of the oldest Ironman races in the world is all about, a chance for adults registered for the race to practice racing and iron out their transitions and a chance for adults contemplating racing in a future Ironman to test themselves on a short, familiar course.

Swim legs are in the pool at Meadow Park Sports Centre, followed by bike legs around Alpine and Alta Lake Road and a relatively flat out-and-back run on the Valley Trail.

There are three different distances for the Kids of Steel Race — Kids 8 to 11 swim 100 metres, bike two kilometres and run one kilometre; kids 12 to 15 swim 300m, bike 10km and run 3km; kids 16 to 18 swim 500m, bike 14km and run 4km.

The adults do the same distances as the 16 to 18 year-olds.

For more information and registration visit www.whistlertriclub.ca.

Young Gymnasts strong at Delta Meet

The Whistler Gymnastics team headed to Delta for the annual Delta Invitational and Cash & Carry Cup — one of a few events in Canada where there is actual prize money on the line for the elite athletes.

Over 700 athletes took part, including seven younger gymnasts from Whistler.

In Level 1 Tyro (2001), Amy Ertel placed sixth all around with a silver medal on the beam.

In Level 1 Tyro (2002), Ayva Spierings tied for silver on the beam, and tied with teammate Ajah Newsome for ninth all around. Newsome was fifth on the floor and sixth on the beam.

In Level 1 Argo (2003) Skyler Williamson earned a silver medal on vault and was fourth on beam and floor to place sixth all around. Elle Johnston won the vault and placed 11th all around, and Tess Junper was 11th on vault and 12th on floor.

In Level 1 Argo (2004) Mali Forest place fourth on vault and seventh on bars and floor to place eighth all around.

The last big meet is the annual Ogopogo Invitational in Kelowna at the end of May, where athletes from Whistler will compete against gymnasts from as far away as Ontario. The club's year-end show is on June 16 with a circus theme, starting at 10:30 a.m. For more, visit www.whistlergymnastics.com.

Martial arts club in the medals

Four mixed martial arts athletes from the Awesome Arts Academy adult programs took part in the 34th annual Can-Am Invitationals recently at the Richmond Oval, with one member winning a bronze medal in Muay Thai kickboxing. Tobin Faraday won his first match, lost a close decision in his second and then won his third bout to place third overall.

He also competed in the Brazilian Jui Jitsu (BJJ) competition, losing his first round by decision after being tied at the end of five minutes. After that he had to rush over to the Muay Thai kickboxing ring and change uniforms as his name was being called.

Fish Bolton won his first BJJ match, then lost by decision in his second to win a silver medal.

Alvaro Arocena fought one match but did not advance to the next round.

Cynthia Phillot also took part. There was no competition in her weight class so she fought in a higher weight class up and lost her bout.

Eagles, Exiles put up a good fight

The Sea to Sky Eagles rugby league squad hosted an international nine-a-side tournament in Squamish this past weekend, with teams from around B.C. (including the Sea to Sky Exiles) joined by the New Zealand Police and the Fiji Force.

The Eagles, a young team in its second year, lost their first game 14-10 to the Richmond Bears, beat the Vancouver Dragons 16-10 in their second game, lost 22-6 to the Kelowna Crows in round three and then lost 26-6 to the Bayside Sharks.

That put the Eagles out of contention, although the Exiles squad did progress to the semifinals where they beat the NZ Police and went on to place second overall. The NZ Police placed first overall and the Fiji Force was third.

The Kelowna Crows were undefeated against other B.C. teams to win the B.C. Rugby League Domestic 9s title.

The Eagles are always recruiting players for their team and the league, and can be found on Facebook.

Rugby League is a variation of rugby where teams get a set number of carries before the ball is turned over, among other differences.