FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2012 THE VANCOUVER COURIER
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GOT SPORTS? 604-738-1411 | sportsandrec@vancourier.com
Giving the gift of food for Xmas
FIVE HOLE FOR FOOD GAME SET FOR JACK POOLE PLAZA SAMANTHA WRIGHT ALLEN Contributing writer
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ancouverites can play their favourite sport with purpose this Saturday (Dec. 15) when Five Hole For Food brings some pick-up hockey to Jack Poole Plaza. The national touring summer event makes its second Vancouver stop of 2012, inviting locals to bring their sticks, contribute cans of food and create good karma in the fight against hunger this holiday season. The game is co-presented by SFU’s business program, and Five Hole founder Richard Loat said he’s happy other organizations are taking on their model to make a difference beyond the warmer months. “Hunger isn’t a seasonal issue,” Loat said. “We’re really excited to have people keen to help us make our impact year-round.” The choice to have the main event in the summer is strategic though, as food bank levels are typically extremely low in the sunny months. Five Hole for Food was born in Vancouver and has blossomed here. The summer game has grown exponentially while past winter events have been held on the first anniversary of the Olympics, as well as during Vancouver’s 125th celebrations held in 2011. The turnout on Saturday may not be as big as during Richard Loat Five Hole for Food’s summer tour, but organizers are banking on Vancouver’s history of giving to encourage a solid showing. This summer, Vancouver raised the most donations out of 13 Canadian cities, a whopping 43,000 pounds, which was more than the 2011 tour raised altogether. Loat said he’s excited about the central location for this Saturday’s game. “We like to embrace the fact that we’re Canadian and Jack Poole Plaza is very unique and special to Vancouver,” Loat said, adding the flat surface, stunning backdrop and central location make it a perfect place for public ball hockey. The scrimmage is open from 12 to 3 p.m. and all food donations will go to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society, which will be taking part in the event. For more information, visit fiveholeforfood.com. samanthawrightallen@gmail.com twitter.com/samanthawrights
photo Dan Toulgoet
Michael Marti is surprised by the level of interest in acquiring the former NBA team’s practice floor, located at a former Gold’s Gym in Richmond.
Fourwantthefloor BID FOR FORMER GRIZZLIES COURT REACHES $13,000 JONNY WAKEFIELD
Contributing writer
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our bidders are in the running to own the last physical reminder of Vancouver’s former NBA team. Michael Marti, who acquired the former Vancouver Grizzlies practice court last month, told the Courier “four guys are really after me to sell it.” Since Marti posted the court on Craigslist Dec. 3, he’s received more than 150 calls from people interested in taking the court off his hands. The bid stands at around $13,000, but could change given the cost of transporting the 4,700-square-foot court. Marti is still receiving offers on the court daily. On Tuesday, he was contacted by more than 10 interested buyers, including one in Washington D.C. Some have been mum on their personal details. “One guy, it seems like he’s a pro. He’s quite tall. He wouldn’t lead on who he was, but he struck me as a basketball player and he seemed to know the court quite well,” he said. Marti operates the Planet Lazer laser
tag chain, which acquired the court by accident when his company bought a former Gold’s Gym property in Richmond. Before becoming a gym, the facility had been owned by B.C. Basketball. Marti said he has little connection to the Grizzlies franchise, which moved Memphis in 2001. He was surprised by the outpouring of interest from bidders and the media. “I didn’t even think I’d get one or two requests,” he said. “I thought it would be a joke, to be honest. It’s not of value to me, so I had no conception that it would be of value to somebody.” But the level of interest doesn’t surprise B.C. basketball enthusiasts like Doug Eberhardt, who coached a Grizzlies-sponsored youth squad during the team’s time in Vancouver, and has been an assistant coach on several NBA teams. During that time, Eberhardt had his office at the Richmond practice space. He currently coaches basketball at Charles Tupper secondary, and said Grizzlies jerseys are popular among his players. “A lot of [players] wear retro Vancouver Grizzlies memorabilia, but they
never saw the team play, they have no history with the team at all. [The court] is the one physical reminder left.” For now, it’s unclear whether the court will remain a court. “It’s not a floor that can be saved very easily,” said Richard Hook, who works at B.C. Hardwood Floor Company and inspected the court. “You could cut out sections and make panels out of it and put it back together, but it’s labour intensive due to the type of system it is.” Eberhardt said keeping the court usable for basketball would be the best case scenario, but agreed the logistics of the move would likely make that difficult. “If someone buys it and puts it in their house I’ll be happy to know it lives on as a piece of memorabilia,” he said. “It wouldn’t be as great as if it were kept as a real gym floor. But every time they’d run over centre court, they would know that the Grizzlies actually existed.” The court was still listed on Craigslist by the Courier’s press deadline. twitter.com/jonnywakefield
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