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WORCA celebrates end of season

The Whistler Off-Road Cycling Association is wrapping up its 20 th year over the next few weeks, with the annual general meeting on Oct. 22 and the annual Halloween Toonie Ride on Oct. 29. The annual general meeting takes place at 7 p.m.

The Whistler Off-Road Cycling Association is wrapping up its 20 th year over the next few weeks, with the annual general meeting on Oct. 22 and the annual Halloween Toonie Ride on Oct. 29.

The annual general meeting takes place at 7 p.m. in the Legends Ballroom at Creekside. All of the board directors will make presentations on their areas, followed by an election to form the board for 2010. There will also be a screening of the WORCA documentary, and WORCA jerseys - which raise funds for trail projects - will be sold for the last time this season. There will be refreshments available for what usually turns out to be an entertaining night.

All of the board positions are up for election each year, and several of the current board members, including president Todd Hellinga, are stepping down. Members are encouraged to get involved as WORCA continues its legacy of maintaining and protecting trails, teaching youth and adults skills, facilitating almost three dozen different events, and other activities. This year the club broke the 1,500 member-mark for the first time.

Detailed descriptions of all the board positions are posted online at www.worca.com.

The Halloween Toonie Ride takes place on Oct. 29. This is a night ride, so good quality lights are a must for all riders, and costumes are encouraged - just make sure you can see and steer your bike safely.

More information will be posted online at www.worca.com in the next week.

 

Tunnel Vision closed to riders

A municipal project to thin trees and reduce the risk of wildfires is moving into the Kadenwood area with selective thinning. As a result the portion of trail closest to Kadenwood will be closed for short periods, although the detour to Millar's Pond will remain open. The upper portion of the trail will not be affected.

The thinning is necessary as a result of second-growth in areas that were previously logged. While there may be 300 to 400 trees per hectare in an old growth forest and up to 900 trees per hectare in a managed forest, some areas of Whistler have 5,000 trees per hectare. That slows the growth of trees and creates a situation where a wildfire could burn and spread very quickly. For more information or an update on the project contact bob@snowlineresearch.ca.

Alison Sydor sets record at cyclocross nationals

At this point in her career as a professional cyclist there aren't too many things that North Vancouver's Alison Sydor has not accomplished, but she still manages to surprise. Last week at the Cyclocross Nationals in Edmonton, with blowing snow and sub-zero temperatures, Sydor took the women's elite title to become the first Canadian ever to hold national titles in road, mountain bike and cyclocross disciplines.

"It's a real honour to have won now in three separate disciplines, especially when there is almost two decades between my first (national title) and this one," Sydor told Canadian Cyclist.

Cyclocross is a mix between road and mountain biking, with cyclists riding specially designed road bikes with thin, bumpty tires over a mix of gravel, dirt and concrete. There are mandatory sections where riders have to get off their bikes to run up hills or stairs to keep riders from getting too comfortable.

The sport is popular off-season for both road riders and mountain bikers, and even provincial-level events can attract hundreds of participants.

Geoff Kabush of Victoria repeated his men's championship title.

 

Run or walk for hunger

Every day it seems hundreds of people run the loop around the Whistler Valley Golf Course, but on Oct. 18 it will be for a better cause than physical fitness.

For the second year Christine Suter is hosting the Food Bank 5 km Fun Run/Walk around the Valley Trail, raising money for the Whistler Food Bank at a time when demand is higher than at any point in history and expected to grow as the winter nears.

The run/walk gets underway at 9 a.m. at the Whistler Golf Course Parking Lot. It costs just $5 to take part, or you can donate food items in need at the Food Bank.

There is no parking on site, but you can park at the Whistler Conference Centre or day skier lots and walk to the start.

If you can't participate in the event but want to help out you can make food donations at Nesters, IGA and Creekside Market and cash donations at 604-932-0113. A list of items required by the food bank is posted online at www.mywcss.org/food-bank.

 

Not much to be thankful for on Wolf Pack

The Squamish Wolf Pack had a rough week with no wins and their third overtime loss of the season.

The first match was a 4-0 loss on Oct. 7 to the Aldergrove Kodiaks, still the only undefeated team in the Pacific International Junior Hockey League. Just four days earlier the Wolf Pack battled the Kodiaks to a 6-6 tie in regulation, only to lose in the shoot out.

On Saturday the Wolf Pack dropped another heartbreaker to the Ridge Meadows Flames. The two teams were tied 3-3 through regulation, with the Wolf Pack giving up their third OT loss this season in extra time.

The following evening the Wolf Pack were thumped 7-2 by the North Delta Devils.

Currently the Wolf Pack are sitting last in the Tom Shaw conference with two wins, seven losses and three OT losses. If they had won all three OT games they would have a record of 7-6 and would currently be sitting in fourth place.

Bourque ready to make his return

Quebec's Francois Bourque will be ready to ski this winter after missing every race since the 2008 World Cup season opener. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the final day of training before Lake Louise Winterstart and spent the rest of the season recovering and rehabilitating.

He has participated in two on-snow camps in the off-season, and is cleared by his trainers to race. He is not sure whether he'll be at the World Cup season opener at Soelden, Austria this weekend or will wait for a later race to give himself more time on skis before jumping back into racing. He may wait for the third event at Beaver Creek in December.

"This is kind of a comeback year," he said (translated from French by Alpine Canada). "But at the same time the only training camp that I missed was in Whistler in April. Apart from that I did everything the other guys have done and I followed the same program as the other guys.

"I did more physical training because I have been training for longer. I started one week after my surgery."

That included a training camp in Quebec where skiers swapped their skis for ice skates, building confidence edging as well as the muscles skiers use to explode out of the gates.

"To get injured and miss a whole year had never happened to me before," he said. "I have never been has happy to get back on my skis as I was in New Zealand (in July)."

Bourque, 24, has four World cup podiums to his credit and races all four disciplines.

 

WASP gearing up for season

The Whistler Adaptive Sports Program is getting ready for another busy season with a pair of events in the next week.

On Sunday, Oct. 18 the organization is hosting its annual general meeting, with reports by current directors and a look at financial statements. WASP provides a wide range of recreational opportunities for people with physical and cognitive disabilities, from learn to ski and race programs on the mountains to kayak programs in the summer months.

While the organization continues to grow the current economic climate has proved challenging for WASP, which relies on donations, grants and fundraisers to keep programs up and running.

The AGM takes place at 1 p.m. at Delta Whistler Village Suites.

The following Tuesday, Oct. 20 the newly opened Creekbread pizza restaurant in Whistler Creek is donating $3.50 for every large pizza and $1.75 from every small pizza to WASP. The promotion runs from opening at 4 p.m. until close.

Creekbread is a variation of the typical pizza restaurant with an emphasis on organic and locally produced ingredients and a wood-fired pizza oven. It's located in the Whistler Creek Lodge, beside the Whistler Creek Athletic Club.

 

Rugby and golf OK'd for Games

After weighing submissions from almost a dozen different sports the International Olympic Committee decided last week to add two sports to the Olympic calendar for 2016 - seven-a-side rugby and golf.

Rugby was a shoo-in with 81 votes for and just eight votes against. The format is seven players on each team and seven minute halves with a one minute break in between. In its petition to the IOC, the international rugby union said more than 96 countries participate in international sevens tournaments, which is on par with sports like soccer.

Golf also squeaked in with a comfortable majority: 63 votes for and 27 votes against.

Both sports have been included in previous Olympics, but with 15-a-side rugby in the Games in 1924 and golf in 1900 and 1904. No new sports have been added to the Summer Games since triathlon was picked in 1993 to be part of the 2000 Games in Sydney.

The golf tournament is played over four days and 72 holes, with 60 men and 60 women taking part. The top-15 men and women in the world (as ranked by the PGA and LPGA) pre-qualify.

Only the top-12 men's and women's rugby teams will be invited to play at the Olympics, to be decided in a format similar to the IRB Sevens World Series - a series of eight tournaments in seven countries, covering five continents. Total points from those tournaments determine overall world rankings.

Jacques Rogges was also re-elected IOC president for another four-year-term at the same congress.