sports YMCA is budget friendly
Editor DEVON MACKENZIE
The Voice, THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2012
Local wrestlers battle it out
Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling’s latest event excites fans By CLAYTON PATERSON
E
The Langara facility can help those looking for an affordable way to get fit and have fun this spring By AGUSTINA COCCARO
W
ith classes winding down and beach season right around the corner, there is no better time than spring to join a local gym and get in shape for summer. The Langara Family YMCA offers a wide variety of programs and activities at an affordable price. For $46 a month plus tax, plus a $50 one-time join fee, students have full access to more than 50 group classes, a pool, sauna and steam room, squash/ racquetball courts, a complimentary fitness orientation, free lockers and free parking. Members also have access to all other YMCA facilities in Vancouver. Annie Lin, who works at the Langara Family YMCA, said this spring they will be featuring boot camps for people who want to jump start their fitness. They will be available in May at no extra cost. The YMCA also offers a financial aid program for those who may not be able to afford their programs, because as arts and science student, Emma Taeb points out, “$50 a month is still pretty expensive for some. I think it’s very convenient, considering it’s so close to school, but it could be even more affordable for students,” she said. “We offer financial assistance through the YMCA Access Program for anyone who faces financial barriers to participating at the YMCA. The YMCA believes that no one should miss out on pursuing a healthier and happier life,” said Kelly Walker, Communication Manager of the YMCA. Some of the most popular classes offered at the YMCA are Zumba fitness classes, yoga, Pilates, and Aquafit. The YMCA also offers a more interesting variety of programs such as the Punjabi-speaking swim class they offered last winter. The Langara Family YMCA offers memberships and programs for youth, families and older adults. For more information or to view class schedules, visit vanymca.org. Those interested in becoming new members can drop by the centre for a complimentary facility and fitness orientation.
8
CLAYTON PATERSON photos
Clockwise from top left: Aaron Bolo prepares to body slam Sid Sylum; Alex Plexis, “Ravenous” Randy Myers, Artemis Spencer and Tony Baroni; Sid Sylum and El Phantasmo prepare to double suplex Aaron Bolo; Scotty Mac prepares an aerial assault on his opponent “Dastardly” Danni Deeds. Azeem “the Dream” and El Phantasmo were victorious in the main event of the Chamber of Extreme match held Friday, March 23 at Surrey’s Bridgeview Hall.
lite Canadian Championship Wrestling, a professional wrestling promotion based in Vancouver, returned to Bridgeview Hall in Surrey on Friday, March 23 to put on a show dubbed “Chamber of Extreme”. ECCW began as Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling in 1996, only holding events on Vancouver Island under the previous ownership. Scotty Mac, the current owner of ECCW, assumed control in January 2010. He changed the name to Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling two years later and introduced a new championship belt to the promotion. Later, he expanded the organization into new areas such as Vancouver and Surrey. “There is nothing right now in the world that makes me happier than ECCW,” said Mac in an interview with reviewfix.com. “I am loving every minute of it.” True to the nature of independent wrestling shows, the crowd at Bridgeview Hall was fairly small with about 100 people in attendance, but the passion of the wrestlers and fans alike gave the feeling of a much larger event. The card saw six matches take place, two of them contested under “hardcore” rules where wrestlers are free to brawl anywhere in the arena with any weapons they find including steel chairs, street signs, and wooden tables. One of the hardcore matches saw Cremator von Slasher and Hellion face off against Ray Brooks and Jordie Taylor. The action spilled out of the ring to every part of the venue, with some of the wrestlers even going outside to battle in the cold. “I almost crapped my pants when [von Slasher] came bursting through the door,” said ECCW fan Doug Knight. “That was the last thing I expected to happen when I went out for a smoke.” Mac was victorious against “Dastardly” Danni Deeds, but the match had an interesting stipulation: due to a loss last month, Mac was forced to compete in Deeds’ tie-dyed attire, along with a bright red bow tie. “It’s all about putting asses in the seats,” said Mac. “I do it because I love it, and when it comes down to it, I would do it for free.” The Chamber of Extreme match saw two teams of four compete inside a steel cage that enclosed the ring. The extreme part of the match’s name referred to the barbed wire that was wrapped around the top of the cage. “These guys are insane,” said fan Adam Gagnon. “I could never do what they do.” Competitors Azeem “the Dream” and El Phantasmo were victorious in the main event, pinning “the Natural” after slamming him through a table.
Falcon’s Gurjote Jhaj named to CCAA’s All-Canadian Team in Truro After being named Player of the Week and Year by PACWEST, Jhaj has now been named to the CCAA’s All-Canadian Team By STACY THOMAS
L
angara has a rising star in its ranks. Gurjote Jhaj, 22, shooting guard for the Langara Falcons men’s basketball team, has not only been named both Player of the Week and Player of the Year by the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST), but he has also just been inducted into the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association’s All-Canadian Team. “It just shows my hard work has paid
off throughout the season,” Jhaj said. “I’ve been working really hard with the team and off the team.” Only ten individuals from across the country join him on the men’s All-Canadian basketball team. There are five conferences across the country, of which PACWEST is one. Two individuals are voted on to the team from each conference. The inductees are voted on by coaches in the players’ own conferences. “It’s a big accomplishment,” said head coach Jake McCallum. “He was very highly thought of by the other coaches in the league.” The last Falcon to win the CCAA’s All-Canadian Team honour was basketball player Clint Wickham for the 2008/2009 season. This year’s awards were announced at the national tournament held in Tru-
ro, Nova Scotia last week. “I had to dress up, wear a tie and all that, go up to the podium, my name was called, pictures were taken. It was cool,” Jhaj said. And although he says he “pretty much” knew the award was coming, he doesn’t take all jAKE Mccallum the credit. “My point guard Falcons men’s basketball coach Brody (Greig), he’s a really good point guard and he makes my job a lot easier,” he said. [Jhaj is] He also credits a talented his family for helping him on and off player.
“
the court; practicing, finding summer camps and with his SATs, which will be important in deciding where he goes next year. “I’m hoping to go down to the states for college for basketball, or I might just make the jump to CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport),” Jhaj said. McCallum hopes Jhaj’s time at Langara will point him in the right direction. “He’s a talented player,” McCallum said. “It’ll depend on what he does in the classroom because he’s done well on the court. I know he wants to play at a higher level. Hopefully we can help him move on.” Jhaj says he isn’t picky about where he goes next. “It doesn’t really matter. Wherever I get a chance,” Jhaj said. “I’m more than happy just to play on the team.”
HISTORY
of the CCAA
Interprovincial competition was initiated in the west in 1971 in the form of the 4-West Championships
In 1972, Quebec and Ontario initiated similar interprovincial competitions
By 1974, the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association was founded Source: Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association