OcTOBER 22, 2003 Sports 9 Rugby Fest Player of the Week - Men’s Rugby at Gobbler This past weekend the UNBC men’s rugby team went down to Abbotsford, BC to participate in the annual Gobbler rugby fest. The tournament is held every year and includes teams from the U.S., the lower mainland, and both the UNBC and PG Gnat’s men’s teams. Despite inclimate weather all weekend long the men’s team emerged victorious in two matches and were defeat- ed in one other hard fought bat- tle. Victories came against UBC Law and the University of Washington. Both victories were 10-0 decision in which Dave McMullen and Shawn Henry were the try scorers. In UNBC’s one defeat at the hands at the hands of the Unholy Alliance, the game was almost entirely played in the oppositions half and the final decision was by the games only try. All of the UNBC games were tough fought battles of attrition in which the UNBC men came together as a team. Special mention goes to the fard fought plays of loose-head prop Warren Exshaw and hooker Ryan Nelson and also to the strong back-line play from Jason Schweizr and Chris Hubbard. More exemplary play came from Jon Wilsdon who played above his abilities in any position asked of him and also his position at full back. Overall, UNBC proved themselves as a cohesive unit and team with masses of poten- tial UNBC Women’s Rugby Stands Tough The UNBC women’s rugby football club took home second place at the annual Gobbler rugby tournament held in Abbotsfrod, BC. They walked into the finals with a complete shut out, after winning their first 3 games. On the cold and rainy morning of Saturday, October 11th, they beat Humboldt State University with a score of 10-0, with tries scored by Kim Stewart and Christy Allen. Following this, they beat Oregon Sports Union (ORSU) with a score of 5-0, with the single try scored by Jess Harcombe. On Sunday morning, they beat the Seattle Breakers, a club team with a winning score of 10-0. These two tries were scored by Nicole Abrams and Andrea Faris. These winnings led them to the final, where they met up with ORSU again, losing in a well- matched game with a final score of 3-0 with just a penalty kick scored against them. The club is thrilled with such a well-played tournament, as they ha ven’t reached the finals in many years. It’s a great follow up to their 0-4 record last year. They are currently looking for more competition and plan on hosting the Williams Lake under- 19 team later in October. Brett Stewart- #4: This 6’3 guard for the UNBC men’s basketball team is well on his way to becoming a national all- star. At the men’s last exhibition tournament of the pre-season on the 9th to the 12th, Stewart averaged 16 points and 6 assists, making at least 50% of his field goal attempts. Not only was he very offensive- ly productive, but this former Maple Ridge student was a leader in defense as well. Head Coach Zane Robison says of Stewart's play that “defensively, he Men’s Basketball definitely dominated, shutting down bigger and smaller guards. He was one of the positive parts of the weekend.” Stewart has always been a player that only improves as the season progresses and may very well be among the top players in the league further into the year. Robison is very pleased with his game, saying that “he’s doing the little things it takes to win.” Paintball Mania Hits North America By Sabine Boersch, The Peak VANCOUVER (CUP) -- In a world that is now dominated by extreme sports, a new one has emerged to take centre stage - although it has come with its fair share of controver- sy. Paintball, surprisingly, has been around for almost 30 years. However, in the last seven or eight, it has spread like a wildfire, shot into the public view. Despite the bad comments about this game of war, paint- ball is coming to be more of an organized sport which has leagues, tournaments, and a subculture that expands across the continent. Currently, the sport has conflicts, as there are reports in the media demoting it. Last week there was an incident involving a 15-year-old girl being shot in the eye with a paintball gun. This summer, there were reports of teens “terrorizing” Vancouver’s streets with paintball guns. As a result, it is illegal to wield paintball guns in the pub- lic. These massive glistening pieces of weaponry are nothing to give your five-year-old. Their weight can be from one to four pounds and can cost upwards of thousands of dollars. For some, it has become just that. SFU English student Matthew Fung has taken paintball and its popularity and turned these into a business at Ambush Paintball. Operating from Surrey, British Columbia, Fung has seen paintball crawl out of the bushes and evolve into what it is now. Last weekend there was a Badlands Paintball tournament held at Ambush Paintball. Teams ranging in skill from rook- ie to amateur came out to try and win prizes. These includ- ed masks, gloves, pants, posters, stickers, and the top prize for the amateur team, each member received a gun worth $1,700. The game was speedball which featured teams from all over the Lower Mainland and even as far as the United States. SFU French major, Jen Verrall has been playing as a spon- sored team member for Ambush Paintball for two years now. Currently the captain of her team “Venom”, she first got into it through her friendship with Fung. Playing has made her realize her passion for the sport. “Paintball empties my bank account, but it’s worth it,” explains Verrall. “It’s more than an outlet of aggression, like most people think it is. It’s a passion. Fast-paced, and I’ve never played any other sport with such a tight knit commu- nity on all levels of play.” Despite this tournament’s local atmosphere, it is not just a sport for those who live in Surrey. There are recreational fields all over the Lower Mainland and for the serious com- petitors like Verrall, there is the World Series of Paintball. The tournament is put on by the National Paintball Player’s League (NPPL) and is an international event series that is held in the highest esteem. Tournaments like this have made paintball what it is today through high exposure in key North American cities. This year it is held in Miami, Florida. Fung is sending his team down to the tournament to compete in speedball and X-ball. “Teams will be participating from all over the world, the majority of teams from the U.S., of course, but other top con- tenders are Canada, Europe in general (especially Britain and France), and even places like Russia and Japan. The Ambush Paintball team will consist of all locals, and even a few students from SFU including Jen Verrall, Kurt Raue, and myself.” Further expanding the popularity of paintball is the busi- nesses that have sprung from the recognition. Like most extreme sports, there are magazines and Web sites dedicat- ed to the sport and players of all levels. Clothing lines and businesses have also pushed paintball to the streets in a more fashionable way. Companies like JT and Dye all make clothes that can be found in your local paintball store and worn out to school. Despite all of these developments, there is still plenty of room for improvement. If this extreme sport is to continue with its success they will have to focus on today’s youth. Ambush Paintball ran a youth league this summer and held Vancouver's first youth-only tournament as well as youth speedball camp. These will be the key to paintball’s success and if the past few years have been any indication, do not expect this extreme sport to just be a trend. It is here for the long run.