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Squash League looking for beginners

Played a little Squash and want to get better?

The Whistler Squamish League is looking for beginners to join the league’s 14 teams this year, with games starting on Oct. 10 and running through to March.

Each team has five players, from Level 1s, the top players, to Level 5s.

"What happens is that all the people who started off at Level 5 last year moved up to Level 4 this year, so we’re always looking for beginners to step in and play," said Ben Thomas, the league administrator.

Thomas says the league is a good opportunity to meet people, and to get into shape this winter – in fact, studies rank squash with swimming and aerobics in terms of an overall workout.

Your $155 entry fee includes a free lesson, a dryfit shirt, tickets to club social events, and entry into Meadow Park for all 17 games. All you need is the proper footwear, a squash racquet and the ability to hit a ball.

Thoughout the season the top players will give you tips to help you improve your game, and the Level system ensures that you will always be matched up against players with similar abilities.

Each game is about 45 minutes long.

If you can’t make your assigned game time on Sunday, you can also make that game up during the week if your opponent is available at that time.

You can sign up at Meadow Park, or by contacting Ben Thomas at benwhistler@yahoo.com.

Pass first over the pass

Whistler’s Scott Pass won the 20 th anniversary of the Rubble Creek Classic, a 25-kilometre run that follows the Helm Creek Trail from the Cheakamus Lake parking lot around Black Tusk, and descends back to the highway at the Garibaldi Lake trailhead.

Pass finished the trail in a time of two hours, 15 minutes and 27 seconds. Five minutes later, in 2:20:34, Duncan Munro crossed the finish. Frank Lucarelli was third in 2:28:00.

Adventure racer Jen Segger was first among the women, crossing the line with Paul Nichols in a time of 2:30:37. Second place went to Stephanie Rochon in 2:38:40, followed by Ariel Holtz in 2:50:39.

Following the run, the sponsors at Escape Route sent a sweep team through to pick up any garbage that might have been dropped by the runners.

This is the first year that Escape Route has organized the event, but it made sense to take it on according to store manager James Retty.

"We have been running trail running clinics, sponsored the Tuesday night trail running series, the monthly hash harrier runs, so this event was a good fit for us," said Retty, who finished the run in 2:55:49.

"The Rubble Creek run has become a tradition, and if you’ve never hiked it or run it you’d see why. It is, without a doubt, the most incredibly scenic trail in the area."

Elite skaters in Whistler

Next weekend, Oct. 8 to 10, the top figure skaters from Manitoba to B.C. will be in Whistler to compete in the Whistler Cup Invitational Figure Skating competition at Meadow Park.

The event is hosted by the B.C.-Yukon Territory Section of Skate Canada as part of the program to develop skaters for the 2010 Olympic Games, as well as to give elite skaters who are already Olympic hopefuls an opportunity to compete.

The long-term plan is to make this an annual event, and to encourage the participation of potential Olympians from other nations as well as western Canada.

The three-day competition is funded in part by the provincial government through Game Plan B.C. and 2010 LegaciesNow, which funds athletes and sports development for future Olympic Games. The funding commitment is for six years, but it could be extended if the interest is high.

Practice gets underway on Friday morning, and the first event, the Juvenile Ladies, gets underway at 1:45 p.m. Competition will continue through the weekend with singles, pairs and ice dance events. Admission is free, and spectators are encouraged to come out and cheer on future Olympians.

Because it’s an invitational event, only one Whistler skater will be taking part this year – Caleigh or C.J. Derpak will be skating at 2:05 p.m. on Friday and Saturday in the pre-Novice competitive category.

The Whistler Skating Club, where C.J. trains, will be helping to run the Whistler Cup Invitational.

"It’s huge for us, our skaters have never really seen this level of competition before, or skaters from other provinces," said Jhan Derpak, C.J.’s mother and a member of the Whistler Skating Club’s board of directors.

"Our own skaters will have something to look up to each year, and to the possibility that one day they may be able to compete at home in an international event," said Derpak.

Whistler Whoosh looking for players

The Whistler Whoosh women’s volleyball team is getting ready for the 2004-2005 competitive season, and held their first practice on Tuesday, Sept. 21. The Whoosh are the defending Tier II Provincial Champions this year, and play in monthly B.C. Volleyball sanctioned tournaments during the season. They are looking for new players with experience playing at the university or college level to come out to the team’s next practice on Tuesday, Oct. 5 at Whistler Secondary School, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Youth Soccer players adapting

In only the second week since the Whistler Youth Soccer Club joined the Squamish league, Whistler teams area already showing a marked improvement. Following some initial scheduling confusions in the first week, the teams got it together last Saturday, Sept. 25 to win some games.

The Whistler Senior Girls team was encouraged by an early goal from striker Chantal Rey, with an assist by Jessi Braidwood. Nadine Crowe, Brynne Benbow and Mia Daniels also put in solid games, and Whistler followed up with three more goals. Goalie Sophie Doyle also made some key saves, including a penalty shot.

The Whistler Senior Boys team also put their heads together, making short passes and controlling the play for most of the game. They put in three goals in the first half, and after a brief swing in the momentum in favour of Squamish, they followed up with six more goals.

The Whistler Boys Under 11 team started in the hole against Squamish in the first half, but pulled together early in the second half to tie things up with a goal by Broderick Thompson. Squamish put another good goal in, and sat on their lead through the game to win 2-1.

This is the first year that the Whistler Youth Soccer Club is playing in the Squamish League, joining the provincial association. In addition to creating more competition, the change will allow the Whistler players a longer season, as well as the opportunity to take part in more tournaments.

Pemberton Youth Soccer also joined the Squamish league this year, creating a super-league with more than 1,200 players.