Sunday, May 5, 2013 - North Shore News - A41
SPORT Arm injury can’t stop captain from hoisting hardware
Royals, Pipers no longer easy outs on rugby pitch From page 40
From page 40 now but in the moment you’re not worried about anything else. It was just so exciting at the time I wasn’t thinking about it too much.” Before getting injured Reinhart chipped in three goals and four assists as Canada went undefeated in seven games. Head coach Don Hay picked him as team captain following the team’s pre-tournament training camp in Toronto. Reinhart will now have a whole summer to get his shoulder back into shape photos Francois Laplante/HHOF-IIHF Images — he’s back home and finishing up the school year at WEST Vancouver’s Sam Reinhart (right) is presented Collingwood after spending with the championship trophy after captaining Canada the season with the WHL’s to gold at the IIHF U18 world championships. Kootenay Ice. Reinhart led the team in scoring this season after being named WHL Rookie of the Year last season. His name is already being tossed around as a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NHL draft. Nothing, however, has topped the feeling of pulling on a Team Canada jersey and representing the country, said Reinhart. “It’s incredible. Throughout the year with your club teams there’s so many games, you go through such a long year and you have to kind of look for motivation to get your legs going near the end of it. But whenever you get the chance to pull on that Canadian jersey it just gives you extra motivation and you start to feel the energy of the country behind you.”
Carson program may have come down a bit but mostly it’s the rest of the bunch catching up. “What you’re seeing is you get a lot of kids who get developed in the (Capilano Rugby Club) go out to their other schools, bring with them that level of play. You’re seeing an evening out of the playing field.” Hitchborn has a lot of respect for Carson and their program — he’s an assistant coach for the Capilano Rugby Club’s premier men’s team that is head coached by Tom Larisch, who also happens to be the head coach at Carson Graham. “I’m with Tom three or four times a week — I know Tom a little too well,” said Hitchborn. “He’s a brilliant coach, he’s dedicated, hard working, he’s very kids-first but make no mistake about it, Tom is one competitive dude.” That makes it all the more sweet to take down the Eagles. “There’s always been that hilarious Carson theory, like ‘Oh, Carson. Oh no, Carson!’” Hitchborn said in mock horror, adding that with the growth of other programs like Handsworth and Argyle, that attitude is changing. “They’re no longer this horrific powerhouse that they used to be, now they’re just another group of teenagers.” Ultimately the parity benefits all of the teams involved, said Hitchborn. “I think it’s great for rugby overall,” he said. “You look at a school like Carson Graham that has held pretty good sway over results these past couple of years and to finally have other teams come up through the willingness of volunteers, the engagement of kids at the provincial, national and club levels — you’re seeing way more positives out of this than back in the day when Carson would roll out and put 70 points on a team. I think it’s good for Carson as well. . . . It’s good to have competition. It’s great for these guys to
Friday May 10th
6pm - 8pm
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be able to go out there and play against other teams and not get blown out or blow other teams out. That doesn’t help anybody.” This conversation so far, however, has mostly neglected two important points as the Lower Mainland playoffs approach. One is the aforementioned West Vancouver Highlanders who beat all three North Vancouver teams this season to finish league play with a 3-1 record. “West Van has always been a strong program,” said Hitchborn. “That’s an excellent example of kids buying into rugby at an early age, coming to the front, realizing the potential there.” The other neglected piece is Vancouver’s St. George’s, the No. 1-ranked team in the province who kicked the snot out of all of the North Shore teams this season, scoring 196 points and giving up just 10 to finish with a perfect 4-0 record in league play. The road to the New Zealand Shield will no doubt travel through St. George’s this season. Whatever happens in the Lower Mainland playoffs, all of the teams that emerge will be threats to do damage at the provincial championships, said Hitchborn. Last year all four North Shore teams made it to provincials with Carson finishing second, Handsworth seventh, West Van 10th and Argyle 14th. Provincial play can seem tame in comparison to the local wars on the North Shore, said Hitchborn. “When you face these teams from the Valley and you’ve had Argyle up in your face or Carson up in your face or West Van up in your face — those local teams that throw the kitchen sink at you — it makes it a lot easier playing a Yale or an Elgin Park when there’s a lot on the line.” ••• The Lower Mainland AAA playoffs begin this week but as of North Shore News deadline the final schedule had yet to be confirmed. Check the Sports page at nsnews.com on Monday for an updated schedule.
Festival of Plays Presentation House Theatre 333 Chesterfield Avenue, North Vancouver
Monday, May 6 to Saturday, May 11 Show times 8 pm
Join us for an elegant evening of delicious wine and hors d'oeuvres, live entertainment, and a silent auction. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.spca.bc.ca or at the West Vancouver BC SPCA Branch.
604-922-4622
All funds raised will benefit the animals at the West Vancouver BC SPCA Branch.
Sunday, May 26th 2013 6:00pm – 9:00pm West Vancouver Community Centre
Six days! Nine plays!
...where students showcase their Canadian history projects in a community atmosphere of song, dance and fun.
Monday, May 6 .........Weightless ...............................Looking for 143 Productions, and Underneath the Lintel ..............Kingbaby Productions Tuesday, May 7 ........Half Life....................................Deep Cove Stage Society Wednesday, May 8...Brilliant Traces .........................Well Planned Theatre Co., and Ash Fault..................................The Nicola Cavendish Doesn't Know We're Using Her Name Theatre Co. Thursday, May 9.......The Drawer Boy.......................North Van Community Players Friday, May 10..........A Woman of No Importance ....Two Gals Theatre Co., and The Oblivion Series (a not-so-girlie show) ...............WaWa Productions Saturday, May 11 .....Red Cross................................Sin Peaks Productions plus presentation of Awards
Lynn Valley Main Library & Village
1277 Lynn Valley Road, North Vancouver Presented by:
North Vancouver Museum & Archives
T: 604.990.3700
$20 nightly or $108 for the week Call Now. 604-990-3474 or www.phtheatre.org Each nightly performance includes a professional public adjudication by Jay Brazeau. Buy a Weekly Pass and be entitled to vote on the People’s Choice Awards.